A Preview of Nitro

TOMMY

I dreamt I was in a dark and windowless cell. The cold seeped into my bones, and I shivered uncontrollably.

In the dim light, I could barely make out the outline of a figure huddled in the corner.

Fear surged through me as I stumbled toward it. Him.

”Hey, wake up!” I called out, my voice trembling.

I grabbed the person”s shoulder and shook it with all my strength. There was no response, just an eerie silence that filled the air.

With a growing sense of dread, I reached for the man”s wrist, fumbling for his pulse.

My fingers pressed against his skin, searching desperately for a sign of life, but there was nothing.

Panic welled up inside me as I realized he was gone. He lay there, lifeless and unmoving.

As I sat back on my haunches, a creaking sound echoed through the cell. The door, which had been previously hidden in the darkness, slowly began to swing open.

My heart pounded, torn between the invitation to escape this hellish place and the lurking fear that it might be a trap.

Trembling, I peered into the corridor beyond, unsure of what to do next. Then I looked back at the lifeless body in the cell and swallowed.

Would I end up like that one day, forgotten and abandoned in this horrible place?

The thought sent a shiver down my spine, and made me take another glance at the open door.

Taking a deep breath, I made my decision and stepped out into the dimly lit corridor.

Immediately, I heard frightening howls and angry voices. My instincts kicked in, and without hesitation, I broke into a sprint.

The corridor seemed to stretch on forever. My breathing grew labored as I went onward, but something felt off.

I turned a corner, and then another, only to find myself facing the same familiar spot again.

Panic washed over me as I realized I”d been running in circles.

My heart pounded in my chest as I continued to run, praying for a way out of this awful maze that seemed designed to keep me trapped.

Then, as if summoned by the dread building in my gut, I saw him approaching.

The monster who had torn me from my old life and thrust me into this living nightmare. Gregory Hicks.

Hicks walked toward me with an air of cold, calculated confidence. Like always, he always seemed so big and intimidating to me.

With his pale hair and dark blue eyes, he looked every bit like a golden prince, but I knew deep down, he was rotten to the core.

”Tommy, you”re not supposed to be out of your cell,” he said with a twisted smile that sent a shiver down my spine. ”I”m still angry with you.”

My throat tightened, but I couldn”t find my voice. Fear had a firm grip on me as I stood face to face with Hicks.

All my strength left me and I felt completely powerless.

”You”re supposed to be dead,” I managed to croak, hating the tremble in my voice.

It was my sad attempt at defiance, but I couldn”t help it. The dread that had been building inside me for so long now threatened to consume me entirely.

Hicks widened his smile, a sinister expression that made my skin crawl, as if he knew a secret that I didn’t.

He stepped closer, his bright blue eyes glued into mine.

”Didn”t you know, Tommy?” he whispered. ”I”m never, ever letting you go. You belong to me. Forever.”

I gasped awake, my heart racing, and the transition from the nightmare was abrupt.

Without realizing it, I fell face down on the carpeting, my palms pressing into the rough fabric.

The sensation of the floor beneath me was a stark contrast to the cold, damp cell I had just escaped in my dream.

Groaning, I pushed myself up and sat back on my heels. I blinked several times to make sure I wasn”t still trapped in that dank and dark place.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows of my older brother Marc”s apartment, warming my face and bathing the room in a soft, golden glow.

My gaze wandered around the familiar surroundings, taking in Marc”s worn-down furniture, the comforting sight reminded me I was back in the real world.

The nightmare faded, and I grounded myself.

Then I took a deep breath and forced myself to remember that I was alive and free. The past could no longer touch me.

Inhaling the warm air of the apartment, I willed the remaining fear to dissipate.

Just as I started to regain my composure, the sound of footsteps pulled my attention.

In walked Marc, still in his pajamas, the dark circles under his eyes and his disheveled hair evidence of a restless night.

His gaze shifted from me in my shirt and boxers, to the messy couch with its disheveled pillows and blankets, and then landed on the television I”d left on the night before.

”Couldn”t sleep?” he asked.

I tried to shrug off the unease the dream had left behind.

”Just old nightmares,” I replied, my voice steadier than I felt inside.

Marc”s concerned gaze bore into me, and I couldn”t help but inwardly groan.

I knew exactly what he was going to say next, and I had been anticipating this conversation for a while.

He was going to suggest that I put off moving into my new apartment in Moon Burrow because he thought I wasn”t ready.

I steeled myself for an argument. Too many years of my life had been stolen and I spent those years, following someone else’s orders.

Hicks stripped me of my own will and imposed his own.

I was more than ready to step out into the world again, to learn how to stand on my own two feet.

Moving into that new apartment was a symbol of reclaiming my life, and I couldn”t allow fear or hesitation to hold me back any longer.

“Tommy,” Marc began. “Maybe you should stay with me a little while longer. Just a month or two.”

I had another reason for wanting to live on my own. It was to get to know a certain biker bear a little better.

Marc liked to hover, and while I appreciated his intentions, he needed to give me some room to breathe as well.

I sighed, genuinely grateful for my overprotective brother but I wasn’t going to change my mind.

”Marc, I appreciate everything you”ve done for me, but I need to do this on my own. It”s time for me to spread my wings,” I said.

My inner magpie agreed.

Marc opened his mouth. Clearly, he wasn’t done trying do dissuade me, but I couldn”t let him sway me this time.

”I”m an adult now, Marc,” I gently reminded him. ”I”m capable of making my own choices.”

”Are you?” he questioned, his words cutting deeper than I”d anticipated.

I flinched, remembering old memories best left forgotten.

Just when it felt like the conversation was taking a turn for the worse, I heard the reassuring rumble of a motorcycle engine from downstairs.

A wave of relief washed over me as I recognized that distinctive sound. Nitro had finally arrived, saving me from trading more painful words with my brother.

”My ride”s here,” I announced to Marc, trying to keep the conversation from getting more tense.

He turned to me with a worried expression.”Tommy, that biker bear is bad news.”

I couldn”t help but roll my eyes at Marc”s overprotectiveness.

”Your best friend belongs to the same MC,” I reminded him. ”Nitro and Whizz, they helped you destroy Hicks” operation and rescue me.”

Marc had no argument to counter that, so he remained silent.

Minutes later, the doorbell rang, and I welcomed the opportunity to escape the growing tension with my brother.

I rushed to answer the door, and there stood my biker bear, Nitro, wearing a heart-stopping grin that never failed to make my heart race.

At six-foot-three, Nitro practically towered over me, but I had never once felt unsafe with him.

His warm chocolate brown eyes met mine, and I couldn”t help but notice his disheveled hair, probably from wearing his helmet during the ride.

I had a sudden, overwhelming urge to reach out and tuck away the strands of dark hair that had fallen across Nitro”s face.

The temptation was so strong that my fingers almost moved on their own, but then I remembered Marc”s watchful eyes, and I stopped myself.

It wouldn”t be appropriate, not with my brother standing right there.

Besides, I reminded myself, Nitro wasn”t really my biker bear. He wasn”t my anything.

He was a friend who had seen me through some of the darkest days of my life. He was just being nice, offering me a ride to my new apartment and ensuring that I was safe.

And yet... I couldn”t mistake the undeniable heat in his eyes as he looked at me.

Nitro had always been a bit flirty when we were alone, but he was perceptive enough to back off if he ever noticed that I was uncomfortable or shy.

Maybe I just wanted so badly to believe that after what I’d been through, there was an unspoken connection between us.

That would explain why there were butterflies in my stomach every time we were together.

”You look good, Tommy,” Nitro murmured, his intense gaze raking over me, and a flush of warmth spread across my cheeks.

I couldn”t help but feel a mix of embarrassment and exhilaration.

Nitro had a way of making me feel desirable, and all this time, I felt like an ugly, unlovable mess.

Right now, I wished we were alone so that I could fully savor his attention.

Then again, that was precisely why I wanted my own place—to be free from the constant scrutiny of my older brother.

I finally managed to find my voice, ”You too.”

I could hear Marc”s audible groan behind me, no doubt exasperated by our flirting.

”You all packed?” Nitro asked, changing the topic.

I nodded and gestured to the belongings stacked in the corner.

”I brought Spike with me. He has a truck. We”ll put all your stuff there,” Nitro said.

”I heard your motorcycle, you know,” I couldn’t help but point out. But then, I cleared my throat, not wanting to sound too eager. ”So I”m riding with you?”

Nitro let out a deep, sexy laugh that sent a shiver down my spine.

”You bet,” he said with a wink. ”I remembered you enjoyed our ride last time.”

“Move, let’s get this over with,” Marc grumbled.

He had picked up one of my boxes. I exchanged a quick glance with Nitro, and together, we gathered the rest of my meager possessions.

I didn”t own much. After all, I had spent the majority of my life as someone”s prisoner, robbed of the opportunity to accumulate belongings or make a space truly my own.

In fact, I hadn”t even had the time to break in the new things I had brought with me.

Nitro and I made quick work of moving my belongings out of Marc”s apartment.

It only took two trips to bring everything down. As we stood by the door, ready to leave, I turned to Spike, Nitro”s best friend.

”Spike, thanks for helping out,” I said.

Spike, who I didn”t know all that well, gave me a mocking salute with a grin.

He was one of those people who always seemed to have a smile on his face, as if he were privy to a joke that no one else quite understood.

Nitro had assured me that he was a decent guy, and he did turn up and help.

Finally, I turned to Marc, who stood there, still silently fuming. I couldn”t let us part ways with him angry at me.

”Aren”t you going to wish me good luck?” I asked.

Marc glanced at me, his expression softening as he looked into my eyes. A wave of guilt washed over me in that moment.

While I had spent the last few years under the suffocating control of Hicks, Marc had never given up on searching for me.

He”d been relentless in his efforts to bring me back, and I owed him more than I could ever repay.

But I couldn”t falter now. This was the right move for me, for my healing and my future.

”Good luck,” Marc finally said.

He hesitated for a brief moment, then reached out for me.

I tensed instinctively, the trauma of my captivity leaving its marks.

But Marc quickly pulled his hand back, his expression tight, and I knew he understood why I reacted that way.

”Don”t act like we”re saying goodbye forever,” I told him, trying to ease the tension. ”Come visit me at my new place, once it”s decent.”

”I”ll do just that,” he said with a nod. To Nitro, he said, “Take good care of him.”

“I will,” Nitro said. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to Tommy.”