Page 47 of Taming Nikki

Mikey snickered at him as he blushed.

“It went fine. Leo apparently doesn’t care now that he knows my tattoo artist is a chick.”

“What’d you get?” Mikey tipped his head with a frown. I saw Frankie shake his head vehemently.

“She said she was getting a tattoo on her chest. If she shows you, pretty sure Leo will scoop your eyes out with a spoon.”

I laughed. “I may have lied a bit. It’s not on my boobs, it’s under them. I was just fucking with him.” I lifted my shirt up to show off the tattoo. Luckily, the protective film was clear, so I didn’t have to peel it off to show them. Frankie leaned over the back of the couch as he tried to get a look.

“You’re a ball-buster, aren’t you?” Mikey raised an eyebrow at me. I just smirked, which was all the answer he needed. He laughed, shaking his head. “Poor Leo.”

“Again. Entirely his fault. I didn’t sign up for this shit.”

Frankie dropped his plate into the sink. He didn’t even make it to the couch before Mikey pointed him back toward the kitchen. “You’re on clean up.”

“What? No way!” Frankie whined.

Mikey’s focus was back on the TV, ignoring him until he tried the ‘you aren’t the boss of me’ routine. Mikey stood and took a step toward him, which made Frankie yelp as he took off to the kitchen. I chuckled and shook my head. Mikey was a big man. I certainly wouldn’t want to go up against him. He towered over Frankie, barrel chested and absolutely massive.

Frankie was grumbling while he was cleaning when I let out a shriek. I snatched the remote from Mikey and turned the volume up. He shot me a confused look, but I didn’t care. I hadn’t been paying attention to what game was on and the next player up to bat was the best guy in my life.

“See the batter? That’s my brother, Diego.”

Frankie wandered closer and hovered behind the couch. “Your brother is in the major leagues?”

I nodded and watched avidly as Diego hit the ball far into right field. He got around two bases before he had to stop. I cheered, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me. I loved watching my brother play. He couldn’t visit often. They kept him busy, but he showed up every year on my birthday without fail. He even took the red eye once to meet me for breakfast, then got back on a plane to make his next game that same evening.

The game kept me distracted from my current situation. I needed to figure out a way out of here eventually. I had the last three drops tomorrow night before my forced hiatus to appease the demon twins. But watching Diego cross home plate twice that night kept me plenty happy.

Frankie sat in the middle of the couch, playing on his phone. He wasn’t a big baseball fan. Mikey was though and asked tons of questions about my brother. I loved talking about Diego, so I was in a pretty good mood, which disappeared instantly when Leo walked through the door. He was scowling, and he didn’t speak to us as he prowled through the house to the bathroom under the stairs. Mikey grimaced.

“Well, that’s not good. He was supposed to be gone a lot longer.” He nudged Frankie and jerked his head toward the door. “Let’s go. If he wants us to come back, he’ll text us. See ya later, Nikki.”

I debated sneaking out and hiding in their car, but curiosity got the best of me. I wandered to the bathroom and leaned on the doorframe.

“Is that blood?”

The water was pink as Leo cleaned off his hands. He flicked his gaze to me for a second before returning to his task.

“Not now, Nikki. I’m not in the mood.”

He seemed close to losing it and honestly, I wasn’t really in the mood either. I was having a good time before he showed up. Hanging out with Frankie and Mikey was fun, so I couldn’t call being stuck here a total bust. I pushed off the door jamb and headed back into the living room. Leo had one of those stupid globes that opened up to a liquor cabinet. I poured him some whiskey and handed it to him when he finally left the bathroom. He took it without question and tossed it back.

“Good to know you trust me with your drinks. Now I can poison you.”

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head as he moved to pour himself another. I dropped back onto the couch and watched him. It was only after he poured his third that he slowed down and leaned against the wall to look at me.

“What did you three get up to tonight?”

“Drugs and debauchery.” At his amused smirk, I shrugged. “We watched baseball and talked. What about you? Why are you bleeding?”

He took another slow drink and let out a sigh. “It’s not my blood. Deal didn’t go the way I wanted, had to handle it with force.”

I tipped my head. “How so?”

He pushed off the wall to join me on the couch. “You want to talk business?”

“I could go back to insulting you and being a bitch if you want?”

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