Page 106 of Heart of Frost and Scars

“It’s just around the corner.” Monty continues down the street.

“Do we need to worry about reporters?” I ask.

“No.” He pauses, opening a door for a woman carrying an armful of boxes.

“Thank you, Mr. Novak.” She blushes and ducks her head, smiling shyly.

Once she’s inside, he continues down the road. “I have Sirena watching for media activity. There’s no press in town today.”

Always one step ahead.

Even so, my senses remain on high alert.

Walking through the town feels like I’m walking in someone else’s shoes. Each time I make eye contact with someone, they stare back with interest or surprise.

It’s weird, being the focus of all these strangers’ attention. Part of me wants to shrink away, to disappear into the background, but another part feels an electric thrill. It’s like I’m on display, a rare specimen they’ve never seen before.

When they stare, I stare back hard. They always look away first.

“You two draw a lot of attention.” Monty glances at us, wearing a remote expression. “Especially from the ladies. You’ll get used to it.”

“He claims it’s a family thing,” Kody mutters under his breath. “The way we look. Says being attractive is a blessing and a curse.”

We’re attractive? I snort. More like wild, filthy animals. Nothing like these people with their loud voices, fancy hairstyles, cloying perfumes, and brightly colored clothes.

Every face that turns my way glares like a spotlight, and I wonder if that’s what they see. A rugged, uncivilized outsider from another world. Kody and I tower over every person we pass. We’re more muscular, too, and we’re not even at our normal weights.

I keep my head up, pretending like I belong here. Kody stalks beside me, doing the same.

As we push through the throngs of people, I absorb the colorful signs, the smell of food, and the snippets of conversations. It’s all so vivid, so alive. Cars and buses clog the streets, their engines adding a constant hum to the cacophony of sounds.

Monty strides ahead, seemingly unfazed by the hustle and bustle. We follow closely, matching his confident pace. It’s a rush, being immersed in this living, breathing mass of humanity. Part of something bigger.

On the next street, he leads us to a nondescript building.

Entering a code into a keypad by the door, he steps inside. “Welcome to my garage.”

The overhead lights click on as we enter, illuminating a huge, windowless room.

Not just any garage.

The spotless floors shine with glossy gray paint, and holy fuck, this place is massive, stretching out at least ten cars deep. It reminds me of the Batcave, only brighter, shinier, and even more impressive.

Car lifts suspend hypercars in mid-air, giving the whole place a high-tech, futuristic vibe. And the cars…

Everywhere I look is a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Koenigsegg, the list goes on. I also spot luxury cars—a Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Range Rover—each one polished to perfection, reflecting the lights like mirrors.

Kody and I exchange a glance, our eyes wide. He doesn’t know the names of most of these rare, exotic beauties. He didn’t devour the car and motorcycle magazines that Denver brought home like I did. But he understands finances and the value of the dollar.

Denver was passionate about economics and taught us everything he studied and researched. Kody’s probably thinking about all the things he could do if he had even a fraction of this wealth.

Monty strolls among the cars, inspecting a fender, dusting off a headlight, clearly proud of his collection. Honestly, I can’t blame him. Each car here probably costs more than I’ll earn over the course of my entire life.

“This is some serious hardware.” I whistle low, unable to wrap my head around the sheer amount of money sitting in this room. “You could buy a small country with what’s in here.”

“These cars are museum pieces. Rare works of art. I don’t drive them.” Monty grins, enjoying our reactions.

I amble over to a Lamborghini Aventador, my fingers itching to touch it. The paint job is flawless, a deep, glossy black that swallows all the light around it.

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