Trey - Shandi Boyes Page 0,57
before curling my hand around her. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
Her nod this time around isn’t concealed like the one she did when I asked her if she wanted Arabella’s shoes.
“Jim—” My words stop when he bursts into the kitchen with his coat already on and the keys for his truck in his hand.
I tell Arabella to take the next right before dropping my eyes to K. She’s snuggled into my chest, sleeping like a baby. I want to say the droning lull of Jim’s old motor is responsible for the peaceful expression on her face, but that would be a lie. She placed her ear over my heart the instant our attempts to un-bog my car caused its tires to sink in deeper. She’s as comforted by the sound of my beating heart as I am when I hear it pulsating in my ears.
“Go a quarter a mile up, then pull over. We’ll walk the rest of the way.” Nikolai kept Clarks hidden for a reason. Even with hiking not being my activity of choice, I don’t want to be the cause for anyone knowing where it is. “Here will do.”
Ignoring Jim’s grumble that Arabella is well aware of the location of Clarks, I divert my attention to K, so I can wake her up without scaring the shit out of her.
My worry is unfounded. She’s awake and peering up at me.
“We need to walk from here. Do you want to test out the versatility of your shoes or jump on my back?” My last two words come out with a husky laugh when her eyes pop open at my offer. “Piggyback ride it is.”
After thanking Arabella and Jim for the ride with a lift of my chin, I slide out of the cab of his old truck with K still in my lap. I could carry her through the desert-like valleys like a groom does a bride over the threshold, but I offered her a piggyback ride, and for once in my life, I’m going to do as offered.
“If your legs get sore, tap on my shoulder, and we’ll stop for a few.” Her legs won’t get tired from our trek. It’ll be from how wide they have to spread to curl around my waist. Our differences in size are starkly contradicting. She’s so light, my damp jeans weigh more than her, and it’s lucky if the top of her head reaches my nipple piercings.
“Děkuju.” I don’t understand a word of Czech, but considering she said the same word every time Arabella reloaded her plate with food, I’m reasonably sure it’s some sort of thanks.
By the time we reach the outskirts of Clarks, the sun is setting on the horizon. K’s faint breaths hitting my neck advise the clomps of my boots didn’t deter her from getting some shuteye. She slept the entire way.
When men from Nikolai’s crew spot my approach, they dot my chest with the scopes of their high-powered rifles. I wait for the red dots to lift to my face before squashing my index finger to my lips. Sometimes my brothers get excited about identifying a threat’s approach before the clearing, they fire shots of celebration into the air. I’m usually all for the adrenaline rush of unloading the chamber of a high-powered assault rifle, but I’d rather K stay asleep, so I downplay my eagerness.
The amused faces of Nero and Mikhail confront me when I break through the matured trees surrounding Clarks. They’ve seen many women cling to me the past three years, but this is the first time she’s clothed, and they’re not being invited to sample the merchandise. I’m all for fucking, have been since I was sixteen, but you can be as assured as fuck K will never be offered to any man, much less the horndogs of Nikolai’s crew.
“Any word from Eight?” I ask Nero while placing K onto my bed in the middle of my room.
Nero scrubs at the stubble on his chin before shaking his head. “No birds are whistling just yet. The quiet is a little unnerving.”
I jerk up my chin, agreeing with him before tugging up the bedding to cover K, wordlessly assuring her the slant of her head isn’t necessary. She is still with me, she’s just zoning out to protect herself, not just sexually, but emotionally as well.
The less you know in this industry, the longer you survive.
Once every inch of K’s body is covered by a duvet, I shift on