by Laurie Roma
Nikita gestured Zoe inside ahead of her, then shut the door securely at their backs. It took a moment for her eyes to acclimate to the bright lights inside the shop, and after a quick glance around, Zoe could see that she’d been right about the place being busy.
The walls of the shop were a deep, crimson red, with large wooden panels set up against them that held various black edged frames of tattoo designs on display. There were four tattoo stations sectioned off into their own little areas, and three of them had men in the black leather chairs getting tattooed on various places on their bodies.
Zoe noticed two giggling young women looking at the body jewelry laid out inside the glass display case at the far end of the room. They turned, glancing over their shoulders, but quickly lost interest when they saw Zoe instead of someone new they could flirt with.
One of the tattoo artists looked up at Zoe, and she smiled in greeting. Hunter Savante was a large man, with angry-looking burn scars covering his left hand and arm that also traveled up to cover the side of his neck. They’d healed over time, but still looked painful. Instead of detracting from his appeal, the scars only seemed to enhance his dark good looks. His intense, brooding hazel eyes warmed when he saw her, and to Zoe’s surprise, the former Navy SEAL winked.
“Hey, Lang. How’s it going?”
It was difficult to hear his deep voice over the noise, and she had to shout to be heard in return. “Good. We had a packed house tonight.”
“Same here,” Hunter said, then he went back to work on what looked like an image of the grim reaper on the man’s arm that was sitting in his chair, trying to ignore the two young women trying to get his attention as they moved to lean over the short wall between stations.
Brody looked up from where he was tattooing a man’s back, flicking his gaze at the two obvious women before grinning at Zoe. “Vonnie brought some pizza over after The Pie Place closed. There’s still some left if you want.”
Zoe eyed the pizza boxes on one of the counters and realized she hadn’t eaten all night. Still, the thought of cold pizza that had been sitting around a tattoo parlor just didn’t appeal to her at the moment. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
Wes finished with the client in his chair and the guy got up to study the tattoo on arm and shoulder exclaiming over how much he loved it. After accepting the thanks from the grateful client, Wes left the man to show off to his friends and walked over to join Zoe and Nikita.
“That was my last booking for the night, boss. Do you mind if I take off now? Amelia’s working the night shift at the center, and I thought I’d go hang with her for a few hours,” he said, mentioning his girlfriend that worked at the Beaumont Rescue Center outside of town.
“That’s fine.”
With a grin, Wes hurried back to his station to clean up so he could leave. The man with the new tattoo sauntered over, flexing his muscles…or at least trying to with what little muscle he had. Nikita rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh, making Zoe bite her lip to hold back a laugh. Her amusement faded as the guy gave her a slightly insulting once over, his gaze pausing briefly on her breasts before lifting to meet her eyes.
“Hey, babe. You work at The Fox Hole?” he asked, making a point to look back down at the tank top she wore with the bar logo on the front. “I guess I’m gonna have to stop in soon for a drink if they have pretty little gals like you serving.”
“Ease off, Keith. Trust me when I say you don’t want to tangle with Dante Fox if you mess with this one,” Nikita informed him, making the man pale. He retreated quickly, heading over to the two women who were leaning on the wall, giving Hunter, Brody and the two men in the chairs a generous display of cleavage.
Zoe glanced over to frown at her friend, but Nikita ignored her as she called out, “Hunter, I’m taking off for the night, too. You got shit here?”
“Sure, I’ll lock up when we’re done,” he said, not even bothering to look up.
“Let’s head back,” Nikita said to Zoe, turning toward the back door of the shop that opened into a private lounge area. Once they left the main storefront and closed the door, the sound of the music was muffled until it could barely be heard.
The lounge was painted a warm gold color, and the large, brown leather furniture had been chosen for both comfort and functionality. There were two long, comfortable couches that Zoe knew the guys used for naps when needed, and a matching overstuffed chair with an ottoman set it front of it for someone to put their feet up on.
On the wall was a huge TV that could also be used as a security monitor to see what was going on in the front of the building or inside the shop. Off to the side was a small kitchen area with a round table and four chairs that looked more suited for a small, lavish apartment rather than a workspace. In the back was a door that exited the shop and next to it was a staircase the led upstairs so Nikita didn’t have to leave the shop to go up to her apartment.
Before Nikita could head upstairs, Zoe briefly considered suggesting they stay down in the lounge area. She would appreciate privacy, but Zoe always found it difficult to relax whenever she was in Nikita’s apartment. Unlike the comfortable lounge, Nikita’s apartment was a stark, barren space, with white walls and almost no personal touches. It seemed sort of odd that her living quarters were so basic when her work space reflected so much warmth and vitality.
Zoe stumbled to a stop as Nikita whirled around to glare at her. “I just want to make one thing clear. If you’re here to try to talk me into going dress shopping with you guys tomorrow, I might have to hurt you.”
Holding her hands up in surrender, Zoe laughed. “I wouldn’t even think of it.”
Nikita grunted, then studied Zoe for a moment. “You seem…off. What’s up with you?”
Zoe’s smile wobbled a bit before it faded completely. “Actually, there is something I want to talk to you about.” She quickly glanced toward the door to the shop before adding, “But not here.”
To Zoe’s surprise, Nikita didn’t start up the stairs to her apartment. Instead, she walked over to the closet next to the kitchen and opened the door. She walked in and went all the way to the back, avoiding the shelves that were full of inventory for the tattoo parlor. Once at the back wall, Nikita pushed at the third darkest brick from the top on the right-hand side. A hidden door pushed open to reveal a stairwell that led downstairs.
Nikita gestured to her. “Come on. Let’s go before someone heads back here.”
Intrigued, Zoe stepped into the closet and moved forward to start down the hidden staircase. Lights had automatically turned on as soon as the door had opened, allowing her to see the thick metal stairs that went far below average basement level. Halfway down, she paused to watch Nikita close the door at the top of the steps, then she moved to the side to allow her friend to pass by her to lead the rest of the way down.
When they reached the bottom of the stairwell, Zoe’s eyes widened as she watched Nikita place her palm on a rectangular panel on the side of a metal door. The panel lit up, flashing green and a loud clicking sound echoed in the stairwell as the thick, metal door slid open.
What lay behind the door was nothing like Zoe expected. Beyond the metal door was a spectacular loft-like apartment with walls made of dark, wooden panels. There was a slate gray stone floor that was covered by thick Persian rugs under heavy, leather furniture in the living room area and partway under a huge bed covered with a silk, maroon duvet cover at the far end of the room.
Wooden shelves lined half of the right wall, filled with an amazing array of items that Zoe could tell came from various places around the world. There was no doubt that several of the items were priceless. Each piece was magnificent, highlighted by can lighting pointing down from the ceiling so that every item seemed to glow in the dim room.
In the center was another door that had a control panel off to the side, and on the other half of the wall was a shocking display of knives, swords and even a double-edged battle ax that looked like it had been made centuries past.
That side was like a tribute of mass destruction, but it somehow seemed fitting in Nikita’s living room.
“Holy shit,” Zoe breathed out as she stood their gawking at the weapons.
Nikita smirked, then simply shrugged. “I’m a collector.”
“I see,” Zoe replied carefully. “And I bet you know how to use every single one.”
A simple “hmm” was Nikita’s only response before she walked over to an open kitchen with a black marble island and frosted glass cabinets. She took a bottle out of the wine fridge, holding it up. “Sauvignon Blanc okay?”
“Sure.” Still too dazed to say anything more, Zoe shifted to stare at the left side of the room. Three large screens were mounted on the wall. All of the screens were set to display an image of a beach bathed in moonlight. The soft sound of gentle waves filled the room, making it seem as if Zoe were looking out of windows instead of TV monitors, and it alleviated any feeling of claustrophobia that would have come from being so far underground.
The moment Zoe had walked into this subterranean refuge, she’d understood. This was where Nikita really lived, not the cold, austere space upstairs. That was simply camouflage. Secrets, she thought again. Whatever she was hiding was nothing compared to the secrets that Nikita concealed about her own life.
Turning, Zoe eyed her friend as she carried two large glasses of wine into the living room area. She accepted a glass and took a seat. “This place is absolutely amazing.”
Nikita sat and stretched out her long legs in front of her as she sipped her wine. “It’s home.”
Zoe nodded slowly. “I can see that. So, upstairs is what, just for show?”
“Yep.”
“It’s obviously something that you don’t show just anyone. Why allow me down here?”
Nikita set her glass down on a side table next to the overstuffed chair she was sitting on. Leaning forward, she braced her elbows on her knees and stared intently at Zoe. “I can count the number of people that know about this place on one hand, but I brought you here for two reasons. The first is because you mentioned you wanted privacy. The second reason is a little more…complex. Despite being a bitch most of the time, I do have a sense of fair play.” She paused for a moment before saying, “I know who you really are…Zoe.”
Glad she was sitting down, Zoe’s breath let in a rush as she swayed slightly. “H-how?”
Heaving out a long sigh, Nikita leaned back in her chair and picked up her wine glass. “This town is my home now. It’s a good place filled with decent people, some of whom can be annoyingly cheerful and friendly. Despite that, I have certain habits that are difficult to break.”
“I still don’t understand,” Zoe said weakly.
“When we first met, I did a background check on you. Hell, most of us are dealing with shit in our pasts, but I could tell you were hiding something. Due to my background, I basically don’t trust anyone, but added to that, when you became friends with Becca, I needed to make sure you weren’t a threat to her,” Nikita said, mentioning her twin sister. “I check out anyone who gets close to my sister. It’s my job to keep her safe.”
“That’s a little over the top, even for you.”
“Following certain security protocols has kept me alive.” The tone of Nikita’s voice was the equivalent of a casual shrug. “You might consider it an invasion of privacy, but I make no apologies about doing whatever it takes to protect me and mine.”
Zoe felt utterly exposed, but the casual explanation that Nikita had given her helped ease some of the panic racing through her. It didn’t matter if what Nikita did was right or wrong. In her mind, she’d done what she thought she had to in order to protect herself and her sister. Zoe could respect that, even if she still felt slightly offended by Nikita digging into her past.
“Well…fuck.”
Nikita’s lips twitched. “Yeah, I figured you’d say that.”
“So, you know everything?”
“You have a right to your secrets, so I only dug until I got the gist of your situation.”
Gulping down some of her wine, Zoe took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I don’t really know what to say to all this. I mean, I came here because I wanted to talk to you about…well, about all of this, but finding out that you already know is sort of—”
“A mindfuck?” Nikita chuckled, then she sobered and her expression turned serious. “You have a decision now. You can either be pissed off about this, or let it go. It changes nothing. For me, I don’t care how this all began. You’re my friend now—no matter what name you choose to call yourself—and I don’t have too many people I consider close enough to care about.”
“Oh, you have more friends than you think, Niki.”
That had a scowl settling on Nikita’s face. “I’m making an effort to be nice here. Are you trying to piss me off?”
Zoe laughed, and it felt good to do so. “I wouldn’t think of it. Even though you try to keep yourself separate from everyone, people care about you and value your friendship.”
Nikita squirmed in her seat. “People need to learn to leave me the fuck alone.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I think you just have to learn to deal with it.”
Sighing heavily, Nikita sipped at her wine. “I’ll never be like everyone else, and I’m good with that. Someone once diagnosed me with borderline sociopathic tendencies.” She waved off Zoe’s protest before continuing. “I don’t feel bad about making people angry, or lose sleep over the things I’ve done. I guess you could say that I don’t have the same moral compass other people do. I have a certain skill set that separates me from most people, but I can be a damn good friend to have if you’re in trouble.”
“I’m not—” Zoe cut herself off with a shake of her head. “That was stupid. Of course I’m in trouble. But I can’t talk about that. Not yet.”
She’d come to Nikita prepared to talk to her about everything, but now that she was here, she found that she couldn’t. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her friend, because she did. It was more the issue of needing to tell Dante the story of her past before speaking about it with anyone else.
She owed him that much.
“Door is open when you’re ready.”
“Thank you,” Zoe said, meaning it to the depth of her soul.
Any lingering annoyance she felt from Nikita digging into her past faded away. Having someone like Nikita watching out for her was comforting. No, that wasn’t right. Comforting was too tame a word for it. With Nikita’s protection, it was essentially the mental equivalent to being wrapped in Kevlar while surrounded with an invisibility shield.
She wasn’t sure how it had happened, but Nikita had become a close friend. It meant more to her knowing that Nikita didn’t allow many people to see the real her, but sitting in her super-secret Batcave, Zoe was touched to know that her feelings for her friend were mutual.
“Strangely, I feel better knowing that you know. Isn’t that odd?”
“Not really. If you want to talk about shit, you can. If you don’t, that’s fine, too. Personally, I think by hiding from everyone, you’re putting yourself under a lot of unnecessary strain. The past is the past. Never look over your shoulder for trouble. Just kill it and carry on.”
Amused despite herself, Zoe laughed. “That should be on a t-shirt. It’s also why you are totally my first pick if the zombie apocalypse ever happens.”
“Wise choice,” Nikita said with a chuckle. “But I think your first pick would be Dante, who is what you really want to discuss tonight.”
Zoe eyed her. “I don’t know if I like how perceptive you are.”
“It's more self-preservation at this point. If I had to drag it out of you, we'd end up drinking a lot more wine while I waited for you to bring him up. Not that I mind drinking, but I don't like wasting time, and it would irritate me. Besides, the faster you and Dante work out whatever the hell is wrong, the quicker I can get back my private time at Fight Hard. Dante has been cutting into my
workouts with all these late night bang-the-bag-instead-of-banging-Zoe sessions.”
Zoe winced. “I can't believe you just said that. Wait...you work out at three in the morning, too? You are all so strange.”
“I go after the shop closes some nights. Anyways, strange is relative. You and the others are actually looking forward to dress shopping tomorrow. In my book, that's just fucking weird.”
“You should come. What if you don't like the dress Kali picks out? Don't you want a say?”
“No. I have faith that Kali fears me enough not to put me in something I'll hate.”
“True,” Zoe agreed with a laugh, but she knew that even if Nikita hated the dress their friend Kali picked out for them as bridesmaids for her wedding, she would still wear it.
“So, let me guess. You now feel you have to tell Dante about who you really are, and you’re worried about how he’ll react and if you’ll have to leave if things go south.”
“I…shit. Pretty much.”
Nikita got up to fetch the wine bottle from the counter in the kitchen, then refilled each of their glasses before sitting back down. “I figured. You’re a runner. It’s what you know. But now that you’ve found a place you can call home, it makes sense that you’d worry about what would happen if people know all the shit you’d rather forget about.”
“I guess that sums it up. It’s…complicated.”
“What it is, is stupid. Although I try to avoid other people’s relationship bullshit, even I can tell that he’s crazy about you. Dante Fox is the type of man who would help a friend out, but you’re more than just a friend to him.” Nikita sent Zoe a wicked grin. “I think that’s obvious by that bet you made with him.”
Zoe gaped at her. “I don’t think I even want to know how you found out about that.”
“Trust me, I’d be fine with not knowing. Stop looking over your shoulder and deal with what is. Either you trust Dante with the truth or you don’t. And if he doesn’t understand, you don’t need to let that affect whether or not you make a life here. Be the master of your own fate.”