Page 22 of Love Over Time

“Good. I’m glad you remember that.” A split second after I dropped to the ground, Nikki fell next to me. She pressed her body to mine and clutched my bicep tight. I didn’t like the dark either. It always made me think of dad. “Did you replace the cover?”

“What do you think?”

I glanced up. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be a jerk. I’m nervous.”

“I know.”

“Come on. Right through there.” I walked to the end of the small room and flipped the switch.

She stared at the dimly lit corridor, her gaze dark with resolve. I kept my eyes on Nikki’s silhouette as she picked her way down the passageway like a shadow, moving fast, every step silent and fluid. A quarter of a mile in, the electrical conduit ended, leaving us at the entrance of a pitch-black tunnel. I gripped Nikki’s hand and couldn’t help but smile. Only Nikki could understand what these tunnels meant to me.

“We’re almost there.” She aimed her flashlight ahead of us.

Nikki could handle herself. I’d gotten a taste of that her first day back when I ran into her at the construction site. But Cavalier Manor was full of nightmares and old memories that neither one of us wanted to recall. Had I made a mistake getting her involved?

“You really should’ve worn the suit I got for you,” she said. “You stick out like a cold sore.”

“A sore thumb.”

“You know what I mean.” She shrugged and spun in place to take in the space around us.

“I’m fine. We’re going to Cavalier Manor, not Langley.” Had Nikki ever done something as big and dangerous as breaking into a government building? Ten years was a long time. I knew next to nothing about her. So much lost time, and so much I wanted to know about her. “Did you make it to Paris?”

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me, mouth slightly open. What was going through her mind right now? “No. Made it as far as New York.”

“Why? What stopped you?”

“I ran out of money. Well, most of it, anyway. I guess I freaked out when I realized five thousand dollars wouldn’t last forever.” She winced.

I brushed her cheek. Her soft skin felt cool against my fingers. “Tell me about your time in New York. Tell me about your first con.”

She let out a giggle and continued walking down the dark tunnel. “It was by accident really. I met a guy at the bar where I worked. I was eighteen.”

“And you worked at a bar?”

“I had a fake ID. I needed one to work. But that’s a different story.” She waved a hand in dismissal. “Anyway, I met this guy, and he seemed very into me. By then, I knew I’d never make it to Paris, and I was just trying to survive somehow. That night, I was so tired and fed up with my reality…I made up some sob story about me, and he bought it. I think I just wanted someone to feel sorry for me. I told him I was going to NYU and that my parents had cut me off. I acted like a spoiled brat, and he ate it up. Then he did something that surprised me and changed my life forever.”

I stuffed my hands in my jean pockets. Nikki had gone through so much on her own. What had this prick done to her?

She chuckled, placing her hand on my chest. “Relax. Nothing like that. He offered to pay for my tuition. ‘Stick it to them. Your parents are assholes.’ I believe those were his exact words. The guy was clueless, but I accepted his offer. Then quickly realized how much I could get done if I set my mind to it. In one summer, I got my GEDandgot accepted into NYU. Granted, not everything was entirely legal.”

“I wish I’d been there with you.” I shook my head. “Did you finish school?”

“I did. Went through three rich boyfriends, but I got it done.” She stopped to flash her light at the pile of rubble Russ and I had left behind. “Looks like someone tried to close off this tunnel in a rush.”

“Looks like.” I nodded.

My heart raced as we climbed over the debris. The last time I came here, Mom had refused to leave with me, but I was sure she’d change her mind once she saw me with Nikki. Once she realized it wasn’t too late to be a family again.

The rest of the way, Nikki didn’t offer any more details on her life in New York, and I didn’t press her on it. At the end of the tunnel, we found the steel ladder that led to another manhole and my childhood home. Being here, hiding like a criminal, still hurt. But having Nikki by my side made everything less painful.

“This is it. We’re on the north side of Mom’s garden.”

Nikki placed a hand over her mouth, her gaze fixed on the heavy cast iron cover with the Cavalier seal embossed on it. Was she thinking the same thing I was? Through that opening at the top, beyond the brick wall surrounding the property, was the mesquite tree where we’d agreed to meet the day I lost her. Why was she being so stubborn about us? We obviously had a lot of unfinished business, but that didn’t matter. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. This thing between us was far from over.

“Kill that.” She pointed at my flashlight before hers went out. I followed her lead and plunged us into darkness. The water trickled down through the opening and puddled at our feet. With a sigh, Nikki stepped closer to me and slipped her hand into mine. “I never thought I’d be back here.”

“Me neither. Are you ready?” I squeezed her fingers.

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