Chapter 2 | Nick
Nick
Idrove from Michael’s house in Brooklyn to the tunnel under the small bridge south of Lynbrook. Parking the SUV, I got out and opened Alexis’s door.
“Time to switch cars,” I said, jerking my head. “Let’s go.”
Alexis’s forest-green eyes narrowed, and I scowled right back. She’d been a pain in my ass since the moment I met her, and I found myself wondering if she was always this difficult, or if it was just me.
She stepped out and gazed at the small navy-blue sedan. One of Michael’s men, Joaquin, exited the car and gave a nod.
“Hey, Nick. There are fresh clothes and groceries in the car. I’ll drive the SUV back to Michael’s.”
“Thanks, man. The plate?”
“The plate on the sedan traces back to a woman in a nursing home in Queens. You should be good.”
Nodding, I turned to Alexis. “Let’s go.”
She lifted her chin with the haughty demeanor I was very quickly getting used to, and strode toward the car.
It was already dusk, since the sun set before five o’clock in mid-October, but I could still make out the shape of her ass in her tight jeans.
It was perfectly round and full enough that I could imagine spreading my palms over each cheek.
..spreading her apart as I slid my fingers to her sweet little—
“Nick?”
Sighing, I shook my head. My new ward had a gorgeous body. Too bad it was attached to her bratty mouth.
“Sorry, zoned out there for a second. Thanks, Joaquin.”
“Stay safe.”
I climbed behind the wheel and glanced at Alexis as she tapped away on her phone.
“I’m not sitting in the back this time,” she said, her eyes glued to the keyboard.
I studied her dark, wavy hair as it fell across her shoulders and the firm set of her chin as she refused to look at me.
“The whole point of me guarding you is that you’re not seen,” I said, starting the car and putting on my seatbelt.
“I trust you to protect me,” she said, finally looking at me and sarcastically batting her eyelashes. “I mean, you’re huge and are obviously a badass with all those tattoos.” She patted my arm. “You’ve got this, boss.”
I pulled out, glancing around to make sure we weren’t followed. To be extra cautious, I would drive on side roads and take several detours on the way to the safehouse. It was imperative that John’s men couldn’t find us.
“Are you always such a little brat?” I asked as I pulled out of the tunnel and onto the two-lane road.
Alexis sighed and her shoulders slumped as she finally stopped tapping on her phone. “Probably. I’m kind of difficult. Mom says I could drive a saint to worship the devil if I tried hard enough.”
My lips curved against my will. Although I found her to be a pain in my ass, I did admire her ability to admit it. Most people would deny it, but there was something refreshing about accepting your flaws.
“Well, at least you’re honest,” I said, finally pulling off of the side streets and onto the Southern State Parkway. “That goes a long way to a Caruso.”
Alexis reached over and turned on the radio. She searched for a station until finding one that played 90’s grunge.
“Fuck yes,” she said, leaning back against the headrest. “I love Nirvana.”
“Aren’t you too young to know who they are?”
“I’m twenty-two and have this really cool thing called the internet, so yeah, I know who they are.”
Aaaaand the snark was back. My nostrils flared as I silently asked for patience.
“It’s not like you’re old enough either. I mean, what are you, like, thirty-five?”
“I’m thirty,” I said, shooting her a glare. “And I like Nirvana too.”
“Well, great.” Crossing her arms, she flashed a sardonic smile. “We have exactly one thing in common.”
Rather than telling her to shut her smart mouth before I did it for her, I turned up the radio and drove the rest of the way in silence.
Several minutes later, we entered a quiet, nondescript neighborhood in Massapequa.
I pulled up to the second house from the corner and drove into the driveway.
Hopping out, I unlocked the two padlocks on the gate and pulled it open before sliding back behind the wheel and driving through.
Once we were parked, I closed the driveway gate and reapplied the locks from the inside.
The fence that surrounded the modest home was over six-feet tall and provided excellent privacy.
Alexis stepped out of the car and stretched, and I diverted my eyes from the cleavage that bulged underneath her V-neck sweater.
She pulled open the sedan’s back door and grabbed a few of the bags that held the clothes, toiletries and groceries that would sustain us for the next week or so.
I grabbed the rest and led her to the back door.
I tapped the numbers on the security pad before using the key on the ring that held the sedan key to open the deadbolt.
The door opened to the small kitchen, and we dropped the bags on the counter. Alexis slowly strode toward the interior and down the hallway, clicking on lights as she walked. A few moments later, she returned, observing me as I unpacked the perishables and put them in the empty fridge.
“Seems like there are two bedrooms, a master and a guest,” she said. “The master has a king-sized bed, so I guess I should let you have that one since you’re twice my size.”
“The master has a private bathroom,” I said, closing the refrigerator and turning to face her. “You can have that one.”
“Will the guest bed be big enough for you?”
I gazed into her eyes as a vision of us tangling in the king-sized bed flashed through my brain before I could stop it. Inwardly chastising myself for the inappropriate thoughts, I nodded. “It will be fine. I’ll use the hallway bathroom. It has a shower.”
She slowly approached me, closing the distance between us. Once she stood only inches from me, she gently laid her palm on my bicep.
“Thank you for protecting me,” she said, those gorgeous deep green eyes filled with gratitude under the kitchen light. “I know you don’t want to be stuck with me either, and I’ll do my best not to drive you nuts.” Biting her lip, she shrugged. “I mean, it probably won’t work, but I’ll try.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lowering her hand, she studied me. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
Arching a sardonic brow, I pondered. “Not really, but you talk enough for both of us.”
A soft laugh escaped her lips. “I probably do.” Glancing around, she rubbed her palms on her thighs. “Do you know when the laptop with the VPN will be here? I can’t use mine because the IP address will be traceable over Wi-Fi.”
“I’ll talk to Michael and have it here for you tomorrow. You understand that you’re not to leave the house, right? I’ll go out occasionally for supplies, but otherwise, we’re both stuck here until Michael makes some headway in assuming your father’s business.”
“I understand.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and I had the urge to comfort her for some reason.
“Come here. I want to show you something.”
I headed down the hallway to a door that opened to a basement. Opening it, I pulled the string attached to the lightbulb and pointed down the stairs.
“Are you going to murder me down there?” she asked, a nervous caution lacing her tone.
“There’s some gym equipment down there. A treadmill, a bench with some weights, some yoga mats. You get the drift. If you want to get some exercise, you can do it there.”
“Ah, exercise...” she said, her eyes drifting over my chest which was covered by my dress shirt.
“Yeah, that looks more like your thing, buddy.” She patted my pec.
“But maybe. Thanks for letting me know. Also, I’m super-creeped that our safehouse has a murder-basement.
Who lived here before, and whoever he was, did he kill any of his wives down there? ”
A laugh escaped my throat. “Funny. I promise not to murder you...I think.” Closing the door, I glanced toward the kitchen. “We’ve got pasta, frozen pizza or canned soup for dinner whenever you’re hungry.”
“I’m going to make sure the sheets on my king-sized bed are clean and bug-free. How long has Michael had this safehouse? It’s passable but also a bit...rough.”
“He buys lots of houses here and there. Not sure, but it’s better than being dead.”
“Sir, you are not a poet, but that is certainly true,” she said with a nod. “See ya in a bit.”
She returned to the kitchen to pluck the bag with the clothes and toiletries from the counter and then sauntered down the hallway to the master bedroom, closing the door behind her.
“Guess you get first dibs on the toothbrush,” I muttered, returning to the kitchen to pull out a beer. Opening it, I tossed the cap in the garbage and took a long swig. “Joaquin, thanks for the six-pack. I’m going to need it.”
After devouring another long chug, I pulled out my phone to text Michael that we’d arrived safely. The first night of who-knew-how-many with my sassy little ward was officially underway. Praying to the lord that we didn’t strangle each other, I headed to the guest bedroom to settle in.