Chapter 29
Noelle
Here we go again, is my first thought as I wake, the sun streaming in through the windows. My body is sore in all the right ways, replaying everything about Nik from last night.
Only this morning? He isn’t lying next to me.
I lay still, letting our conversation run through my mind again.
His dad owed money; he saved him, but now he's gotten tangled up in a dangerous life, and who's going to save him from it? There's still something more here, something behind the scenes that isn’t adding up. I just hope he’ll let me help figure this out.
If Eva knew, or if she was somehow involved, would it change things?
I sit up and see the T-shirt with his name on the back. I grab it, sliding it on and head to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I’m a little more awake and walk down the hall, but pause when I hear Nik on the phone.
“Yo, you ready for this weekend?”
“...Yeah, we’re a home game. Denver’s three games behind, so it won’t mean much.”
“...You got a full roster?”
“...Oh? Johnson hurt again? Who’s his backup?”
“... How did the final walk-through go?”
“...Please, he wouldn’t know what to do even if he lay on his back and let her climb on, let alone run a blitz play.”
“...You’ll be fine, just brace for impact if you’ve got a second string in there.”
I walk out into the living room. He turns his head, eyeing me from my feet up my legs and to the shirt I’m wearing.
“Hey, uh, I gotta go.” He licks his lips and adjusts himself on the couch, and I shake my head at him. “Yeah, man, talk later,” he ends the call and tosses his phone to the table. “Good morning,” he says as he pats his lap, beckoning me over. “Sleep well?”
I stay where I am, folding my arms. “You’re getting inside scoop from them,” I say it matter-of-factly.
His entire demeanor changes. “I’m talking to my friends about their upcoming games.”
“No, you’re not. You’re getting stats on who’s injured or which second string is going to step up, and then you’re placing bets.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Let me rephrase. You’re telling Dante, and he’s placing the bets.”
He stares back at me, and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head. He doesn’t blink. The faint twitch at the corner of his mouth is the only tell.
“Maybe I just like to be prepared,” he says finally.
“For what? The game, or the payout?”
His grin returns, slow and deliberate. “Both. But right now, I’m more interested in winning you over.”
“You’re shameless.”
“And you’re still standing over there,” he shoots back. “Which means either you’re about to give me hell, or you’re about to sit down and make me forget what we were talking about.”
I lean against the wall, making it clear I’m going nowhere. “Nik, we need to talk about this.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
I wave my hands. “All of it. Let's start with your friends. Do they know?”
“No,” he clips out.
“So, they have no idea your innocent questions are being used against them?”
“It’s not like that, Noelle.”
“Explain it to me.”
He closes his eyes and takes a breath. “They aren’t a part of this, and I will never make them one. I won’t risk it.”
“But you’ll risk yourself.”
“I’d die for them. Plain and simple.”
I believe him. “How long until this shit with Rhett is over?”
He sighs and leans forward on the couch. “I don't have any answers to that.”
I shake my head, and he stands from the couch, walking toward me. “How long am I going to have to stay here?” I ask.
His steps falter slightly. “You ready to get away from me already?” He tries to cover it with a laugh, but it feels different.
“This feels like Stockholm syndrome.”
He scoffs and takes my hand, pulling me close. “Maybe for me… you’re the one who keeps ending up on top.”
I huff a laugh and wrap my arms around him. “How did this happen so quickly?”
“I’m not quite sure,” he whispers back.
We stand together, wrapped in the safety of this place for a moment. Because on the outside? Not so safe. I step back. “Thank you for telling me your truth.”
He looks away from me and doesn't say anything.
“I know it was hard to trust me with it. I want you to know it means a lot to me.” I debate whether to say the next thing, but I do. “Nik, there’s more to this, and I've a feeling it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Will you let me help?”
“I’m supposed to be saving you here. Not the other way around.”
I shake my head. “We’re going to save each other.”