Page 11 of Riding Through Life

The excitement in Nadia’s voice pulls me out of the spiral of depression I was heading in and before I know it, the three of us are at her dance studio. Red, Trigger, Bones and Knight are outside the building guarding it. I think it’s overkill, but it’s pointless to argue.

Daisy and I follow Nadia to the back of thebuilding where the dancers practice. She flips on some lights and the room is flooded in a soft glow. Nadia walks over to a radio set up in the corner and turns on some dance music.

“OK, ladies, this is your time to unwind and let the music move you.” Nadia starts moving her body, shaking her hips like a belly dancer. She moves her arms up and down while rotating her body. Her long blonde hair is flowing freely down her back. She’s beautiful when she moves.

Daisy closes her eyes and starts to move, letting the music take her away. Once the two of them are in their own beat, I follow suit. I’m not one to dance in front of others, but Nadia is my best friend and I’ve become close with Daisy, so I suck it up and let my stress and worries melt away. Gone is the stress about the wedding, gone is the stress about the Feds trying to get to my dad. I dance and dance until I’m covered in sweat and my legs can’t move.

I collapse on the mat and try to catch my breath. “Wow, that was exhilarating!” I exclaim.

“I agree,” Daisy responds plopping down beside me.

“This is why I love dancing,” Nadia speaks while wiping the sweat from her chest with a towel. She tosses one to me and another to Daisy. “You forget about everything for a little while.”

“Speaking of forgetting, are you going to tell me anything about the bitch who kept staring at my man like he was a piece of meat she wanted to sink her teeth into?” I blurt out. I have no filter when it comes to certain things. Which can be good but it can be bad too.

“I can answer that for you.” I turn around and find the bitch of the hour standing in the doorway.

I stand up and cross my arms over my chest. “Well?” I prompt, not the least bit worried about her hearing me call her a bitch.

“Your honesty is refreshing, Kensi.” She states. “Must be hard to be so honest when others you trust can withhold the truth from you and not bat an eye.” Her breathy voice is getting on my nerves and I’m close to knocking her on her ass.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Questions swirling around in my brain. Who is lying to me? Is it someone I trust? What is she talking about? Does someone know about the visit to my dad’s house? Is the FBI harassing my family?

“Don’t ask me the question, ask someone you trust with your whole heart.” With those parting words, she turns around and disappears out of sight.

Anger replaces confusion and I take off after this bitch. “Kensi, where are you going?” Nadia shouts from across the room.

I don’t slow down when I answer back, over my shoulder. “She isnotcoming in here and accusing people like that!” I hurry out of the dance studio and sprint down the hallway. I stop at the reception desk, turning my head left and right. I listen for footsteps, but all I can hear is my harsh breathing. Deciding to check outside, I burst through the glass doors.

Bones jumps a mile high, clutching his chest. “Fuck, Kensi. You gave me a heart attack.”

“Where’d she go?” I ask, look around the parking lot. It’s empty aside from the SUV we brought and Knight’s and Bones’ bikes.

“Where’d who go?” Bones asks, still rubbing his chest.

“Uh! Never mind.” I throw my hands up and go back inside. Nadia and Daisy are still in the dancing room and hurry over to me.

“What was that all about?” Daisy questions.

“I have no idea, but we’re going to find out,” I answer, pulling both women into the security room with me. If the bitch wants to fucking play, I’ll play.

Red is in here at the monitors. He looks up when we barge in, pushing his glasses up. “What the fuck?”

“I need you to pull up thefeed from a few minutes ago,” I demand.

“What? Why?” Red questions.

“Because the bitch wants to play games and fuck with my head. When I get my hands on her, I’ll fuck with her head,” I respond.

“Who is she talking about?” Red asks, peering behind me at Nadia.

“Lynn, my new dance instructor. She came in here all cryptic about people Kensi trusts,” Nadia answers.

Red’s eyes narrow and he swallows hard before standing up. “Sorry, I can’t help.” Red ushers us out of the security room and shuts the door behind us, locking it.

“What’s going on? Why aren’t you helping me?” I ask. I’d stomp my foot if it didn’t make me look like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

“Nothing is going on. If you ladies are done dancing, we have to get back to the Clubhouse.” Red’s face flushes, but his gaze never wavers. “I can see you have questions, Kensi. But think about everything before you fly off the handle.”

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