Page 32 of Nitro

“You don’t have to say anything,” she whispers.

I tuck her head under my chin and inhale the scent of her hair. She used my shampoo, so she smells like whiskey and wild oranges. It’s earthier than the coconut she usually uses, but somehow it suits her. The familiarity is oddly soothing. Holding her helps to calm my thundering heart. The nerves in my stomach are slowly settling down. The chaos in my mind forms a coherent path, and suddenly, I know how to talk to her about Blackstone. She doesn’t need to be overwhelmed with all the details, only the gist of what happened.

“When I was six, Blackstone adopted me.”

“Did your parents die?”

“I don’t know.” There were charred bodies in the meth lab explosion, but not all of them could be identified. I leave this gruesome detail out. In fact, I skip over the whole reason why I ended up with him in the first place.

“Why don’t you know?” she asks innocently.

“I never knew our last name. I only knew my parents’ first names. The cops tried to get me to show them where I lived, but I couldn’t remember.”

“Weren’t you in school?” she asks.

“No. I never went to school. Not even when I was with Blackstone. I didn’t until Nina’s, but even that wasn’t regular school. She knew I couldn’t sit in a room with a bunch of strangers, so she homeschooled me.”

“What about Scar and the others?”

“We have a deal. I don’t tell their story and they don’t tell mine. What happened to each of us belongs to us. We don’t share it. Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m telling you this other than I need you to know what you’re getting into with me.”

“I can respect that. So… Blackstone adopted you? Doesn’t he do that with a lot of kids?” She tilts her head and frowns before adding, “At least, he used to. He doesn’t anymore, does he?”

“No. Not as far as we know. Matrix spends most of his time checking and rechecking to make sure he’s not adopting more kids.”

“What happened when you were living with him?”

I let out a long sigh and run my hand through my hair. I could stop now and take her back to the clubhouse and never talk about this again with anyone, including her. Or I could reveal one of the secrets I’ve been keeping my whole life.

“Nitro, I’ll never judge you. You can tell me anything.”

“Why?”

“Because you recognized that I needed help. You realized that something was wrong in my life. No one else was paying any attention. I was in trouble, and nobody saw it but you. I owe you for that. Talk to me. Help me understand who you are.”

“I’m a monster.”

“No. I don’t think so. A bad person wouldn’t dedicate his life to helping women like me. I know you guys help kids too. You might think I’m just a dumb waitress, but I notice things.”

“Don’t ever say that again. You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Before you started at the bar and grill, our suppliers were overcharging us. We never checked because Nina’s got an infinite supply of money. You could have looked the other way, maybe even taken a cut off the top for yourself, but you brought the discrepancy to our attention immediately. You saved us thousands of dollars.”

“How did Nina get so much money?”

“Her old man. I don’t know the details. None of us do. But when Winchester died, he left her more money than she could spend in a lifetime. At least, that’s what she told us. But, hey, don’t tell her I said anything, okay?”

“Your secrets are safe with me. I promise I won’t say a word.”

“It’s not that it’s a huge secret, but she doesn’t want the attention that comes from having money. She keeps it quiet so she doesn’t get bombarded with people begging for financial help.”

“I understand. Nina’s so sweet. She and Julia came by with presents for me. Clothes, mostly.”

“And that naughty nightie?” I get semi-hard thinking about the moment she walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but that sexy silk. She looked so fucking hot.

“I’ve never owned anything like that before.” Her cheeks are rosy in the late afternoon light. She’s so gorgeous it takes my breath away.

“It looked good on you.” I rest my hands on her hips and step into her space. “It would look even better off you.”

When her silvery laughter fills the air, I can’t help but glance toward Blackstone’s place. She goes silent, following my gaze.

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