“Okay,” she relents with a slight frown.
“Text me progress pics.” He pulls her in for a hug and pecks her hair. “And try not to look like you’re being tortured when you do it.”
Mercy saunters out of what appears to be an office overlooking the shops, and Jax moves to hug her, too, whispering something in her ear. She nods, but her face is etched with worry. I’m not sure what to make of it.
He lets her go, strolling toward the exit and stopping before me. “Remy is expecting another visit soon. Better not stay away.”
Same message as Ryker’s, but what a dramatic contrast in delivery.
A genuine smile blooms on my face, reflecting Jax’s ease. “That’s the first thing today that’s made sense, Blue.”
He chuckles at my use of Remy’s fitting nickname for him. “He’s a smart kid. You’re a keeper, Circus Girl.”
He leaves, and just like Ryker said, Mercy and Tessa invite me to join them for dinner and movies this evening. The invitation is a bright spot in an otherwise dreary week and almost enough to make me forget how my life is in shambles.
For the rest of the day, I’m a little lighter. Though I am curious what has Axel, Jax, and Ryker tied up this evening. Maybe the girls will fill me in later. I finish my translation work and rush back to my suite to get changed into something more casual than my professional dress. But as soon as I step off theelevator, the ease of my day dissipates, and I’m reminded of who I am.
Bernard is standing by my door, with three La Lune Noire security guards in tow.
“A word, Miss West.”
AXEL
It’s rare that my brothers and I all leave La Lune Noire together, so as we hover forty thousand feet above the Midwest in our private jet, I feel weak for roping them into this. I much prefer to be their protector. But I presume even the greatest of warriors, kings, and gods have shields and swords. They are mine.
And now I’m hers.
The mood is decidedly more somber than it generally is, mostly because I’ve become the source of their assessment. They’ve been caught up on the rough points of my current debacle with Zara, and they know I’m teetering on a precarious edge. And yet …
“I have a theory,” I begin, and four sets of eyes snap to me.
The late afternoon sun streams inside, dancing in their various shades of hair—dark brown, onyx, burnished gold, and pale blue. We are so vastly different, and yet together, we’ve always been an unstoppable unit.
Ryker’s lips twitch. He’s been relishing my agony too much, specifically the agony of every second I’ve had to keep Zara at arm’s length. It mirrors what he endured for decades, andmisery does love company. Though he’s long since conquered his.
He lifts his cocktail in an I-bet-you-do gesture. “Let’s hear it.”
The younger three chuckle, munching on snacks and silently waiting for me to hang myself with the rope they’re all tossing my way. I nearly bite my tongue, but I need to gauge their reactions.
With a sip of my scotch, I spill my hunch as if I were detailing a dinner suggestion. “I think she’s KORT’s asset, sent to snuff out the people who were searching for Rena’s family.”
I haven’t divulged that there have been new threats to my sister’s family to anyone other than Ryker, and I don’t plan to. It would cause them too much distress, but they are all aware the investigation into the initial issue is ongoing.
Jax’s face betrays the most. “Think or hope?”
It’s a valid question, and out of the four of them, he’s the only one who truly comprehends the gravity of all of this. He’s the reason I’m a KORT chair, and he’s seen firsthand how truly twisted the entanglement with that organization can be. It’s why I didn’t want him involved with them in the first place.
“Both,” I reply.
“The timing would possibly align,” Ryker agrees.
That was one of my considerations as well. She showed up the same day Wells informed me they wanted to have someone infiltrate La Lune Noire. It’s why I initially discounted the plausibility, but it wouldn’t be above him to act and ask for permission afterward.
Maddox flicks his butterfly knife around, a question lying in wait, but it’s Cash who poses one.
“Why not just ask Wells then?”
“It would make our scrappy Slugger seem incompetent,” Maddox fills in.
