I couldn’t tell if she was just nervous to work for me and that made her clumsy and forgetful—or if she was fucking up on purpose.

Either way, she was part of the wedge trying to come between Nova and me, and that was unacceptable.

“Pack whatever is left from your desk,” I instructed, my tone neutral. “You are being moved back to your previous position.”

She blinked at me like an owl for all of two seconds before her light-brown eyes filled with tears. “M-Mr. Vitucci, s-sir. I-I-I—”

“Stop,” I commanded, holding up a hand. “Your performance over the past few weeks is below par for someone in your current job category, but you aren’t being fired. Just sent back to whatever floor you were transferred from. For now,” I added when she seemed to relax somewhat. We’d nearly lost two contracts because of her over the last week alone. That couldn’t be ignored. “Should you continue to fuck shit up, you will be seeking employment elsewhere.”

“Y-yes, sir,” she whispered.

I dismissed her and waited for the door to close behind her before picking up the phone that had been replaced on my desk and calling down to HR, letting them know about the change.

“I’ll get you a new assistant right away, Mr. Vitucci,” the HR director rushed to assure me.

“No, you will not,” I bit out. “I’ll do my own hiring for the position. Just keep an ear open for any more mishaps caused by Miss Booth. One more fuckup like the ones that happened this week, and she is to be released from our employment.”

Hanging up, I pulled my cell from my pocket and texted Nova.

Me: Don’t go off on your own. Not even to Max and Delaney’s house unless they pick you up.

Three dots appeared on the screen, letting me know she was responding. That she was texting me back had some of the tension easing from my shoulders. But when her reply came, it only made me want to throw the damn phone out the window.

My Heart: I’ll make sure Elias goes with me everywhere.

Me: You must not like him much.

My Heart: I adore him, actually.

Motherfuck, she was pushing all my buttons, and she knew it.

Me: Then why are you making my hand twitchy to put a bullet in his gut?

My Heart: You wouldn’t. Because you know he’s important to me. You would never hurt me like that.

Me: Exactly. But if he touches you, there will be no saving him. Not even your tears will keep me from killing him.

21

Nova

I was still pulling my hair into a ponytail as I hurried off the elevator and rushed through the crowd of people in the hotel lobby. Arriving after midnight, I’d taken a long shower and then fallen into bed in utter exhaustion. But sleep had eluded me.

I was excited to be able to put some of my multilanguage skills to use helping Lyric’s aunt Emmie, but I wished it had been in any other city in the world except for New York. It felt weird—and kind of wrong—to be in this city without Ryan knowing I was there.