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I was fucking nuts. I had to be, or else I was hallucinating Nina Ortiz sitting beside me, riding in my car, on the passenger side—with me.
It took a couple glimpses and Nina questioning me to confirm that I was indeed fraternizing with the enemy.
Everyone had their own personal hell that they were dealing with, but what was it about Nina's that made me risk my skin for her? Twice now?
This was more than lending out a hoodie. This was treason.
I kept driving until I had a destination and an idea in mind. Nina couldn't go home because there'd be drama waiting for her when the others found out that she'd ran. Taking her to my place wasn't an option beyond her Los Soldados connection. The only girl, or woman, to step foot in the Soh residence after my mother left was Jade. Alec kept home sterile and isolated from the world. He rarely invited any of the Dragons over. Bringing home Jade symbolized a boundary and meant something real.
Nina wasn't real.
Beside me she sat up and gazed out the window as we passed the WELCOME TO ROWLAND sign.
Nina faced me. "Rowland?"
I nodded. "Can you think of anywhere in Hacienda where we can be seen together?"
She seemed to agree. "You could've left me at home or something."
"Too obvious. The last thing you need is that guy finding where you are and starting more shit. No more drama for you tonight."
Nina bowed her hand and twisted the airplane pendant hanging on a necklace around her neck, but I didn't miss the small smile on her lips.
Truth be told I had no clue what the hell I was doing. I was only supposed to be keeping tabs on the enemy, to stay ahead of the game, and now I was damn near on the run.
The chivalrous part of me was taking it a step far, because dropping her off somewhere back home, like the curb, would've been all I could've done, yet here we were out of town.
First things first, I spotted my destination and pulled into the parking lot and found the closest space I could find.
Nina stared ahead at the building in front of us. VACATION INN. "A hotel?"
I shrugged. "You could use a good night's sleep."
"Nash, I can't—"
Shutting the car off, I faced her, offering a little smile. "Don't worry, I got you covered."
Still, as we exited the car Nina nervously followed beside me, eyeing the hotel with caution. She pulled at her shorts, as if they could get any longer, and soon settled on hugging herself.
