Nyght's Eve (7 page)

The problem was that no matter how much he
tried to put off a
leave me the fuck alone
vibe, people kept trying to talk to him. Staff members and even the volunteers started
chatting to him about anything and everything whenever they were near. And his
silence seemed to only encourage them to keep talking. One woman even commented
about what a good listener he was. He just gritted his teeth and tried to continue
working, until he couldn’t stand it any longer.

It was mid-afternoon when he decided to take
off, leaving the rescue center to head into town. When he arrived, Dare parked
his bike on the street near the gym and sat there for a moment. On the drive he
had thought to stop into Fight Hard and work off some of his aggression, but seeing
the two buildings across the street made him change his mind.

He got off his bike and headed over to the
Sinfully Sweet bakery. Despite his need for the past few days of self-imposed
exile, he felt horrible that he’d been in town for a few days and still hadn’t
met Hammer’s fiancée, Kali. He had been unforgivably rude, and it was time he
did something to rectify that.

Pushing the door to the bakery open, the
scent of sugar and spices hit him immediately and made his mouth water. He
breathed deep, enjoying the smell of the baked goods that were displayed behind
large glass cases. In his periphery Dare saw that there were a few women
sitting at small tables set up in the front of the bakery, but he ignored them as
he walked toward the counter. A pretty older woman wearing a pink apron smiled
at him in welcome.

“Hi! Welcome to Sinfully Sweet. What can I
get you?”

“I was looking for Kali.” The woman’s smile
changed to wary confusion, making Dare quickly add, “I’m Hammer’s friend, Daryk
Nyght. I just wanted to stop by to introduce myself.”

“Oh my! I’ve heard all about you! I’m Anna. Nate
and Shane are my nephews. You helped their friend’s little sister the other day
at the rescue center.”

Dare fought the urge to shift on his feet at
the starry-eyed expression she was beaming at him. “Yeah...how’s Carly doing?”

“She’s fine. That little one is always
getting scrapped up,” she said with a little laugh. “Hold on one minute, I’ll
go get Kali for you. She’s in the back experimenting.”

“I don’t want to bother...”

Dare’s voice trailed off as Anna disappeared
behind a swinging door that led to the back of the bakery. A few seconds later a
petite woman with bright, green eyes and short red hair with gold highlights
pushed the door back open and hurried around the counter to join him. Just like
Anna, she was wearing a light pink apron with the name of the bakery stitched
onto the front in black thread. Before he could say anything, she beamed a
smile at him and grabbed his hand, pulling him with her.

“Dare! Hi! You have perfect timing.”

“Ah...”

Struck silent, he let the tiny woman drag him
with her back into the kitchen, passed a chuckling Anna who walked back to the
counter to take care of a customer that had entered the bakery behind him. Once
they were alone in the back, Kali moved a stool next to the center work area
and gestured for him to sit down. He did so, watching her warily. This wasn’t
going like he’d thought their first meeting would, and it made him uneasy.

Were all the people in Breakers fucking nuts?

“I’ve been working on something new and need
someone to try it. I hope you don’t mind being my taste tester.”

“You’re the pie fairy, right?”

Kali blinked those big, green eyes at him
then burst into laughter. “I heard you and Hunter seemed to like my pies. It’s
so funny you called me that. Did you know Jared calls me his fairy?”

Dare didn’t, but that didn’t surprise him in
the least. There was something about Kali Redford that did remind him of a
fairy. She just had that look about her. “Nope, but if whatever you want me to
try is anything like your pie, I’m game.”

Kali smiled at him. “It’s not pie, but I
think you’ll like it. Normally, Nate is my taste tester, but he won’t be done
with school for a few hours still. You met Nate, right?”

“Yeah...briefly.”

“He’s such a good kid. He works here
part-time after school.” Her eyes twinkled with mirth as she glanced up. “You’re
lucky you didn’t stop by later or you would have run into his fan club. Every
afternoon Nate is working we seem to have a barrage of female teenagers hanging
around here. They like to ogle the men going into the gym and giggle every time
Nate glances at one of them. I’m sure they would love to get a look at you.”

She laughed again as Dare shuddered in pure
terror. He made a mental note to himself to avoid the bakery in the afternoon
from now on. Kali moved around the kitchen with such ease, Dare thought she
could probably find everything she needed blindfolded. He looked down as she
put a plate in front of him with some sort of pastry he’d never seen before on
it. The treat looked like a small cake, dusted with sugar on the outside. There
was a small hole in the center that reminded him of a doughnut, but it didn’t
look like any doughnut he’d ever seen before.

He glanced back up to see Kali’s amused
expression. “What is this?”

“It’s my version of a Cronut.”

That had him frowning. “A what?”

“A Cronut. It’s a combination of a croissant
and a doughnut. This one is made with a little chocolate and Chantilly cream
inside. Go on, try it.”

Dare eyed the pastry skeptically, but picked
it up and bit into it. The fried pastry was crispy on the outside, but soft and
gooey on the inside. The flavors from the layers of chocolate and Chantilly
cream exploded in his mouth, making him moan.

Kali shifted from foot to foot with barely
restrained energy. “Is that good? Do you like it? What do you think?”

He took another bite, taking his time to
chew, making her wait. After he swallowed, he said, “I think...you should ditch
Hammer and marry me instead.”

She let out another tinkling laugh and
clutched her hands to her chest in a comical gesture. “You just want me for my
baked goods.”

“Relationships have started with less. Of
course, Hammer might kill me, but I think I can outrun him...maybe.”

They grinned at each other and Dare felt
himself relaxing. He found himself liking the small woman and could see why his
friend had falling in love with the little pixie as Kali told him about how she
and Hammer had gotten together. It would have been laughable to imagine this
little woman with his friend who was as big as a tank, but Dare could see the
love shining in her eyes as she spoke of Hammer. Or Jared as she called him.
Dare had almost forgotten that Hammer’s real name was Jared, and it was strange
hearing him addressed as such. It was obvious in the way she spoke of Hammer
that she was crazy about him, and Dare knew that those feelings were mutual.

Dare didn’t know if he believed in love, at
least not for him personally. It was as if being a doctor and doing what he did
everyday had numbed his heart to the point he sometimes wondered if he even had
one anymore. In the past, he had always been careful not to get too close to
any woman he was seeing. He didn’t lie to them, and made sure they knew he wasn’t
looking to get serious. Love was one of those things that worked for other
people...not for him. Still, he liked the thought of his friend finding what he
himself would never have.

If anyone deserved to be happy, it was
Hammer.

Kali was a sweet woman and Dare was glad he’d
made the impromptu trip into the bakery so he could meet her. After he finished
the pastry, he spent a little more time with her, sipping a cup of fabulous
coffee as she mixed ingredients together. She didn’t seem to mind that he didn’t
say much, she just chatted away, seeming happy to have him for company. Kali
was without artifice, and he enjoyed watching her work.

When he finished his coffee he stood,
thanking Kali for feeding him once again. “I should be going. It’s a good thing
Hammer owns a gym. If he eats like this all the time, he better keep working
out.”

Kali snickered. “Oh, I think he won’t have a
problem staying in shape. Why don’t you come by the house tomorrow night for
dinner and I can try and fatten you up some, too?”

“I’m not about to pass up a home cooked meal,
especially if you’re the one doing the cooking,” Dare agreed with a chuckle, then
sobered as he took her hand in his. “I would love to have dinner with you and
Hammer. He’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and I’m glad he has you in
his life now, Kali.”

Tears sparkled in her eyes, making her irises
shine like emeralds. She startled him when she threw herself at him and wrapped
her arms around his waist, hugging him tight. “I’m so glad you stopped by today,
Dare. Hammer is so happy you’re here visiting us.” She pulled back and smiled
up at him, her eyes bright with affection. “I really hope you stay.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, well. I’m not
sure what I’m going to do.”

As if she sensed his discomfort, Kali let go
of him and patted his arm. “You have plenty of time to figure that out. Whatever
you decide, you have to be here for our wedding in a few months.”

“That’s a promise.”

“Good. How does seven sound for tomorrow
night?”

“I’ll be there.”

Dare left the bakery with lighter spirits.
Hammer had once told him that everyone who came in contact with Kali felt the
same way, except for her own family. It baffled him that anyone could be mean
to a sweet little thing like Kali, but then again some people were just
assholes.

Now that he’d gotten acquainted with Hammer’s
fiancée, Dare decided to take care of the other thing on his list. He walked
down the block until he reached the front door of another shop. A tattoo parlor
a few doors down from a bakery, he thought with a shake of his head.

Only in Breakers.

The sign for Ink This was in bright red font
on a black background, with a silver tribal scrolling design behind the script.
Below it, the front windows were made of frosted glass that made it impossible
to see inside. That was strange, since tat shops usually tried to get more
business by letting people see inside. Intrigued, Dare pulled at the door
handle.

He blinked as he entered the shop. There were
four tattoo stations sectioned off, with the requisite black leather chairs,
but beyond that, the shop looked nothing like he’d expected. The walls were a
deep, crimson red, with large wooden panels set up against them that held
various black edged frames of tattoo designs on display.

At the far end of the room, there was a
wooden bar top that had been painted black, with a glass display case cut into
its center. He could see a variety of body jewelry on display on shelves inside
the case. Against the wall, there was a black leather couch and a few chairs
with throw pillows of red and gold on them. The place reminded him of a bar
he’d been to in Morocco, and it was a little disconcerting seeing this sort of
setup when he’d been expecting...less.

A door behind the back counter opened, and a
woman strode out wearing a black tank top with thin straps and dark-green cargo
pants. Dare took a moment to admire the ink that covered both of her arms in
full sleeves that went all the way up to her collar bone. She was fit and lean,
with tight, compact muscles and ink-black hair that fell to her shoulders. His
gaze met hers, and he froze as recognition hit.

Son
of a bitch...

Dare knew her, but couldn’t place where he’d
met her before. Her unusual violet eyes narrowed as she seemed to recognize him
as well. Her smile of welcome changed into a fierce scowl, and she braced her
hands on her hips. “Damn it. If you’re here to try and talk me into some
mission, you might as well leave before I kick your ass and send you back to
Sin in pieces.”

 
His
eyes widened in shock. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m here for a
tattoo.”

The woman’s body seemed to relax slightly,
but Dare could tell she was still on guard “Well, then. I’m Nikita Nuria. Welcome
to my shop.”

“Daryk Nyght. Dare.”

“Ah, Hammer’s friend.”

They shook hands and her smile made her face
change from beautiful to absolutely stunning. She had an exotic look with
golden skin and a killer body that would have made most men’s blood pressure
rise, but strangely enough, Dare felt nothing. He would have been alarmed if
his body hadn’t reacted every time he was around Evie, but knew everything was
working right. It just seemed to be working for one woman in particular right
now. Knowing he was interested in a woman that he should stay away from didn’t
make him happy.

In fact, it pissed him off.

Trying not to think about that, Dare pulled
his hand away from the woman watching him with eyes that seemed to see too
much. Again, he was struck with how familiar she looked. Hers wasn’t a face
that someone forgot easily. “Do I know you?”

Nikita took a moment, then sighed. “Russia.
About six years ago. I think it was on one of your first assignments.”