Kiki blinked at him. “You don’t know who they are, Nikos. They are extremely powerful, dangerous people.”
“So are we,” Nikos said, cutting his gaze toward Markos, steel hardening his voice.
She looked down at their joined hands, then back into his eyes. “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
Nikos gave her a slow, crooked smile. “How about you let me be the judge of that?”
Hope warred with doubt as a wave of emotions swept across her face before her expression softened.
“We still need a safe spot—with an exit plan,” she said, worrying her lip.
Markos chuckled and nodded to him. “As someone recently told me, let us handle the exit.
Twelve
Nikos stood at the top of the stairwell, his arms crossed and his shoulder resting against the wall as he watched Kiki say goodbye.
She spoke in a low voice to Harvey and Jim, her words too quiet for him to hear, but her expression said everything. She was trying to smile, but the strain showed in the taut line of her jaw, the sheen in her eyes, and the tremble in her hands.
She leaned down, kissed Ms. Peabody on the head, and whispered something that made the cat bump her chin with affection. Nikos’s chest tightened.
Damn cat was going to be better off than most people. But Kiki… Kiki was leaving behind her sanctuary. Her chosen family.
And it was eating her alive.
He couldn’t help moving closer.
“I’ll come back for you,” she murmured, just loud enough for Nikos to catch. “You’re going to love it here with Harvey and Jim. You’ll be spoiled rotten. But I’ll be back. I promise.”
Harvey gave her a tight hug, his voice gruff with emotion. “Be safe, sweetheart.”
When she turned to Jim, he gave her a chiding look touched with grief. He breathed in a shuddering breath as he opened his arms. She hugged him fiercely—and Nikos noticed the flicker of confusion that crossed both men’s faces when she stepped away.
Kiki smiled and tilted her head.
“I’m so glad you found your cat,” she said with forced cheerful ease.
Harvey blinked and gave her a crooked smile. Jim frowned, then nodded slowly. “Yeah… thanks for your help, miss. We, uh, really appreciate it.”
“Take good care of her,” Kiki replied softly, touching each man once more before she turned away.
Nikos swallowed hard.
Kiki released a trembling breath, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she gazed at him before she lowered her head and walked past Nikos without a word. Her shoulders were tight with control. His throat worked, emotion catching behind his ribs as the desire to comfort her swelled inside him.
He glanced back over his shoulder at the closed apartment door before hurrying down after her.
The city outside was dark, wet, and hushed. Early morning rain slicked the sidewalks in silver threads. Kiki tugged her hoodie up as Nikos opened the Model Y’s back door.
She didn’t look at him, just climbed inside and curled against the seat, one hand pressed to her mouth, the other clenched in her lap.
Markos glanced at him as Nikos slid into the passenger seat. He didn’t ask about what had happened upstairs. He just drove.
They didn’t speak for severalblocks.
Finally, Markos cleared his throat. “So… where are we going? We can’t exactly go back to our places. And the club’s off the table.”
“No,” Kiki said hoarsely from the back. “We can’t go anywhere we’ve been before. Both of your places will be monitored. Eric will have been there. If he hasn’t already realized that I’m with you yet, it won’t be long.”
