Page 146 of Hard Heart

“The Hydra,” Jez murmured. That was how her father had described Compass—a mythical many-headed monster. Every time you cut off one of the Hydra’s regular heads, two more grew in its place, but one head was immortal. It couldn’t be killed. “Why was Dad there tonight? Why was he helping them?”

“The cells assist each other when necessary. When Jericho heard things were going south, he put himself in the right place at the right time. Do we wish he could do more? Obviously. Has he made mistakes? Yes. But through his sacrifice, he’s saved more lives than anyone present here today.”

Including Jez’s.

She’d finally gotten the answers she’d been seeking for so long, and even though she didn’t much like them, she understood. She understood why he’d choose his country over family because the same blood pulsed through her veins.

“What do we do now? How do we support him?”

“You, Jezebel, are going to spend three months sitting still while your bones knit back together. I realise this might be difficult for you. And the rest of us will keep doing what we’re doing, which is to resolve various problems as they crop up, and when the opportunity arises, hit Compass hard. Understood?”

Everyone nodded.

“And we’ll have no more silly talk of leaving, because none of us are quitters.” She narrowed her eyes at Echo on her way out the door. “For your information, José is an excellent landscaper, and he fucks me for free.”

CHAPTER 45

SERAFINA

“Rudd messaged me,” Flora said. “I know you broke up, and I know he’s a gigantic asshole, but he has spare tickets for a show on Broadway, and he said it only takes an hour and a half to fly to New York from Richmond.”

“Man, that’s dirty,” Heidi said from the couch.

“He’s been messaging me, and I blocked his numbers,” I told Flora. “Both of them. I think he broke up with Zara Michaels.”

“Oh, yay! We should pop the champagne.”

“You’re not allowed to drink alcohol here until you’re twenty-one.”

“Well, that sucks.”

“You can buy a rifle if you want, though,” Heidi told her.

“You think Rudd’s having buyer’s remorse?” Flora asked.

“One hundred percent,” Jester said from his spot beside Heidi.

When I arrived home with Flora, there had been a sock on the doorknob, an issue made more awkward when the driver provided by Dice insisted on checking the apartment thoroughly while we waited in the kitchen. Heidi and Jester appeared in a hurry, both slightly dishevelled and out of breath. When Flora looked puzzled, the driver had thrown her a salute and a smile and said, “All part of the service, ma’am.”

“So is there any chance…?” Flora asked.

“Absolutely not. Uh, so about the boyfriend situation…”

I jumped as someone knocked on the door. Yesterday afternoon, I’d managed a quick update with Heidi while Flora took a shower, and Jester said Ari had given a brief explanation while they were at the airport. Yes, he was a little rough, but I was glad of his presence. Even if the threat level had dropped as Dice thought, I wasn’t sure I’d ever sleep soundly again. Or hear a knock without my chest tightening and my breath catching in my throat. Perhaps I should have thought of that before I ordered a pizza?

Jester got up to answer the door, leaving the chain on and blocking the gap with his body. I couldn’t hear the words, but it was a woman out there. Finally, he turned to us.

“It’s a cop.” Not pizza? Oh, hell. Were we going to get arrested? Was I an accessory to murder? “Says her name’s Special Agent Rimer.”

My heart went into a full-on stutter. Levi. I ran to the door. “What? What’s happened?”

Rimer looked terrible, as if she hadn’t slept for a month. Join the club.

“Can I come in?”

“Is Levi okay? Did something happen to him?”

“That isn’t why I’m here.”