“What can I say? I’m the best… at everything.”
That cockiness was one of the things that made Niko so popular with his clients. Yes, Niko was gorgeous and sexy as hell, but he also had this confidence and powerful way about him that made women wet and men hard in their drawers.
Being around Niko these next few days was going to be a challenge, one he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive.
Their time together was limited.
What would happen when it came time for him to leave?
13
REID
Reid spent the next morning walking around town and grabbing a few necessities that he didn’t have time to grab before dashing out of the apartment he was renting and fleeing LA.
Niko had been good enough to give him a spare toothbrush, but he kind of felt like a bum asking for deodorant and hair gel. He could get away with using some of Nikolai’s under the radar, but eventually, he would notice that he was going through double the amount of hair gel in no time.
He didn’t need to explain why he was traveling across America without his toothbrush and other essential hygiene products. That might raise questions—questions he’d been avoiding since he arrived. He was fairly sure that Niko was starting to get annoyed with him for constantly avoiding the issue.
It was just after two in the afternoon when he finally returned to Niko’s home.
The man lived in a one-story, ranch-style house, with the bedrooms located at one end and the living space located at the other. The style of home was common in this neck of the woods.
It took three rings before someone picked up on the other end of the phone.
“Yello?” the voice answered, seeming neither excited nor angered that someone was calling him instead of using the normal method of communication—sending a text message.
“Hey, it’s me,” Reid replied, glancing through the living room blinds to see what was happening outside. Niko was out for the afternoon.
“Hey! Didn’t think I’d hear back from you so soon.”
“Had a bit of time. Thought I’d check in.”
“Well, the good news is that the cleaners were able to get into your rental apartment and wipe it clean before anyone had a chance to find out where you were staying,” the man on the phone explained.
“And the bad news?” There was always bad news when it came to Simon.
“The bad news is that they pulled your image off the office security camera.”
“So they know what I look like.”
“Yup. And it’s only a matter of time before they put a name to that face. I can do what I can on my end to help slow down the process, but eventually, they will find a name.”
“Well, hopefully by then we’ll have what we need. Was your guy able to find anything on the laptop?” Reid asked, watching as a mother scolded her child, who seemed hell-bent on trying to cross the road without an adult.
Stupid kid. Just let the rodent cross, and then if it gets hit by a car, the world would be a better place. Natural selection and all that jazz,Reid thought to himself.
“We found a code name and a date.”
“Of course, because nothing says ‘classic bad guy’ like a code name and an ominous date,” Reid noted.
“No shit, Sherlock.”
Reid scrunched his face. Simon was always sarcastic when he was fighting with his wife.
“What did you do this time?” Reid asked, shaking his head and frowning into the phone.
“What do you mean?” Simon responded, sounding confused.
