27. Evren
Evren
S ince Nina confronted her mom a few days ago and filed a restraining order, I’ve been working from home, tethered to the edge of my nerves. I glance at the clock for the hundredth time today. She’s holding up, but I can’t shake the gnawing worry that this is only the calm before the storm.
The doorbell jolts me out of my thoughts, and a second later, Elodie sweeps into the kitchen, her movements brisk and focused. She’s been a constant presence these past few days, a steadying force for Nina when I can’t be.
“Hey,” she says, holding out an envelope. “This was in your mailbox.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking the envelope from her. “Nina’s upstairs. She’ll be down in a minute.”
“That’s fine,” Elodie says, hesitating just enough to catch my attention. “I actually came to talk to you. ”
“About what?”
Elodie glances at the kitchen door, then back at me, her gaze sharpening. “Quincy.”
A strange, sick feeling punches through my chest. Out of all the things I expected, this wasn’t one of them. I pivot to face her fully. “What about him?”
Elodie shifts, a flicker of worry crossing her face. “Listen, what I’m about to tell you...could get a lot of people in trouble. But you need to know.”
“Go on.”
She leans in, the edges of her voice tinged with urgency. “Another team approached him with an offer. Hunter’s worried Quincy might actually be considering it.”
The room spins, just for a second, and I plant my hand on the counter to steady myself.
Quincy? The one player I thought was unshakable?
The idea of him leaving feels like a blow to the gut.
Worse than that—if a team has approached him, it’s a clear violation of tampering regulations since he’s still got two years on his contract.
“What team?” I force out.
Elodie winces, and I know the answer before she even says it. “Nova.”
A curse burns the back of my tongue. Nova. The same team Mert’s been cozying up to. The air feels too thin, like the room is pressing in from all sides. I can’t lose one of my best players. He’s the glue that binds us all together .
“Thank you for telling me,” I say slowly, still digesting everything.
Elodie’s hands twist together. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. I just thought you should know… But maybe—God, can you just pretend I didn’t say anything?”
“Say anything about what?” Nina’s voice cuts through the tension, clear and curious. She’s standing at the threshold, her hair damp and gaze narrowing as she takes in Elodie and me.
“Another team is trying to poach Quincy,” I tell her, not bothering to temper the frustration in my voice. “Nova, specifically.”
“The team Mert’s been meeting with?” Nina asks.
I nod and Elodie asks, “Who’s Mert?”
While Nina fills in Elodie about who Mert is, I look down at the envelope Elodie brought. A suspicion sparks through my haze of anger. I tear at the edge, revealing photos that send my pulse hammering.
Zeki. With Mert. At a café. The timestamp blazes at the bottom, marking the exact time when Nina and I were in Izmir.
Doubt churns like a storm. Every certainty I had about Zeki is now slippery and uncertain.
It all fits together too perfectly: Zeki’s sudden appearance, his interest in my work, the abrupt end to his carefree lifestyle.
What if this isn’t just Mert’s ambition, but Zeki’s too.
Maybe they shared the blackmail payoff, divided up the loyalty they betrayed?—
“Evren?” Nina’s voice, sharper now, pulls me back. “What is it?”
I push the photos into her hands, bile rising as I try to steady the tremor in my chest. “That’s Mert and Zeki.”
Nina’s expression shifts from shock to a cold, simmering rage. “I’m sure there’s an explanation,” she says, unconvinced.
I meet her gaze. My voice stripped raw. “But what if there isn’t?”
“Then Zeki better be prepared for the consequences,” she says. “Because if he’s behind this, he’s going to know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of my wrath.”
Knowing that Nina is by my side, fierce and unwavering, fills the hollow ache in my chest. I’m not alone in this fight, and for a moment, that’s enough to keep the anger from breaking me apart.
Zeki arrives at the house thirty minutes later, the tension in the air so thick it’s hard to breathe.
Elodie has already made her hurried goodbyes, her worried gaze lingering on Nina and me as we promised to keep her updated.
Now, the silence is punctuated only by the rhythmic tick of the kitchen clock, each second stretching out unbearably.
The front door opens, and Zeki’s footsteps echo down the hallway before he strides into the kitchen, his face curious, almost carefree. “What’s the emergency?” he jokes, only to stop when he spots us. His brows knit, a hint of unease tightening his features. “Who died?”
“No one,” I say, the word weighted, bitter. I stand and push the photos across the table toward him.
The color drains from his face as he takes in the photos. His gaze snaps to mine, and there’s a flicker of panic. “I can explain.”
Nina steps forward, her voice a sharp cut through the quiet. “Are you working with him?”
“No,” Zeki says, the denial immediate but strained.
“It’s not like that. At all.” He takes a shaky breath, and for the first time, I see something raw, exposed in him.
“For the past couple of weeks, Mert’s been relentless.
He wanted to meet up and kept pushing. I talked it over with Nate, and he suggested I go along with it—wear a wire and get to the bottom of whatever he’s planning.
Mert’s trying to turn me against you, Evren.
He wanted me to feed him information about the Sentinels. ”
The words twist like a knife in my gut. I try to mask the surge of betrayal, the disbelief that my brother could be dragged into this mess, but it’s Nina who steps into the silence, gaze narrowed and fierce. “And did you?” she demands. “Tell me you told him to fuck right off with that request.”
A muscle pulses in Zeki’s jaw. “I didn’t. I fed him false information, things that sound convincing but don’t add up. Nate and I are working with the lawyers to see if there’s enough to press charges. If not…I’ll meet with him again. ”
The room seems to contract, the space too small to contain the maelstrom of emotions clawing inside me. He’s trying to help? To gather evidence against Mert?
“You’d do that?” My voice cracks, the vulnerability sharp and unfamiliar. “For me?”
Zeki’s expression softens. “Of course. You’re my brother. You’ve protected me my whole life, even when I didn’t deserve it. Now it’s my turn to protect you.”
The weight of his words sinks in, crashing over me with the force of a wave. Memories of sleepless nights worrying about him, arguments that cut deeper than they should have, moments of brotherly silence that spoke more than words ever could—they all rush back in a blinding torrent.
And I know, deep down, that he’s telling the truth. The resolute set of his jaw, the way he’s here, laying everything out in front of me without hesitation—this isn’t deceit. This is loyalty.
The tight band around my chest loosens slightly, and before I can stop myself, I step forward and pull him into a brief, fierce hug. Zeki stiffens at first, then relaxes. I hug Zeki, a real hug, for the first time.
“Thank you,” I say, holding him tight. “It’s an honor to call myself your brother. I know I don’t say this often, and I’m sorry for that, but I love you.”
Zeki’s arms tighten around me. “I love you, too.”
We stay like that for a few moments before Zeki pulls back and says, “Let’s take him down. Together. ”
“Agreed,” Nina says, voice fierce and unyielding. “It’s time to end Mert.”
For the first time in days, I feel the spark of hope—fragile but real. And with Nina and Zeki by my side, I know we can weather whatever comes next.
The air in the bar crackles with tension as we step inside.
Nate informed us that Mert’s in town and it’s time for some answers.
Mert sits in the back corner, half hidden in the dim lighting, nursing a drink.
His gaze widens when he spots Nina and me, but he doesn’t bolt.
It’s almost like he’s been waiting for this.
Nate thought it best if Zeki didn’t come, to not show his hand.
“Mert,” I say, my voice low and steady, masking the storm brewing inside me. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
He leans back, his posture casual, but I catch the tic of a muscle in his jaw. “Evren. Always a pleasure. Here for a drink or something more…personal?”
“Why are you here?” I ask.
He chuckles, a dry, humorless sound. “I didn’t realize my movements warranted such attention. What’s this, a reunion?” He sips his drink, gaze flitting between Nina and me with calculated boredom.
“Why?” It’s a simple question, but it holds the weight of weeks of sabotage, betrayal, and sleepless nights.
“Why what?” Mert asks.
“Why everything ?” The words grind out of me, heavy with anger and disbelief. “The blackmail, the tampering, the rumors—was it all just to line your pockets?”
He scoffs, gaze narrowing with bitterness.
“Debt, Evren. I was in debt, all right? But you wouldn’t understand that.
With your perfect career and your perfect team, you think you deserve everything.
News flash—I was the one who had the ideas back when we started.
I just didn’t have the connections or the luck. You didn’t deserve it, I did.”
His voice rises, drawing a few curious glances from the other patrons. He doesn’t seem to care. He’s unraveling, the mask slipping to reveal the petulance underneath. He’s always reached for what others have achieved instead of creating anything himself.
I glance at Nina, whose expression is unreadable, her sharp gaze flickering over Mert like she’s dissecting every word, searching for cracks.
“And Quincy?” she asks. “Is that why you’re here now?”