I grab my keys and head out, trying to shake the uneasiness that’s settled in my chest. Traffic is light for once, and I make it to the apartment in twenty minutes. Nitro’s Honda is already parked in the parking lot, which surprises me. He almostneverbeats me here.
The apartment is on the twentieth floor of a fairly nondescript building, nothing too fancy.
I unlock the door and step inside.
Nitro is standing by the window, his back to me, hands shoved deep in his pockets. He’s still wearing his Las Vegas Defiance cut over a black T-shirt, his shoulders so broad they block out half the dying sunlight streaming through the glass.
“Hey,” I say softly, setting my bag down by the door.
He turns, and my breath catches. He looks wrecked. His green eyes are shadowed with something that looks a lot like pain, and there’s a tightness around his mouth that I’ve never seen before.
This is the face of a man about to deliver bad news.
My heart starts to pound. “What’s wrong?”
“We need to talk,” he says, and his voice is rough, like he’s been gargling gravel.
I force myself to move deeper into the room, perching on the edge of the couch. “Okay. You’re scaring me.”
“I don’t mean to.” He drags a hand through his beard, a nervous gesture I’ve come to recognize. “Fuck. I don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what?” My voice comes out smaller than I want.
He takes a breath. Holds it. Then releases it in a rush of words. “Jesus, I… I don’t even know where to begin.”
I reach out, grabbing his hand. “Hey… whatever it is, just tell me.”
He drops his eyes to the floor, as if he is ashamed to even look at me, and my stomach knots thinking all kinds of thoughts that I never thought Nitro would do to me. Derek kind of thoughts. My hand slides off his with the tension as I shift away from him, already feeling the awkwardness brewing between us.
“Nitro…”
“I never wanted it to get this far, I never wanted it to go on this long.”
An audible gasp leaves my mouth, my stomach revolting as I spin away from him. “You’re fucking cheating on me, you bastard.”
He stands quickly, his hand gripping my shoulder. “No. God no. Never!”
Relief floods me momentarily as I spin to face him, but that same ashamed look still haunts him. “What then?” My voice rises in desperation.
He swallows hard, his eyes blinking rapidly. “My name isn’t just Nitro. It’s Damon…”
I huff in annoyance. “I know your name is Damon? Damon Lockhart, what are you playing at?”
He slowly shakes his head, his brows scrunching. “It’s not Damon Lockhart… I made that up, it’s a cover.”
Something cold punches through my chest so fast it steals my breath.
My stomach drops, hard, like the floor just tilted beneath me. My pulse spikes, sharp and frantic, rushing hot through my ears. For a split second, everything inside me freezes, and then everything starts trembling.
My fingers go numb.
My knees weaken.
Heat prickles under my skin like a thousand needles.
I recoil away from him, my eyes widening, panic and betrayal exploding through me in one violent surge. “Then whothe hellare you?”
His nostrils flare with his rapid breaths, as if he is seconds away from losing it. “Damon Blackwell, Marley,” his voice is so low, I almost don’t hear him.
