AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I clenched my jaw at the mention of his name. “There was no way for him to know. As Thora would say, I believe that was the universe fucking with me. I don’t know how they came to do business together, but I don’t think it had anything to do with me.”
“OK, we don’t need to talk about it ever again unless you want to. I’m always here for you, Cian. Forever.”
“I know.” I lifted her up, and her legs wrapped around my waist. “I love you so much.”
Hours later, after I spent the entire evening worshiping her body from head to toe, I sat on the sofa with one of the daggers in my hand. The words etched on the cool steel taunted me, just like his words had all those years ago.
Bound by blood.
What was Kaviathin playing at? There was no obvious answer. Perhaps it was time to have a meeting with him. He obviously had something on his mind. Why else would he give Nova these daggers?
I couldn’t focus on that now, though. We had bigger problems, like finding Goodacre. The manhunt was on, but to say the police and the FBI were fucking useless was an understatement. There was no trace of him anywhere. No person had shown up at any hospital with a knife in the eye, and the van was nowhere to be found. How the fuck did you just disappear out of a huge-ass city like Chicago undetected?
That was what had been bothering me this whole time, and the realization came to me at that moment. He had an accomplice. And not just his brother. It had to be someone he trusted, someone who was in the city where he could hide out.
I twirled the dagger in my hand, then stabbed it into the table.
Time was running out for Goodacre. He was going to pay, and if someone was helping him commit these crimes, then they were going to go down with him.
I was going to do whatever it took to protect my family, even if that meant more blood had to be shed.
So be it.
Chapter Fourteen
Nova
The meeting with R.L. Hemingway’s went better than expected. Way better. I didn’t know what I had been expecting, but the thirtysomething no-nonsense CEO Viviette Hemingway wasn’t it. She oozed confidence and charmed the pants off me, Juliet, Sophie, and Owen as soon as we stepped off the elevator. Valik and Harvey stepped from behind me, looking down the hall, and she didn’t even bat an eyelash.
She greeted us when we walked in, a bottle of champagne open and waiting. We talked as if we were old friends as we overlooked the Manhattan skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I was wary at first—you didn’t become the leader of one of the most luxurious brands in the world by being nice. But as the conversation flowed, my guard relaxed, and it turned out to be a very productive meeting.
Owen did well, making a slideshow with our key business points and what we could bring to the table as a company, while Juliet and I advocated firmly about our brand’s value. They were looking for a collaboration on a sleek design, something similar to the Octopussy, but less “aggressive,” which caused Juliet and I both to chuckle. Valik stood in the back of the conference room, his arms crossed in front of his body, but I heard his soft laughter more than once.
When it came time to discuss financials, that was when I saw the shrewd version of Viviette come out, and I was impressed. But I wasn’t an idiot. Yeah, we were growing pretty quickly now, but a deal with R.L. Hemingway’s? That would blow us out of the water, and they knew that. Which meant they would try to lowball us. And they tried. But Cian had prepared me for this part already. We went back and forth until we reached an agreement, and her lawyers were to draft up a contract later that week for us to sign.
“Very impressive, Nova.” Viviette stood and shook my hand. “You have a wonderful team of people behind you, and I look forward to a dynamic partnership between our brands.”
The four of us waited at the elevator bank as Viviette waved goodbye, her team of executives running after her as she walked down the hall like she didn’t have a care in the world.
“Whew, that was intense.” Sophie chuckled. “You were so badass, Nova, the way you negotiated with her.”
I snort-laughed at the admiration in her tone. “That was all Cian talking through me, Soph.” I piled into the elevator behind them and pressed the floor to the lobby.
It had been my first time in New York, and I had been looking forward to being a tourist and checking out all the great restaurants and sights, but Cian had insisted we take the jet back as soon as the meeting was over. A part of me wanted to rebel, to go out on the town and have a few drinks, but I knew he was right. With Ryzen out there on the loose still, nowhere was safe.
The elevator jerked to a sudden stop halfway down, and my heart slammed against my chest.
“Uh, guys.” Owen wiped his forehead. “I think it’s stuck.”
Juliet reached over and jammed her thumb against the button for the lobby floor, but the elevator wouldn’t move. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to control my breathing. Fucking hell, not again. Visions of the first time I’d met Ryzen in the stalled elevator at Goodacre Estates flooded my mind, and the hair on my arms stood up.
Sophie pulled out her phone and held it up over her head. “I can’t get any bars in here.”
“Oh, man, I hate tight spaces.” Valik’s face paled, and he loosened his tie.
Everyone started talking at once, making my head spin. Of all the days, why did this have to happen today?
“Nova, are you all right?” Juliet furrowed her brow and grabbed my shoulders.
