And most of all, find a way to tell Axel.
Because one thing’s for damn sure… whatever’s happening?
It’s bigger than any of us thought.
Chapter 23
Axel
I walk into our apartment, feet dragging a little, and find Nik slumped on the couch. Elbows on his knees. Head down. Half a bottle of whiskey gone.
“Rough day?” I ask, kicking off my boots.
“Something like that.”
He doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t move when I drop onto the couch beside him.
I rest a hand on his thigh. “Hey. What’s going on?”
He drags in a shaky breath, then finally lifts his eyes. They’re bloodshot, full of pain… and something else. Guilt?
My stomach knots. “You’re scaring me.”
He scrubs a hand through his shaggy blonde hair. “I need to tell you something, but you have to promise not to freak.”
“Okay…” I wait, but he just sits there, words stuck, while my mind races toward every worst-case scenario.
“For fuck’s sake, Nik. Just say it.”
“I found Lina,” he blurts.
The world stops.
“What?” I whisper.
He holds my gaze steady this time. “I found Lina.”
“When? Where?” I can barely get the words out.
He takes my hand. “Tonight. Volk tipped me off about aguy in Atlanta. I pulled surveillance, and there she was.”
One word in that sentence hits like a hammer.
“Volk?” My voice sharpens. “Your dad’s enforcer? Nik… what the actual fuck?”
My voice rises. I yank my hand back and stand.
“It’s not what you think,” Nik says quickly. “I cashed in one favor. For us. For you. We weren’t getting anywhere on our own. You know the connections I have.”
“But they come at a price!” I shout. “How much?”
“What?”
“How much,” I repeat, voice low. “How much of your soul did you sell this time?”
He looks away. “That doesn’t matter right now.”
“The hell it doesn’t. What good is finding Lina if I lose you in the process?”
