Page 122 of No Promises, No Lies

“Take care of my sister, O’Rourke. I think you know the consequences if you don’t.” Niko’s eyes darken before he extends his hand, “Truce?”

There’s silence for a beat before Aidan takes Niko’s hand. “Truce.” Relief sweeps through me and with it comes all the pain and exhaustion my adrenaline was hiding.

Niko sees it on my face and points toward the door. “Why don’t you get my sister out of here? I’ll take care of this mess.” He peers down at our father’s body, curling his lip in disgust.

“Thanks, Niko.” Aidan laces his fingers through mine and leads me out of the study after exchanging a meaningful look with my brother that I don’t understand.

Out in the hall, it’s just Aidan and me. I follow him around a dark corner before he catches me by the waist, leaning me up against the wall. “Are you sure you’re okay?” His hands reach up to cup my face, eyes searching and full of worry.

“No,” I admit, still feeling the effects from the shock and trauma, “but I will be.” I give him a reassuring smile.

“You should rest. Do you want me to bring you up to your room?” I look up at him and he drops his hands from my cheeks, raw vulnerability shining in his eyes. We stand in the Kostalov mansion. My father gone—my engagement… off.

I shake my head slowly, and he turns his head ever so slightly to the side, questioning.

“I just want to go home.”

There’s a flash of hope in his dark green eyes.

“With you.”

Aidan leans forward and kisses me, a soft lingering promise of everything to come. Sweeping my legs out from under me, he carries me out of the mansion.

Taking me home.

71

EPILOGUE

AIDAN

The ice arena buzzes with excitement and anticipation, but this time, it’s not for hockey. With every seat filled, all eyes are on the rink as Rory skates to center ice, sliding gracefully to a stop. Her gaze is fixed straight ahead, calm, focused,ready.

I’m the complete opposite; a mess of nerves, feeling everything she isn’t. This is the moment she’s worked for—years of training and sacrifice and overcoming challenges no one else in this arena could possibly understand.

Liam elbows me excitedly from my right, but I don’t dare take my eyes off the ice for a second. “This is insane!” My brother exclaims, marveling at the sheer magnitude of it all.

I wish Reagan was here to see it. She would have loved this… but no one’s heard from her. A few days after everything went down, Koen got a text from our sister telling usnot to worryand thatshe’d call when she was ready…

Her last pinged location showed New York. Just before her phone went dark…

We tore that city apart looking for her, but it’s a big place and Volkov territory. And if Reagan doesn’t want to be found… the little menace could pull that off.

Alex stayed back, continuing the search. But the longer she’s gone, the more I worry. The silence is unnerving.

Rory waits patiently for her music to start, about to perform her much anticipated long program on the Olympic stage. Flags of every color decorate the arena ceiling above her. Her short program was already next to flawless. The competition is hers to lose and even I’m feeling the pressure. I grip the railing in front of me tighter.

“Any tighter and you might just tear through metal,” says a cool voice in my ear, cutting through all the surrounding chaos. I steal a peek at my white knuckles and loosen it a tad, rolling my eyes at my older brother watching the performance with his arm in a sling.The Irish boss, just a little out of place in the colorful crowd.

Rory’s music begins and she starts strong, hitting each mark with fluid precision. Her skating dress is very similar to her old one. Except instead of all white feathers, they’re tinged in black, like the fallen angel she is.

Rory launches into her first jump with explosive power and speed. She’s barely landed before she draws herself into a tight spin with a graceful transition into the complicated footwork section.

I catch a glimpse of her face as she twirls and spins and switches from back to front and back again. Her blades move in intricate patterns while the rest of her body makes it look effortless.

“C’mon, c’mon.” I clench my fists, urging her on as she comes into the most difficult section of her program: the triple-triple.

She rounds the far end of the rink, digging deep for speed, and launches herself into the first jump with an intensity that sends a roar of delight through the crowd. Three tight rotations and she’s landed it! I hold my breath as she brings her skate back with force, jutting herself back into the air and pulling in tight.

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