Page 7 of Nikola
He chuckled. “Just look around you.”
And I did, not the least bit surprised that this room was littered with sex toys. Nikola had always been into pushing limits, trying out new and forbidden things. Who was I to judge?
“Are you going to be okay by yourself or will you lose your shit?” Nikola asked.
“Because you're kinky?” He shrugged. “I’m okay with kinky.”
His eyebrow arched. “I was referring to what you witnessed in the basement.”
Oh.
I exhaled a deep breath and squared my shoulders.
“I don’t lose my shit, Nikola. You should know that by now. Why were you torturing that guy down there? I certainly hope it wasn’t because he owed you a few bucks.”
Nikola chuckled. “You really have no clue, do you?”
I narrowed my eyes as I signed, “Don’t act superior. I understand our world, but it doesn’t mean I support the torture of an innocent soul.”
His expression darkened.
“I imagine you wouldn’t. But rest assured, there’s nothing innocent about that guy. Especially after all the shit that happened to Hannah and Arianna.”
I raised an eyebrow, not following. It’d been a rough few months for the twins. Hannah was still recovering from her secret drug addiction and kidnapping by organ traffickers. Thankfully, she was rescued, but she would forever live with a missing organ.
“What do you mean?” I signed.
He rolled his eyes, moving his crimson-stained hands. “Don’t you girls talk?”
“We do, although it’s difficult to match the level of men’s yapping.”
“You’re difficult.” His gaze traveled over my outfit. “And why in the fuck are you dressed like that? Every fucker you pass will get an eyeful.”
“That’s their problem, not mine. You don’t see me ogling every man I find attractive.” Much to my dismay, there was only one man I found attractive. I pursed my lips in annoyance. At myself. At him. “You’re getting distracted. Explain what I just saw downstairs.”
He scoffed. “He’s part of the organ trafficking ring we’ve been surveilling. You should be thanking me for eliminating him, Skye.”
My mouth shaped into a silent O as I considered his words.
“Nothing to say now, is there?”
“Why didn’t you just take him to D’Arc and spend the night chasing him with all your mask-wearing buddies?” I inquired. “Isn’t that what the legacies are all about?”
“It might have escaped your notice,zayka, but we’re over a thousand miles away from Connecticut. Do you remember we flew to New Orleans for the Halloween weekend and are due back on campus on Monday?”
His expression was dripping in sarcasm and I bit my lip to keep from snapping at him over the nickname. Tell Nikola he couldn’t do something, and he’d push you even further.
“It might have slipped your mind,mudak”—yes, I knewsomeRussian too, and this one meantidiot—“but you can fly there. Should I remind you about your private jet?”
“I prefer to take care of some things my own way.” He shook his head as if he found me ridiculous. “Am I free to take ashower, or would you rather someone find me covered in this mess?” He gestured down the length of his torso.
I waved my hand, dismissing him, and he disappeared into the bathroom.
With my adrenaline on a steady decline, I collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to remove my shoes. A smoky cologne hung in the air, a scent I hadn’t noticed before, but now it clawed at my senses. It was unmistakably Nikola—bold, spicy, with a warmth that wrapped around me like an unspoken promise. It lingered in the air, far too tempting for my own good.
For as long as I’d known him, there had always been something appealing about Nikola. Even as a boy who kept tugging on my pigtails. He could be overbearingly annoying, but also thoughtful and protective. He’d proven that so many times. Like that time we played laser tag as teenagers and he “killed” everyone who tried to shoot at me. Or when we played that stupid escape room game. It was meant for team building and working together, but the moment he noticed I was feeling sick, he solved all the puzzles and pretty much broke down the barriers so he could usher me outside for some fresh air.
That was just who Nikola was: simple but oh so complicated.
