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Maybe Miles was right. If the hacker was taking care of this woman, I had one less problem to eliminate.

Crash.

My head spun around and I spotted Miles in front of my bookcase-high display case.

My bad feeling was confirmed when I spotted my Athena statue at his feet. In pieces.

I jumped up.

“Miles…”

He jumped back.

“Whoops. “

I stared at the statue I had snuck out of an archaeological excavation to search for inscriptions. Unsuccessful, but educational. The piece was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars... Had been. Money I hadn't had at the time, which was why I had smuggled it out, glad that the DUIO didn't allow European theft investigators into Blairville.

Anger mixed with overwhelm.

I glared at Miles.

“It was from Greece!”

Miles waved it off. “I'll buy you a new one.”

He strode past me toward the couch.

My right eyebrow twitched as I stared at the shards.

“You can't just buy a new one,” I began, trying to keep my anger in check. “It's a relic...” I stopped as I watched Miles casually put his legs up on my coffee table. “Why am I even trying...”

Frustrated, I returned to the couch. “Don't touch anything else, okay?”

This had really been the stupidest decision of my life.

“How is it my fault if you leave your toys lying around everywhere?”

Miles' smirk returned.

How had I not stabbed him yet?

Right... I lacked the combination of Umbra runes that would allow me to mobilize weapons such as wooden stakes or antique blades. Knowledge that should be found in the Vanderwood Archives, which I was convinced existed.

I scrutinized Miles.

I wouldn't be able to kill him. He was a child who had probably never received any attention. I knew these children from the orphanage. Parentless children. Like me. Except that I had received too much attention from the wrong people.

“When the time comes, you'll have to confess your love to her,” Miles returned to the subject I was trying to avoid. “And before you argue, every fool can see how you feel about this girl.”

“Woman,” I corrected him, convinced that she was probably doing her master's degree here. “She's a woman.”

Miles wanted to say something, but I silenced him.

“Save your comments and just drink, okay?”

Miles studied me thoughtfully.

“I don't know if I like you when you're in a bad mood, or if I should feel sorry for your Julia.”