Page 53 of Nemesis

At first, I idly scrolled through the texts and missed calls, voicemails from Antonio. The last one concludes:I checked the security feed and saw you go into your apartment. Sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.

It’s tomorrow, and I still don’t feel like talking.

There was even a text from Saint. He wanted to know if I was alive.

I reply with a skull emoji, then turn off my phone.

“I’m starting to think you don’t sleep.”

I glance over my shoulder. Jace climbs the hill in my direction.

“Did Apollo send you?” My voice, like my body, is stiff.

He stops beside me, but he doesn’t sit. “Nah, I was coming to water the flower wall.”

I smile.

That wall in the atrium—the first big room when you walk into Olympus—was built as a declaration of love for Kora. Olympus needed a bit of an overhaul after the war, taking its own fair share of hits, and that’s what they decided to do to it.

“You okay?” he asks in a low voice.

I laugh. “Me? I’m fine.”

He sighs.

“You?” I crane my head back. “I mean, your informant is dead. Nailed to my club wall, in fact.”

“Did Apollo tell you who he was?”

I smile, but I don’t confirm. It’s more impressive to just know things than admit how I found them out. Telling him I know because I was eavesdropping on his conversation with the sheriff seems… shitty.

“Saint was worried when you went offline for a day,” he adds.

“Bullshit.”

“He called me.”

“Did you have to talk him out of throwing himself off the roof?”

I scratch at my arm through Kade’s sweatshirt. My nail gets close to the edge of the bandage protecting my elbow. My skin always gets irritated by adhesive, and this is no different. But I can’t take it off and bleed on his sweatshirt, that would just be rude.

“You still think he’s suicidal?” Jace eyes the top of my head.

What a terrible angle. At least he can’t see up my nostrils.

But then I truly consider it. He asked me if Saint could move in, but it was never really a choice for Saint. After what he went through—what we all went through—it seemed natural for Jace to want to help him.

And I was the only one available.

I should’ve said no. Daniel could’ve roomed with him, but…

Well. Daniel moved away shortly after helping us end the war raging in the streets of Sterling Falls. He’s a master tech, knows his way around computers—including hacking. He saved our asses on more than one occasion.

Understandable that he’d want to leave.

If I had a choice…

No. I’d still be right here.

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