Nicky's POV
"Here," Ryder says as he shoves a small box across the table to me.
I open it and take out the black-framed glasses, sliding them on over my eyes. Finally, I can see clearly the crappy hotel choice Ryder has made.
The carpet is a horrible mix of yellow, brown, and dark green and I have no desire to know what color it was when the hotel originally opened.
The furniture all looks to be
Nicky's POV"I'm pleasantly surprised to find that you have better taste than Agent Stevenson in terms of living arrangements," I tell Agent North as I toss my backpack onto the couch in the living room of the safe house.Agent North smiles at me as he leans back in his seat at the small dining table. "The hotel wasn't up to your standards?" He questions in amusement."I know a fair bit about crappy hotel rooms," I reply with a wave of my hand. "I've been in worse. I usually don't turn on the lights. I don'
Nicky's POVNow before everyone starts judging me, they left the front door wide open. It was like an open invitation. It was the equivalent of them saying, "Yes Nicky, please leave. I'm begging you."Who could ignore a request like that?Certainly not I. That'd be rude. I suppose in some ways I'm considered a guest, and when they blatantly ask the guest to leave, who am I to object?Also, I was
Nicky's POVI've come to the unfortunate conclusion that nothing short of a bullet is going to prevent Agent Ryder Asshole Stevenson from following me and forcefully dragging me back to wherever he deems fit.Too bad my aim with a gun sucks.Too bad I don't have a gun . . . but I do know where to get one.I'd like to say that we resolved some of our differences during the plane ride, but
Nicky's POVLife is full of road blocks and consequences.My life in particular just seems to be a bit more difficult than most in terms of roadblocks and consequences.The most prominent roadblocks in my life at the moment would have to be Volkov and the gang-obviously-and a particular FBI agent that has an annoying habit of tracking me down and turning up everywhere I don't want him to be.I've
Nicky's POV"In my defense . . ." I trail off, suddenly at a loss for words. I wished for the devil and now he's here."Yes?" He questions sarcastically as he stands in front of me, arms crossed over his chest and his entire body tense.Finally, I just shake my head, which does nothing to help the pounding. "Nope. I haven't got one." I shrug. "I've got nothing."For whatever reason, this
Nicky's POVIt's getting harder and harder to breathe and I fall to my knees, coughing and gagging on the air surrounding me. Black dots begin to invade my vision.Suddenly I feel a pair of arms wrap around me and haul me to my feet. I feel their strong grip as they carry me quickly through the flames. I hear the curses that they mutter as they're forced to take different turns and navigate through the smoke and flames.My eyes drift shut as darkness continues to try and pull me in. I hear the cursing get louder
Nicky's POVRyder suddenly comes to a stop and swears as he stares at an empty spot on the street next to the curb."Are you kidding me?" I hear him grumble in frustration. "What else could possibly go wrong?""I don't believe you actually want an answer to that question."He turns and glares at me. I turn and look at the spot on the street he was previously staring at. "I take it this is w
Nicky's POV"Here," Sarah says as she hands Ryder a couple clean towels and a first aid kit. "Don't get blood on my couch."Ryder ignores her as he takes the towels and the first aid kit, turning his attention back to my leg. He shakes his head. "You're going to need to take your pants off."My eyebrows shoot up and I stare at him, waiting for some kind of confirmation that I heard him wrong. It doesn't come. "You're joking."
Nicky's POV2 Months Later . . . Gunshots.I bolt upright in bed as I listen to the deafening bangs of the gunshots that are coming from the front of the house I've been calling home for the past few days.The gang. My mind tells me. But how did they find me? True I cut off the head of the snake, but that didn't mean I never considered the possibility of anyone else from the ga
Nicky's POVI step off the elevator and walk down the hall in the direction of Ryder's room.After he had woken up-and after much argument from him-I had gone and rented a room and the hotel across the street and taken the time to actually shower, eat, and sleep in something other than a hospital chair.Mind you, this was only after Ryder had threatened to get my visiting privileges revoked until I took care of myself.
Nicky's POVLillianna Marshal. Ryder's little sister.I knew her before I ever met him. We'd been very good friends, but I hadn't seen her in years. Why? Because until very recently I had believed her to be dead . . . and that's kind of a long story.I continue to stare at her.She smiles mischievously back at me. "You look like you're seeing a ghost."
Nicky's POVThe seat is horribly uncomfortable, but I don't make any move to get up. Never mind the fact that I haven't had any decent sleep in the past five days or meals for that matter. There were only two things that would get me to the leave this horrible chair; restroom breaks and then when the doctors asked me to leave the room. Otherwise, my stubborn self was sitting in this chair and not leaving.Damien had been in here with me for a while, cursing Ryder out and talking about what a complete idiot he is. He was also making mention to putting in a request for a new partner because Ryder was, and I quote, "going to give hi
Nicky's POVI watch in shock as she steps out of the shadows enough for me to see her. Enough for me to make out the blonde hair and brown eyes.Sarah.I almost feel like shouting in relief as I see her, and then backing away in a corner. Because the girl standing in front of Volkov may be my friend, but she doesn't look it right now.She moves like a tiger waiting to pounce. Like a predator. Like the ki
Nicky's POVRyder falls, his head slamming into the base of a chair as he does.Volkov stands at the top of the stairs behind him.I ignore him. Ignore the gun pointed my way. Ignore the threats he spews at me if I make a move. Ignore him completely as I run straight toward Ryder's collapsed form.I fall to my knees next to him, my hands shaking as they hover over him. I'm unsure what to do. Wher
Nicky's POVI now wish, more than anything, that I had just stayed in the hotel with Ryder.Yes, maybe I would have still ended up running for the rest of my life, but at least it would have been with him. And now, I'll never get the chance to tell him the truth. To tell him exactly what he means to me.I slowly creep out of my hiding place after I watch him pass by. No way I intend to be caught by him again. No. I intend to catch him off guard. I intend to end this.
Nicky's POVI blow out a long sigh as I stare up at the crumbling building in front of me. I tighten my hands on the straps of my backpack and slowly walk up the stone steps.Structurally, the building is sturdy and strong. Underneath the crumbling exterior and broken windows. It had once been a very nice three-story building. Whether it had been for businesses or just a huge mansion at one time, I didn't know. Nor did I particularly care. What mattered was that the building would be perfect for my purposes.I pu
Nicky's POV"Alright," Ryder says as he tosses his jacket onto the couch of the hotel room. "We'll hole up here for a while. I used the hotel phone in the lobby, Damien's supposed to be meeting us here in about . . ." He looks down at his watch. "three hours. So, as soon as he gets here we'll figure what we do next in this . . . mess."He stops and takes a second to look around the room. He looks back at Quinn since she's the one who booked the room.