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Marlowe had offered to come along but Nova had sent her on her way, directing her to spend time with baby Reed. Nikolas hadn’t missed their exchange and something had cratered deep inside him when he’d overheard Nova’s whispered goodbye to her aunt.
Hug him. Hold that sweet baby tight.
Those words had haunted Nikolas, proof that the morning had fundamentally altered Nova’s view of the world. Up until now, every discussion of Ferdy had been just that—discussion. But now, there was a reality that had sobered them all.
And had made it clear how dangerous he really was.
Because of that, Nikolas didn’t expect to see and hear Nova’s usual chatty countenance—and he well knew they still had to work through the implications of their argument that morning as well as the news of Ace’s paternity. Even knowing that, there was something in the wide-eyed ghost who sat beside him in the car that cut him deep.
Since the first moment she’d come into his office, Nova had radiated vibrancy and happiness She was bright and warm and in a flash of a moment, her ex had taken that away from her. He’d even taken away the joy of her learning about her father.
Ferdy’s intentions had been clear. Even if Nikolas hadn’t watched it with his own eyes, the various views on the lab’s cameras had shown it in multi-angle detail. That SUV was driven with the intention to kill Nova and her child.
Their child.
No matter how willing Nikolas was to embrace the child Nova carried as his own, the baby was biologically Ferdy’s. A fact the man was obviously unmoved by, considering his actions.
Something cold settled in Nikolas’s bones. He and Nova might have a lot to work out, and he might need more time to prove to her that his business wasn’t an obstacle between them, but he would not let anything happen to her. More than that, he had no idea what he’d do if something happened to her.
Get her settled in your office, lock the doors and you can discuss it all.
Nikolas came around to the passenger side and helped her out, observing the same zombie-like visage in place as she stepped from the car. They moved quickly but she didn’t let go of his hand and he held tight, pushing as much support as he could through touch.
In moments he had them both inside his practice, pushing through the door, then closing it and adding a firm snap of the lock. His office wasn’t big and he could see through to his inner office. Something hovered in the doorway, and his attention was drawn to it immediately.
“What is it?”
“Sit here.” He settled Nova on the sofa. “I want to look in my office. I’ll be right back and then we’ll call for some lunch.”
She took a seat, her eyes downcast and tired, and Nikolas headed for his office. The flashes he’d seen were a line of sticky notes, several attached to his doorframe. He knew they hadn’t been there before and as he moved closer to read the scratch on them he saw that there were several more, making an arrow to his desk.
Following along from the doorway to his guest chair to the top of his desk, Nikolas read the various messages. Words like Information, New York, Investigation and Details were all written, like a path leading him to his computer. And the last one had an arrow and was stuck to his laptop.
He’d followed them all, curious as to who had done this and why. Someone with answers? Someone working with Adler?
His natural determination to get answers had him moving to the chair, dropping into the seat to wake up his computer. It was only as he sat that he heard the click.
Adler stepped out from behind the door, gun in hand.
“Boom.”
Nikolas was nearly up when something registered in the words.
“I wouldn’t move if I were you. Otherwise that fancy leather chair you’re sitting on is going to leave a very large hole.”
Heart pounding, Nikolas dropped his gaze to the seat and saw the edges of something large wrapped beneath his chair.
Adler never even attempted a smile. All Nikolas could see was the steady, cold calculation deep in the man’s eyes. “It’s exactly what you think it is. And so long as you stay in that seat, it’s not going to go off.”
* * *
Nova belatedly heard the conversation, that familiar voice whipping through her with shocking force. The heaviness that had ridden her limbs since they left the lab shifted, uncoiling inside of her and moving her into action. Her immediate thought was Nikolas, followed quickly by running to get help.
But it was Nikolas’s scream that had her moving.
“Run, Nova!”
Despite the heavy, distended weight of her body, she moved. Fumbling with the lock, she felt the dead bolt give way and tugged the door open, slipping through as fast as she could. All she had to do was get someone’s attention. That thought kept her going as she pushed through the door, holding her belly as she ran, screaming for help.
