Chapter 23 Nova
NOVA
Tensions were high, despite the forced party atmosphere.
I wished I were anywhere but here, but after a second attempt at sabotage at the port, everyone was paranoid, and we were on temporary lockdown while my father and his cronies disappeared to investigate—aka torture information out of people.
My brother had been dragged into the whole mess, pulled from yesterday’s hockey away game right as the team was about to board the bus, and I hadn’t seen or heard from him since.
The only information I’d been given regarding any issue was a curt set of instructions from my mother sent via voice note last night, telling me not to leave the university under any circumstances and to stick close to Daniel or Anton.
We even had a couple of the Volkovs’ security men patrolling the parts of Cranham Uni that were outside the prison walls, including the hockey house, although there was no specific threat to us.
I discreetly palmed the blade hidden in the pocket of my jeans, disguised as a small comb.
To my parents, I was something weak, something in need of protecting, but I was confident that I could give any would-be attackers a shock, at least. Not that the blade would do much against a trained criminal, but I felt better having it on me.
In fact, I tried to carry a form of protection at all times, just in case.
I sent another text to my twin, scrolling past the previous ones I’d sent, all unread and unanswered.
Me:
Worried about you. Please reply when you can
When I exited out of the messaging app, my phone buzzed for the fifth time, and my breath caught in my throat.
Ryker. But when I glanced down at the display, my stomach went into freefall when I saw it was yet another text from my mother wanting to discuss wedding plans, completely ignoring my repeated questions about my twin.
I gritted my teeth, sending back a terse reply to say I’d speak to her in the morning, and then thrust my phone into the back pocket of my jeans.
“Nova. My beautiful star.” Daniel appeared in front of me, grabbing my hand and placing a loud, smacking kiss to the back of it.
“Daniel. Go away.”
“I’m wounded.” He clasped his chest, staggering backwards.
“I don’t have time for your games. Have you heard from my brother?”
“Not today.” At my stuttered inhale, his brows pulled together, his expression darkening. “It’s not like him to go this long without contact. Jay hasn’t heard from him, either.”
“Yeah. I’m worried about him. I can’t help feeling like—I don’t know. Like something’s wrong.” My lip trembled, and I bit down on it, hard.
He nodded sharply and then raised his head, his gaze focusing on the other side of the room. “Liana! Get over here!”
Liana glanced up from her position at the kitchen island, where she was mixing cocktails with Keisha and Ruby. Daniel impatiently beckoned her over, and she rolled her eyes but made her way through the crowd, carefully clutching the cocktail and three shot glasses brimming with neat vodka.
When she reached us, she placed the vodka on the windowsill and handed me and Daniel a shot glass each. “Drink up.”
Daniel pulled a face but obediently tipped his glass to his lips, shivering dramatically as the vodka went down his throat.
“Fucking gross, Li.”
She smirked, clinking her glass against mine, and we downed ours together.
The fiery burn was almost enough to distract me from the pit in my stomach, but not quite.
Nothing had managed to make it go away yet.
Not the music booming from the speakers, nor the press of bodies, nor even the mind-numbing alcohol…
Not when my brother was out there and I hadn’t heard from him, and Anton had disappeared with two of the security guys almost as soon as we’d arrived.
Something was happening.
“What do you want? Why did you call me over here?”
I blinked, tuning back into the conversation to find Liana regarding Daniel with her brows raised.
Daniel’s teasing expression disappeared. “Nova needs you,” he said bluntly, and the knot in my stomach tightened. Was I that obvious?
Liana didn’t bother with words. She took my hand, leading me through the house to the quieter dining room, which appeared to be in use as a gaming room, with a dartboard, air hockey table, and a dining table that doubled up as a pool table.
There were several people hanging out, but she led me past them all to the corner of the room where there were two ancient leather wingback chairs.
When we were seated, she leaned forwards, studying me with concern. “First of all, I want to say I’m sorry for not noticing that anything was wrong.” Reaching out, she placed a reassuring hand on my thigh. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I bit down on my lip. “Um. I don’t even know where to start.
Ryker’s been missing since yesterday, and no one will tell me anything.
Now Anton’s disappeared—not that I’m worried about him, and he told me he was going to have a word with the security guys, but I am worried it’s all connected.
And my mother keeps fucking texting me about wedding plans, as if nothing else important is happening.
She’s completely ignoring my questions about my brother. ”
“Oh, Nov. No one will say anything?”
A lump was forming in my throat, and all I could do was shake my head.
Liana squeezed my thigh gently, and I swallowed.
“Ryker is the most important person in the world to me. The only reason I haven’t made more of a big deal about this farce of a marriage, the only reason I haven’t tried to break this whole contract up, is because of him. ”
“And your well-honed preservation skills.” She glanced at me, and I knew she was remembering the times I’d come to her in tears, confiding in her and Vesper after my brother had stood up for me to both our detriment.
“If anything happened to him…” Tears stung my eyelids, and I blinked rapidly. I couldn’t let myself fall apart, not in public. The Thorpes didn’t show weakness. Not like this.
Liana swore under her breath, and then she leaned in, speaking low in my ear. “Hold on for a minute longer, babe. I’m gonna get Arson, and I’ll find us somewhere private to go, okay?”
I nodded jerkily, and she stood, disappearing from the room.
When she returned a few minutes later, and my shallow breaths were coming hard and fast as I tried to hold back the tidal wave that was threatening to drag me under, Daniel was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, she’d brought Jay with her.
His dark eyes were full of concern, intent on me as he crossed the room, completely ignoring the friends who were trying to greet him.
Despite all my efforts to hold it back, a tear spilled from my lashes. I could hear him mutter a curse under his breath, but I couldn’t make out what he said.
When he reached me, he glanced over at Liana. Dipping his head to her ear, he murmured, “Stay with her. Keep behind me. I’ll clear the way.”
Liana threaded her fingers through mine, and I rose to my feet on shaky legs.
We followed Jay through the house, up the stairs and along the landing.
He came to a stop at the door at the end of the hallway and tapped in a code on the keypad above the handle.
There was a click, and then he opened the door.
“You can stay here for as long as you need,” he told Liana. “No one will disturb you. You can lock it from the inside, and I’m the only one with the code to get in.”
“Thanks, Jay.” Releasing my hand, she hugged him quickly. He wrapped his arms around her, patting her back, before taking a step back.
“No problem. I’ll leave you to it.”
Another tear fell, and even though I knew it was selfish, even though I knew we needed to stay away from each other, I wanted that too. “Jay? C-can you stay? Please.”
My vision was blurring, but I caught the way Jay and Liana exchanged shocked glances. Shit.
“Is— Are you sure that’s what you want?” Liana said slowly, giving Jay a wary look.
Swiping away the tears that had spilled, I nodded jerkily. “Please. I need…”
Jay’s eyes widened even further as I implored him with my gaze. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. I can stay.” There was a rasp to his voice that sent a warm shiver through me, despite myself, and I took a trembling breath.
“Can you? Please.” I didn’t even need to articulate the words properly before he was wrapping his arms around me.
Safe.
For the first time today, I felt safe.
He steered me over to his bed, climbing on and arranging me in his lap when it became clear that I wasn’t going to let go of him.
One of his hands stroked through the length of my hair in a gentle, repetitive movement, and as I curled into his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat against my ear, I exhaled properly.
“I think I’ve missed something here,” Liana said eventually. “I thought you two hated each other.”
I lifted my head to take in her expression—confusion, maybe even a little bit of hurt. I wanted to make it right, but I didn’t know what to say. “Lia. I-I—”
“It’s okay, princess,” Jay murmured.
Princess. A tiny smile tugged at my mouth, and Liana gasped. “Someone had better start talking, right now.”
Jay shook his head, his gaze sliding from her back to mine. “We have more important things to worry about right now. Do you wanna talk about it?”