Page 24 of Nikola

“Well, I got in, so it can’t be that efficient.” A heartbeat of silence followed and I continued. “I just need to know the name of a woman who goes byThe Duchess.”

Maxim’s eyebrows pulled together. “She’s a frequent visitor?”

I shrugged.

“I don’t know. It was my girlfriend’s first time here.” Then, realizing my mistake, I quickly added, “Mine too. Our first time here.”

Maxim went around the counter and typed in a few keystrokes. His eyebrows furrowed as he read and then began to type again.

When his eyes met mine, there was an expression in them I understood too well. Diplomacy.

“I’m afraid our system was exploited,” he stated slowly. “ThisDuchess”—he held up both hands to mark the word, his cufflinks shining in the low light—“gained entry using an invitation extended by a legacy member. One who just so happens to be long deceased.” At my blank look, he added, “Aforgedinvitation, Mr. Nikolaev.”

I stiffened. A voice at the back of my mind warned me there was more to this, but judging by the expression on Maxim’s face, he wouldn’t be divulging anything else.

“Apologies again,” he said again. “We don’t have any other information.”

7

SKYE

It had been a whole week since the visit to Revelation, and Nikola was back to ignoring me. It infuriated me that he could be so smart yet blind as a fucking bat.

Didn’t he see that we were perfect together?

He’d always been my knight, even when he so annoyingly tugged on my hair as children.

My mind darted back to one of the visits I’d had with the Nikolaevs in my early teens. My parents were celebrating their hard-earned wedding anniversary, and it was my weekend with Sasha and Branka. As per usual, when they were in New Orleans, we often stayed at the Nikolaev compound, owned by Nikola’s parents, Vasili and Isabella Nikolaev.

I stared at the screen of the laptop, all my Robux gaming points in the Roblox game were completely gone. The Nikolaev library was empty, its books the only thing keeping me company. Usually, the Nikolaev family liked to hang out here because there was a bar in the corner of it. However, they were all busy today, and my cousin was in school, which was the reason I was alone. Thanks to an Italian holiday, I had a long weekend and they didn’t.

Although, school might have been a better alternative to this scenario.

My eyes burned, fighting tears that threatened to spill. It seemed to be a thirteen-year-old curse: amplified emotions. Mama said it would pass, but at this moment, I struggled to see how.

Nikola’s hands grabbed my face and turned me away from my favorite online game. “What’s the matter?”

And tears spilled.

There was no holding them back. I cried, hiccupped, and made a mess of my face and Nikola’s T-shirt.

“Skye, what the fuck happened?” he asked again, his lips barely readable through my rain of tears.

“My Robux,” was all I could sign.

His brows scrunched as he glanced at the screen and then back at me. “Did you use them all up?”

I started crying even harder and Nikola hugged me tighter, his hand roaming my back in slow, clumsy movements. But I found comfort in it nonetheless.

When my tears finally eased, he put space between us and used the hem of his shirt to wipe my wet face.

“Now tell me, what happened with your Robux?” he demanded in that certain way that reminded me of Sasha. Or maybe it was of his papa. They were both formidable, demanding men.

My bottom lip quivered as I signed, “My Roblox account was hacked, and all my Robux points are now gone.”

His expression darkened, and he shifted me over, taking the laptop. I had no idea what he was doing as I watched his hands, fresh tattoos on them, move across the keyboard. At seventeen, Nikola could no longer wait to ink his body, much to his mother’s dismay. But every Nikolaev man had tattoos, so it was certainly not a surprise.

“What are you doing?” I asked, noting he was scanning various group chats.