“Scotty?” Vera’s voice cut through, soft but worried. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I swallowed hard. “Do you remember when I told you Saira’s brother died in a boating accident years ago?”
“Yes. What’s going on?”
“Nick Quinn is alive.”
ORION AND ARTEMIS
Vera
Tokyo, four months later
“F. Lazarus. I should’ve known.”
Alistair’s green eyes locked on the man stepping out of the elevator onto Tokyo Tower’s top-deck observatory. Sleek, stylish, and perfectly at ease, he carried himself like someone who knew the entire city was watching.
Light-blond hair fell across steel-gray eyes until he brushed it back with the same casual arrogance he used to dust the cuffs of his tailored jacket. Then he grinned.
“Scotty. How have you been?”
Alistair dragged a hand through his halo of curls. He was dressed down—T-shirt, jeans, leather jacket—but the smirk tugging at his mouth was pure delight. “Nicholas Fionn Quinn. How does it feel to be back from the dead?”
“I feel very much alive,” the man said, voice dripping with charm. He tugged off black leather gloves, clasped Alistair’s shoulders, and pulled him into a hug that was more claim than greeting.
“I should’ve known it was you. F. Lazarus. Fionn, huh?” Alistair beamed pure energy.
Fionn. I once stole Julian’s book on Irish folklore and remembered that name. It meant “fair-headed” and “handsome.” In Irish mythology, Fionn was a renowned warrior who protected the High King. The name suited him.
“Nicholas Quinn?” I stepped forward, extending my hand. “I’m Vera Richland.”
He shook it with eager enthusiasm, his smile as sharp as it was magnetic. “Nick. You can call me Nick.” He looked over to Alistair. “Never thought I’d see the day you ended up with a good woman.”
Alistair’s lashes lowered as he looked at me. “I’m in love.”
Nick took both my hands, grinning. “Ah, Vera. You’re the one who put my sister in prison.”
“I could say I’m sorry about it, but I’m not,” I admitted, glancing at Alistair. “It was teamwork.”
Nick’s eyes relaxed as his lips parted, revealing pristine teeth. “I’m not sorry either. I should thank you. I never thought Saira would lose control over, well, everything.”
“We all thought you were dead, Nick,” Alistair said.
“I wasn’t on the boat when it exploded off the Italian coast.”
“What happened?”
“I slept in that morning,” Nick admitted sheepishly, then cleared his throat.
“Why didn’t you admit you were alive?” I asked.
Nick remained silent for a few seconds, his smile fading.
“At first, I was in shock,” he said. “After the explosion, once the smoke cleared, the fear set in. It stayed with me, gnawing at me. I was certain Saira would find a way to finish me off.”
Noticing his hands tremble, I placed my hand on his. “Saira was a monster to all of us.”
He nodded, the muscles in his cheek twitching as if the memory still lived under his skin. “My own sister wanted me wiped off the map. She inherited the syndicate that carried out my father’s dirtiest work, and their loyalty now belongs to her. What I felt wasn’t just dread. It was terror carved into my bones.”
