Page 139 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

Nicky snorts, though a wide smile flashes across his face as his own hand raises to bump Mav’s. “Same to you, douche.”

Mav’s chest rumbles with the subtle vibrations of an oncoming chuckle. Nicky joins in, their laughter growing more pronounced, drawing the attention of the approaching footsteps from down below.

After a moment, Agent Kellerman sprints into view, rounding the landing as he ascends the stairs to stop right in front of us. Holstering his weapon, he leans back while assessing our current state, his gaze momentarily flickering to Cabir’s body across the way before returning to us. “Have I told you that you two are a full-time job?”

Nicky and Mav laugh harder, erupting into full on hysterics. “Not anymore, Alec.” Mav’s arms wrap around me as he nuzzles his face into my hair. “You’ll be thrilled with all the free time that comes with not having us to wrangle.”

“Hold up boys,” Kellerman responds, pinning them with a glare. “You’re not free and clear yet.”

Nicky and Mav fall silent, Mav’s body tensing beneath me as I look to Kellerman for further explanation.

“Alec. We had a deal,” Nicky hisses, his eyes narrowing.

“And we still have that deal, Nick. I just need you boys for—” he looks at his watch “—four more hours. All you have to do is meet me at your office in Killington at midnight.”

The guys exchange an uneasy glance, sending my anxiety skyrocketing.

“Come on, boys. Four more hours won’t kill anybody. Well, actually…” He hesitates, glancing down the stairwell to ensure we’re alone. “I can’t promise that.”

CHAPTER 58

MAV

Nicky and I pull up to our spot in Killington to find Kellerman’s van already here. There’s no sign of him, leading me to believe he’s already found a way to let himself inside.

J’s pissed we didn’t bring her. She’s still at the hospital getting patched up along with her mom. Thankfully, she didn’t do any lasting damage to her arm with that crazy stunt. We left Rico, JP, Finn, and T there to stand guard. Though, there doesn’t seem to be a need for that any longer.

Yuri was taken into custody in the sting, as were his top soldiers. His entire operation is in the process of being dismantled. We don’t have to worry about retaliation from any of Yuri’s superiors. The evidence I’ve collected against him while laundering his money proves he’s been stealing from them for years. If anything, he should be concerned with watching his back in prison. I can’t imagine they’re just gonna let that slide. Cabir’s dead. Anyone who was a threat has been effectively neutralized.

The only fucker who gets to walk away is Lucian, and while I’m not thrilled about that, I’m also not worried. Luc is a bitch, so while he may not be getting what he deserves, he isn’t someone who’s going to come back and bite us in the ass.

I shift the SUV into park, sinking back into my seat with a long exhale. “What do you think he wants?”

Nicky scoffs. “Blood of our fucking first-borns? I got no fucking clue.” He scrubs a hand over his face, staring out the window toward the darkened building. “Let’s go find out, though. I wanna get back to my wife.”

He reaches for the door handle when I speak, giving pause to his movements. “Yo.” I extend my palm toward him. “Congrats, man. Daph’s a fucking catch. Don’t fuck that shit up.”

Nicky chuckles, slapping his hand into mine before releasing with a snap. “Thanks, bro. Though I got a feeling she ain’t gonna make it easy on me. I think she’s got it in her head I only did it to keep her from marrying Lucian.”

“Is that why you did it?”

Nicky sighs, dropping his head back into the headrest. “Initially, yeah that’s what I told myself. But now that I have her? I don’t want her to be anything other than my wife. I want forever with her.”

“Remember, dude. Grovel. Hard. Find out her favorite flower, too. Have the shop on speed dial.”

“Dahlias,” he answers without hesitation, his voice dipping low as he glances down to the D on his finger. “She loves dahlias.”

“You’re gonna figure it out, Nick,” I offer up as reassurance. “If me and J can come back from all our shit, then you can do it with Daph.”

He nods, continuing to look everywhere but me.

“Hey.” I seize his attention once more. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For catching her.” My breath hitches in my throat as I think what could have happened.

Nicky’s expression becomes firm, his gaze holding mine. “I will always catch her. You may be taking over as first string, but big brother always has back up. Fifteen years and I haven’t missed one woogity. I sure as shit wasn’t gonna start today. Now, let’s go.”

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