CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nova glanced at her watch as she pushed herself up from the chair. Her eyes widened when she saw the time. How in the hell was it already almost six in the evening?
She was exhausted, and her brain felt as if it were going to explode from the amount of information thrown at her throughout the day.
She had started the morning at Silverman’s headquarters, sitting in a conference room with Mr. Silverman and his in-house counsel, combing through contracts, financial reports, and operational files tied to the acquisition.
Then, around noon, Harry had driven her back across town to the warehouse, and the second half of her day had somehow been even more mentally exhausting than the first half.
Derek had gone deeper into what the government was actually investigating, and hearing about the unexplained spikes of radiological material and chemicals found in the water surrounding the rig had sent a chill down her spine.
Then came the reports about the maritime incidents in the area—unexplained explosions, vessels drifting powerless offshore, people getting sick—and suddenly this entire situation felt far bigger and far more dangerous than she originally thought.
Despite the growing knot of anxiety in her stomach, Nova found herself strangely fascinated just sitting back and observing the team throughout the day.
Watching them interact and the way they prepared and analyzed every possible scenario with calm precision had given her an entirely new respect for Navy SEALs and the way they operated.
They weren’t reckless adrenaline junkies like movies made them out to be.
They were calculated, observant, and frighteningly intelligent.
Snow had spent most of the day with an actual engineer, getting a crash course on what would be expected of him in his cover position once they got out to the rig.
As Derek had put it, he was being taught how to convincingly poke around machinery without looking like he was poking around for a reason beyond machinery.
However, in the little time she got to spend with him, he had been cordial.
She wouldn’t say he was exactly friendly.
But he hadn’t been openly hostile either, which she considered progress.
At least the times she caught him looking at her, she didn’t feel like his eyes would shoot ice daggers at her.
The rest of the guys, however, seemed determined to make up for Snow’s lack of charm. They included her in discussions and even asked for her opinion at times. They did their best to make sure that she felt included.
She had to admit that they were definitely a unique bunch of men.
All of them had made her laugh at least once.
Well, except for Jay Bird. He had barely spoken three full sentences all afternoon, and somehow, he still managed to be one of the most intimidating men she had ever met.
Though he did teach her how to pick a lock, which was pretty cool, and according to all the guys, it was a good skill to have.
But right now, all Nova wanted was to get back to the hotel, grab something to eat, and collapse into bed, considering she had barely slept the night before while buried under acquisition contracts and legal reports, knowing she would be heading out to the rig tomorrow.
As she started gathering her things and putting them into her backpack, her phone pinged with a text.
“Christ on a cracker,” she mumbled to herself as she reached for the phone.
Rick and her mother had been blowing up her phone all day. Apparently, neither one liked being ignored.
When she flipped the phone over, she was shocked to see that the message was actually from her sister.
Sophia: Hey, Sis. I know you’re busy, but there is something you should see. Click on the link. But brace yourself.
Nova scrunched her eyebrows together. The phrase “brace yourself” wasn’t exactly comforting. In fact, it sent a knot of unease twisting low in her stomach. Sophia wasn’t dramatic by nature. So, if her sister sounded concerned, there was usually a reason.
Her thumb hovered over the link for half a second before she finally tapped it.
The link opened to an article from one of Salt Lake City’s largest newspapers. Right at the top was a polished campaign photo of Rick, standing in front of an American flag with his sleeves rolled up, as if he had personally built half the city with his bare hands.
Nova already knew where this was going. She skimmed through the article, her expression flattening more with every paragraph.
Dedicated public servant. Future of Utah politics. A voice for the next generation.
She actually snorted under her breath. The journalist practically wrote the piece as if Rick Montgomery were royalty.
They discussed his growing popularity among younger voters, his strong moral character, and his commitment to family values.
Nova rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. If these people only knew the truth.
Her annoyance faded slightly as she continued reading, figuring she would send Sophia some sarcastic response about Rick apparently being the second coming of Jesus. But then her eyes caught on the final paragraph near the bottom of the page, and the amusement instantly vanished.
While Mr. Montgomery has remained private about his personal life, recent rumblings in several prominent social circles suggest wedding bells may be in his future.
Sources close to the Montgomery and Hart families speculate that Mr. Montgomery and longtime girlfriend, corporate attorney Nova Hart, could be heading toward an engagement announcement in the coming weeks.
For a second, she was convinced she had misread that last paragraph. Her eyes darted back to the bottom of the article, but the words remained the same as when she had read it the first time.
What the actual fuck?
The room seemed to tilt as a wave of nausea rolled through her so suddenly that she had to sit down for a minute. Her grip tightened around the phone as she stared at the words.
The timing alone made her chest hurt. It was only a week ago that she had caught Rick screwing Piper, and now the media was out there hinting at an engagement, as if she and Rick were some perfect political power couple.
The nausea lingered, but now it was fueled by fury. That last paragraph had been strategically planted.
Her mind immediately jumped to her dad and Rick’s dad. They were trying to trap her before she had the chance to completely walk away and destroy the image they had spent years carefully building.
She couldn’t believe it. Rick had cheated on her, humiliated her, and somehow, she was still being positioned as the smiling future wife standing beside him on a campaign stage.
Thinking about her father and how he could do something like this to his own daughter brought tears to her eyes. He had no regard for her feelings. He was nothing but a selfish bastard who only looked out for himself.
He had always been a man in power, and having a son-in-law as governor would ensure he retained it.
Remembering where she was, Nova quickly wiped her eyes before any tears could fall. Now was not the time to fall apart.
She just needed to get through this first, and then she could go home and decide exactly how badly her parents would regret underestimating her.
“You okay over there?” Derek asked.
Nova looked up from her phone, only to realize everyone was looking at her. She immediately felt the blush reach her cheeks.
“Um, yeah,” she answered as she set the phone on the table beside her. “Sorry, I just got some news that caught me off guard for a second.” She offered them a small smile, hoping that it looked more convincing than it felt.
Derek gave her a look that told her that he didn’t buy her answer.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
Nova nodded firmly this time. “Positive,” she assured him.
Thankfully, nobody pressed her any further on the issue.
Bear spoke up. “We’re heading to grab dinner. Would you like to come with us?”
The offer caught Nova completely off guard.
She had only known these men for a little over twenty-four hours, and most of her interactions with them had consisted of sarcastic comments, teasing banter, or them watching her like they were still trying to figure her out.
An invite to dinner hadn’t exactly been on her bingo card for the evening.
And honestly? A small part of her wanted to say yes. For a few hours, it would be nice to sit somewhere loud and distracting and pretend her personal life wasn’t actively detonating back in Salt Lake City.
But reality came crashing back in almost immediately. She still had files to review for Mr. Silverman before she left tomorrow. Plus, she wanted to call her sister to talk about that article.
Nova offered Bear an appreciative smile as she gathered her items and put them in her bag. “Thank you for the offer, but I should probably stay behind. Mr. Silverman is expecting some paperwork from me before I head out tomorrow.”
Bear nodded easily, not pushing.
“If you change your mind, we’ll be at that sports pub down the street from the hotel,” Duke said.
“Thank you,” she said as she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
As she turned toward the door, she saw Snow was watching her. For once, there wasn’t any irritation or cold detachment in his expression. It caught her off guard enough that she hesitated for half a second before quickly looking away.
She headed for the door, her mind already shifting toward the conversation she was going to have with her sister regarding the disaster waiting for her back home.