Invincible Chronicles of Nick - By Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 0,12
to make use of right now.” He quickly made his exit.
The small group he’d left earlier had dispersed. No one was there except the two bartenders who’d gone back to restocking behind the bar.
Nick paused beside them. “Where’s my mom?”
Before they could answer, she came out of the restroom area dressed in a black Sanctuary T-shirt that matched Aimee’s. Thankfully, hers was on the large side and kept her completely covered. Her face lit up the moment she saw him. She practically danced her way over to him.
“Hey, boo!”
He started to ask her if he was forgiven for getting her fired, but decided that might not be in his best interest. “You look happy.”
“Oh, baby, I am. They are so nice here. All of them.” She slid her gaze to the door. “Well, Rémi’s a little distant, but I’ll take that any day over some of the people I worked with at the club. They’re even going to give me a day schedule so that I can be home with you at night. And, best of all, they feed me free while I work and you, too, and not just scraps. We could eat steak if we wanted to.”
“I’ll settle for the cookies.”
“Yeah, I know you would.” She squeezed his cheek. “I’m technically on the clock already. I should have left you at Mr. Hunter’s.”
“I tried to tell you that.”
“Don’t sass me.” She let out a sigh. “I know you’ll be bored here. I mean, they have things to do.” She glanced over to the game area. “But it’s probably best not to press our luck the first day.”
“I can go hang at Bubba’s. It’s just down the street.”
All the joy evaporated off her face. “That is one name I never want to hear again. I swear, that man and his antics … He’s ridiculous.”
He’d also saved both their lives last night. But for Bubba and his epic fighting and driving skills, they’d be dead today.
That thought made him glance past his mother’s shoulder to where Grim watched them with a bemused expression. He tapped his watch.
“Bubba’s all right, Mom. He was trying to help.”
“Yeah, well, for his own personal safety, you better keep him away from me—or you’ll have two parents in prison for murder.” As soon as those words were out of her mouth, she slapped her hand over her lips and looked around frightfully. “Let’s not talk about that here, okay?” she whispered.
“I don’t talk about that man’s unfortunate and eternal incarceration to anyone. Ever.” No offense, but he hated the sperm donor who’d spawned him. Speaking of people he didn’t want to talk about, his father was a cold-blooded killer who’d knocked them both around the few weeks he’d been out of jail. If Nick never saw him again, it’d be too soon.
“Go stay with Bubba. I’ll check with you later.”
“All right. Do you have my new cell number?” That’d sounded infinitely better in his head than it did coming out of his mouth, as it invoked an image of him in prison orange, sitting on a bench doing time in Angola like his dad.
“Not with me.” She pulled a pad and pen from her pocket and handed it to him.
He jotted his number down and gave it back to her. “If you need me, shout.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Be safe. Be good.”
“Always.” Nick turned around and headed for the door. Luckily Grim didn’t speak to him again until they were on the street and away from Rémi.
“Aww, Nicky, that’s so sweet. Your mama loves you so.”
Nick froze instantly. “You don’t mock my mother. You don’t speak of her in anything but the most reverent of tones. I don’t care if you are Death, I will open a can of Cajun whup-ass all over you, boy.”
Grim arched one brow as his two companions took a step back, as if giving him space to beat Nick into a bleeding pulp. “Normally, I’d be handing you the can opener and daring you to go for it. Be glad I owe a debt that precludes me from killing you right now. But don’t push it. While you have a predetermined death, your own free will decisions can override that. Put that in the bank and think about it before you try to make a withdrawal.”
Nick frowned at him. “What do you mean I have a predetermined death?”
“Did I stutter?”
“No.”
“Do I look like Webster’s?”
Nick frowned. “No.”
“Then you should understand what I said, since I didn’t speak in code.