“Unplugging from the world for a weekend with his latest whore. But don’t you worry about that. No one is going to disturb our fun tonight.”
Tonight. Tonight, Nova would be going to the party, and I’d been taken before I could warn her about Roman.
“What are you doing, Roman?” I growled. I stared at his gun, at the way it was barely in his hand as he alternated between leafing through the book and rapidly typing on his phone. “You already won. You won years ago.” My words started to slur. I rested my head back on the seat.
“And yet, you still continue to invest in companies that fuck with our bottom line,” he said dryly, as if he was bored now that I was incapacitated. “You’re not some tech vigilante hero, Wesley.I know you’re just biding time until your next real strike. You cannot fool me. But after tonight, you’ll be forced out for good. Out of the tech space, and out ofmyfucking city.”
I closed my eyes as vertigo started spinning me in circles. It was hard to remember what I was going to say next. Bile churned in my stomach. I gripped the armrests. Roman laughed.
“You pride yourself on not being like us, but your cherished sentimentality will be your downfall. It makes you soeasyto control.”
I stopped being able to focus on what Roman was saying. His voice slowly slipped away as I lost consciousness.
He was right, in the end. The last thing I saw behind my heavy eyelids was the woman I loved, the woman I’d sacrifice anything to save.
49
NOVA
The door closed behind me. I stammered. Lorelei’s words were cutting and cruel, just like they’d been the last time we spoke.
As if nothing had changed.
Except, that wasn’t true.Ihad changed, as much as I didn’t want to admit that to Jayne. On a certain level, she’d been right. I couldn’t go back to who I was before I’d entered The Circle, even if my transformation had been catalyzed by lies and manipulation.
Even if I owed the majority of the shift to a man I loved who wasn’t capable of loving me back.
“A disappointment,” I scoffed. “What the hell is your problem?Youreached out tomefor help.”
Lorelei massaged the bridge of her nose. “How many times do we all have to tell you, The Circle isnot a cult!”
“Which is exactly what the hell a cult member would say!” I yelled back, since, apparently, we were yelling now.
Lorelei shushed me. “I don’t need help.”
“But there are pregnant trad wives,” I said.
“So?” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “Wealthy men with breeding kinks want families. Vanillas procreate too, you know. Kass and Gia are very happy with their husbands, Nova. We areallveryhappy. Can you really not see that? No one is in trouble!”
“Roman is a psychopath!”
Lorelei tensed, her nostrils flared. “Don’t talk about Him that way.”
Her confirmation of Roman’s power over her only fueled my anger. “This whole thing has only ever been about getting back at his brother. So why wasIdragged into it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lorelei said, brows drawing together. “Roman has only ever tried tohelphis degenerate brother. He’s a conduit for God’s will, Nova. He has built a sanctuary for lost souls to overcome all fear and transcend.”
“Oh, dear God,” I muttered. Now I was the one massaging the bridge of my nose. “He is manipulating you, Lor. He’s just regurgitating the metadata he has on you from your social media use.”
Lorelei reared back. “I barely touch social media anymore—only as a spiritual tool. He took away all my suffering. All of it. You should behappyfor me.”
It was like talking to a brick wall. “You’re not even kinky!”
“This is all bigger than kink. Roman is more than human. I’m living proof of His miracles.” She searched my face desperately, as ifIwas the one speaking nonsense and in need of intervention. “No more nightmares. No more fear. Only divine purpose, bliss, and serenity in exchange for my eternal vow of service. I serve Him because He choseme.He saved me, Nova.”
Those words stung, frustrated tears threatening to leak from my eyes. “So, what, you want to be pregnant sister wives with me now too? Is that why you think Roman has been pursuingme? Instead of the obvious answer that he’s trying to get back at Wes?”
Lorelei’s face fell before twisting with anger. “He warned me you would try to poison me against Him. This is exactly as He foretold.”
