Page 42 of Spike

“I will,” I promised, relived that despite everything that had happened, there was still a sense of normalcy.

12

SPIKE

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Gray said, kissing me on the cheek.

I couldn't resist the urge to pull him close and steal one more kiss. His lips were soft against mine, and for a brief moment, time seemed to stand still.

"See you," I murmured as I released him, reluctantly letting him go.

As Gray walked away, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He had taken a day off just to be with me, and here I was, selfishly wanting him to stay longer.

When he mentioned promising his manager an extra shift, I immediately reassured him that he could go back to work.

After all, I would be fine here on my own. But as soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

I wanted nothing more than for Gray to stay by my side the entire day, fussing over me, but that was the selfish side of me talking.

I slept for a few hours. Around noon, the scent of pizza invaded my senses, coaxing me back to consciousness.

Nitro stood nearby, holding two box of steaming pizza.

"Gray's not here?" Nitro asked, raising one eyebrow.

I finished one slice, then explained Gray left earlier, and that I persuaded him to go back to work.

Nitro's expression morphed into a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"You let him go?" he asked. “He probably would’ve preferred to stay here.”

I groaned in response. "Don't remind me," I muttered between bites of pizza.

Nitro shrugged, seemingly unfazed. "Well, maybe it's for the best. At least now we can focus on some MC business without interruptions."

I nodded in agreement, but then held up a hand, signaling for him to wait.

"Let me finish eating first," I said, not wanting to ruin my appetite.

As I finished my last bite of pizza, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, ready to dive into the more serious conversation Nitro had brought up.

"What do we do with the mercenary?" Nitro's question was direct, as always.

He had a knack for cutting straight to the point.

"It's my, our—Gray's and my problem. I'll deal with it," I asserted, my tone firm.

I couldn't let anyone else shoulder the burden of this mess.

"You can probably guess, but Venom would want to talk to you in private,” Nitro pointed out, his expression grave.

I nodded, not surprised by the news.

"I'll handle him too," I stated confidently, though I could see the skepticism in Nitro's eyes.

"It's not what you think," I clarified, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "I'm not a fool, Nitro. The last thing I'll do is fight the boss, especially now that Gray's in my life. But I don't want to lose Gray. I can't, so I'll still do everything in my power to protect him."

Nitro's gaze softened, understanding dawning in his eyes. He knew how much Gray meant to me, and he respected my decision to keep him safe.