Page 10 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“You scared me,” I hissed into the dimly lit darkness. My hand clutched my chest, willing my heart to return to some semblance of a normal pace.

“I apologize. Wasn’t my intention.” His thick southern drawl was very pronounced, as though he chewed every word through his back teeth.

“What are you doing down here?” I asked, my arms crossing over my chest protectively again. Being in a house with four strange men didn’t exactly put one’s mind at ease, even if they were the good guys. My entire world had turned upside down, and I no longer felt confident in who was good, who was bad, or what to even do.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

Obviously, he wasn’t a man of many words. Awkwardness sunk over the room like a heavy fog. Well, there were only two ways to handle this: flee back to the solace and safety of my room, or make peace with the idea of eating at the table alongside this strange man who had spoken less than five sentences to me the entire time I had been here.

My stomach betrayed me by gurgling loudly just then, the sound seeming to echo in the room, much to my embarrassment. I had to admit, only one of those options would give me the sustenance I desperately needed.

Steeling my nerves, I shrugged his words off andturned back to the fridge, the door still standing wide open. Looking over the well-stocked shelves, I quickly realized I had no idea what I was or was not allowed to eat. Shit. I’d have to ask him.

“Is there anything in here I shouldn’t eat? I don’t want to be rude.”

“Eat whatever you want,” he grumbled. The sound of glass hitting the table clicked in my ears. I foraged my way through the contents of the fridge, settling on convenience over elegance as I grabbed a hunk of cheese and some fruit. Now, to see if there were any crackers around here. I turned from the fridge, setting my items on the counter before glancing around, realizing that there were more cabinets than I had realized.

“Where would I find crackers — or something like it?” I asked casually.

He simply pointed towards a door on the opposite side of the high-top bar. My brow furrowed in confusion, but I walked over to the door, opening it to find pure darkness. My hand fumbled over the pantry wall until I found the light switch, flicking it on to find a surprisingly large room lined from floor to ceiling with shelves and cabinets around each wall.

“Holy hell,” I muttered under my breath. He had heard me if the deep chuckle was anything to go by. I scoured the shelves, noting the jars of food, both commercially sold and homemade. It wasn’t until the far end of the pantry that I found the boxes of crackers, macaroni and cheese, and more. Grabbing one from the shelf, I exited the pantry, turned the light off, and headed back into the kitchen. It was easy enough to findthe plates — or maybe I was just lucky to find them on my second try. In no time at all, I prepared my meal, and I made my way to the table.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked, realizing I had no idea what I would do if he said no. With a wave of his hand, he offered me a seat, if you could call it that.

Settling into the offered chair, I began my meager meal, staring down at my plate to avoid eye contact. The first bite exploded on my tongue, making my stomach cramp from a lack of nutrition over the last two days. Had it been two days or three at this point? I wasn’t even sure. I had spent so long at the police station, that time had become meaningless.

Moments of silence passed there in the darkened dining room as I tucked into my food, and he continued sipping his drink. The tension was palpable, but I couldn’t bring myself to care much when my stomach was trying to claw its way up out of my body to get at the food faster.

“I’m sorry for not being so kind when you arrived today,” he said out of nowhere, making me jump a second time at the sudden sound of his voice.

“Um… it’s cool.” I shrugged his comment off a little, unsure of exactly how to respond. “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind.”

His short chuckle in response made me smile.

“That’s putting it mildly, I reckon. From the sounds of it, you went through hell and back. I’m just frustrated. I have no reason to be a dick to you.” It was a moment of vulnerability on his part, and I was well aware of it. The grouchy man, as I had taken to calling himin my mind, as I could not remember his name. D-something. Derrick? Dylan? No, it was something different that I couldn’t quite place. But it didn’t matter. He was an enigma at best, and his vulnerability wasn’t something I was about to take lightly.

“Yeah, it’s been hard.” I thanked God for the darkness in the room, so he wouldn’t be able to see the blush that raised to my cheeks at my lame response.

“I can imagine.”

“I doubt it,” I said under my breath with a derisive scoff before I could think better of it.

“Darlin’, you have no idea.” His return scoff mirrored my own, and I felt a sort of kinship with the snarky man.

“Well, then enlighten me, why don’t you?” I shot back, taking another bite of fruit from my plate.

“Nah, that’s not polite conversation, or suitable for a young woman such as yourself.”

“Dude, I just watched a man get his brains blown out in front of my face. I had his blood spattered all over my clothes and body. Do you think anything you say will faze me? Please.” Contempt at the notion laced my words thickly.

The sound of his chair creaking in the darkness echoed through the kitchen loudly. I looked over to see him leaning against the table with both elbows. Even in the dim lighting, I could still see the nearly sinister smirk on his face.

A look I knew all too well.

Mischief.

“The five of us served in the military and special ops for over a decade. Personally, I’ve served for eighteenyears, between the different branches and specialty services. Trust me, little girl. We’ve seen some shit.”

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