Chapter 2 #2
Hell, my longest relationship lasted five scenes and ended with me forgetting her name at the door.
“Putting aside that I can’t use a cover at Midgard,” I said, glancing sideways at Nikos, “tell me again how seducing her helps us. If all you need is access—“
“We don’t need forever,” he cut in. “Just long enough for her to trust you. Get her to invite you back to her place. We get our program on their internal network, and you move on like you always do.”
He said it like she was just another assignment.
Which, technically, she was.
And yet.
Something about this one didn’t sit right. Maybe it was the setup. Maybe it was the way Nikos said trust you, like trust was just another lever to pull, a switch to flip. Tired of pretending detachment was the same thing as freedom, I opened my mouth to list every reason why this plan was flawed.
And that’s when I heard the familiar trio coming down the hall.
“There he is,” Colin called out, tone rich with mischief and bad intentions. “If we’d known you were that desperate, Loki, we could’ve set you up ourselves. No need to outsource your dry spell.”
Lincoln chuckled beside him—low, smooth, and just amused enough to be irritating. Zara followed a step behind, effortlessly poised, a glass in hand and the kind of smirk that said she was very much enjoying the show.
I didn’t turn to face them right away. Just closed my eyes for a long second.
And groaned.
“Jared Kane,” Colin continued, voice pure faux innocence, “caught whispering with mystery men in expensive suits.”
He clapped a hand on my shoulder as he joined us, eyes flicking toward Nikos with casual curiosity. I forced a thin smile.
“This is Nikos,” I said, the lie practiced. “Friend of mine. Met at a whiskey tasting in Edinburgh.”
Nikos lifted his glass in greeting, every inch the charming enigma.
Colin and Lincoln shook his hand, the three of them exchanging small talk while I mentally braced for whatever came next.
“You’re off duty tonight, by the way,” Colin added, his grin unapologetic. “I’m taking your monitoring shift.”
My eyes narrowed. “What?”
Lincoln gave a rare, knowing smile. “We swapped shifts. You’re free to focus on your date.”
I glanced at Nikos, who wore the expression of a man who’d engineered every piece of the board and now just waited for me to fall into place.
“You all coordinated this?” I asked, my voice low, the words heavier than they should have been.
Zara leaned in beside Colin, eyes glittering. “We thought it was time someone tied the infamous Master Loki down. Or maybe just up. Either way, we want front-row seats.”
“I don’t need matchmaking,” I muttered.
“Good,” she said, lips curving wickedly. “Because we didn’t set you up. He did.“ She nodded toward Nikos. “So, who’s the lucky masochist?”
“She’s going by Hecate,” Nikos said, smugness in full bloom. “Seems appropriate. A dark goddess to match our trickster god.”
Zara let out a delighted laugh. “Loki and Hecate? Sparks are guaranteed. Maybe she’ll hex you into staying for once.”
Colin joined in. “Or tie you to her altar. Human sacrifice to the goddess of commitment.”
I clenched my jaw. “You’re all hilarious.”
Nikos clinked his glass against mine. “I aim to please.”
I grabbed the black envelope off the bar. “We need to talk.”
He followed without protest, smooth and silent like a man who knew he’d already won.
I led him through a side corridor, past locked doors and dimly lit alcoves, until we reached a private staff office. Once inside, I shut the door behind us with a decisive click.
“Tell me this isn’t going to blow up in my face.”
Nikos dropped into a chair with maddening ease. “Only if you lose your edge.”
“I’m not built for this.” I threw the envelope onto the desk between us. “I infiltrate. I manipulate the greedy, the corrupt. Not the vulnerable. This?” I tapped the envelope. “This feels like a setup for something worse.”
“It’s an opportunity,” he said. Calm. Cold. Calculated. “You get in. You install the worm. We rip everything, bank records, arms manifests, laundering operations, straight off their internal servers. Ivan Morozov gets his legs cut out from under him.”
“And his daughter?”
He blinked. “She’s not the target. If she’s complicit, she deserves what’s coming. If not, she learns a valuable lesson about trusting strange men in dark rooms.”
I stared at him, jaw tight, mind already calculating every angle. Every risk.
Nikos stood and straightened his jacket. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep my distance. But if Master Loki isn’t enough to satisfy her”—he paused, eyes gleaming—“maybe she’ll want a real god.”
“Get out,” I said, voice like stone.
He gave a short, mocking bow and left without another word.
I sat heavily in the chair and stared at the envelope like it might bite.
Midgard wasn’t just a cover. It was home or at least, the closest thing I had to one.
Colin, Lincoln… I’d known them for over a decade.
We’ve stood side by side building this place.
Built this place beside them. They thought I was just another wealthy playboy with a taste for control and discipline.
They didn’t know what I really was.
And some days, that secret felt more like betrayal than safety.
I opened the envelope.
Polina Morozov. A face I didn’t recognize, framed in high-resolution surveillance. Pale, elegant features. Sharp eyes. Her club registration—Hecate—highlighted in bold.
I let out a long breath.
Taking down Ivan Morozov would cripple a criminal network that had evaded justice for decades. If Polina was the key, then this was the kind of play that changed the game.
Even if it meant seducing someone who might not deserve it.
Even if it meant lying with the kind of smile that made people believe it was safe to fall.
Even if it meant crossing a line I’d sworn I never would.
Because this time, the mask wouldn’t just be for her.
It would be for me, too.
And I wasn’t sure who I’d be when I finally took it off.