Page 38 of To Love and Protect
He looked around frantically, but Gramps pulled his attention once again. “Listen to me, damnit. She’s right over there with Ree.” Nico glanced to his left and saw Remedietucked in Tyree’s arms while Isla crowded around them. His first instinct was to go to her. His mind was still foggy, but he knew something was wrong with her. Gramps gripped Nico tighter and forced him to focus. “I need you to take Remedie home and stay ya ass there until I call. Do you understand?”
Nico shook his head. “What the hell happened?”
In his heart, he knew. There had only been two other times he felt like this. What he couldn’t remember waswhy. When he blacked out, only pieces would come to him, and that normally took days.
Gramps only looked at him somberly before nodding slightly. That was all the answer Nico needed. His heart dropped, but confusion still settled in him. If Davies was the one to pull him away from the fight, then who did he just . . .
“Do as I say. Go home. I’ll get a hold of the people necessary to clean this shit up. You gon’ be okay, champ,” Gramps assured.
Nico could trust Gramps with his life, but there was no way he could get away with murder for a third time. Thoughts of taking Remedie and going on the run swarmed his mind as he looked at the man who was like a father to him. “You sure?”
Gramps nodded once. “Go. Now. I’ll call you.”
Nico turned and pushed his way through the chaotic crowd. He realized everyone was trapped inside, probably on Gramps’s orders. It was like that the last two times as well. Whatever they did with everyone there after Nico left, he didn’t know. He never asked. All he knew was his murderous secrets never came out.
“Cookie . . .” For the second time in minutes, his heart dropped. The tears in her eyes rocked him, but the way she looked at him, like he was a monster, had him rethinking his entire existence. “Baby, come here.”
He spoke softly, hoping she could hear him over all the noise. She must have because she left Tyree’s arms and leaned intohim. Relief washed over him. At least she wasn’t afraid of him. That was something he couldn’t live with.
“You gotta get out of here, bro. We gotta clean this shit up,” Tyree said.
Nico nodded and looked at Isla. “You good?”
“Yeah,” she muttered, avoiding his eyes. “Thank you for keeping my friend safe.”
Something clicked inside him. He got a flash of a man with his hand around Remedie’s neck. He clenched his jaw. “Always.”
“She’s gonna stay here and help out. We need to keep these people in order. Go out the back door toward the car,” Tyree advised.
Nico didn’t waste any more time talking. He kept his head down and walked toward the ring with Remedie clenched to his side. He caught a flash of a body on the floor. There was a wide circle around it, as if nobody wanted to be associated with the dead man in the room. When Nico saw his face, his mind flashed again.Zayden.
“Mothafucka,” he spat as he hurried them toward the back door. He grabbed his duffel bag and pushed the door open.
Once outside in the cool air, Remedie pulled away from him. By the time Nico looked down at her, she was already bent over and throwing up. He had to take a step back so it didn’t get on his shoes.
“Bae, you good?” Despite his racing thoughts, he would always take the time to make sure Remedie was okay.
When she finished, he watched as she wiped her mouth and then her tears as she straightened. “Upset stomach.”
Her words were so soft, they broke his heart. He felt bad because he knew she didn’t like boxing. She didn’t want to see him in his element. His ego couldn’t take that. He wanted his baby everywhere he went. Instead of listening to her, he pushed,like he always did. Nico always got what he wanted, and look where that got him this time.
He helped her into the car and quickly got in himself. When they were a good distance from the warehouse, Nico glanced at her. He felt like he needed to say something to her. To apologize or to comfort her, but he saw that she leaned against the window, away from him, with her eyes closed. She was a light sleeper, so he knew she wasn’t asleep, but it was clear she didn’t want to talk. For once, he didn’t push.
The ride home was silent and happened in a blur. Nico’s mind was all over the place, and his heart raced. As he pulled into his driveway, his thoughts drifted to his love for boxing but how it could be detrimental to his livelihood. He felt like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders as he got out of the car and went to open Remedie’s door.
Her eyes were open now, and she let him help her out of the car.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
He held her waist as they walked to the front door. When they were inside, she stepped out of his embrace. Nico noticed she avoided his eyes as she took her shoes off.
“Baby . . .” Nico let his sentence trail off because he wasn’t sure what to say. How was he supposed to face his actions? He wasn’t sorry for what he did. Judging by the marks around her neck, the nigga would have killed her if he hadn’t stepped in.
“Nico, I can’t talk about this tonight.” She walked over to him and placed a hand on his cheek. Her voice was low and raspy. She tried to clear her throat and then winced as if it hurt. His jaw clenched. She looked into his eyes briefly before standing on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek. “I love you, but I need a minute.”
The pain in her voice pissed him off. It was a reminder of what that bum had done to her. It was a reminder of his ownactions. He realized his anger wasn’t all the way under control at the moment, and it was probably best they didn’t talk that night.
“Just promise you ain’t gon’ leave me because of this shit.” It was probably the most vulnerable thing he had ever said. He couldn’t care about sounding like a bitch or like he was begging for her to stay with him. If Remedie left him, he wasn’t sure how he could move on. There was a before Remedie, but he would be damned if there would ever be an after Remedie.
