Page 86 of Crossed By the Stars

I lose my rhythm, lose my soul.”

Performed by MØ

Written by Emenike / Parmenius / Bao / Ørsted

Leaving Jada in her father’s officewasthe hardest thing I’d ever done in my life. I’d left her many times before and hated myself for every one of them. Even knowing that I was leaving her only to follow behind didn’t make this time any easier. If anything, it made it worse because I knew she was in danger, knew there were things she hadn’t been able to tell me. She’d barely been able to risk the signals.

Go but follow.

I love you.

You have my heart.

Signals we’d somehow burnt into each other’s souls in a matter of days, locked away at Vanya’s cottage. Signals that we’d never dared to send to each other before.

She’d needed me to keep my wits about me.

She’d needed me to leave.

She’d looked beautiful in the traditional dress of her family but so unJada-like that it was almost painful. She was tired. The dark circles under her eyes had returned in just a few hours since she’d been taken at knifepoint.

Cillian’s eyes widened as he saw me approach the elevator where he was being guarded by six men in suits with guns. Odds that not even he would have been able to fight. Relief and remorse coated his face.

Neither of us said anything in the elevator. My knee throbbed, screaming at me from my attempt at not showing weakness while in the snake’s nest.

We didn’t say anything until we were well clear of the entrance of Mori Enterprises.

“She signaled me. Wants us to follow her. She doesn’t have the bracelet anymore.”

Cillian swore under his breath.

“We’ve got to get coverage on every possible exit from the building,” I said, “but it’s obvious where she’s going.”

Cillian looked expectant.

“The tea ceremony.”

He hesitated before nodding in agreement. “Do we know who will be there?”

I shook my head. “No, but I don’t think the plan is to kill her in front of an audience. This has to have something to do with the power play going on with her father. I have no idea why he needs Jada there, but he said she had a job to do.”

“Her price for freedom?”

I shrugged, heart lodging itself in my throat. I hoped. I hoped that it would be that simple, but somehow, I doubted it. Her father’s words echoed in my head,If I wanted my daughter dead, Armaud, it would have been done a long time ago.

“Where is the party?” Cillian asked.

“The invitation is atViolette. I saw it on her desk before the bombing.”

Cillian spoke into his mic for the team at Jada’s office to retrieve it. As we crossed the street to the waiting SUV, a body emerged next to ours. Cillian was shoving me behind him and yanking out a gun before I had fully registered it.

It was Rana, looking more ragged than I’d ever seen the woman, as if she’d had no sleep and no shower for days, as if she’d been wearing the same clothes for a week.

“Relax. I’m here to help,” she said.

But Cillian didn’t ease up.

“Can we get off the street?” she asked, head waving toward the Escalade.