Page 62 of Inked Athena

“Do you wanna talk about it, babe?”

The lump in my throat feels like I swallowed one of Finbarr’s tennis balls. “No. I want to talk about you. Let me live vicariously through whatever is going on in your life.”

“Would you like to experience misery and woe?” she offers with false chipperness. Paper crinkles—probably her stress-eating another candy bar. “‘Cause that’s all I’ve got.”

I’ve spent so many weeks missing Hope that I almost forgot she’s dealing with her own drama back home. Matter of fact, I almost forgot there is a “home” outside of this property. The thought of Chicago—Lakefront Trail, honking cabs, the L rumblingoverhead and the smell of deep-dish pizza wafting from every other storefront—seems like another lifetime.

I wince as I tuck my cold toes up under me. “Are the trolls still harassing you?”

“Like it’s their fucking job.” The defeat in her voice makes my hands clench. “Every time I make a new post or a client leaves a good review, it’s immediately bitch-slapped with a dozen nasty comments.”

“Has Jerry been able to do anything?” I ask as I once again go back to pacing. Nothing lasts these days—I pace, I sit, I sleep, I don’t sleep.

Nothing feels comfortable. Nothing feels right.

“Jerry’s a freelance IT guy, not a miracle worker,” says Hope. “The most he’s been able to do is shut down the comments and review section of our website.”

If I had regular access to the internet, I’d take up my sword as keyboard warrior and defend her. It would feel good to be useful. Here, I’m raising puppies and looking after sheep from time to time, watching the seasons change through leaded glass windows—but no one truly needs me. If I suddenly vanished, someone else would fill my role without blinking.

But no one else can be Hope’s best friend.

“Is it Katerina?” I guess.

“Who else? But her house is dark. Word is she left Chicago, but her vindictive ass clearly found WiFi wherever she landed.”

A gust of wind rattles the windowpanes, making me jump. Outside, dark clouds gather over the loch, promising another storm.

I shoot to my feet, struck by sudden inspiration. “WiFi!”

Hope chuckles. “I see you’re familiar with the concept.”

“No, I’m sayingWiFi,Hope. WiFi! What if that’s exactly what we need?”

“Your crazy idea voice makes me nervous, NoNo.”

I stride over the cold stone floor from the door to the window and back again, adrenaline thrumming through my veins. Lightning flashes like the world wants to match my energy. “Remember that client you had… What was it, like, a year ago? The one who was starting a cosmetics company?”

“Sure,” says Hope, “I remember her. I also remember the rash all of her sample products gave me. My skin looked like I’d tried to exfoliate with poison ivy.”

“You never should’ve accepted tips in the form of untested products,” I tease. “But she was looking for women to endorse her brand, right? Models, actresses, popular influencers?”

“Count me out. My skin is traumatized.”

“I’m not talking about you, dummy.”

I wait, letting it sink in. Hope sucks in her breath. “I see where you’re going with this, Nova, but?—”

“Improv rules,” I interrupt, spinning away from the window. The motion makes my thick sweater—one of Samuil’s I’d stolen from his closet—swirl around my thighs. “I want to hear ‘Yes, Nova. Good idea, Nova. And…’”

“Andhow are we gonna use that to get to Katerina?”

“We create a fake beauty brand and say we’re looking for ambassadors. Stroke her ego. Get her to respond.” My reflection grins back at me from the fireplace mirror, feral and bright-eyed. “She knows how to hide from Samuil’s men. But she won’t be able to resist being told how gorgeous and influential she is.”

Hope sighs, the sound coming out somewhere between a groan and laugh. “Your plan is to lure her in with… makeup? That is the most basic bitch bait I’ve ever heard of.”

“Picture it—she gets a letter from an up-and-coming cosmetics agency.” I put on a fake and incredibly cringy French accent. “‘Dear Miss Alekseeva, we would be delighted and greatly honored if you would consider being the spokesperson and face of our cosmetics brand. Your natural beauty, charisma, and charm are exactly what we need to push our company into the world of beauty.’”

Hope guffaws, her laugh echoing through the phone’s speaker. “No one would say that after spending a single minute with her.”

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