Now they were being transplanted into a new city, somewhere clean and fresh where Nolan had promised they could start over, if that’s what they wanted. He’d been sparse on the details, but despite the alarms ringing in her mind, telling her not to put too much stock in a smooth-talking newcomer, a kernel of anticipation blossomed within her. That was most terrifying of all.
Laurel rolled the window down for a breath or two of crisp mountain air. Not a hint of smog or sewer or desperation in it.
“I’m good,” she promised Jace before catching Nolan’s gaze in the rearview mirror. He nodded subtly and smiled. Damn, even in the darkness, his teeth glowed bright and so did his ice-blue eyes. His blond hair swept back as if the wind had styled it. He might be a little high-maintenance compared to the kind of men she usually found attractive, but she couldn’t deny he appealed to her.
Laurel probably should have felt weird about drooling over a dude while Jace held her, but whatever, it wasn’t like he had any problems ogling the other guy either, or meeting up with strangers in shady places for a quick fuck. They didn’t talk about it, but she knew he wasn’t out for a run every time he came home sweaty and out of breath.
She supposed she could have done the same. After years of abuse and the meaningless sex she’d had on occasion afterward to raise some extra cash when they’d really needed it, she’d sworn to herself that she wouldn’t. Instead, she’d strive to be spoiled enough that she only ever made love, on her terms, from then on out. And the one person—Jace—she’d been interested in exploring that entirely new facet of her sexuality with had never made a move nor responded to her subtle invitations.
“What?” He asked when she shot him a glare. “What’d I do?”
“Nothing.” She sighed, because that was exactly the problem.
Nolan chuckled as if he could read her evident frustration, then said, “Hey, Sola, did Aarav head back with the rest of the team?”
“Yup. He told Jordan he’d wait with me for you, but the bossman told him to ride with Ransom, Levi, Marcus, and Kennedy instead. I guess they are already working on some of the intel they got from the victims to track down other branches of Draven’s operation.”
“I bet he was pissed, missing out on some quality time with you.” Nolan waggled his brows causing Laurel to check Sola’s reflection in the driver’s side window. The woman winced, her eyes flicking to the edge of the road. Laurel hoped she hadn’t cost Sola a chance alone with a friend or lover.
“He did seem more grumpy than usual.” Sola shifted in the driver’s seat, then smacked Nolan’s thigh. “Quit gloating. I still think you’re full of shit. He’s not interested in me like that. The man hardly has any emotions. I can’t see a robot like him having a damn crush on anyone, let alone me.”
Jace snorted from beside Laurel. “Uh, I don’t think that’s so farfetched. Does he have eyes?”
Laurel didn’t like the part of her that reared up, jealous over her roomie complimenting another woman. Jace was tough, but he could also be sweet.
“Thank you.” Nolan twisted to look at Jace as if they were already on their way to being buds. “I bet Sola a hundred bucks one of our co-workers is into her. She doesn’t believe me. But seriously, what guy stays late at work every day she’s there unless it’s because it’s a convenient excuse to spend time with her?”
Jace did when Laurel’s shifts at the restaurant went late, though she figured his protective instincts didn’t approve of her walking home in the dark.
“And always makes sure the command center fridge is stocked with her favorite drinks?”
Jace had splurged on Laurel’s diet sodas even when they’d barely had a tap water budget.
“And is constantly watching her when she goes about her regular business?”
Laurel looked up at Jace, who shrugged sheepishly. He did all those things for her. Even in the dinner rush, she’d sometimes look up from taking an order to lock eyes with him across the room. And now she was doing it with Nolan, wondering who exactly he was teasing at the moment.
“Okay, okay. That’s enough. Don’t make things weird,” Sola snapped at Nolan. “I love my job and I don’t want anyone’s boners messing that up for me.”
That sounded like the truth if Laurel had ever heard it, but did it mean that Sola wasn’t a little sad that she couldn’t see if Nolan was right after all? Nope.
Laurel immediately regretted her prior envy. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice what you want to make sure you have what you need.”
“I knew I was going to like you.” Sola lifted one hand over the seat, beside the headrest, curled in a fist. Laurel bumped it. Damn it, she didn’t want to give a shit about these people in case they were racing toward a disaster.
It wasn’t too much longer before Sola turned into a well-lit entryway. Compared to the endless midnight engulfing them, it seemed like a beacon, drawing them closer. Really it turned out to be an illuminated stone sign that read “The Hawk’s Nest” and a sleek guard shack at the center of very ornate metal gates.
Though it was pretty, Laurel held her breath. If it was that difficult to get in, it would be impossible for her to get out again if she changed her mind, and the Shields were not obliged to let her and Jace go. He tensed too. It was an all-too-familiar set up. When they’d been younger, before the cannery days, they’d been lent out to Draven’s wealthier clients. Those who could afford fresh meat.
“Hold on,” Laurel said, and wrapped her fingers around the door handle.
Sola immediately stopped and waited for her to elaborate. “Cold feet?”
“I’m not a fan of being locked in places.” Laurel opened the window again and stuck her head out to let the cold air slap some feeling into her numb cheeks.
“Ah, shit. Sorry. I should have thought of that.” Nolan tapped his phone, then said to whoever was on the other end of the line, “We’re here, but going through the gates is freaking your sister out. Can we leave them unlocked? Otherwise we can divert and go to the cabin by the lake instead.”
His courtesy alone relieved some of Laurel’s anxiety. None of the people who’d used her or Jace had ever given a shit about their feelings or the trauma their actions would inflict.
“Whatever she wants,” James responded. “Her friend too. I want them to be comfortable.”
Laurel looked up at Jace, who nodded. She cleared her throat. “Let’s go. It’s okay.”
“Jordan says they’ll stay wide open until she says otherwise,” the person who might be her brother promised Nolan. “When you’re coming in, show her the path down the hill and how she could follow it to the lake if she ever feels she needs an escape route. There’s no perimeter on that side of the estate.”
“Will do. Thanks.” Nolan disconnected, then turned in his seat to face her and Jace. “Are you ready?”
He wasn’t rushing her either. The concern crinkling the corners of his eyes touched her. She looked at Jace. It wasn’t only her who’d been enslaved before.
“I am if you are.” He put his hand on the seat between them, palm up, and she laid hers over it, squeezing tight.