Page 90 of City of Salvation
I glanced over to see how the other two reacted.
It wasn’t jealousy in their eyes. It was carnal hunger.
“Should we leave so y’all can fuck?” I asked, standing to grab a drink because god knew I needed one. Or five. Horniness mixed with anger and self-loathing? Yeah, vodka needed to be thrown into the mix too.
“Do you think Nikki is going to be with Andrei?” Gunner asked from where he’d followed beside me.
My jaw clenched. I had no clue, and worse, I didn’t know what I’d do if she were.
“I don’t know.” I wiped a hand over my face. “Fuck, can I get a vodka Redbull, doll?” I asked the woman before turning to talk to Gunner. “I don’t know what the fuck she’s doing here, or why she asked us to come. I mean, how the fuck did she even know we were in New York? When she sent that text to Ryan, we’dbarelylanded.”
“I think you do. I think you know Nikki better than she knows herself,” he said. “Piece of advice, don’t let her run because she’s scared. Show her love is worth it.”
“Is it, though?” I bit out, looking up at him. “She fucking ran. Obviously, I am not worth her time. She made it clear I was good for fucking her and calling when she needed shit. That’s where therelationshipended.”
Gunner shook his head. “I’m telling you man, it’s worth it. You’ve already fallen for her, Dex. Fuck, we both know sheranbecause she cares. She thinks she’s saving you.”
A shot appeared in front of me.
“You sound like you could use this because if you’re talking about the girl that showed up today with Andrei, she looks fucking hot tonight. So good luck convincing yourself to stay away,” she said with a chuckle before going to prep more drinks.
“Fucking great,” I mumbled before throwing back the liquid, savoring the burn as it slid down my throat, then asking for another.
“Listen, you and I both know life is fucking short. If you want to be with her, then tell her. What is that thing you always say? The thing you decided after Kell?” Gunner asked, his words causing me to stiffen.
I repeated the mantra that saved me once before. The one I believed in enough to tattoo on my body. “Let us live since we are destined to die.”
Gunner slapped my shoulder. “So, fucking live, brother. Because we both know she makes you feel alive,” he said before walking toward Ryan where she was sitting next to Scar and Kenji.
Fuck. He was right.
Nikki ran as soon as she thought she might be letting someone in. Did she believe that being alone was less painful than loving someone and having them leave? Hell, I’d been the mother fucker leading that choir, until I got to know Nikki.
She showed me that life was going to tick by regardless, and if I could get even a moment with her, I’d take it.
As if my thoughts summoned her, the door to the VIP balcony opened, and in walked the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Long, creamy legs were bare until they disappeared under a green satin dress that hit higher than mid-thigh, her arms covered up to her elbows in matching satin gloves.
Fuck me.
It looked more like she was out in a negligée than actual clothes, with the black lace corset top. Who the hell knew? Maybe that’s exactly what it was. Regardless, I was a fan, and the crotch of my pants instantly felt too tight.
The room disappeared when her cornflower eyes met mine. Something like regret flashed through them before she pulled her gaze away, greeting everyone in the space. Trailing behind her was a man who looked like an honest-to-god rockstar. His hair was buzzed short and bleached so white it was practically silver. He wore an unbuttoned suit jacket, but had forgone a shirt, allowing all of his muscles and tattoos to be on display. I couldn’t make out what half of them said since they appeared to be in Cyrillic, but the one on his chest read, “Death before betrayal.” Leather pants hung low on his narrow hips with a Glock tucked in the front, clearly not giving a fuck about who saw. He wasn’t big like Gunner and I, shaped closer to Kenji with a tall athletic build. I’d put money on him being a fighter, though—his nose was slightly crooked and there was a scar running through his eyebrow, reminding me of the one Torque had from when it had gotten split open from a head kick.
Like his club, it pissed me off that he looked so cool. I probably would have liked the fucker under other circumstances.
He gripped Nikki by the elbow, leaning in to whisper something in her ear.
I hated the way she looked up at him. Too much of a reminder of how she’d looked at me.
A sharp pain radiated from my hand when a shard of broken glass sliced my palm, my curse coming out in a hiss. The vodka provided a cleansing burn.
“Oh, no,” the bartender said, coming to the other sidewith a towel. She gripped my hand, turning it over to see the damaged flash. The sight of the cut made her tisk. “I should have served you in a plastic cup, it seems. Now I’ve got broken glass and blood all over my bar.”
“Sorry,” I muttered, my mind still stuck on the way Nikki and Andrei looked together.
She smiled up at me. The twinkle in her eye made it clear that she wasn’t all that upset with me. “Let me grab the first aid kit.”
The injury was nothing compared to what I’d experienced in the past and I almost told her not to worry about it, but then I looked over to where I felt daggers being sent my way. Nikki stared me down. The regret I’d spotted moments ago was gone, replaced by anger and a look of challenge. She pressed in close to Andrei, answering something Ryan asked all while never breaking eye contact with me.