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She’d driven over two thousand miles, zigzagging across the country, with some sort of black-or-white outcome in her head. She’d find her father, and he would either want her in his life or he wouldn’t.
There hadn’t been any gray in that equation.
No question marks.
No scales to weigh one side versus another.
How odd, then, to realize that Nikolas Slater lived with those scales every single day.
* * *
Nikolas drove toward his condo and, for the second day in a row, Nova followed behind him in her car. He was still surprised she was willing to even talk to him, let alone come with him to his home after the time they’d spent at Marlowe’s and his subsequent behavior. Only she claimed to be over it, forgiving his behavior even as she’d made it quite clear how his lack of trust had made her feel.
Then they’d gone to lunch and he’d felt they’d settled on more even ground. Only to have another round of conversation at lunch forcing him to reconsider that, too.
He hadn’t missed her discomfort as they discussed his suspicions about Selina. And it didn’t take an investigator’s license to know that she wasn’t fully on board with his methods.
Why did that bother him so much?
He had tried to shrug it off, claiming that he was more than comfortable with her opinions, but if he were honest with himself, it did chafe a bit to see that disappointment in her eyes.
Especially when it settled so squarely on him.
He had never felt the need to apologize for his job, and he had no interest in starting now. But did she have a point? Even if he put the idea of conflict of interest aside, there was something suspicious about Selina Barnes Colton. The woman was a barracuda, and while she appeared to fancy herself some sort of wheeler and dealer, she wasn’t exactly hard to read on the surface.
It had been clear from their initial meeting that she wouldn’t be sad at all to see Ace go to jail for the attempt on Payne’s life.
Did she feel that way, regardless if Ace was innocent?
Nikolas drove through the gate to his underground parking garage and saw Nova pass through the gate, as well. He’d given her a key fob that morning so that she could come and go as she needed to.
So here they were. Facing a second night in his condo with nearly everything changed between t
hem since they’d left that morning.
Nova met him at the garage elevator and had already pressed the up button while she waited for him to join her. “What was that other thing that Marlowe said earlier?”
“One other thing?”
“That there was more information. I wasn’t ready to hear it at the time, my only focus on leaving, but I remember. She said there was more to tell us.”
Now that Nova mentioned it, their conversation with Marlowe resurfaced in his mind. “It sounded like it was more news about Ace.”
“I got the same feeling. Like they’ve learned a few things since getting that email.”
“We can call her. Go back over there.”
“I’m one step ahead of you.” Nova waved a small phone in his face. It was the most basic of the basic, and it had no bells and whistles, but the small device looked like it could make phone calls.
“Where did you get the phone?”
“It’s a burner I bought somewhere in Iowa. I was starting to feel really pregnant and I realized I probably needed to have something. You know, in case of an emergency.”
They stepped into the elevator, and once again Nikolas was struck by her ingenuity and the amazing bravery that she had shown over those long, long months.
Without thinking through the impulse, or barely even registering he had one, Nikolas leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
What had started as impulse quickly flared as her hand came up to rest on his shoulder. Heat and need—the sort that might stay banked for a surprisingly long time—suddenly sprang to life with all the ferocity of a blaze.
