Chapter 4

Nova's POV

I knew I was faster. I could have pulled the trigger and ended Cairos Veyne before he could even blink, but the room was too exposed. Despite the dim lighting, too many people had seen my face tonight. I needed a clean exit, and a shootout in the middle of a five-star dining room wasn't the way to get it.

Then, my ears picked up a sound that didn't belong. Over the soft jazz playing through the speakers, I heard the synchronized thud of multiple footsteps. It sounded like people who were here for serious business.

I took a quick scan of the room and realized with a jolt that the restaurant had emptied out. I’d been so focused on the man across from me that I hadn't even noticed the people around us leaving.

Were they cleared out? It was the only thing that made sense.

Seven men sauntered through the middle of the restaurant. They were big, broad-shouldered and solid. They wore simple black nose masks. In Monaco, a mask like that wouldn't necessarily draw a second glance from a passerby, but seven of them entering a posh restaurant together? That was not a coincidence.

"Damn," Cairos muttered opposite me. His voice was bitter, the flirtatious edge completely gone. "Is this your backup plan?"

"Believe it or not," I whispered, my eyes darting between the men, "no. Someone must want one of us dead enough that they sent a cleanup crew in case the job isn't done."

The men were fanning out, cutting off the exits. They walked with a posture that screamed military training. They weren't here to talk or negotiate; they were here to get rid of us.

I felt a surge of fury. Nobody was taking my kill from me. If Cairos was going to die, it was going to be by my hand so I could collect my four million. These newcomers could fuck off back to wherever they came from.

"Let's try to leave the restaurant and see what happens then," I told him quietly.

I stood up calmly, smoothing my jacket. I waited for Cairos to do the same, both of us trying to look like a couple just ending their date. We started to stride toward the main exit, maintaining a natural pace. We’d only gone a few steps when I heard the whistling slice of a blade cutting through the air.

I dropped to the floor instantly, grabbing Cairos’ arm and pulling him down with me. A split second later, a hunting knife embedded itself into the wooden pillar right above where my head had been. The wood groaned under the force of the impact.

"So much for a quiet exit," I hissed. I looked at Cairos, who was already crouched and ready. "Look, you can try to kill me later, but we need to get rid of these guys first. Are you in or out?"

Before he could even answer, the room exploded. Bullets shattered the wine glasses on a nearby table, raining shards of crystal down on us. Cairos didn't hesitate. He rolled away with surprising speed, grabbed a wooden chair, and launched it at the nearest shooter. The chair hit the man square in the chest, knocking him backward into a wall with a sickening thud. He didn't get back up.

Cairos was already moving, sprinting toward another man who was drawing a long dagger.

"Alright," I muttered, drawing my own pistol. "I guess that means he's in."

I didn't want to use my gun if I could help it because the noise would bring the police eventually but I didn't have much choice. I vaulted over a table, using the momentum to deliver a spinning kick to a man’s temple. He stumbled, but he was tough. He roared and rammed into me, his shoulder catching me in the ribs.

The air left my lungs in a painful rush. I hit the floor hard, but I didn't stay down. As he reached for his belt, I pulled a small blade out and drove it into his shoulder, then followed up with a quick strike to his thigh. He let out a strangled cry and collapsed, clutching his leg. That should keep him down.

I sensed movement to my left and ducked just as a fist whistled over my head. I surged upward, delivering three quick punches to his abdomen and jaw. Before he could recover, I swung the butt of my gun into the side of his head. He went limp.

I glanced over at Cairos. He was hand-sparring with a guy who clearly knew what he was doing, but Cairos was winning. He was deadly fast. He disarmed the man with a brutal twist of the wrist and sent him sprawling.

Three more left. One was leveling a suppressed submachine gun at Cairos’ back so I quickly reached up, plucked the knife that was still stuck in the pillar above me, and threw it. It buried itself in the shooter’s forearm. He shrieked, dropping the weapon as his hand went useless.

Cairos didn't miss a beat. He finished his opponent with a final blow and turned just as the last man reached for a grenade or some kind of device. I guess Cairos doesn't take any chances because he pulled his own weapon and fired a single shot into the man's abdomen. The shooter dropped like a sack of beans, the device rolling harmlessly away.

The silence that followed was heavy and smelled of gunpowder. It was eerie how no staff members had come out to check on the noise. It confirmed my suspicion that the place was compromised.

I looked around at the wreckage. Broken glass, overturned tables, and bodies groaning on the floor. I’d lived my whole life being careful, staying undetected and unnoticed. This mess was the opposite of everything I stood for.

Then a bitter thought hit me. Would I even be paid for killing Cairos now?

If the person who hired me was the one who sent a hit squad without caring if I died in the scuffle, the chances of them actually depositing four million into my account were zero. I had been played. I was probably a loose end they wanted to snip off.

I felt a hot wave of anger. I didn't like being used, and I definitely didn't like being a target. I was going to find whoever set this up and make them regret ever hearing the name Nova Dion.

I turned and walked angrily toward the exit, not looking back. I could hear footsteps behind me. I stopped and whirled around.

Cairos was right there, following me.

"Why the hell are you following me?" I snapped.

He shrugged, though his eyes were still scanning our surroundings. "We have a common problem now, Dion. Whoever sent those men most likely wants us both dead. In my experience, it’s easier to find the source when you have two sets of eyes."

"I don't do partners," I said, though the conviction in my voice was wavering.

"Neither do I," he replied, a grim smile crossing his face. "But I think we can make an exception for tonight."

I stared at him for a long moment. I didn't trust him—not even a little bit. He was still the man I was supposed to kill, and he was still the man sent to kill me. I wonder if my anonymous contractor was also the one who sent him here in the first place to kill me. That changes a lot of things. But he was right. We were now being hunted by the same bastard.

"Fine," I said, turning back to the door. "We hide away and figure this out. But you try anything, and we’ll finish what was started at the dinner table."

"Fair enough," Cairos said.

We stepped out into the cool night air together.