Page 57 of Requiem
He exhales hard, like he wants to argue but doesn’t have the energy for it. His shoulders sag as he drags a hand through his hair. “Fuck,” he mutters under his breath.
Yeah. That about sums it up. I watch him pace a few more steps, then stop again, his back to me this time, chest rising and falling as he tries to get a handle on himself. The progress isn’t gone…but it’s not stable, either. Recovering from something like this isn't going to be fast or easy like they show in the movies. And standing here, watching him fight his own body like this, it’s impossible not to think the same thing that’s been sitting in the back of my mind since this started:
This is going to take everything we’ve fucking got. And then some.
***
By the time I make it upstairs, the house is starting to wake up. The soft, warm kitchen lights are on. Adela is at the counter, pouring coffee into a mug, her hair tied into a perfectly messy bun. Nico is already at the dining table, laptop open, fingers moving in quick bursts as lines of code flicker across the screen. Kieran leans against the counter nearby, arms crossed, watching both of them with a casual expression.
“Morning,” I mutter, dragging a hand over the back of my neck as I step into the room.
Adela glances over her shoulder, offering a small, tired smile.
Nico doesn’t look up. “You’re up already.”
“Yeah,” I say simply.
Kieran’s gaze sharpens as he throws his shoulder-length hair into a ponytail. “How is he?”
I exhale slowly. “Rough morning. Rafe said he had a nightmare and has been in a weird mental state since.”
Adela hums under her breath, sliding a mug across the counter toward me, the scent of coffee hitting me just as I reach for it. “We’ve been digging again,” she says, nodding toward Nico. “The goddamn layers areunending.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Nico mutters, still typing. “Every time I think I’m close, something else locks down behind it. Alexei’s code is entirely reactive, the fucker. Nolan’s isn’t as hard to sift through, though. I’ve been taking that on. But Sinclair is the mastermind behind the deep shit.”
Her gaze drops, like she’s thinking.
My grip on the mug tightens. “You getting anywhere at all with it?”
“A little,” Adela says. “But not fast enough to really matter yet. Alexei’s a very powerful man. And Russia has some of the best hackers and cybergeniuses in the world.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “It’s definitely taking a lot.” A beat passes. “And his video iseverywherenow.”
I close my eyes, exhaling through my nose. “Yeah,” I say. “I know. I haven’t had social media on my phone for a while now, because I can’t deal with fans messaging me. Hell, my fucking parents have been calling me all night. They forget that they’re seven hours behind us here. I really need to call them.”
“You should,” Kieran replies. “But definitely make up your mind about what you’re going to say.”
“Comment sections are already tearing Jude boy apart,” Nico adds, eyes still focused on his screen.
My jaw tightens, but I don’t respond. Because what the hell am I supposed to say to that? I take a sip of the coffee instead, letting the heat ground me. It doesn’t do much.
Movement catches my eye. I glance toward the hallway just as Emma comes down the stairs, her steps quick, like she already knows exactly where she’s going.
The basement.
“Hey—” I start, already setting the mug down.
But she doesn’t slow.
I move fast, crossing the space and catching up to her just as she reaches the basement stairs. My hand closes gently around her arm, stopping her before she can take the first step down.
“Em,” I say, softer now.
She whirls on me, eyes searching my face. “How is he?”
“Still coming down from it,” I tell her. “He’s in his head this morning. Agitated. The meds are starting to kick in, but he’s not really settled yet.”
Her brows pull together, worry flashing across her features as she glances toward the stairs. “I just want to check on him—”
“I know,” I cut in gently. “I do. But give it a little time, okay?”
