Page 12 of Full Throttle

I found him standing at the end of the bed, his hands braced on the railing. He looked confused—and pissed off. Avoiding Lee’s eyes, I focused on Dontell’s. “I was the driver,” I deadpanned.

“We know,” they said in unison.

“That means I’m responsible for the damages,” I said slowly, wondering why they were making me spell it out. “I don’t know what happened. Honestly.” I looked back to Leon, the shadows in his eyes now replaced with pity.

“Sweetheart, stop,” Dontell ordered, shaking his head.

“None of this—don’t look away from me—none of this is your fault,” Lee said firmly.

“But—”

“No,” they barked at me.

I pressed my lips together.

Dontell pushed off the bed and raised his arm to me. “Just fucking tell her, Lee.”

“Cain doesn’t want that,” Lee replied, as if I wasn’t there.

Anger sparked inside me. I was tired of that asshole trying to control me. “Cain doesn’t speak for me. Cain doesn’t get to decide what is best for me. I am a grown fucking woman,” I seethed, clenching the blankets in my fists.

“We know—”

I shook my head. “No,” I cut Dontell off. “I don’t know what Cain has told you, but none of it has to do with me being a part of Oasis. Jeremy chose me because he saw something in me, right?” I looked to Lee for confirmation.

He nodded. “I saw it too.”

“When you saw me win that race in Denver, did you know Cain knew me?” I pressed, pointing to my chest.

“No, and neither did Jer.”

“Exactly,” I spat. “You wanted me to be Oasis. Don’t let Cain shut me out.”

They remained quiet, and I felt a small wave a panic began to build inside me. “Please,” I begged. “Don’t let him—”

“He wants you out,” Lee said.

I stilled, my heart freezing mid-beat as all the pain that man had caused me came rushing back.

Dontell folded his arms over his chest. “Cain told us he wants you out of St. Louis.”

I shook my head, a spark of panic lighting inside me.

I wasn’t leaving.

This was my home.

I raised my chin. “No.”

Lee shocked the shit out of me by smirking. “You aren’t going anywhere, Nikki.”

“Cain is just going to get over it,” Dontell promised. “Or he’ll learn to fucking live with it.”

I sagged back into the pillow, grateful that part of the conversation was over. “So what happened to the car?”

The men looked at each other for some time, communicating silently. After a few moments, they looked at me, and my world was flipped upside down once more.

“The Bratva planted C-4 under it,” Leon stated.

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