The knock on Jack's penthouse door was sharp.
Three quick raps.
Jack looked up from the couch, where he'd been staring at his phone for the last twenty minutes.
No new messages.
No updates from Calloway.
No word from Bones.
Just silence.
He opened the door.
Hela stood there, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
Jack's lips curved into a faint smile. "Your timing's perfect. I'm in need of a good fuck."
Hela shook her head. "That's not why I came."
Jack's smile faded. "Oh."
He stepped aside, letting her in.
Hela walked past him.
Jack closed the door and walked to the bar, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.
He poured a second glass and slid it across the counter toward Hela.
She looked at it but didn't touch it.
Jack took a sip of his own drink, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you here?"
Hela didn't answer right away.
She just stood there, her arms still crossed, her jaw tight.
Jack frowned.
She's nervous.
Hela's never nervous.
Normally, by now, she would've said something sarcastic. Something brash. Something to cut through the tension.
But she was just standing there.
Silent.
"Hela," Jack said. "What's going on?"
Hela took a breath. "Sit down."
Jack's frown deepened. "What?"
"Sit down," Hela repeated.
Jack hesitated, then walked over to the couch and sat.
Hela followed, standing in front of him, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"I need you to promise me something," she said.
Jack leaned back, his eyes narrowing. "What is this about?"
"Promise me you won't get mad."
Jack's jaw tightened. "Hela—"
"Promise me," Hela said, her voice firm.
Jack exhaled slowly. "Fine. I won't get mad."
Hela opened her mouth.
Just say it.
Just tell him.
You're pregnant.
You're carrying his child.
Just—
Another knock at the door.
Hela froze.
Jack looked toward the door, his expression shifting.
"Who the hell—" he muttered, standing.
He walked to the door and opened it.
Bella stood there, her face pale, her eyes red-rimmed.
Jack's surprise was immediate. "Bella?"
Bella's eyes flicked past him, landing on Hela.
Her worried expression darkened.
"Am I interrupting something?" Bella asked, her voice cold.
Jack shook his head. "No. Why are you here?"
Bella's jaw tightened. "I came because of the Code 0. I wanted to see if you were alright."
She looked at Hela again, then back at Jack.
"But it looks like you're just fine," Bella said.
She turned to leave.
Jack grabbed her arm. "Wait."
Bella pulled away, but Jack held firm.
"Stay," he said. "Have a drink."
Bella's eyes narrowed. "I'm not having a threesome with you and Hela."
Jack's lips curved into a faint smile. "Come on. It might be the last time I get to do it in a while."
Hela's head snapped toward him. "What do you mean by that?"
Jack looked at her, then at Bella.
He sighed, releasing Bella's arm.
"Come inside," he said. "Both of you."
Bella hesitated, then stepped inside.
Jack closed the door behind her.
He walked back to the couch, gesturing for both of them to sit.
Hela sat on one end. Bella sat on the other.
Jack stood in front of them, his hands in his pockets.
"There's something you both need to know," he said.
Bella's chest tightened. "What?"
Jack took a breath. "Detective Borne is building a case against me. RICO charges. Prostitution. Illegal gambling. Racketeering."
Bella's face went pale.
Hela's expression didn't change.
"I have a detention hearing tomorrow," Jack continued. "And if the trial doesn't go my way, I'm looking at twenty years. Maybe more."
Bella's hands started to shake.
"No," she whispered.
Jack looked at her. "It's not over yet. Calloway's good. He'll find the holes. He'll tear their case apart."
"But what if he doesn't?" Bella's voice cracked. "What if you lose?"
Jack didn't answer.
Bella stood abruptly, tears streaming down her face.
"I told you this would happen!" she shouted. "I told you if you didn't stop, this would happen!"
Jack's jaw tightened. "Bella—"
"This is exactly why I couldn't be with you!" Bella continued, her voice breaking. "What if this had happened when we had kids? How would I tell my children that their father was arrested for prostituting women and selling drugs and killing people?"
Jack stepped toward her. "I'm going to get out of this. And when I do, I'll be a better person. For you."
Bella shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
"So stop playing around with that boy toy of yours," Jack said, his voice firm.
Bella hesitated.
Her chest heaved.
And then she broke down completely, sobbing.
She turned and ran for the door, yanking it open and disappearing into the hallway.
The door slammed shut behind her.
Jack stood there, staring at the closed door.
Hela sat on the couch, her expression unreadable.
The silence stretched.
Finally, Jack turned to Hela, his lips curving into a bitter smile.
"Well," he said. "You just got a front-row seat to how fucked up my love life is."
Hela didn't laugh.
She just stared at him.
Jack frowned. "What?"
Hela's jaw tightened..
"What did you want to tell me?" Jack asked. "Before Bella interrupted."
Hela looked at him for a long moment.
Then she shook her head. "Nothing important."
Jack's frown deepened. "Hela—"
"I have to go," Hela said.
She walked to the door and opened it.
Jack called after her. "Hela, wait—"
But she was already gone.
The door closed behind her.
Jack stood there, alone in his penthouse, staring at the empty space where she'd been.
What the hell was that about?
He walked back to the bar and poured himself another drink.
His phone buzzed.
He picked it up.
Calloway:We need to talk. Call me.
Jack stared at the message, his jaw tightening.
Tomorrow.
Everything changes tomorrow.
He downed the whiskey in one gulp.
***
The parking lot was nearly empty.
David said goodbye to a few coworkers as they walked to their cars, their voices fading into the distance.
He slipped into his car, tossing his briefcase onto the passenger seat.
He turned the key.
The engine hummed to life.
David put the car in reverse and started backing out.
A figure appeared in his rearview mirror.
David slammed on the brakes, his heart lurching.
What the—
He turned around.
Leena sat in the backseat.
Completely naked.
David's breath caught in his throat.
"Jesus Christ," he muttered. "Get out."
Leena smiled. "That's a harsh way to welcome me."
David's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I can't meet with you anymore."
"Is it because of that wife of yours?" Leena asked, her voice teasing.
"Yes," David said firmly. "I love my wife. I can't keep hurting her."
Leena slid forward, moving between the front seats.
She straddled his lap, her naked body pressing against him.
David's hands went to her hips automatically.
Then he snapped them away.
"Leena—"
"Shh," she whispered, her lips brushing against his ear.
David looked out the window, his heart pounding.
Someone's going to see us.
Someone's going to—
He reached down and lowered the back of his seat, putting them into the cowboy position.
"Get off," he said, his voice strained.
Leena didn't move.
She caressed his chest, her fingers trailing down.
"I need you to do something for me," she said.
David shook his head. "No."
"David—"
"Calling the cops was the last thing I did for you," David said. "That was it. I'm done."
Leena reached down, pulling a picture from her purse on the car floor.
She held it up in front of his face.
David looked at it, his eyes narrowing.
It was a man.
Someone from his company.
"Who is that?" David asked.
"Someone who once gave Rider an offer," Leena said. "An Aphrodite. Highly illegal. Highly addictive. It worked three times as well on men as it did on women."
David's stomach dropped. "What?"
"Rider turned him down," Leena continued. "But I want to take him up on his offer."
David stared at her. "Why are you telling me this?"
Leena's hand moved down, slipping into his pants.
David's breath hitched.
"I need you to kidnap him," Leena said. "And call me."
David's eyes widened. "What? No. That's—that's illegal. And immoral."
Leena's hand wrapped around his cock, stroking slowly.
David wanted to resist.
He wanted to push her away.
But the memories flooded back.
The nostalgia.
The thrill.
The way she made him feel.
Waves of pleasure rolled through him.
"I want you to be my knight," Leena whispered, leaning down.
She pressed her lips to his neck, sucking hard.
A hickey.
Her mark.
"My favorite man," she murmured against his skin.
David's hands clenched into fists.
No.
I can't.
I won't.
He pushed her off him, his chest heaving.
"No," he said. "I'm done with you."
Leena pulled back, her expression unreadable.
She reached for her clothes on the floor and started dressing.
David watched her, his heart still pounding.
Leena pulled on her shirt, then looked at him.
"Deep down," she said, "you know you'll never be satisfied without me."
David's jaw tightened.
"Sarah can never replace me in your heart," Leena continued. "The thrill I give you. The void I fill."
She opened the car door and stepped out.
David sat there, his hands gripping the steering wheel.
Leena leaned down, looking at him through the open door.
"You'll call me," she said.
Then she closed the door and walked away.
David sat alone in the car, his chest heaving.
His cock was still hard.
His neck throbbed where she'd left her mark.