Page 115 of Crossing Lines

“Why don’t you ask your father that question?” Zeki asks gently.

Ben turns to Mick and says, “Dad?”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Mick says, crossing his arms.

“I beg to differ,” I say. “You can’t hide from the truth forever. Nina’s your daughter, Mick. You can’t keep denying that or her.”

Ben opens his mouth and closes it multiple times. “I have a sister?”

“No,” Mick says. “Nina isn’t related to me.”

“She is,” I press. “And if no one is pulling your strings, then I’m starting to wonder if you’re insisting on the jacket to hurt Nina somehow. Or to make money off her even though she’s lived in squalor her entire life because you refused to pay child support.”

“She has?” Ben whispers, still in shock if his pale faceis anything to go by. His reaction confirms that he had no idea.

“Who cares what my motivation is?” Mick demands. “Using Stella as the face of the brand is just business. I’m sure you understand.”

“I would understand,” I say, “if you approached Stella directly with this and didn’t try to go through me. What do you have against Nina?”

“She’s disloyal.” Mick sneers. “She’s applied to work for other teams, so why would I want her on the project? Her designs aren’t unique if the other teams are using them.”

“What the hell are you talking about? She only works for the Sentinels.”

“You sure about that?” he asks. “Because she has an interview with the team in New York next Tuesday.”

“Oh really?” I huff in disbelief. “And if that’s true, how would you even know this?”

Mick pauses for a beat, as if debating if he should talk or not.

“The time for lies is over,” I say.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on her.” Mick spits the words out, as if pained to admit that fact. “Wanted to make sure she never came crawling to me, begging me for money. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and her whore of a mother?—”

Rage surges through me, hot and unforgiving, at the way he’s speaking about Nina. My grip tightens on my pen.

“The deal is off,” I say, each word razor sharp as I cut the call. The silence that follows rings in my ears, a battle between the urge to lash out and the restraint I cling to by a thread. Every insult, every biting retort I want to hurl at Mick gets swallowed back, trapped behind clenched teeth. I can’t risk giving anyone more ammunition against me—not when everything teeters on the edge. But the raw, gnawing need to defend Nina simmers beneath the surface, a promise that this isn’t over.

“Well,” Zeki says. “That’s one way to solve our sponsorship problem.”

“Fuck!” I shout. “I hate that guy.”

“You and me both, but you know he’s lying about Nina, right?”

“I know she’s not working against me. I do know that. But he sounded honest about her meeting with another team.”

“Ehh, he’s probably just lashing out because you backed him into a corner and told his secret.”

“Do you think he’s working with Harold?” I ask, needing to push aside my questions for when I see Nina.

“Definitely not. He’s too egotistical to listen to anyone else. No, this is personal, and all related to Nina.”

“And Ben?”

“There’s hope, especially as he put his foot down about the jacket. I think in the next couple days we’ll be able to tell where he really stands.”

“But that still leaves me without a sponsor.” I sigh. “I…failed.”

“You didn’t.” Zeki places his hand on my back. “Once we fix the Harold issue, everything will open up. You’ll see.”

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