Page 73 of Creeping Beautiful

I stare at him, defiant now. My heart isn’t skipping because he scares me. It’s thumping hard because if he comes at me, I will kill him right here. Hand-to-hand combat style—in full view of that little family on the other part of the Gator Boardwalk bridge—and not give a single fuck about it.

Nick assesses me. Probably asking himself how even of a fight it is these days. Wondering how low I’ve been lying these past ten years. Wondering if I got lazy and decided to let McKay do all my fighting for me.

But it hasn’t been McKay taking Indie on those jobs. And he probably knows that.

Still. His father made sure he was the most dangerous kid to ever come out of the Zero program and the past ten years down in Central America certainly haven’t softened him up any.

Finally, he grins and puts up both hands in an ‘I surrender’ gesture. “Hey. You do you, bro. If you say you’ve got her under control?” He shrugs. “Who am I to say different?”

I work my jaw, still tense. Say nothing.

“We good then?”

“We’re good,” I whisper. “As long as you stay the fuck out of Louisiana.”

He grins at me. A crooked, messy grin that says more than words ever will. “Don’t worry about that. I’m on my way to Colorado right after I leave here. Got people to see, places to go, shit to do.” Then he extends his hand towards me.

I look at it for a second. Then let out a long breath and take it.

He quickly turns it into some drug lord secret handshake that I’m clueless about. But we end it with a bump. And then he flips his hood back over his head, turns away, and walks off.

“Hey,” I call after him. “Did you kill her?”

He turns around, hands in his hoodie pockets, and walks backwards. “Who?”

“That girl you got this morning?”

“Not yet,” he says, still walking backwards.

“It’s not her fault, Nick. Indie has me, and McKay, and Donovan. We’re gonna take care of her. I promise. We won’t let this happen to her. And you don’t have to kill that girl either. It’s not her fault.”

I don’t know why I say that. But Indie has changed me. I don’t see her as the psycho kid inside that snake cage back on the auction island anymore.

I see her the way she is now. Happy. Pretty well-adjusted. Just another teenage girl.

He stops walking and shakes his head at me. “What do you think I should do? Just… find a couple of cool-headed ex-Company assassins and drop her off for foster care?”

I shrug with my hands. “It’s not a bad idea, dude. She didn’t ask for this. Don’t take her down with you.”

He smiles. Shoots me with his finger. And then turns back around and continues walking.

I watch him until he’s up over the ridge and out of sight. Then I take out my phone and call Indie.

“What’s up?” she says.

And I can breathe normally again.

“Hello? Adam? What the fuck?”

My heart stops skipping.

“Are you OK? Do you need help? What’s going on?”

The fear ebbs back.

“No. I’m here. Just checking on you. What are you doing?”

“What? I’m over at Nate’s house. We’re watching a movie.”