Page 132 of Inked Athena

I can’t face both. Time slows to a crawl as I weigh my options, each heartbeat an eternity of indecision.

Nova.

Ilya.

Hope.

Heartache.

My future or my past.

Love or vengeance.

In the end, it’s simple. If I let my brother walk away now, he’ll keep coming. He’ll never stop until Nova and our child are dead.

But if I abandon her…

… then there’s nothing left worth fighting for.

So I turn and run. I carve through the mayhem, each step precise and measured despite the bullets whizzing past my head. The cathedral’s sacred silence has shattered into a hellscape of screams and gunfire.

But all I hear is the steady thump of my own pulse.

I see Viktor standing at the end of the hall. He signals me and I close the gap to him.

I reach the bathroom door just as Katerina’s voice rises to a fever pitch inside. “You stupid little bitch! You think he loves you? You think you’re special?”

Nova’s response is quieter but steady as stone. “I think you’re in trouble, Katerina. Let me help you before?—”

“Don’t fucking touch me!”

Something crashes. Glass shatters. My finger tightens on the trigger as I ease closer to the door.

Nova speaks again, her tone deliberately soothing. “The baby’s kicking. Would you like to feel? It might be your last chance to touch something pure.”

Clever girl. She’s buying time, keeping Katerina distracted. But there’s an edge of exhaustion in her voice that sets my teeth on edge.

We need to end this. Now.

I catch Viktor’s eye and gesture toward the hinges. He nods once, understanding perfectly. We’ve done this dance before.

He positions himself to breach while I align my sights with where Katerina’s head should be, based on the acoustics of her voice.

One clean shot. That’s all I need.

But first, I have to make absolutely certain Nova’s clear of the line of fire.

I draw breath to call out to her.

Three.

Two.

One.

Viktor kicks the door.

I charge in.

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