Page 66 of Nova Academy

‘Yes, sir. But he didn’t instigate it. He was approached by Cadet Christianson and his cohort of followers,’ he informed me.

‘Shit,’ I swore under my breath. ‘What happened?’

‘Mercer’s team and his friends guarded him the best they could, but threats were made. The younger Christianson is taking the rumours to heart and is now gunning for Hastings and Mercer.’

‘Was there a physical altercation or did it remain verbal?

‘No blows. Just some exchanged words.’

‘This is going to make things more difficult with the investigation,’ I surmised. ‘Do you have anything on that, yet?’

‘No, sir. Nothing we don’t already know.’

‘That’s not the news I wanted to hear today, Corporal.’

‘I’ll keep digging, sir.’

‘Bring me something useful next time please. I’m sick of the bad news.’

‘I’ll do my best, sir,’ was his last reply before the call cut out.

‘How do we keep Arty safe, Xan? The Christiansons will destroy him before he can even get his footing,’ Addy supplied as soon asthe beep sounded to indicate the end of the call.

‘We keep doing what we’re doing. I have his instructors keeping an eye on him and the rest of his team. Ituk and his team are there to help prevent anything physical as an additional protective measure. It will only end when I find and apprehend the unsub.’

‘But can’t you pull him from classes and keep him away from it all? Xander, I’m worried. If this escalates, it could be more than an angry brother that comes after him…’

‘I won’t let that happen, my love. I swear, I will do everything in my power to catch this bastard and clear Hastings’ name once and for all.’

Her short arms wrapped around my waist and she rested her head against my chest, seeking comfort. ‘I don’t want him to get hurt. How do we know it’s enough?’

I held her close, seeking my own comfort from her presence. ‘It’ll have to be.’

CHAPTER 29

Artemis

The situation was rapidly devolving. I didn’t understand how anyone could look at Reece and see someone capable of assaulting anyone, but that seemed to be the case. He was being framed, and despite the evidence pointing away from him, he was still being held accountable for somebody else’s actions. Actions that did not match up to the kind, compassionate man I had come to know.

I wasn’t under any illusions that I knew everything there was to know about him. He was still practically a stranger. I didn’t even know his favourite colour, let alone anything about his past. I had gathered from the confrontation earlier that day that he and the victim’s brother were familiar with each other before enrolling at Nova Academy, and that it was an acquaintanceship fraught with tension and negativity that stemmed quite clearly from Tarren. His purist views were loud and obnoxiously unapologetic, and he seemed to think he could get his way regardless of the circumstances.

I didn’t think he realised that he could not simply decide who it was that hurt his sister. There was no pinning it on someone else when there was physical evidence to prove it wasn’t them. It was absurd.

But I also understood it. His sister clearly meant a lot to him, and he was ready to go to war for her. I admired that much about him, at the very least. However, it did not excuse his behaviour.

I had originally planned to ignore the situation, to follow along when necessary in regard to the investigation and wait until it all blew over, but this was now getting out of hand. This mission was quickly becoming further and further out of my control,and I needed to get some of that control back before I lost my opportunity completely. As it was, I was already speeding up my attempts. I needed to be careful or I was going to be discovered by someone more than Addy.

Bromm was a close call. Reece was watching me far too intently. The captain was suspicious of my intentions regarding Addy. I felt as if I were barely holding on by a thread, and that threat was about to snap at any moment and I’d end up drifting endlessly through the vast expanse of space. I needed an anchor.

The obvious choice would have been Adara. She already knew some of my secrets and enough of my past to want to help, and her adamant determination to assist me would have made her perfect for the position. But could I really do that to her? I did not want to involve her unnecessarily. I was planning to make up things for her to do to keep her busy and away from The Program recruiter’s radar.

But if I let her take role, would that cause more problems than solutions?

I figured that was a situation where we wouldn’t know until we tried, and I wasn’t ready to risk her like that. She was sweet and kind, and her care for me was genuine and stronger than I thought possible after not even two weeks of acquaintanceship.

She was a wild card, especially with her connection to the captain. He wore his feelings for her on his sleeve. I could use that to my advantage in the future if I played my cards right. Was I ready to give that up so soon?

No, I wasn’t.

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