limits means just that, in every way you can imagine."
"Even if…" Nikki trailed off. Ace was still smiling, sort of, but the look in her eyes told Nikki nothing she said was going to work. Despite that realization, Nikki spent another few seconds silently weighing her options and even opening her mouth a couple times to try a new tack, but that's as far as it went.
Finally, she turned around and headed for the steps. By the time she started her climb, the familiar taste of disappointment was hard at work souring her mood.
After months of non-existent opportunities, a half dozen near misses, and a couple of last-minute Michael roadblocks, the answers Nikki needed were now so close she could all but reach out and smack them. But they might as well have been on the other side of the world.
Enemy Within
Chapter 8
Nikki
"Why is it I came out here again?" Nikki grumbled, only half to Coop. She was really asking herself, even though she thought knew the answer.
Walking beside her through the low grass along the bluff, Coop made a sound that wasn't even close to a word as he took a huge bite of an apple. "To watch Cue Ball make an ass out of himself," he said when he could get out a recognizable word.
That didn't make any sense. She'd watched Impact train before, and while it wasn't always the most exciting thing in the world—unless you had a treadmill fetish—it was never short of impressive seeing him reach speeds on foot that put hover cars to shame. She couldn't imagine what he could be doing out here to make a fool of himself. Also, that wasn't the real reason they were out here walking the bluffs with the setting sun in their eyes.
"And," Coop said after he swallowed, "to keep you out of trouble."
There it was. No doubt on Ace's orders. She must have called Coop the second Nikki got out of earshot. As soon as Nikki had reached the top of the stairs from the lower level, Coop had waylaid her to drag her out here—the spanker.
That wasn't entirely fair. Coop was a spanker most of the time, but in this case he was just following Ace's orders. Plus, he'd led her out through the small vestibule hidden in the back of the sanctuary, then across Sam's garden, which was a painstaking process if you wanted to avoid stepping on any of his carefully tended plants—and you did. The route was way longer and way more difficult than just using the main doors, especially considering where they were now. Nobody in their right mind would take it. Unless there was something out front they wanted to avoid.
Like somebody's grave.
Nikki looked out at the water as they walked so Coop wouldn't see her grateful smile. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
None of them were—bad, that is. Despite her griping and complaining, Nikki was growing attached to everyone at the doomsday bunker. They'd all gone out of their way to give her what she needed to get through the worst time in her life, and not just free food and shelter. They'd given her time and space to grapple with her feelings and a ready distraction when she couldn't. Without coming right out and saying it, each one of them had made it clear they were there for her, ready to do whatever she needed, whenever she needed it. They said as much with every pity-free nod, every cutting joke, every trip to the city at odd hours, every iced coffee. Somewhere deep inside, Nikki knew she wouldn't have survived the past four months without these people. Or if she had, she would have come out of it a different person. Damaged goods, at best.
For a while now Michael had been harping on her to thank them, but she'd been unable. Each time the thought showed up, panic followed hard on its heels. Thanks led to handshakes, gushy smiles, or worse. Those things led to feelings of attachment, feelings of belonging. If she let those feelings take hold, she'd really start caring about these people. And that led only to pain.
On the other hand, accepting their support without paying
"Even if…" Nikki trailed off. Ace was still smiling, sort of, but the look in her eyes told Nikki nothing she said was going to work. Despite that realization, Nikki spent another few seconds silently weighing her options and even opening her mouth a couple times to try a new tack, but that's as far as it went.
Finally, she turned around and headed for the steps. By the time she started her climb, the familiar taste of disappointment was hard at work souring her mood.
After months of non-existent opportunities, a half dozen near misses, and a couple of last-minute Michael roadblocks, the answers Nikki needed were now so close she could all but reach out and smack them. But they might as well have been on the other side of the world.
Enemy Within
Chapter 8
Nikki
"Why is it I came out here again?" Nikki grumbled, only half to Coop. She was really asking herself, even though she thought knew the answer.
Walking beside her through the low grass along the bluff, Coop made a sound that wasn't even close to a word as he took a huge bite of an apple. "To watch Cue Ball make an ass out of himself," he said when he could get out a recognizable word.
That didn't make any sense. She'd watched Impact train before, and while it wasn't always the most exciting thing in the world—unless you had a treadmill fetish—it was never short of impressive seeing him reach speeds on foot that put hover cars to shame. She couldn't imagine what he could be doing out here to make a fool of himself. Also, that wasn't the real reason they were out here walking the bluffs with the setting sun in their eyes.
"And," Coop said after he swallowed, "to keep you out of trouble."
There it was. No doubt on Ace's orders. She must have called Coop the second Nikki got out of earshot. As soon as Nikki had reached the top of the stairs from the lower level, Coop had waylaid her to drag her out here—the spanker.
That wasn't entirely fair. Coop was a spanker most of the time, but in this case he was just following Ace's orders. Plus, he'd led her out through the small vestibule hidden in the back of the sanctuary, then across Sam's garden, which was a painstaking process if you wanted to avoid stepping on any of his carefully tended plants—and you did. The route was way longer and way more difficult than just using the main doors, especially considering where they were now. Nobody in their right mind would take it. Unless there was something out front they wanted to avoid.
Like somebody's grave.
Nikki looked out at the water as they walked so Coop wouldn't see her grateful smile. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
None of them were—bad, that is. Despite her griping and complaining, Nikki was growing attached to everyone at the doomsday bunker. They'd all gone out of their way to give her what she needed to get through the worst time in her life, and not just free food and shelter. They'd given her time and space to grapple with her feelings and a ready distraction when she couldn't. Without coming right out and saying it, each one of them had made it clear they were there for her, ready to do whatever she needed, whenever she needed it. They said as much with every pity-free nod, every cutting joke, every trip to the city at odd hours, every iced coffee. Somewhere deep inside, Nikki knew she wouldn't have survived the past four months without these people. Or if she had, she would have come out of it a different person. Damaged goods, at best.
For a while now Michael had been harping on her to thank them, but she'd been unable. Each time the thought showed up, panic followed hard on its heels. Thanks led to handshakes, gushy smiles, or worse. Those things led to feelings of attachment, feelings of belonging. If she let those feelings take hold, she'd really start caring about these people. And that led only to pain.
On the other hand, accepting their support without paying
Similar Books
