Safe seemed like such a relative term to her, but she nodded anyway. Nicolas went one way and they went back towards the car.
They turned the corner to see a tow truck lifting the car up.
“What are you doing?”
The tow truck driver turned around looking at Niko. “Is this your car?”
“Yes, what happened to it?” It was no longer in the pristine condition he had left it in.
“As near as I can figure out from witnesses and the police, a drunk driver crashed into the car, causing it to ignite. He then backed up and sped away. The owners of the coffee shop wanted it hauled away pronto. I can take it anywhere you like. It will cost of course.”
Niko pulled the wallet out of his back pocket and told the driver where to take the car. He quickly paid with a credit card.
“I will call ahead. They will be expecting you.”
“Nice doing business with you.”
The driver got in the truck and pulled out.
“Looks like we are going to my place.”
He raised a brow at her. “I thought that was your private abode and no one except Rena ever made it in.”
“Then you understand what a privilege this is.” She resisted smiling as she turned and walked away knowing he would follow her.
Niko scanned the streets making sure they were alone. He felt certain the created would not attack in the open with him being on guard, but he had proven to be unpredictable.
Her apartment wasn’t that far from the coffee shop. She stopped to view it with new eyes. It looked sleek, all metal and glass, nothing like the sprawling house Niko owned. It looked cold.
They entered and she chose to walk the steps instead of taking the elevators. She was only on the fifth floor. They made the climb in no time and were entering her apartment.
Home sweet home. Her apartment was beautiful. She had at least taken the time for that. Her mom had always stressed the aesthetics of a place.
“Make yourself at home.”
“Thanks. Your place is beautiful.”
She looked around again. Nothing was out of place. It looked like no one lived here. She tried to remember the last time she had taken a seat on her expensive, pretty, but uncomfortable furniture. She couldn’t remember.
“Do you spend a lot of time here?”
“No. I spend most of my time in the bedroom when I am here. It’s this way.”
The room was still stark, but he could see touches of her here. There had been none in the living room.
“What made you move here?”
“Safety, prestige. You grow up with all the things you can’t do staring you in the face, then one day you’re on the other side. All your hard work has paid off, except you have been so busy working, you really don’t know what to do. So I moved here.”
She picked up the remote and turned on the television before she kicked off her shoes and crawled on the bed.
“No VR game here to keep you entertained.”
He kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed next to her. “I think I can manage.” He picked up his phone. “I need to let Aran know what happened to us.”
He dialed the number and told Aran what happened.
“He will come get us in the morning.”
“My car’s outside. I can drive us.”
“Not yet. Your car is not equipped with a scrambling device. I am sure that’s the reason my car was hit. I am positive no drunk did that damage to my car.”
“What’s a scrambler?”
“It keeps me from being followed. It makes it virtually impossible to lock onto me or to even see me. It directs your eyes elsewhere while allowing you to know something is on the road, so you don’t hit me. All of our cars are equipped with one.”
“That’s why the one trying to kill me has never shown up at the house. He can’t find it. I don’t understand why he didn’t just bribe someone at the office for your address.”
“Wouldn’t matter if he did. All of our mail from the office goes to a PO Box that we all share. There is no record of our personal addresses on file at the company. Aran set it up like that from the beginning.”
He gathered her in his arms and got comfortable on the bed. She found herself laying against his chest.
She loved his chest. She loved the sound of his heartbeat. It made her feel safe. So ironic to feel safe with a male who wasn’t human, but she did.
She reached up and kissed him. She wanted him. Right here in her bed, she wanted to claim him.
“Niko, make love to me.”
Chapter Twenty-two
The words hung in the air between them. The fire in his eyes became more apparent before he lowered his head and kissed her, taking her lips and her breath into his body. She arched up into the kiss. She needed him, wanted him.