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Nova’s fingers traced her mother’s handwriting, a gesture so tender it made my chest ache.“She was close.So close to exposing all of it.”
We worked methodically through the evidence, connecting payments to specific cases, identifying key players in the trafficking network.Judge Harmon and Deputy Chief Wallace were just the visible faces of a system that ran deeper than either of us had imagined.The sheriff himself appeared in several transactions.Three county commissioners.The district attorney’s brother-in-law.
Despite her exhaustion and injury, Nova’s mind remained sharp, connecting dots others might have taken days to see.Her intelligence, her focus, her sheer determination -- all of it impressed me in a way few things had.
“You’re amazing.”The words escaped before I could filter them.
She looked up, surprise written across her features.“What?”
“This.”I gestured to the organized evidence, the connections she’d made.“The way you’ve pursued this, even with people trying to kill you.Even with the club trying to shut you down.You never wavered.”
A flush crept up her neck, visible even in the dim light.“I’ve been terrified the whole time.Every step, every discovery -- I’ve been scared out of my mind.”Her gaze met mine, vulnerability and strength coexisting in their hazel depths.“I’ve just gotten good at hiding it.”
“Fear doesn’t make you weak.Acting despite it makes you strong.”
Her hand found mine across the workbench, her fingers small but steady as they twined with mine.“I’ve never had anyone stand by me like this.Not since my parents died.Everyone else either wanted me to let it go or tried to handle it for me.”
I looked down at our interlaced fingers, her delicate hand in my larger one, and felt something shift inside me -- something fundamental, like tectonic plates realigning.“I’ve never defied the club for anyone before.Never even considered it.”
The truth of that statement hung between us, weighty with implications neither of us was ready to fully acknowledge.Nova’s gaze searched mine in the dim light, asking questions we didn’t have time to answer.
“What happens now?”
I ran through our options, and every one of them looked bad.We had the evidence but nowhere safe to stash it.Local authorities already played dirty.Federal agencies would drag their feet before lifting a finger.And the club…
“We go back.We take this to the President.Even though he’s likely had Wire and his family working on this stuff, I don’t know that he’d have found this yet.”
Nova’s eyebrows rose.“After you defied direct orders?After we both ran?”
“Because of that.This evidence is too important to hide.Too many lives are in jeopardy.”I squeezed her hand gently.“Your mother died trying to expose this.We owe it to her to finish what she started, through proper channels if possible.That’s the only way we can show the world she was murdered.”
“The club will be furious with you.”Her brow creased in concern.
“Probably.”I found a strange calm in the certainty of facing consequences.“I broke my oath to them.Disobeyed direct orders.Left without permission.”
“Because of me.”Guilt flashed across her features.
I shook my head.“Because it was right.”My thumb traced small circles on the back of her hand.“Some promises matter more than others.Some oaths run deeper than ink and blood.”
In the silence that followed, we shared an understanding, a connection forged in danger and purpose.Nova’s eyes held mine, steady and clear despite everything we’d faced.Everything we still had to face.
“If we do this, we do it together.I won’t let you face them alone.”
I nodded, unexpected warmth spreading through my chest at her words.“Together.”
We gathered the evidence, organizing it for transport, our movements falling into sync without a word.I slipped the flash drive into the inner pocket of my jacket.We photographed the evidence with our phones, backing up everything we could.Nova tucked the most damning paper evidence into her messenger bag.I searched the area for something to hold the rest of it.There was a chance we’d have to leave it behind.
As I helped Nova stand, testing her weight on her injured ankle, I studied her face -- the intelligence in her eyes and the stubborn tilt of her chin that had drawn me from the start.In the short time I’d known her, she’d upended everything I thought I understood about loyalty, about purpose, about what I was capable of risking.
“Ready?”I offered my arm for support.
She nodded, slipping her arm around my waist instead, pressing against my side in a way that felt like trust made physical.“As I’ll ever be.”
Some battles demanded a fight, even when victory never came guaranteed.Some people deserved that fight, even when the cost stripped away everything I’d built.Whatever waited at the compound -- punishment, exile, or reluctant acceptance -- we would face it together, carrying evidence no one could ignore and a truth that demanded justice.
For Mary-Jane Treemont.For the missing girls.For Nova.
And maybe, just a little, for myself.
