Two Kings

Chapter 16

I wake in fright, sitting up and not knowing where I am, until the stinging pain of the cuff digging into my wrist has me yelping.

"What the fuck's going on?" Rico sits up, reaching across my legs to grab his pistol on the floor, until I grab his upper arm to stop him.

"No, no, it's just me. You don't need your gun. I had a bad dream and tried to sit up but forgot the cuff."

Rico grumbles as he rests back down on the seat and attempts to stretch his long legs in the tight space of the vehicle. "Fuck, it's cramped in here."

"True. But I'm doing ok."

"Yeah, cause you're like a foot shorter than me."

"I'm not that short," I protest.

"What are you, like, five-one?"

"Five-four and a half, actually."

"That's a generous lie," he mocks.

Talking to Rico so casually is a pleasant change. Truth is, I'm more than glad he showed up when he did. Just his presence alone has calmed my nerves, especially after the last few days. And as strange as that is, I've got a lot of comfort from him, in ways I never would have imagined. And after all the worry and uncertainty, it's nice to be held and know I'm not alone.

Now I just need to figure out how to disconnect from everything that's happened; especially the old man's death, which keeps playing over in my head. I know he wasn't the best character and that he worked for dodgy mobsters, but he seemed a kind man, besides the kidnapping, of course.

As Rico's warm breath tickles the back of my neck, I feel his hand slide down my waist and his fingers tuck under my stomach; more precisely, between the seat and my jacket, his skin doesn't touch mine. Oh my gosh though, who would have guessed that his body pressed against mine would evoke the hot and bothered reaction it's having on me? It almost feels like we're fused with our bodies folded together. Talk about warming up. How the hell are we meant to spend the rest of the night in such an intimate way without stirring up unwanted urges?

I don't recall Marcus and I snuggling so close, and we snuggled all the time. Oh, stop--next I'll be analyzing the way Rico's holding me. And I don't even mean in a bad way. Because the idea of him wanting to hold me, even though he has Gia to contend with, melts me in ways I shouldn't be letting it, which is ridiculous. It's inappropriate to assume our spooning is something more, when we both know he's only doing it because I called him selfish.

"You still awake?" he asks.

"Yep." I sit up, thinking it's for the best at this point. I wipe the condensation from the window and stare out into the blackness, looking in the same direction where I first saw Rico's car coming.

"My mind's racing and I'm scared they'll come for me. If they had surveillance cameras at the house we just came from, I'm sure this car is being tracked. And I know how badly Dom wants this job done. If he knew our location, he'd come back for me."

"Fuck Dom," Rico grumbles.

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one they want."

When I think about how close I've come to death, I shudder. God knows where I'd be if the old man hadn't smashed the car and Rico hadn't come along when he did.

"What were you dreaming about?" he asks.

I take a second to gather my thoughts. "Well, I dreamt I was stuck in this car and no one would stop and help. I thought I'd die here, like the old man. After days and nights of sitting here and waiting for someone to stop, I gave up and realized no one was stopping to help. I was on my own... that's where my dream ended."