Page 17 of Nikola

Hence the need for the protection, and Skye was under mine. After all, my uncle had assigned me as her protector four years ago. So I took it upon myself to be Skye’s—and her crazy friends’—bodyguard for tonight.

Mounting the bike once again, I slid my helmet on and waited until they were a distance away before I revved it.

Thirty minutes later, the girls pulled up in front of a building on the outskirts of Connecticut. It was an upscale neighborhood known for housing lawyers, doctors, and judges, complete with an exclusive yacht club for the rich, pompous assholes who thought themselves almighty but were just plain crooked.

Why would the girls come here?

Another building towered next to the famous yacht club with a discreet sign that readRevelation.

The building's architecture stood out like a relic from another time and place—its towering spires, pointed arches, and intricate stone carvings seemed better suited to a centuries-old European city than the bustling modern landscape around it. The dark, weathered facade, adorned with stained-glass windows, whispered tales of forgotten histories.

I dug out my phone and typed the name into the search, my gaze darting over the words.Forbidden pleasures. Anything goes. Willing partners.

What the f?—

It was a goddamn sex club.

I lifted my head just as the girls disappeared behind the doors of the club, and I quickly dismounted and went after them.

The door was an inch from shutting in my face when I wedged my combat boot in to stop it.

“The club is by invitation only,” the bouncer warned, eyeing me warily. “And we have a black-tie dress code.”

I scoffed. “But anything goes for the ladies, huh?”

The minidresses the girls were wearing were hardly a black-tie kind of dress code.

He said nothing and attempted to shut the door on me again.

“Not so fast,” I growled. “My friends just went inside, and I’m not leaving unless they leave with me.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t enter wearing…” His eyes skimmed over the leather jacket I’d slung over my bare shoulders. “This.”

I was riding before I saw them and was still in the same clothes that apparently weren't appropriate for this place, and I blamed the girls for that. But something told me this guy would need more convincing. “Thousand bucks and you let me in.”

He shook his head. “I could lose my job.”

“Fifty thousand,” I spat impatiently.

“There is a spare suit on the premises that might be your size. For another ten, you can try it on and then go find your friends.”

“Fine, give me your Zelle number.”

And just like that, I sent sixty grand to the fucker for the pleasure of wearing clothes that felt too tight, threatening to rip at the seams.

But over my dead body would I allow Skye to roam a sex club without protection.

5

SKYE

The D’Arc school was created for the children of criminal families. Some studied only at this campus, while others used it as a home base with the securities it offered us.

I was the only one in our group to study music—ironic, I know. It worked for me since I enjoyed music purely for my own pleasure. I was my mama’s daughter after all, but I wasn’t as talented as her. I loved playing piano, but playing also made me sad.

My mama said it was the only connection she felt to the sounds. Yes, it was the next best thing to not being able to hear them, but it made me too aware of my disability. I wasn’t ashamed of it, but I also didn’t like the reminder of what could have been if I had my hearing.

Nonetheless, I wouldn’t trade my years at D’Arc or the friendships I’d made for anything in the world. They were the kind that my mama had with her group of friends, and she often reminisced about those days with Aunt Reina. Even to this day, they were all very close, even so that I grew up thinking Raven, Isla, and Athena were my actual aunts.