Chapter 70 Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Dante’s POV
The snow had stopped falling, but the cold still hung thick in the air, biting at my bare skin like tiny needles. I stood there in the driveway, watching the last of the men shuffle off toward the barracks. Their boots left dark prints in the white, disappearing one by one. The dogs had gone quiet again. Everything felt too still after the alarm and the shouting.
Nina’s words kept ringing in my ears. Transdermal. Blow job. Fast acting. She’d said it calm, like she was reading from a textbook. And every man out here had turned to stare at her like she’d grown a second head. Even Enzo looked impressed for half a second before he hid it behind that smirk of his.
I rubbed a hand over my face. Felt the stubble rough against my palm. Tired. Bone-deep tired. The kind that sits heavy in your chest and makes every breath feel like work.
“I can see you’re being stubborn and being a smart ass these few days, Nina,” I said. Voice came out rougher than I meant. Just tired of everything. Tired of the missing drive. Tired of the girl who slipped out. Tired of feeling like the ground was shifting under my feet.
She stood there still, arms wrapped tight around herself, nightie clinging in places where the snow had melted through. Lips a little blue. But her eyes were steady. Not scared. Not backing down.
“I’m trying to help,” she said quiet. “And besides, you should see a doctor…”
Before she could finish, Enzo cut in. He stepped closer to her, that wicked grin spreading slow across his face like he’d just found a new toy.
“I know how you can help, kitten,” he said. Voice low. Playful. But the edge was there. The kind that said he wasn’t joking. Not really.
Nikolai shot him a look. Sharp. Warning. “Enzo.”
Enzo raised both hands. Innocent. “What? She’s offering medical advice. I’m just saying she could demonstrate. Hands-on. Up close.”
Nina’s cheeks flushed pink. Not from cold this time. She took half a step back. Closer to Nana.
I felt something twist in my gut. Not jealousy. Not exactly. Just… irritation. At Enzo for pushing. At Nina for knowing too much. At myself for letting this whole mess happen.
“Enough,” I said. Voice flat. Final. “Both of you.”
Enzo shrugged. Still grinning. “Just lightening the mood, brother.”
“There’s nothing light about this,” I snapped. Turned to Nina. “You. Inside. Now. Before you freeze or say something else that gets you in deeper shit.”
She held my gaze another second. Then nodded once. Small. Turned and walked toward the house. Nana followed right behind her, one hand on her back like a shield.
The door clicked shut.
I exhaled hard. Breath fogged white. Looked at Nikolai. “You got anything new on the backup?”
He shook his head. “Still running. Three percent progress. It’s locked tight. Whoever set the password knew what they were doing.”
“Great.” I dragged both hands through my hair. Pulled hard. Felt the sting. “So we’re blind. And exposed. And the only person who might have answers walked out my front door because my own men thought I was too busy getting my dick sucked to notice.”
Nikolai stayed quiet a beat. Then, “You’re beating yourself bloody over this. It’s one drive. We’ve lost worse. We’ll get it back.”
“Will we?” I looked at him hard. “Because right now it feels like everything’s slipping. The nuclear piece. The contacts. The girl. And now Nina’s standing there dropping pharmacology lessons like she’s teaching a class. She knows too much. Sees too much.”
“She’s smart,” Nikolai said simple. “That’s not new.”
“She’s dangerous,” I corrected. “Smart in a house like this turns into dangerous real fast.”
Enzo walked back over from where he’d been checking his phone. “She’s right about the transdermal though. I’ve seen it done. Patches. Gels. Even lipstick sometimes. Girl could’ve rubbed something on her tits, let you motorboat for ten seconds, and boom. You wake up foggy, drive gone, no memory.”
I glared at him. “Helpful.”
He shrugged. “Just saying. Maybe we stop bringing randos in here. Or at least pat them down better.”
“Or maybe I stop thinking with my cock,” I muttered.
Nikolai almost smiled. Almost. “That would be a first.”
I flipped him off. Half-hearted.
We stood there another minute. Snow starting to melt under the morning sun that was finally breaking through. Driveway turning slushy. My feet numb now.
“Let’s get inside,” I said. “I need coffee. And clothes. And a plan.”
We walked back toward the house. Boots crunching. Door opened before we reached it. Nana stood there. Arms crossed. Face stern.
“Shirt,” she said to me. Held out one of my black thermals. “You’ll catch your death.”
I took it. Pulled it on. Warm from the dryer. Smelled like fabric softener. Felt almost normal for a second.
Inside, the house smelled like coffee and bacon. Kitchen light warm. Nana went straight back to the stove. Didn’t ask questions. Didn’t need to. She’d seen worse mornings.
I poured coffee. Black. Hot. Burned my tongue on the first sip. Didn’t care.
Nikolai sat at the island. Pulled his laptop over. Fingers flying. Checking the backup progress again.
Enzo leaned against the counter. Arms crossed. Watching me.
“You really think she drugged you?” he asked quiet.
I shook my head. “No. I’d feel it. Foggy. Slow. Something. I felt clear. Too clear. Just stupid.”
“Then it’s not on you,” he said. “It’s on the men who let her walk.”
“Still my house. My rules. My fuck-up.”
He nodded slow. Didn’t argue.
Nina came down the stairs then. Dressed now. Leggings. Oversized hoodie. Hair pulled back wet from a quick shower. Eyes red like she’d cried a little. Or not slept.
She stopped at the bottom step. Looked at us. Didn’t speak right away.
I set my mug down. “You got something else to say?”
She swallowed. “I wasn’t trying to be a smart ass. I was trying to help. That’s all.”
I studied her. Face open. No games. Just… honest.
“Appreciated,” I said finally. “But next time, maybe wait till we’re not standing in snow with guns out.”
She gave a small nod. “Noted.”
Enzo grinned again. “See? Kitten learns fast.”
“Shut up,” she muttered. But there was no heat in it.
Nikolai looked up from his screen. “Backup’s at seven percent. Still locked. But I found a partial decrypt on one file. Contacts list. Only first names and cities. Nothing full. But it’s a start.”
I walked over. Looked at the screen. Saw the fragments. “Run it against our knowns. Cross-reference. Anything match?”
“Already on it.”
I nodded. Felt a tiny piece of the knot in my chest loosen. Not much. But something.
Nina moved closer. Peered at the screen too. Didn’t ask permission. Just looked.
“That’s encrypted AES-256,” she said quiet. “Standard for high-security. Brute force will take forever unless you have quantum access. Which you don’t.”
We all looked at her.
She shrugged. “I read a lot.”
Enzo laughed outright this time. “You’re wasted in med school. We need you on tech.”
“I’m not on your side,” she said quick. But her voice wasn’t hard. Just fact.
I met her eyes. “Maybe not yet.”
She didn’t answer. Just looked away. Toward the window. Snow outside melting fast now. Grass showing through in patches.
I finished my coffee. Set the mug in the sink.
“Meeting in the office in twenty,” I told Nikolai and Enzo. “We plan next moves. Girl. Drive. Everything.”
They nodded.
I looked at Nina one last time.
“You stay out of trouble,” I said. “No more lectures unless I ask.”
She gave a tiny smile. Sad. Tired. “No promises.”
Then she walked toward the stairs again. Disappeared up them.
I watched her go.
Something in my chest shifted again. Heavier this time.
Enzo clapped my back. “Come on. Let’s go hunt a ghost.”
I followed them toward the office.
But my mind stayed on her.
On the way she stood in the snow.
On the way she knew things she shouldn’t.
On the way she looked at me like she saw right through the anger.
And for the first time in a long time, I wondered if the real threat wasn’t outside these walls.
It was already inside.
And she was wearing my hoodie.