CHAPTER EIGHTEEN #3
Derek nodded. “I think we’d be foolish not to consider the possibility.”
Nova cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention back to her.
“I was also able to gain access to the key card system, and it appears that Brett spends a lot of time on Platform Three,” Nova said. “Most of the timestamps on his key card show he goes there mostly late at night.”
Snow turned toward Nova. This was huge. But he was curious how she discovered all of this.
Before he could ask, Duke muttered, “It would be real nice if we could get someone on Platform Three.”
Nova grinned, then reached into her bag, withdrew a keycard, and held it out to Snow.
He stared at it. “What is that?”
“Your ticket to Platform Three,” she said. “It is listed under maintenance access. I didn’t want to tie it to your key card in case Brett is monitoring your whereabouts. So, I made a new card.
Snow took the card, turning it over in his fingers. He was genuinely floored. “How the hell did you get all of this?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. It was a tell of hers that he had started to recognize.
“Nova. What did you do?”
“I might have broken into Brett’s office,” she said, looking at him.
“You did what? How? He locks that office like it’s Fort Knox.”
“True.” A faint, almost guilty smile crossed her face. “However, I used my new lock-picking skills.”
Everyone was silent and staring at Nova. Then Jay Bird barked out a laugh. “I told you that kit would come in handy.”
Nova turned toward the screen and smiled. “You did. And thank you, Jay Bird.”
Bear choked on his coffee. “You seriously picked a lock to get into Brett’s office?”
“Yup, though I’ll admit, I was like a nervous Nelly. I was so afraid that I was going to get caught.”
“She’s got fast hands,” Jay Bird said, grinning like a proud older brother.
“Sir, I think we need to recruit Nova for a permanent spot on our team,” Duke stated, and the others all agreed, including Snow.
Derek grinned. “I’m impressed, Nova. Good work.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Nova said, a slight flush appearing in her cheeks.
Looking at her, Snow felt something deep in his chest. She had broken into a suspect’s office and had stolen access credentials. She had handed him the keys to the kingdom with the same casual confidence she had used to pass the salt.
He should have been furious. He should have been terrified for her safety. Instead, all he could think was how incredibly brave she had been.
She hadn’t done it for the thrill, or to prove herself.
She had done it because she believed it would help the mission, and she had trusted her instincts enough to act when the opportunity presented itself.
It had been risky, and borderline reckless.
But there wasn’t a selfish bone in the decision.
She had put herself in harm’s way for people she had only known for a week.
He had admired her before, but hell, now he was downright proud of her.
It wasn’t just the evidence she had uncovered that impressed him. It was the quiet courage it had taken to walk into a locked office knowing she could be caught at any second, and then document everything before slipping back out unnoticed.
His gaze lingered on her a second longer than it should have.
You’re going to be the death of me, Nova Hart.
A powerful urge hit him out of nowhere, one so unexpected it nearly stole his train of thought. He wanted to lean toward her, cup her face, and kiss her senseless.
Not because she had cracked the case wide open but because she had once again reminded him that courage didn’t always come wrapped in body armor or carry a rifle. Sometimes it came in the form of a corporate attorney who refused to let fear dictate her next move.
Damn, he wanted her so damn badly it was becoming harder and harder to remember why waiting until this mission was over was the right thing to do.
Snow forced himself to focus as Derek began outlining their next steps. He listened and contributed where he could, but his attention kept drifting to Nova beside him.
She had her phone out and was scrolling through her text messages. Then she stopped.
“What the fuck?” Her words cracked through the room like a gunshot. Every face on the screen went still, and even Derek stopped mid-sentence.
Snow turned to her immediately. “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes stayed locked on the phone. When she finally looked up, Snow felt his gut clench.
Her eyes were glassy, shimmering with tears that she was clearly fighting to hold back. He had seen several sides of Nova, but he had never seen her like this, like she was so close to falling apart.
“Excuse me,” she whispered as she stood up. “I need to make a call.”
She was out the door before anyone could respond.
The silence stretched. Then Bear’s voice came through the screen. “What the hell was that about?”
Snow stared at the door that Nova disappeared through, his jaw tight. Every instinct screamed at him to follow her. “I don’t know. But as soon as we are finished here, I intend to find out.”