The boy nodded, and she started to guide him toward the closed door leading out to the studio.
Started to, but stopped.
Mathias was no longer alone in the shop.
And as the din of male voices grew louder out there--Mathias’s colleagues from the Order and JUSTIS, all now arrived--Nova’s heart froze in her breast.
A glance over at Eddie confirmed her dread.
His freckled face had gone ghostly white, his eyes wide with fear.
“You hear him too?” she whispered.
Eddie nodded, silent.
The voice Nova heard when she relived Ozzy’s death. The voice that had terrified Eddie from inside the cabinet where he’d hid during the murder.
The man it belonged to was in the other room with Mathias now.
He had to be warned. But how could she do it, without exposing herself and Eddie to Ozzy’s murderer at the same time?
Nova pushed the boy back, away from the door. Then she gently, soundlessly, opened it just the tiniest crack. Her heart lurched, dread like ice in her chest.
Mathias was conversing in low, serious tones with the other men. He was obviously friendly with them all.
Friends with them all.
Including the one whose voice went through Nova as sharp as the blade that had slashed Ozzy’s throat.
That man and a few others now broke away from the others with Mathias and started heading for the back room.
Were there more than just the one involved? Could Mathias possibly know?
And then, a sickening, worrisome thought: Is that why he had tried to stop her from touching Ozzy? Because he was afraid of what she’d see through Ozzy’s eyes?
She didn’t want to think it.
She wanted to believe her trust in him was well-placed, that it was real.
But Mathias was still approaching, leading Ozzy’s killer right to her.
No. Oh, God...no.
She couldn’t let him see her. She couldn’t let him get near Eddie.
Nova retreated from the door.
“Come on,” she whispered, barely making a sound. “We have to get out of here. Now.”
CHAPTER 9
Mathias was more impatient than anyone to begin the hunt for Ozzy’s killer, but before he could even think about hitting the street with his team and the JUSTIS officers who’d arrived to assist, he had to make sure Nova and Eddie were safe.
He’d tasked Callahan with taking them back to the Order’s command center in the heart of London. Although it was rare--almost unheard of--that civilians were permitted into Order compounds, Mathias was willing to bend that rule for Nova.
If he had anything to say about it, she wasn’t going to be merely a civilian for long, anyway. He wanted her in his life. Hell, he wanted her as his mate, if she’d have him.
The Rover was still idling at the curb. All Mathias needed to do was convince Nova that she needed to trust him, that she needed to do what he asked for once and let him take care of her.