Page 94 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

I pulled the suitcases back up onto the bed. This time, I didn’t throw my clothes into them. The anger had dissipated enough that I was able to take my time. Folding my clothes neatly, I spent the remainder of my day packing up and thinking about the times I had while I was sequestered here. Good times and bad alike, I hadmany memories that I had planned to hold near and dear to my heart.

But things had changed.

When I left this place, I planned to leave it all behind.

And never look back.

Chapter 23

Nikolai

“Hey, Quinn,”I answered the door with a heavy sigh.

“I swear, that’s your new catchphrase,” he said, stepping into the house and clapping me on the back in greeting.

“Hey, Quinn? How is that a catchphrase?”

“I meant the heavy sigh. I swear, every time I call, I’m met with one of those from you.”

“Well… what can I say?”

“I guess you meant what you said about this whole thing not working out for you.” Instantly, I was hit with a wave of regret.

I should just buck up and be honest. With Quinn, with Maddy, and above all, with myself.

And if I was going to reason with Maddy, I needed time. The one thing that was in short supply at the moment.

Quinn glanced around, looking for any sign of Maddy. “So… is she ready to go? The faster we can get this done, the safer she is.”

“You know, Quinn, I have a favor to ask.”

“Name it, brother,” he said, as we stood in the foyer by the door.

“I need to drive Maddy to the new safe house,” I explained with yet another sigh.

“There’s that sigh, again. I mean, I’m here, and usually, it’s on official law enforcement to transport witnesses from one place to another if a move is indicated.” I couldn’t blame him for hedging, but I needed this. Maddy and I,weneeded this.

“I don’t ask this lightly; could you bend the rules? For me? I… I need to speak to Maddy. Let me drive her over. I promise you, I’ll handle it professionally,” I all but begged him, my hand on his shoulder.

“Niko, I am not worried about your professionalism,” he muttered with a short scoff.

It probably should be a worry for you,I thought to myself, remembering just how unprofessionally I’d handled this whole thing already.

“If you need this, then I trust you. You’ve never steered me wrong, Niko.” He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, a business card by the looks of it. “You got a pen?”

I led him into the kitchen, pulling open the junk drawer and searching for a pen for a moment before I found it.

“Here you go,” I said, handing it to him.

He scribbled on the back of the card before handing it to me.

“Here’s the address. I don’t think I need to tell you to properly dispose of this when you’re done. I’ll meet you there. How much time do you think you’ll need?”

A loud crashing sound came from the second story, drawing our attention upward to the ceiling. Maddy was obviouslypacking, if that’s what you could call it. Quinn shot me a sideways glance, obviously curious.

“Give me about fifteen minutes and we’ll head that way. Sound good?” I led him back to the front door.

“I’ll see you there, brother. And for what it’s worth, thank you. You guys really saved my ass with this case. I can’t thank you enough.” With a clap on my shoulder, he made his way back out of the house and to his car. I watched him pull back down out of the drive, wondering just how in the hell I was going to smooth things over with Maddy.

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