Page 38 of Inked Athena

I see Grams sprawled on her kitchen floor, blood pooling under her silver hair.

Hope, her bright smile frozen forever, throat torn open.

Rufus and Ruby, their precious little bodies riddled with bullets.

My knees quake, and I want nothing more than to sink into the floor. No—beyond the floor. I want to melt into nothing.

They’re dead. They’re all dead.

That’s what Myles said.

And Samuil knew. He fuckingknew.

Has it been days? Weeks? How long did he keep this secret from me? I want to collapse, but if I do, I’ll never get back up again.

And I need answers.

With trembling hands, I shove Sam’s office door open. The hinges shriek in protest, making both men whip around to face me. Their expressions are identical masks of concern, which only makes the rage burn hotter in my chest.

Sam rises from behind his massive desk. “Nova?—”

“Is it true?” I choke out. “They’re all… Everyone is…?”

Samuil’s face is drawn tight as he rises and takes a step towards me. “Krasav?—”

“Don’t!” I throw out a hand, my vision too blurred with tears to know if he listens or not. “Just tell me the truth. Are they g-gone?”

Yesterday—just yesterday—I asked Sam if Grams was okay. The day before, I begged him to have Myles check on Hope.

He looked me in the eyes and lied.

Again and again and again, he lied.

“Nova, sit down.” Myles stands and tries to usher me into his chair. “We can explain?—”

“That you’re liars?” I hiss. “Goddamn both of you! You told me Grams and Hope were safe, but?—”

“They are.” Sam moves like lightning, gripping my shoulders and pulling me against his chest. His heart thunders under my ear. “God, Nova. I didn’t think— They’re okay. Grams and Hope are safe.”

My world is on a bungee cord. I was plummeting to the ground, and now, suddenly, Sam sends me soaring in the other direction.

“Wh…what?” I rasp. I stare at him, trying to suss out a lie in the beautiful words I want to curl up inside of.

They’re okay. They aren’t dead. They’re all okay.

“They are safe.” He kisses the top of my head. “I made sure of that.”

Myles nods. “I checked on them both right before I flew out. Hope is great—a handful, but safe. And Serena is as scrumptious as ever.” He offers me a wink, but it’s a thin cover for the anxiety creasing his face.

“Okay, but— You said—” I pull away from Samuil and shake my head. “You said my family was dead.”

Samuil’s hands fist at his sides like he wants to reach for me, but I feel fragile right now. The next words out of his mouth will change everything, and I want to see his face as he says them.

“There was a shootout,” Sam explains haltingly. “The official story is some kind of blow-up between rival gangs. Civilians died… but so did the officers who tried to break up the fight.”

I feel cold.

Before, thinking about Grams and Hope, there was white-hot panic.

---