Luke's POV
I watched her in the rearview mirror as I left. She was stunning like a living version of Snow White and that accent. When I'd seen her at the club last night I was worried she was one of the girls we were trying to save, but luckily, she was just a college student blowing off steam. I'd been out here almost four months working with an academy team on a prostitution ring. They were luring in young girls desperate for cash and then hooking them on drugs to keep them working. It was a fucked up situation and I really hated the mission, but at least I felt like I was making a difference.
Looking back, the last three years had been a revelation not just for me, but for all the team. We were so young when the Ashley Waters job finished and we dated Sang. Sure it was great, and it actually worked for a long time, but with age comes wisdom. Sang became her own person and needed to be independent. We were too protective and still thought of her as that vulnerable teenager. When she decided to leave South Carolina for college, it slowly fell apart. At first, some were angry, but after a while, we were all able to sit down with her and realized we had all grown apart.
She's living in Boston now with her husband and three kids. She ended up going to law school and never joined the Academy. I think she secretly held a grudge that they allowed her to stay in that abusive household for so long. If I'm honest, looking back now, I don't understand why they allowed it either. She was so young. But again, with age comes perspective. I'm not the kid I was back then. At the ripe old age of 28, I've lived far more than most, but I also have a deep appreciation for my family and friends. As time passed, most of us started dating casually. I've been on dates, but no real relationships, well unless you count the fact that Gabe and I finally admitted we were attracted to each other, but we've never made it an actual relationship. I think Owen's the only one who has really attempted a full-time relationship, but that fizzled out just before I left Charleston. Being in the Academy and having a relationship is hard. Secrets are deadly to any relationship.
I think that's why Nimue caught my attention. Even drunk at the club, she was very open. Not like oversharing openly, but honest. When a guy tried hitting on her she shut him down quickly. I about spit out my drink when she told him he was a simple-minded troll who couldn't carry on a conversation, let alone entertain her in bed. When Jackson took off with her friend, I just had to take her home with me. I wasn't about to leave her alone in that club of all places. All it would take was one jerk to drug her drink.
She had surprised me when she started stripping in the hotel room. Then again, I'm not even sure she realized I was in the room with her. She kept mumbling and just dropping her clothes until she reached the bed and fell into it. I didn't want her to freak out, so I put one of my shirts on her and took the couch. I'm so glad I came out of the shower when I did this morning. Five minutes later, she'd have disappeared from me forever.
I pulled into the Academy headquarters and quickly sent her a text. Hey, it's me, Luke. Hope you have a great day at work, little one. Let me know if you're free for lunch tomorrow, or maybe ice cream.
Hitting the send button, I quickly got a response. Ice cream! You are speaking my love language now ~ Nimue
I laughed as I read the response. She was adorable without even trying. I really want to get to know her better. I replied back, Then I shall speak to thee of love and frozen dairy treats at two o'clock tomorrow. I'll pick you up.
Great! We'll keep the conversation sweet and avoid the rocky roads, LOL! She responded quickly and I gave another laugh. Not only was she pretty, but she was also sharp-witted as well.
I walked into Academy headquarters with a silly grin on my face and Jackson gave me a slap on the back. "Looks like I'm not the only one who got lucky last night, man," he said. I just rolled my eyes at him. "What? You seemed fairly friendly with the dark-haired gal," he smirked.
"Not all of us want one-night stands, Jackson," I replied. "We talked and had breakfast, that's all." He snorted and made a comment I couldn't quite make out. "Don't be an ass, she's a nice girl and I'd like to know her for more than a roll in the sack."
"You southern boys and your manners," he quipped. "Well, my date was a firecracker! I'm honestly impressed I can still walk!"
I made a gagging noise, "Waaay too much information, man." I quickly headed down the hall to meet with the rest of the team to see what our next steps were. We'd managed to identify the ones recruiting the girls, but we still needed to find the main leader or leaders. The next several hours were exhausting as we chased down lead after lead until I finally headed home and fell into a dreamless sleep.
I slapped around on my dresser for my phone. Grumbling, I answered, "Hello?"
"Hey brother," North replied.
"North? Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to make my eyes focus enough to figure out the time - 4:18 am. I groaned.
"Uh, yeah," he said, "Can't I just call to check in?"
"Time zones, brother, time zones," I gruffed. "It's just after four in the morning here."
He chuckled, "Shit, man, I totally forgot about all that. I just wanted to check in on you. It's been a bit."
I knew he was trying to hint at me coming back, but I still wasn't sure I wanted to yet. For that matter, I don't know if I'll ever really feel like that's home anymore. "Yeah, this mission is a bitch," I finally said. "How are you and the guys doing? Anything new?"
"Not much. Kota and Nate took on a mission with the Andersons. They'll be gone for a couple of weeks. Vic decided to do a local charity thing, so he and Gabe are driving everyone nuts. That's about it. You?" he gave the summary and asked.
"Well, matter of fact I have an ice cream date this afternoon with a beautiful young lady," I said grinning.
North snorted, "Leave it to you to mix a date and sweets, brother." I gave a laugh in response. "But seriously, man, I miss you. We all do. Come home soon, even if it's just for a visit." His voice sounded somber. I shook my head then remembered he couldn't see me.
"I will soon. I just have to see this case through, North. These are some really fucked up people and they are doing a lot of damage," I explained. He made a noise in agreement and we wrapped up the call. I rolled over and let sleep overtake me again.
****
I pulled up in front of her apartment and watched her bounce down the steps. She had her hair pinned in a messy bun and was wearing tight jeans with an oversized tank top that had little kittens on the front playing in paint cans. She looked positively adorable as I opened the truck door. "How are you today, little one?" I asked, taking her hand to help her up.
She gave a playful huff, "I'm fine, but I'm still not little."
I gave her a quick kiss after sliding into the driver's seat, "Darlin, to me, you are tiny. I'd hate to think how you'd look standing next to North or Silas."
"Who are North and Silas?" she asked as she messed with the radio station. She picked an oldies station and began to hum to the song.
"My brothers, well sort of," I tried to explain. "North is my half brother, we share the same dad, and Silas is part of my claimed family."
"What's that, claimed family," she asked.
"Well, you remember when I said my parents died when I was young?" she nodded. "My mom died and I was raised by my uncle when my dad ran off to Greece. I had a really close group of friends growing up - Kota, Nate, and Gabe. They are my brothers by choice. We've spent most of our lives together since elementary school."
"Okay, but that still doesn't explain Silas," she questioned.
I gave a chuckle, "Okay, Miss Impatient." She rolled her eyes. "I met my other chosen brothers who are older than me a few years later. Their names are Sean and Owen. So my uncle found out that I had a little brother in Greece. My dad had met a woman there and she had North, then she died as well. My dad wasn't a good father to North and Owen helped my uncle get him to America. When he came, his friend, Silas came too and he became another member of the family. So that makes nine of us."
Her eyes were round like saucers. "Nine," she gaped. We reached the ice cream parlor and placed our orders as she continued to muse about the idea of my eight brothers.
"What about you, little one, any siblings, cousins, hidden family tree?" I teased.
She smirked and stole a lick off my ice cream cone as I gasped in fake horror. "My family tree is a bit odd, honestly. Um, my mother and father died when I was little and I was raised by distant family. I was, uh, home-schooled mostly and didn't attend school with others until my first years at Uni in London." I noticed her body language shift when she talked about her past. She was uncomfortable with the subject, but it wasn't like it had been with Sang. She didn't seem like she was afraid of them, just not overly comfortable with the details.
"Do you see them often?" I pushed a bit, curious now.
She shook her head no, "I haven't been home in a long time. It's fairly remote and with my studies, I never found the time."
"What about when you graduate, will you go home or stay here?"
"Actually, I have to leave shortly after graduation because my student visa will expire. I had planned on returning to the London area to find work. I'll just find a small flat." She shrugged as if the lack of a plan was no big deal. I smiled to myself and thought Owen and Kota would have a nervous breakdown without a well-laid plan. She flashed a brilliant smile, "So what about you? You said yesterday that you're here for work. Is it permanent or short-term?"
Ugh, this is the part I hate about being in the Academy, the lies. "Well, it started out short term, but the job has gone longer than expected. To be honest, I'm not sure where I'll go when it's done. My family wants me to come back to Charleston, but I don't really feel like that's where I'm supposed to be." Well, that wasn't so bad. I managed to tell the truth.
"What kind of work do you do?" She asked. I resisted the urge to slap my own face. I'd jinxed myself.
Well, I'm a lock-picking spy who is trying to stop a forced prostitution ring that works for a secret government organization that doesn't exist on paper. Yeah, that's it, I thought. "I work in human relations. I'm on loan to a company for now."
"Hmmm," she hummed with an odd look in her eyes like she knew I was lying but didn't push the issue. She patted her tummy, "I think I have an ice cream baby," she giggled.
I snorted, "Nah, you haven't eaten nearly enough ice cream for that." She let out a long laugh. I swear it filled the room with light. It sounded so pure and beautiful. Second date and I think I'm already falling. How cliché...
Author's Notes: This chapter was mostly a setup chapter to get some background on where Luke is in life now after the Sang years. Nimue's past will be a mystery for a while longer.
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