Spaces Between Notes

by Kristina M Sanchez

  Niko smiled as he released his sister. Hell if he knew how all this had happened, but he wasn’t going to argue. He was happy for him, too.

  Happy. It’d been a while since he’d felt happy.

  Delilah was parked closer, so she peeled off from the group first. Jamie was next to reach his car.

  Niko had come to the restaurant with his brother and Carys with hers. He was regretting that now. As they strolled to the far parking lot, Carys took his hand. He didn’t feel like letting her go. With his voice, it would’ve been an easy and smooth process to orchestrate a swap. It was the kind of challenge he would’ve enjoyed in the past—arranging alone time with his girl under the noses of their obnoxious brothers. Hell, he might’ve talked his way into backseat sex, too. The thrill of semi-public sex could be fun.

  Carys stumbled, and Niko was quick to put his arm around her waist, pulling her to him to steady her. “Whoa,” she said, and Niko could smell the alcohol on her breath.

  He had to fight a wide grin. Of course. He’d stopped at a large beer almost two hours before, but he hadn’t been watching how many drinks Carys had. He was used to Del, who never drank so much that she wouldn’t be able to make it home to her baby.

  However much she’d drunk, Niko decided it was enough to justify him demanding to drive her home. He turned to her and held his hand out. When she looked at him with a blank expression, he turned his hand like he was turning a key in the ignition.

  Carys rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. Fine.” She started to rummage through her purse.

  “Does that mean I get to drive the truck home?” Micah asked, obviously reading the situation. “I’ll take Ben.”

  Niko did his best not to make a face even though there was no arguing the point. Micah hadn’t drunk anything because he wasn’t twenty-one yet, but Bennett had. Niko and Micah were the only drivers on hand. He dug through his pocket, produced the key, and tossed it in his brother’s direction.

  “Crap,” Carys muttered. She shook her purse, shifting the contents. “Oh, no.”

  Niko touched her arm and tilted his chin at her when she looked up. She sighed, looking frazzled. “Can’t find my key.”

  “Uh-oh. Did you leave it in the restaurant?” Micah asked.

  “Um…” Carys grimaced. “Knowing me? I probably left it in the car.”

  Bennett signed something, and Carys nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll check the car first since it’s closer.”

  They headed en masse to Carys’s car, and she groaned. Sure enough, there the keys were on the seat. “Damn, damn, damn,” she said.

  “It’s no problem,” Micah said. “Niko has all kinds of crap in the back of his truck. All I need is a wire to get the car open.”

  Niko could’ve smacked his forehead. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Bennett wince and look to Carys. She didn’t approve of the things Micah knew. Like it was his fault he knew how to do a lot of shady shit. Sure enough, Carys made a sour face. “Another one of your ex’s many talents?”

  Micah had the decency to look sheepish and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I bet I could hotwire it, too. You know, if you’d lost your key completely.” He coughed into his hand. “Anyway… Let me get something, and we’ll get out of here in a few minutes.”

  “No,” Carys said too quickly. “That’s okay. I have roadside assistance.”

  Niko furrowed his brow, and Micah looked confused. “You know, they’re going to do the same thing I’d do, and I’ll only take a minute or two. You’d have to wait for them.”

  “It’s okay. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, anyway. I’ll wait.”

  “But—”

  Niko stepped between his brother and his girl, waving a hand. Sure, he thought Carys was taking her disdain of Micah’s past to ridiculous levels, but that was beside the point. He wanted to be alone with her. The wait would give them time even if they couldn’t get demonstrative in a parking lot. He shooed Micah away, and Bennett tugged at his sleeve, obviously on board with Niko’s plan.

  Right. He wasn’t going to think about that.

  Once the kids were gone, Niko decided he was done keeping his hands to himself. Carys was already on the phone with roadside assistance, but he didn’t care about that. He tucked her hair off her shoulder and ghosted his lips along her neck.

  “Ah-ah. I, um… No. Sorry. Yeah. That’s the correct address,” Carys said into the phone.

  For a second, Niko was sure she was going to push him away, but she didn’t. Her fingers twined into his hair, and she tilted her neck back, giving him better access.

  Niko was greedy for her. Once given permission, he was hungry. His brush of a kiss became nips along her skin. His arm around her curled, and he brought her up against the line of his body.

  “Ungh. I… Oh, yeah. Sorry, yes. I’ll…” She closed her lips around a moan as he sucked on a sweet spot where her neck met shoulder. “I’ll be here. Uh-huh. Thank… Thank you.”

  She hung up the phone and shoved it into her purse a split second before her hands cupped his cheeks. She brought his head up and attacked his lips. Niko licked the taste of her fruity drinks off her tongue.

  He let his hand stroke down her side and walked forward until her back was up against the car. He got his palm around the back of her knee and pulled her leg up, hitching it around his waist. He pushed forward, swallowing every inch of space between them.

  Minutes passed before they parted with a gasp. His hand was spread wide on her thigh with his other hand on her back, and her arms were wound around his neck. They were nose to nose, and he was getting drunk on her breath, though not because she reeked of booze. She didn’t. The dame made him dizzy. That’s all there was to it.

  He grinned at the thought and kissed her more sweetly. And he kissed her again because he could.

  Half an hour later, the key had been retrieved and they were on their way to his house. Apparently, Micah had “something to show Ben” at Niko’s apartment, which was news to him. Micah spent most nights sleeping over at Jamie’s house, though he had been home once or twice. Niko supposed he didn’t want anything resembling a parental figure around for the time being.

  If he was having sex with Bennett in his bed, asses were going to be kicked.

  But Niko didn’t spare much thought on his brother because he was enjoying the drive. He was enjoying the way Carys’s fingers felt twined with his over the shifter. He’d found an oldies station that was playing love songs from the coast. Cheesy, but that was the way to go when the air between them was all warm and happy. There was a time and place for silly love songs, especially when they put a smile that beautiful on Carys’s face.

  A song came on the radio that made Niko smile, so he turned up the volume and winked at her as the Beatles sang about the virtues of hand holding. She banged her head against the back of her seat, laughing. “Oh, man. Jamie was wrong earlier. I’m the one who’s in trouble.”

  They got to his place too soon. He reached out, taking Carys’s hand again as they made their way to his door.

  When he opened the door, the happy, warm bubble he was in burst with a violent pop. He stepped forward, putting himself in front of Carys as he took in the horrific scene before him.

  There was a hulking figure, a giant of a man, in his apartment. The man had Bennett by the neck, and he was snarling something vile as he shook him.

  Niko took an automatic step forward and nearly tripped. He made a noise—the only noise he was capable of—a strangled, rough whine of surprise, when he looked down to see what had tripped him.

  It was his baby brother lying in a heap on the floor, his eyes closed and his head surrounded by a halo of blood.

  The giant was screaming, shaking Bennett as he did. “You fucking freak! You see what you made me do?! Huh?! You take what’s mine, and then look what you make me do! I’m going to—”

  Niko didn’t wait to hear more. Bennett’s face was tinged an alarming shade of red as it was, and Micah�
�� Oh, this son of a bitch was going to pay for what he’d done to his little brother. He shot forward, grabbing the man by his wrist and wrenched it backward with all of his strength.

  The man roared and lashed out with the hand Niko had grabbed. Niko ducked, avoiding the blow, but the man still had Bennett by the neck, so Niko grabbed him by his shirt and used the leverage to wedge himself in front of Bennett. He heard Carys screaming and knew she was close. A quick glance showed her prying Bennett away from the crazed asshole.

  Niko hissed when the man grabbed his arm and tried to wrench him away. He held tight and punched the man in the stomach without much effect. Niko wasn’t weak by any stretch of the imagination, but this prick was built. The pain in Niko’s arm was incredible. Niko brought his foot up and drove it down onto the man’s foot as hard as he could.

  With a cry of outrage, the man finally let Bennett go. “You son of a bitch! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

  He shoved hard, sending Niko careening into a wall. Dazed, it was all he could do to stay upright as the man stalked toward him. He had just enough time to see Bennett crumpled on the floor and wheezing as Carys crouched over him, yelling his name. Then the man was too close, and Niko had to dodge to the right to avoid the fist that went crashing through his wall.

  The second fist caught him right in the chest, driving the breath from his body. Still, he managed a solid punch to the man’s side, enough to drive him backward, before his lack of balance got the better of him. He stumbled, and it cost him any upper hand he might’ve gained.

  The man grabbed him by the wrist, wrenching it and Niko upward. Niko gasped, and he cried out in pain. Or rather, he would’ve cried out. Instead, he was wracked by an ill-timed coughing fit. With his free hand, he clawed at his chest. Between the coughs and the hit, it felt as though he hadn’t breathed in minutes. He was thrown to the ground, and he stayed there, trying to catch his breath.

  The man gave a cruel chuff of laughter as he came to tower over Niko, his fists clenched at his sides. “So you’re Mikey’s pathetic big brother, huh? I know all about you.” He aimed a vicious kick at Niko’s side, making him double over with a soundless groan. “Can’t talk. Can’t fight. What the fuck good are you, huh? You think you can take care of my man like I can? You think you can keep him away from me? You’re nothing but a freak like that asshole over there.” He made a gesture with his chin in Bennett’s general direction.

  Able to breathe a little now, Niko glared up at the man, realizing at once who he must be: Holden, Micah’s asshole ex. He reached down and grabbed Niko by the scruff of his shirt and hauled him upright. He propelled him back, pinning him against the wall, and then Holden slapped him. He fucking slapped him. Niko burned with indignant rage.

  “You got something to say to me, fucker?” Holden taunted, slapping him again. “Come on. Speak up.” He slapped him again. “See? You’re nothing. Nothing.” Again. “Useless pretty boy can’t even say a word.” He curled his fingers into a fist, ready to punch.

  But Niko had found his bearings. More than that, he’d found his fury. With both hands, he gripped the wrist holding him pinned against the wall and twisted hard—hard enough that Holden’s face contorted in pain. Niko didn’t give him the chance to recover and punched him square in the face.

  Holden stumbled backward, but Niko was on him with punch after punch to his face and stomach. All his frustration and rage at what had happened to him and all the things he couldn’t say were put into those punches, and they drove the man back and back and back. He thought of his brother—bruised and broken the night he appeared on Niko’s doorstep, motionless on the floor at his feet only minutes before—and kicked Holden square in the nuts.

  Then, chaos. Niko was only vaguely aware of the cacophony of voices all around him. Someone grabbed him and hauled him backward. People were shouting, more than just Carys or Bennett. Someone kicked him behind the knees, forcing him to kneel, while his hands were being yanked behind his back.

  Police, he realized as the blind rage subsided. Shit, he’d done it again. He was vaguely aware he was being read his rights.

  But it was different this time. That motherfucker deserved everything he got. He’d…

  Shit. Micah. Niko jerked out of the officer’s hold and craned his neck. The other officer, his gun out but held away, was crouching over Micah, feeling for a pulse.

  Bennett lurched out of Carys’s hold, yelling Micah’s name in a panicked rasp, his speech even more muddled than usual. “Is he alive?” He coughed, and it sounded painful. “Is he dead? Micah?”

  Niko held his breath and stopped fighting the officer’s hold. He didn’t want the man to call his partner away from his brother. Be alive. Be alive, you asshole.

  “He’s breathing,” the officer said. He spoke into the walkie on his chest, requesting EMTs.

  Niko let out a relieved gasp, but Bennett kept yelling. Of course. The officer wasn’t facing him.

  Carys got in front of her brother, grasping him by the shoulders and shaking him until he looked at her. She signed, and Bennett slumped, giving in to another fit of coughs as he braced himself against his sister.

  The officer yanked Niko to his feet, giving him a shake. “I asked you a question. Did you hear me?”

  Niko grimaced. This wasn’t going to go well.

  “Going to be like that, is it? Well, that’s fine. We’ll figure it out down at the station.”

  “Officer,” Carys said, finally looking away from her brother.

  “Don’t worry, ma’am. Help is on the way.”

  She huffed. “Yes, I know, but you have the wrong man in cuffs.”

  “Not for nothing, Nik, but this is yet another excellent reason to learn to talk. What if I hadn’t been around to help you to talk to the police and the doctor, huh?”

  Niko took a deep breath and reminded himself that Carys was on edge. She’d been stuck like glue to Bennett’s side but had been forced away when they got to the hospital. He preferred to be examined alone, which Niko frankly found funny considering he didn’t want to let Carys go for anything else.

  He fixed her with a pointed look and locked his hands behind his back, raising his eyebrow. Even if he had known sign language, he’d been handcuffed, for fuck’s sake. He’d been well and truly incapable of speaking for himself.

  She huffed and crossed her arms, hunkering down in her seat without saying anything else. This was why he’d agreed to let her sit with him while he waited his turn to be examined. He hadn’t wanted the examination in the first place. He wasn’t hurt, not really. Yeah, it hurt to breathe a bit, but that was to be expected. He’d live.

  But Carys was panicky, especially without her brother to fuss over. He’d decided he’d let the doctor show her there was nothing wrong, at least not with him.

  Really, everyone was fine. Even fucking Holden, who the police had assured him would be led directly to jail—do not pass go, do not collect $200—after his nose was set, would be okay.

  Likewise, Bennett was going to live. They were taking him to be scanned to make sure there was no lasting damage done to his throat or vocal chords—wouldn’t that be ironic?—but he’d be fine.

  Micah was the worst off. Head wounds often looked worse than they actually were because they always bled like crazy. The doctor had been in long enough to let Niko know Micah wasn’t in immediate danger. It wasn’t good he’d been knocked out, but he wasn’t dying. He’d come to in the ambulance already. They were trying to figure out if there was anything wrong with him more than a bad concussion and the wound that needed way too many stitches to close.

  Still, Niko figured the kid would recover. Amorosas were hard-headed bastards, for sure. He was more concerned about whatever legal trouble was about to hit them. Micah had dropped hints here and there about the fact Holden had gotten him wrapped up in his shady bullshit. Niko wasn’t naïve enough to think the Holden would shoulder all the blame of whatever they’d done.

  Beside hi
m, Carys sighed. “I’m sorry, Nik.” Her voice trembled as she spoke. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I was scared for you, too, you know?” She ducked her head, twisting her hands. “I wanted to help. I thought that animal was going to kill you. I would’ve helped, but Benny couldn’t breathe.”

  A jolt of pure fear went down Niko’s spine. He hopped down off the hospital bed and went to her. He took her face in his hands and shook his head vehemently.

  He wasn’t the type of asshole who thought women couldn’t defend themselves. He was sure Carys was capable of kicking some major ass, but Holden was huge. He’d thrown Niko into a wall like he was a rag doll, and he didn’t want to imagine what that kind of blow would’ve done to Carys.

  Her eyes traced his features, and she looked troubled when she raised her hand to lightly run the tips of her fingers over his bruised face. “I thought he was going to kill you,” she whispered.

  Niko knelt. He ignored his protesting ribs and laid his head in Carys’s lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. He was fine. He couldn’t tell her, but he was better than fine. After letting loose like that, he felt lighter.

  Carys stroked his hair, letting out a long breath. “You realize that every time we’ve gone out, you’ve gotten beaten up, right?”

  He lifted his head and smirked at her. She wagged a finger in his face. “Stop that. Promise me.”

  He held out a pinky. She looked confused for a moment before she smiled and twined her pinky with his. I promise.

  >The next three weeks weren’t the greatest of Niko’s life. The first week after he got out of the hospital, Micah needed looking after. While there was no serious damage to his brain, a concussion was never fun. He was loopy with a side order of mood swings for the better part of four days, and his headache lasted a solid week.

  On top of his physical symptoms, Micah was under doctor’s orders not to use his cell phone, his laptop, or watch anything that required him to think. It was better that Niko couldn’t tell the doctor not to worry. Keeping Micah from thinking too much assumed he thought in the first place. His little brother was more than a little miffed at the idea of staying away from social media.