Page 64 of Nitro

“Seriously?”

“Just because you like something doesn’t mean I have to. It’s okay that we have very, very different ideas of what constitutes fun. The next time you want to do something that might involve bodily harm, I’ll go shopping with Nina and Julia instead.”

“You know what? Deal. If you didn’t enjoy it, then there’s no reason to do it again.”

“Don’t let me stop you.”

“You won’t.” His impish grin sends warmth flooding through my core. “Besides, skydiving isn’t the only thing I’ve been wanting to try.”

“Uh oh.”

“Have you ever been freshwater cave diving?” He’s giddy as he slides the harness off his broad shoulders. Mike takes it and walks with Jackson toward the hangar, leaving us to follow them.

“No. And before you ask, no, I’m not going with you.”

“But there are some amazing cenotes in Mexico.”

“What’s a cenote?”

“It’s a sinkhole that forms after limestone bedrock collapses. They’re all over the Yucatan Peninsula. The ancient Maya used the holes for their water supply. They’re full of freshwater, and if you go deep enough, sometimes there is saltwater too. They also made sacrificial offerings to their gods in some of them.

“One of the deepest is Cenote Angelita. The dive is sixty meters straight down. It’s near Tulum, which is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city. I’d dive first and then check out the ancient ruins. I’ve got the whole trip planned out.”

“Why haven’t you gone yet?”

“Didn’t want to go alone.” He shrugs.

“How did you find out about all this stuff?”

“The internet. And I found some photos in old copies of National Geographic. Blackstone kept them in his library. If we were good, we got to spend time there. That’s how Matrix learned to use computers.”

“If he had computer access, why didn’t he contact someone outside the mansion for help?”

“Fear. We were terrified of Blackstone. If we sent a message to the wrong person, or if Blackstone somehow found out, he would have tortured us, then killed us. We couldn’t take that chance. Matrix thought about it almost every day, but he just couldn’t do it. I don’t blame him one bit. We were all trying to survive. By then, most of us had lost hope anyway.”

“Oh, honey.” I slide my hands around his waist and drop my forehead onto his chest. “Losing hope is one of the worst things that can happen to a person.”

“Is that how you felt when you were with Jeff?”

“Right before I met you, I was at my lowest point. I didn’t know how to get out of the mess I was in. Since I’d never worked and hadn’t gone to college, I didn’t have any skills. I lied when I applied to work at the bar.”

“I knew.”

“You did?” I look up at him in surprise.

“After seeing you in action on your first day, we all suspected it. You were about as green as they come, but you basically demanded the job. That kind of determination goes a long way. If someone wants to learn, we can teach them how to do their job. Not everyone has the kind of drive you have. Some people are survivors. Others crumble under pressure. Also, I might have begged Scar to hire you.”

“Did you really?”

“He was on the fence. I’ll never admit to groveling, but let’s just say I owe Scar.”

“You saved me. You realize that, right?”

“No. You did that for yourself. If someone doesn’t want to be saved, no one can help them. Trying to liberate someone who refuses to leave a bad situation is pointless. When we first started rescuing people, we didn’t realize this distinction.”

“What changed your mind?”

“An extraction gone wrong. We got to the woman’s house, and she decided not to leave. She told her husband about us. He was ready with a shotgun. We got the hell out of there, but not without getting shot at first.” He shakes his head. “After that, we tried to make contact with her. She refused to talk to us.”

---