Page 6 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“You and I both know I did this for you, not for the department, Quinn.” We settled into our seats, me in my desk chair and him across from me.

“I fully briefed Ms. Ayers on safe house etiquette and what to expect,” Quinn began.

“I wish I could say the same for the guys.” My derisive scoff got a chuckle from him in return.

“I take it you didn’t tell them much in advance?”

“I told them about thirty seconds before you came through the gate. They all thought it was Carrick.”

“Is he still out and about,” he paused, trying to find the right words, “well, doing what Carrick does?”

I simply nodded.

“That man has a death wish, I swear. The rest of us couldn’t ditch the adrenaline junkie, warfighter bullshit fast enough.”

“Says the man who went straight to the police academy, and is now a detective.” The playful banter felt good. “It’s been too long since you’ve been around, Quinn.”

“I guess I can’t escape the need to serve. What can I say?” He shrugged nonchalantly. “So, are the guys cool with this? Is it going to be a problem?”

I didn’t miss the way he shifted in his seat. The man was obviously under some stress at the station, but I wasn’t about to press into matters outside of my purview. I had my own drama to deal with here at home, and I had left the military for that very reason. Too much drama and too many hotheads. I preferred being my own boss.

“You know us, Quinn. It won’t be a problem. They’re just salty because they didn’t get any warning. Which is my fault. I should have brought it up the other day when we first spoke. But like an idiot, I put it off, trying to determine the best way to go about it. Deacon was in a mood, Jax was holed up in his lair doing his nerd thing, and I just put it off. But I promise you, this won’t be a problem. The guys will get behind it, like we always do,” I reassured him with a smirk.

“You were the first person I thought of when shit went down,” Quinn said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“You had our back time and time again in the field. It would be wrong of us to not support you now.”

“Thank you, brother. I need to get back to the station, but Ms. Ayer’s got everything she should need for now. She’s got a bag, and all her essentials.” Quinn stood from his chair, and I followed suit.

As we entered the kitchen, the awkward tension waspalpable. Madison sat at the table, her glass of water sitting in front of her while she perched on the edge of her seat, arms still crossed over her chest. Not that I could blame her much. She had just been through hell, from what Quinn had told me, and now she had been uprooted and plopped into the home of a group of strange men. I couldn’t blame her one bit.

“Alright, Ms. Ayers. Do you have any questions before I leave?” Quinn asked, rocking back on his heels.

She simply shook her head no.

“Very well. I will leave you all to it. Niko, call me if you need anything. Thank you again.” With a clap of his hand against my back, I showed him out. As the door shut firmly behind him, I lingered, watching through the window as he drove back down the long driveway and out of the gate, back up the winding and branching dirt road that led back towards town. Few people knew the correct series of twists and turns to get here, and I had never been more grateful for that fact. If we were going to be babysitting witnesses, the more secluded we were, the better.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way back to the kitchen.

We had a new guest to handle.

The tension in the kitchen had only grown stronger in my absence.

“Welcome to our home, Ms. Ayers. Would you like me to show you to your room?” I asked as politely and kindly as possible. It wasn’t always the easiest with my demeanor. I tended to be a burly sort of man tonewcomers. It wasn’t until you got to know me that I softened a bit… and I do mean a bit.

“Yes, please.” Her voice was soft and melodic, but the attitude underneath reigned supreme. I understood where she was coming from. Strange place. Strange men. And a fuck-ton of trauma weighing her down.

“Right this way, if you’ll follow me.” I waited until she rose from her seat before turning around and heading up the stairs to the long hallway of bedrooms that lay beyond. The spare room we had was in the middle of the hallway, though we had two more down in the basement. I wasn’t about to put a witness down in the basement near the dungeon, however.

I opened the door, ushering her into the modest room. It wasn’t tiny, but it wasn’t as large as the bedrooms we had designed for ourselves, either. Regardless, I felt it would do the trick.

I watched as she walked in a slow circle around the room, taking in her surroundings. Her arms hugged around her body tighter, protection against the unfamiliar. I knew the feeling myself. In an instant, I was transported back to my first flight across the wide ocean to America, of being dropped into the laps of two adults I had never met and being forced to call them parents. Those two human beings loved me more than my own parents ever had… well, more than my father knew how to love me, at least. My mother loved me through her very last dying breath. But those two people who adopted me had become my parents and had raised me in a loving home.

But Madison? She had no idea who we were or howshe would get through it. I felt for her. But that didn’t change what must be.

“I’ll let you take some time to get settled in,” I said quietly, my voice brusk. “There is a bathroom down the hall. It’s yours, so do with it what you will. If you need anything, we will be downstairs. Do not hesitate to ask.”

Awkwardly, I hovered in the open doorway to her room.

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