The Dream Walker (19 page)

Chapter
43

Alaina looked around the bare apartment one last time. She was ready to go.

She sighed, hating that she had to leave, and loathing George and Daniel with such force, she didn’t think she would have trouble killing either one of them if she ever came face-to-face with them again.

Her old life, as she liked to call it, was over. It was where she used her body to make a living and get ahead. She promised herself that she would use her brain in her new life. After all, she was intelligent. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten this far—the life she had lived would have swallowed her up and spit her out her mangled remains. No, she might not have the special degree behind her name that screamed to the world how high her intelligence loomed, but she did have street smarts that had guided her through thick and thin. And . . . probably more thick than thin.

She had been a fighter her whole life, and she didn’t plan on stopping now. She would get through the next phase of her life and do it with grace and dignity. Her soul felt lighter just thinking about it, although her heart felt heavier thinking of Nico.

Smiling, she thought of his silver eyes. She could see their relationship moving forward, if she were able to stick around. She had always been out on her own, and she couldn’t imagine having to rely on another person. Not that he’d asked to be her knight in shining armor, but she had been on the precipice of begging him to let her stay with him. She knew in her heart Nico would protect her from this strange world of evil in which she found herself. However, that just wasn’t her. She didn’t need saving.

Over the past couple of days she had been thinking about the dream she had starring Nico. Her cheeks still warmed at what he did to her body and how he made her feel sexy, special, and wanted. She’d actually tried to recreate the dream while sleeping, and instead she dreamt of mundane things like trees and the ocean.

Sighing, she taped up the last box. All she needed to do was haul two more boxes and one suitcase down to the car and she was ready to go.

She opened the door to the hallway and looked both ways. Convinced that no one was lurking in either direction, she picked up the box and shut her apartment door. Her heart clenched as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs leading out to her car, and she stopped to see who it was, ready to run.

Peggy came up the stairs.
“Hi, honey. I’m sorry I’m late.”

Alaina smiled.
“That’s okay, Peggy. Thanks for coming to say goodbye.”

Peggy hugged her.
“I’m going to miss you, girl.”

A tear rolled down Alaina
’s cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. “I’ll miss you too, Peggy.”

“Let me help you with the box,” Peggy said, reaching for it.

“Actually, could you please go and get the other one from my apartment?” Alaina asked as she dug the keys out of her pocket. “The door’s locked, but here’s the key.”

“Got it.”

Alaina went down to her car and put the box in the backseat. She would need to pack the rest of her stuff in the front. Studying what was in the car, and what still needed to be loaded, she was pretty certain everything was going to fit.

“Hey,” a deep voice behind her said.

She spun around, fear constricting her throat, and immediately relaxed when she saw it was Nico. He loomed above her wearing dark sunglasses and dressed in loose-fitted jeans, a green tank top, and flip flops. Even his feet were sexy, which was something you didn’t see very often. His hair was mussed, and she wondered if he ever ran a comb through it, but he seemed to be more of a wash-and-wear guy.

“You scared me!” she said, bringing her hand to her chest.

“I’m sorry,” he said with that half-grin she found so endearing. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“It looks like you’re just about ready to go,” he said.

Alaina nodded. “Peggy went in to get another box. After that I’ve got a suitcase to load, and I’m ready.”

Nico nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked around as if trying to find the words he wanted to say. Finally, he gazed back at her. “You know, Alaina, I think if our circumstances were different, it would be interesting to see where things could go between you and I.”

Alaina felt like she had just won the lottery. The fact that Nico felt the same way she did made her extremely happy, but that happiness was followed by a profound sadness. There wasn
’t time for dating or getting to know each other better. Nico was a warrior from another universe. He lived in a different world than she did, even though they resided on the same planet. Although she had ties to his world, she didn’t belong there. Well, that was what she kept telling herself, anyway. “I would have liked that too, Nico.”

They looked at each other for a moment, then Nico said,
“Let’s go inside. I’ll help you with the rest of your stuff.”

“
Thanks, Nico.”

As they went up the stairs side by side, Alaina wondered why life had to be so unfair. Years of grinding her ass and shaking her tits to men not worth the dirt on her platform heels, and finally a man with some dignity showed up at her door. As her shoulder brushed against Nico, she really thought she was going to cry, but they reached her apartment and she stifled back the tears.

“Peggy?” she called as she walked into the living room.

“
Alaina—” Nico said.

“
Just a second, Nico. Peggy? Are you in here?” She went into the bedroom and gasped. Peggy lay across the bare mattress, his stomach cut open from her ribs down to the tops of her pants. Her cloudy eyes stared up at the ceiling.

A scream got stuck in her throat as she backed out of the bedroom. As she moved away from the bloody sight, panic grew within her threatening to completely immobilize her. Her whole body shook, sweat broke out on her brow, and her throat constricted making sound impossible. She needed to throw up, but felt if she did, she would drown in her own vomit. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself.

When she rounded the corner into the living room, the panic turned into cold fear and stark anger. George stood behind Nico, holding a gun to his head.

Dark, awful visions passed before her eyes, all having to do with George
’s death and her being responsible for it. In a matter of seconds, she gutted him as had been done to Peggy, she shot him hundreds of times, she held a rope around his neck and watched the life drain out of him.

“
Hello, Alaina,” George said.

Alaina backed up, realizing she was trapped between a madman with a gun and her friend’s dead body. Her breath came in short spurts, fear making her almost immobile, a violent rage so deep she could barely focus on the scene in front of her.

“It looks as though you’re packing. Are you planning on going somewhere?” George asked.

Alaina looked at Nico, trying to read his features. His face was a blank slate, showing no emotion.

As she gazed around for something that could be used as a weapon, her heart sank. Everything was packed up.

“
Let’s go, Alaina,” George said, stepping out from behind Nico. His white T-shirt was covered in blood spatters and smears, as if he’d tried to wipe his hands after killing Pegg
y.
His beady eyes bore into her. “You too, big guy,” George said to Nico.

Alaina couldn
’t move. She knew that if she went with George, she would be killed—there was no denying what his intentions had been that fateful night at the church, and what they were now. A small, illusory part of her wanted to go so she could fulfill her little fantasies and put an end to George, but reality dictated that ridiculous.

One thing was certain—she couldn
’t allow Nico to be caught up in her mess.

Finally, she found her voice.
“You have a problem with me, George,” she said quietly. “It doesn’t concern him.”

“
Oh, but it does,” George said.

“
You want to know what I think, Alaina?” Nico asked.

“
What?” she managed to say.

“
I think you just played me. I think you’ve been talking to some people about what you know, and I think you outsmarted me.”

Alaina
’s gut clenched even tighter. How could Nico think that? “No,” she whispered.

“
I was warned about you,” Nico said, staring at her with hard, cold eyes. “I was told you couldn’t be trusted. They said you were nothing but a whore. They said you would screw me over—”

“
Shut up!” George yelled.

“
Fuck you,” Nico spat.

George took the knife out of his waistband and stabbed Nico in the side, just below the ribs. Pain laced his face, but he remained quiet.

“Don’t!” Alaina yelled. “Don’t hurt him anymore!”

“
Shut up, Alaina,” George said. “I do find it interesting you like this guy, though.”

“
She doesn’t like me,” Nico said. “She just sold me out.”

“
No! No, Nico! What do you mean? I haven’t said anything to anyone!” Tears spilled down Alaina’s cheeks, the hurt of his words overtaking the rage that boiled within. How could he think that?

“
If one of you says another word, I will shoot you. I’m not supposed to kill either one of you yet, but I will,” George said in a low voice. Both Alaina and Nico remained silent.

“
Now, let’s get out of here.”

Alaina thought one or both of them would have a chance at getting away once they were outside, but then the apartment door opened and three men and a woman stepped in.

Alaina recognized them from the church meeting and any hope she had fizzled out.

She took a deep breath and tried to come to terms with the fact that she was going to die.

Chapter 44

Son. Of. A. Bitch. Nico hadn
’t expected George to actually stab him. The guy was a blood-thirsty asshole, of that, there was no doubt. Nico was pretty sure there weren’t any vital organs damaged, as Hudson had stabbed him in the same place a few months ago. Cohen had assured him that there was no internal damage that time, and he had to believe that was the case now.

He bunched up his shirt and held it to the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding as he looked out the car window and tried to figure out where they were headed. When he got the chance, he would call the Saviors and at that point, he would need a definitive idea of where he was.

Seated between two men—each with a gun pointed at him—he was hard pressed for room to move. Certainly, that was how they planned it. If he couldn’t move, he couldn’t beat the ever-living shit out any of them.

Glancing at Alaina, who sat at the window to his right in the seat in front of him, he was scared to death for her safety. His mouth felt like he had just swallowed pond water as he thought of the things he had said at her apartment.

When they had walked into the apartment, he detected the faint, coppery smell of blood. Just when he was about to follow Alaina into her bedroom, a gun had kissed his kidneys and he knew they were fucked.

As he stood there with the gun in his back, he fully expected to be shot a few times. But that fat fuck, George, was after much more than just Alaina. The thought had crossed his mind of whether Alaina had turned on him, but when she came back around the corner, her skin pale and looking like she needed to be sick, he knew she hadn
’t.

When George spoke, Nico had recognized the voice instantly and his SR44 male roared. He wanted to gut George, but hey—you couldn
’t gut someone who was holding a gun to your back. He’d have to be one nimble and flexible fucker to manage that one. However, he needed to place as much distance between Alaina and himself as possible. Yes, this was about her, but the fact that he wasn’t dead led him to believe this was also about him. And if he were a betting man, which he was, he would bet a few thousand this was about him being a member of the Saviors.

He guessed George and the Colonist—what was his name?—Daniel. Yes, that was it. He guessed they had been watching Alaina for a while and saw him thrown into the mix. Daniel had somehow figured out he was aligned with the Six Saviors, and a Colonist would love nothing more than to kill a Savior.

Of course, this was all speculation, but the fact that he wasn’t dead was a really good indicator he was at least on the right path.

Shit on a stick.

As her head rested against the window, Alaina looked as though she had been beaten, even though nothing had been done to her except his well-placed words. She had trusted him, and he had led her to believe she was nothing but trash. He hated he had to do that, but he couldn’t let George think they were some sort of team, that they had some sort of connection. By pushing Alaina away, Nico hoped to make it all about him and a lot less about Alaina. George might have it in for her, but if he could deflect the focus off of her and onto him, she might stand a chance.

Nico checked out the street signs, but didn
’t recognize the neighborhood. It actually looked as though they were headed outside of the Phoenix city limits.

They drove for another hour, and Nico watched the sun begin to dip down over the horizon. Soon, his eyes would light up silver. He wondered what George and his asshole friends would say when that happened. He would bet a thousand dollars they had no clue exactly what they were dealing with, and he had no doubt once they were done doing Daniel
’s bidding, they would be dead.

Nico sighed and shut his eyes.

Man, things just didn’t look too rosy.