Chapter 32 Kiera
KIERA
Even as the bike slowed to a stop, my heart threatened to beat right out of my chest. I’d hoped that I could hide my surprise — Spencer didn’t need to know that I’d been to Valemont before — but even her daredevil driving couldn’t explain away the tremor in my hands.
The second the bike was parked, I scrambled off the back, tripping over the curb as I ripped off my helmet. I needed air. I needed space.
I need to hurl.
My body keeled over, my palms slamming to my knees in an attempt to keep myself upright. Bile rose in my throat, but I swallowed it back down before it could surface.
“Whoa, whoa, are you okay?” Spencer killed the engine and flung down the kickstand, rushing to my side.
“I’m alright,” I lied, sucking in deep breaths. I forced my eyes up, trying to orient myself in the real world instead of the pavement.
Over the mountains in the distance, the sun was just starting to rise. It was fucking early. Too early to be thinking about my dad and this place.
Spencer flicked open her visor, resting a firm hand on my back. “Did I go too fast?”
I met her gaze, surprised by how beautiful her deep brown eyes were. Even with a hint of guilt flickering behind them.
“No, no. It’s not you. I just… got in my head. Been a while since I’ve been out in the real world.” There was a hint of truth in that. Enough, I hoped to assuage her concern.
Dom’s mansion felt like a world of its own, isolated from all external concerns. The break from the real world was kind of a relief. But I knew that it wouldn’t last forever.
Spencer’s touch was doing wonders to calm my panic. She rubbed gentle circles into my back, studying me with narrowed eyes as she guided me through some deep breaths.
Once I seemed steady, she helped me stand up straight, lacing her strong fingers with mine. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.”
My eyebrows raised, as I looked down at our hands. “Take me to dinner first.”
In a grumbly morning voice, Spencer smirked. “Relax, it’s all a part of your cover. Anyone who knows you would be shocked to see you holding hands with a woman. Instant disqualifier.”
“Thin.” I smiled back at her. But my grip tightened on her hands, desperate to ground myself in that moment.
I wasn’t sure when she’d taken off her bike gloves, but I liked the way her fingers wrapped around mine, enveloping my hand. There was no way to run away from her, which was exactly what I needed right now.
At the metal gate, Spencer dug into her dark jeans’ pocket with her spare hand before pulling out a huge ring of keys.
“Jesus, what are you? A landlord? How does that thing even fit in your pockets?”
“Men’s pockets, Bunny.” Spencer laughed, flipping through until she found the key she was hunting for. “And not the first time you’ve been surprised by the size of something in my pants.”
Bending down before I could roll my eyes at her, Spencer unlocked the gate and grabbed the handle. As she stood, the gate rolled up to reveal the arcade’s glass door.
With a new key in hand, Spencer unlocked the main door and held it open for me. “Ladies first.”
Obliging, I dropped her hand and walked forward onto a black retro carpet with white speckles. It looked like a sky of stars had been spilled over the floor of this small town arcade.
As I peered into the dim room, there was no doubt Spencer kept this place cleaner than any arcade I’d ever been to before. But that didn’t stop a wave of arcade smell from washing over the place: a stale, warm scent that felt like childhood.
I didn’t get the full picture until Spencer popped on the lights by the entrance.
The dark blue of the overheads mixed with the orange light of the sunrise, washing the place in an otherworldly glow.
The only bright light was at the back of the arcade, where the display case and cash register invited customers to part with dollars and tickets alike.
“Welcome to The Glass Cannon, Bunny.” Spencer squeezed past me, placing a firm hand on my lower back.
My gaze drifted from the vintage posters on the walls to the game cabinets filling the floor. There was everything from modern games to 80s classics.
I doubt they’ve ever taken a machine out of here.
I followed Spencer further in as she moved toward the back. “Why the name?”
She flicked on another switch on the way, all of the games whirring to life at her command. “It’s a weapon, mostly in fantasy games. But I didn’t name it, obviously.”
The beeps and flashes from the games were hard to adjust to, stimulus coming to nearly every sense at this point. I felt like a startled deer, but Spencer navigated the place like a pro.
Once she got to the back counter, Spencer dropped my hand, gripped the edges, and hopped up, sliding herself across. When her feet hit the ground, she flicked another switch. This one turned on white, fluorescent overhead lights that mellowed out the deep, saturated colors of the video games.
“Better?” Spencer smiled back at me as she shoved her motorcycle helmet under the display case.
“Significantly.” My shoulders dropped, and my chest loosened just enough to take a deep breath. I made my way through the arcade and told the token counter.
From the same shelf that she set her helmet, Spencer pulled out a bright yellow vest. As she unfolded it and slipped her arms in, I couldn’t stop my eyes from following her flexing biceps, the wings of her sword and scales tattoo shifting around her shoulder as she slid the uniform on.
Once it was in place, I saw the name tag. Reaching across the counter, I grabbed the metal and twisted it in my fingers. “Can I have one?”
“A uniform?” Spencer laughed.
With a nod, I smiled at her. “And a job too.”
Scoffing at me, Spencer started to set up the register. “You can take that up with Dom.”
I rolled my eyes. “Who died and put her in charge of everything?”
“You can take that up with her too.”
Not wanting to let thoughts of Dom poison this place, I turned on my heels, examining the sea of video games before me. “There’s so many of them. It’s crazy.”
Spence grunted her acknowledgement, her attention focused on the bills she was counting. Not wanting to distract her, I drifted closer to the video games, looking for some way to keep myself busy.
I recognized some of them — mostly the classics. Space Invaders, Mortal Kombat, Terminator. But one particularly bubbly cabinet caught my eyes.
It was bubblegum pink and had a graffitied font overhead. Body Shot.
The preview of the graphics was cool: animated women dowsing zombie-men in alcohol that melted them away.
Just as I reached my hand out to filter through the character selection, coins clattered behind me, breaking me from my daze.
“Feel free to play any of them.” Spencer smiled, gesturing to the bucket of tokens she’d placed on the counter.
Raising an eyebrow, I gawked at the dented gold bucket. “You guys still use coins? A little archaic, no?”
“More like classic. Besides, tokens let players reload faster than juggling some flimsy player card.”
Spencer smirked watching closely as I walked closer and grabbed the tokens. Her eyes flicked from my chipped nail polish to my exposed neck and then to my face.
I winced as I took the weight of the bucket into my hand, the old metal handle digging into my palm. Taking a few steps away, I turned back to Spencer. “Are you going to join me?”
Spencer leaned on the counter. “I assumed you’d want a break from me by now.”
I bit my lip as I considered it. I should have been bored of her, should have wanted my space from saviors. But I couldn’t help how fascinated I was by them, nor the fact that they were becoming a source of comfort for me.
“I just don’t want you to feel left out.” I shrugged, failing to hide the warmth in my cheeks.
Spencer looked around behind the counter, trying to figure out how much work she still had to do to set for the day.
Then, clicking her tongue, she slammed her hands down on the counter and hurdled the display. “Well, if a pretty woman asks me to spend time with her, I’d be a fool to say no.”
Her fresh scent washed over me as she grabbed the bucket from my hand. “Choose carefully, though. I only have time for one game. Just for my Bunny.”