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All he saw—all he could see—was the large mound of her stomach that preceded her out the door. The PI held the door for her and he didn’t miss the way the bastard looked at his woman.
And for the first time in five months, Ferdy had an idea of just why Nova had run.
* * *
Once again, Nova was forced to consider another facet of Nikolas’s life she hadn’t expected. This whole job with Selina Barnes Colton had her wondering about the realities of his work.
He’d proven himself to be a good guy. She didn’t question that.
Not one single bit.
But his job did involve a strange, shadowy place she still couldn’t fully understand. Nor could she fully comprehend how he seemed more than comfortable with living and working in those shadows. Which, she acknowledged to herself, was a bit hypocritical, based on her history with Ferdy.
But this wasn’t about her. It was about Nikolas and whether or not she was comfortable with his choices.
“You’re quiet. Everything okay?” Nikolas had helped her into the car and then come around to his own side. It was only now, as he started the car, that Nova realized just how loud her thoughts felt, closed up in such a small space.
“I’m thinking.”
He smiled, but even from just looking at his profile as he pulled out of his parking space and navigated the traffic, she could see that it didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ve been thinking ever since Selina showed up.”
“You said the reason you didn’t tell her who I was is because it’s not any of her business.”
“Because it isn’t.”
She’d been thinking about it since the woman came screeching into Nikolas’s office, seeking answers.
“Did you mean what you told her? That you wanted the truth?”
“T
hat’s my only goal. I don’t take on cases to hurt people or to ruin their lives.”
“But what if that’s a by-product?”
The drive through Mustang Valley didn’t take long and they were nearly to Nikolas’s condo. “Is that what you really think of me?”
“No, I don’t. And that’s the problem. I’m trying to reconcile the man I’ve come to know with the private investigator who takes on cases for horrible people.”
“I’m sorry if you think Selina’s horrible but you’re going to need to get used to her. She’s part of the Colton family, no matter how hard it is to understand why Payne’s kept her around.”
“But she believes my father is guilty.”
“Which is why I’m working to find the truth. I don’t believe a planted gun is sufficient evidence that he did Payne harm.”
“And you don’t think the fact he ran is proof, either?”
“Not really. Like I told you before, I can work in the shadowy areas law enforcement can’t. I’m going to keep digging because the more time I spend on this the more I lean toward the ‘Ace Colton is innocent’ column.”
“Are you just saying that to placate me?”
“I’m saying it because I want the truth.”
Nikolas pulled into his parking spot and cut the engine. He shifted his attention fully toward her. “Nova, look, I realize that it’s something of a leap to take me at my word, but hear me out.”
“Okay.”
“I realize that my job has something of a duality in it. Right and wrong aren’t nearly as clear-cut in my world as it is in law enforcement and, as I told you before, that gives me some leeway in working my cases. What it also means is that to be the man I want to be, I can’t ever forget that.”
