Page 65 of Inked Athena

“A report on what?”

“A surveillance report.” His skin is turning a pale shade I’ve never seen before. “One that details new targets in Chicago.”

Nova’s forehead wrinkles with confused lines.

Any other day, I’d smooth them out myself. Kill whoever put them there.

But not today. Today, they just remind me how naive she still is about my world.

I give Myles a curt nod. “Go on, then. Tell her exactly what it means. Tell her what the two of you have done.”

He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “There have been eighty alerts for Hope Levy in the last twelve hours. And four intersections between one of Hope’s employees, Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Cuthbert, and a known Andropov enforcer.” He takes a labored pause. “The report also shows several calls made to Chicago that originate from… this castle.”

I watch Nova carefully. I know her face as well as my own, and I see the exact instance she understands what it means.

I also see the exact instance when she decides she doesn’t care.

“You left me no choice, Sam.”

If I wasn’t rigid with anger, my jaw would drop. Instead, I watch as she shifts in front of Myles, like she’s trying to shield him from me.

“I was drowning in loneliness in this castle, Samuil. I needed someone to talk to, and Myles took pity on me. He let me speak to?—”

“‘Pity’?” I growl, causing her lips to snap shut. “Is that what you think Myles did? Do you think he offered you a gift?”

Myles steps out from behind Nova. “Brother?—”

“Explain to her what this means!” My roar echoes off the vaulted ceiling, sending centuries of dust scattering.

Myles’s jaw clenches as Nova turns to face him.

“I know what it means,” she insists, that stubborn light still burning in her eyes. “Because of what Hope and I did, it means that you can track down Katerina Alekseeva now. You’re welcome.”

I shake my head, but it’s Myles who speaks first. Every word drips with a shame he deserves.

“Nova… you don’t understand. Because I allowed you contact with Hope, it exposed you to the Andropovs. But it’s not just you. It also—” He drags his free hand along the nape of his neck, tugging on the hair hard enough to yank it out. “Hope and her employee are in danger now, too. The Andropovs will be tracking them. I put their lives at risk.”

All at once, the defiance drains out of her. Her shoulders droop, and her eyes go wide with new fear.

“Wait. Hold on. So you’re saying… Wh-what does this mean?”

This time, I don’t afford Myles the opportunity to speak. “It means that Jeremiah Cuthbert will have to leave Chicago or forfeit his life. He’ll have to change his name and live in hiding for as long as it takes the Andropovs to forget about his existence. And Hope…”

Nova flinches as though I’m throwing daggers, not words. I don’t stop. Because this shit never stops. Because it keeps coming, and I need her to realize that.

“Hope,” I continue, “will have to do the same. All your meddling and detective work has made your best friend a target. Not just to Katerina, but to one of the most dangerous Bratvas in the world.”

The last vestiges of color have completely vanished from Nova’s face. She looks like she might collapse, one hand pressed against her belly as if to shield our child from the harsh reality of my world.

“No…” she whispers. “I… I thought that if we just found her, then—” She breaks off, her eyes lifting towards me without ever quite meeting mine. “I didn’t think…”

“That’s right,” I snap. “You didn’t think.”

Then I turn to Myles. The weight of a decade of friendship hangs between us. Every mission, every close call, every victory we’ve shared—it all comes down to this moment.

I’m not sure if I’m grateful that he’s silent and expectant, waiting for me to land the final blow. Or if I’d rather him put up a fight.

He stands there silently, waiting for judgment. Part of me wishes he’d fight back. Make this easier by giving me a reason to hate him.

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