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Nile Freeman closed and locked the door as soon as she and Andy entered their room, and sighed, exhausted.
James Copley confirmed that he had made sure that all traces of the team entering their target’s warehouse had been erased, and he also got rid of everything he could find that was related to their current job. Weapon trafficking jobs were never pleasant, but dealing with them was getting easier and easier, so as soon as the team got rid of the weapons and neutralized the threat, they had gone back to their new, temporary safehouse, an unassuming hotel in a residential part of Warsaw, Poland.
As soon as they arrived at the hotel, Nicky took Joe and Booker shopping, because he wanted to learn how to make a few local dishes he had read about. Joe was delighted by the idea, ever the fan of Nicky’s cooking, and Booker seemed to be deeply moved by Nicky’s invitation to join them. After dressing Andy’s wounds, Nile followed the other woman to their suite, and as soon as Andy stepped inside, she dropped down on the couch with a sigh.
“We better have alcohol stashed in here somewhere.”
“We don’t, actually. Joe took all the bottles he found and, I assume, gifted them to our neighbors,” Nile said, making Andy sweat under her breath. “But, Book gave me this.”
Andy took the offered flask right away and took a swing, sighing contentedly at the first taste of vodka. “We should stock up on this stuff before we leave.”
“We passed a couple of stores on the way to the hotel, so I’m pretty sure getting more won’t be a problem.” Nile sat down right next to Andy, pillowing her head on the other woman’s shoulder, and Andy immediately wrapped one arm loosely around Nile’s shoulders.
Nile felt herself relax, but as soon as her eyes landed on Andy’s forearm, the one that she had dressed a half an hour earlier, she tensed up once more, and she was sure the other woman felt it.
All of them were still dealing with Andy’s loss of immortality. It had been more than two years since they had dealt with Merrick, and while thinking about what had happened still made each one of them, especially Booker, angry and helpless, Andy seemed to have accepted the situation. Nile and the others couldn’t, so they kept protecting her as much as they could, and as much as she allowed them to, didn’t matter how many times Andy rolled her eyes at them.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Andy said after a while, taking another gulp from Booker’s flask.
“Why?” Nile angled her head so that she could look at the other woman, one arm sneaking around Andy’s waist as she cuddled closer, mindful of the bruises she knew were on Andy’s stomach and ribs, bruises she had gotten from a short fall after one of the smugglers had kicked her out of a balcony on the second floor of the warehouse. Nile had to admit, she had freaked out when she had seen Andy falling, and managed to calm down only when she had dressed all of Andy’s injuries and put ointment on all the bruises she had found. Andy hadn’t been particularly happy about all of the ‘coddling’ she had had to suffer, but she hadn’t protested, knowing very well that all the members of her team would calm down only when they made sure she was fine.
“Nicky is annoyed and he needs to focus on something. So, he’ll make some sort of dumplings from scratch. He always does that. Last time, we’ve had ravioli. Considering where we are, I assume this time it’ll be pierogi.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had pierogi before,” Nile remarked, making Andy snort at the comment.
“Don’t tell Nicky, he’ll make you taste so many different kinds, and he won’t stop until you find your favorite. Unless you want to find out. Nicky would enjoy that. You can ask Book about how that went for him when they talked about gnocchi. It’s a good story.”
“Okay, now I’m definitely going to ask him,” Nile decided. “Everything Nicky and Joe make is ridiculously tasty. I have no idea how they do it. I mean, I know it’s because of all the practice they got, but still, how?”
Andy just snorted at the question, and Nile felt her relax slightly against the pillows. Andy’s eyes were closed, and even if she was still a bit tense, which Nile guessed wasn’t all that surprising considering the circumstances, it was good to see her unwind. Reaching up, Nile grabbed a lapel of Andy’s leather jacket, which looked suspiciously like Joe’s leather jacket (wait, was it the same jacket?), and pressed her lips to Andy’s. She wanted to do it ever since they had left the warehouse, but she had been too worried about Andy’s wounds then.
Andy responded right away, one hand massaging the back of Nile’s neck, blunt nails scratching gently against her skin, and making Nile moan against the other woman’s lips. As Nile felt Andy bite at her lower lip, she hooked one leg over both of Andy’s to press their bodies even closer together.
Andy’s lips were warm and slightly chapped. The taste of vodka was surprisingly exhilarating, and the feeling of Andy’s thumb caressing the back of Nile’s neck made her shiver. Cradling Andy’s jaw with one hand, Nile smiled against the other woman’s lips, happy to have Andy safe in her arms.
“Next time leave jumping out of windows and balconies to me, okay? I feel like it’s in my job description at this point,” Nile hid her face against Andy’s neck.
“Next time we end up running all over a high building when we go after gun traffickers, I’ll make sure to ask them very politely to not kick anyone until you get there,” Andy grumbled, and Nile could hear her rolling her eyes, making her laugh.
“That’s the idea, yes. I’m sure they’ll agree if you ask them nicely.”
Andy snorted, before taking another swig from Booker’s flask, which she never put down, apparently. “If you want them to agree, you should get Joe to ask. One look from him is enough to get people to do whatever he asks. It’s the eyes.”
“That’s not a bad idea, actually. I might try that next time.”
“Joe will enjoy that, I’m sure.”
They fell silent, and for a long while their breathing, as well as people talking and laughing outside, and cars driving by, were the only sounds they could hear. It was calming. Nile enjoyed it.
“Do you think we could stay here for a few more days?” Nile asked some time later, breaking the silence. “I know Copley said it would be best if we left as soon as we dealt with the traffickers, but it’d be nice to walk around and sightsee a little bit. There is a castle on the other side of the river.”
“We can make the time,” Andy closed her eyes, and soon so did Nile, letting the sounds from the outside lull her into a much needed nap.