I hesitated, slowly moving my gaze to hers. Jayne watched me warily, not uttering a word. Lorelei continued sobbing at the front of the room.
I saw the man I was reflected in Nova’s beautiful, dark irises. The man she loved. The man I’d built back up from the wreckage, piece by piece. The man my mom would be proud of.
Nova was protecting me even as she bled from a gunshot wound. She knew what would happen if I shot my father. I would destroy myself. I would destroyus.
A shudder rolled through me, and I let my resentment crest and then crash back down. Hatred was no longer the high Iwanted to chase, the virtue I wanted to be consumed by. My compass pointed somewhere else now.
I had to trust my father and people like him would get what they deserved another way.
I lowered the gun and placed it in my back pocket. Nova relaxed, releasing a breath. It was a sacrifice I would make over and over again.
I wasn’t one of them, and I didn’t want to be.
A petrified security guard entered the space in the next blink. “I’m sorry, sir. They were threatening to post a video of the cellar footage to PicWave unless we let them down here, and we didn’t know what?—”
Max wasn’t remotely paying attention to his henchman as he clutched his lifeless son. The guard went silent.
I made quick work of untying Nova’s wrists. “I’m sorry. I?—”
“It’s okay,” Nova said. “I understand, Wes. I do. It wouldn’t have been worth it. I’m glad you chose you.”
“You’re not allowed to be so fucking sweet and wise at a time like this,” I said gruffly, moving to her ankles next. “Fuck, I’m so?—”
“Are you okay?” the tall blonde in a blue gown asked Nova, cutting me off. Snot ran down to her mouth, tears streaking her cheeks. “She’s going to be okay, right?” she asked me, her gaze locking on the iron brand on the floor immediately. “We couldn’t see clearly, but the iron didn’t?—”
“It didn’t make contact,” I said. “And she’s going to be okay.”
Nova winced. Jayne had torn my shirt and tied it around the wound in a makeshift bandage.
I nodded to her gratefully as I took Nova’s hand in mine. “We need to get her to a hospital.”
My father finally let go of Roman, stood, and turned to us. He smoothed his blood-soaked button-down, his face devoid of a single discernable emotion.
“My driver will take you to our concierge practice. She will receive the best care in the city.” He paused. “Do we have a shared understanding, Wesley?”
The room went silent. I gritted my teeth. Nova squeezed my hand.
Don’t fuck with me, and I won’t fuck with you.
That was the understanding in question.
I nodded, meeting my father with a cold glare. “Good luck covering all of this up. But you’re well-practiced in the art by now, right? Just look at how far you’ve come.” I moved to the other side of the table and gently lifted Nova into my arms, an inch of my tension melting now that she was this close to me again. She winced, another tear rolling down her cheek. My heart clenched at the sight of her in so much pain.
I barely glanced over my shoulder as I spoke my next words. “Goodbye, Max.”
His features remained unreadable, concealed behind his carefully-crafted mask of power. “Until we meet again.” His eyes met Jayne’s and Lorelei’s, his unspoken threat clear.
Both women immediately nodded, even as Lorelei sniffled and Jayne’s chin lifted an inch. I respected Jayne’s strength in this moment.
Max stared at the phone in Lorelei’s hand.
“Understood,” Lorelei confirmed, her skin pale. She unlocked her phone and handed it to the guard, who glared at her as he deleted the videos and then dramatically crushed her phone under his boot.
Lorelei clearly knew what was good for her.
“The Circle?” Jayne asked carefully.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Max bit out.
