Chapter 2: Shirtless in the Locker Room

Nova didn't wait for Luke or her dad to stop yelling. She grabbed her car keys and her purse, walked out the front door, and drove her red sports car straight downtown.

She had sixty days before the sky rained blood, and she wasn't going to waste a single minute.

Her first stop was the main city bank. Because her mom had left the two billion dollars solely in Nova’s name, it took Nova less than an hour to cancel all the family credit cards Luke and Bella were using and move every single dollar into a brand-new secret account.

Next, she stopped at her lawyer’s office and signed a fast-track divorce paper to be delivered to Luke by five o'clock.

By two in the afternoon, Nova parked her car on 4th Street in front of an old, noisy underground boxing gym called The Iron Cage.

In her past life, Nova was too scared to ever step foot in a rough street like this. Now, her heart was racing with excitement as she pushed the heavy door open and walked inside.

The gym smelled like sweat and old leather. Twenty big, tough men were shouting around a boxing ring in the middle of the room. When Nova walked in wearing her pink silk dress and diamond earrings, half the men stopped and stared at her.

"Well, hello there, little princess," a bulky man with a scar on his nose grinned, stepping in front of her. "Did you get lost on your way to the cake shop?"

Nova didn't flinch at all. She opened her purse, pulled out five crisp hundred-dollar bills, and held them out.

"I'm looking for Cyrus Hart," Nova said clearly. "Where is he?"

The bulky man’s eyes went wide at the money. He took the cash with both hands and pointed politely toward a hallway at the back. "Locker room three, miss! He just knocked out his opponent in one punch, so be careful—people around here call him the Mad Dog."

"Thank you," Nova said, walking fast down the quiet hallway.

When she reached the metal door with a faded number 3 painted on it, her hand shook just a little.

The last time she had seen Cyrus, his body was covered in zombie bites and snow, dying just to keep her warm.

Nova pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The small locker room was warm and steamy from the shower.

Cyrus Hart was standing by the sink with his back to the door—and he didn't have a shirt on.

Nova’s breath caught in her throat.

He was so much bigger up close than she remembered. He stood well over six feet tall, with wide shoulders, a narrow waist, and a back packed with hard, tight muscle. Several old silver scars crossed his shoulders from his days as an army soldier and SWAT cop. Clear water dripped from his wet black hair and rolled slowly down the middle of his strong back.

Hearing the door click shut, Cyrus spun around fast, his taped-up fists raised to fight.

The second he saw Nova standing there, his whole body turned to stone.

"Nova?" His voice was deep, rough, and full of shock.

The scary fighter who just knocked a man out in one punch suddenly looked terrified. His ears turned bright red, and he quickly reached for a white towel on the bench to cover his bare chest. "Miss Gregory... what are you doing in a dirty place like this? Did you take a wrong turn?"

Nova couldn't hold her tears back anymore.

He was alive. His chest was warm and whole. There was no blood pouring from his neck.

Before Cyrus could pull the towel over his shoulders, Nova ran across the small room and threw her arms tight around his bare waist, pressing her face right against the center of his hot, muscular chest.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Right under her cheek, Cyrus’s heart started beating like a wild drum.

For three whole seconds, Cyrus didn't move a muscle. He held his big, scarred hands up in the air on either side of her back, afraid that if he touched her soft dress, he would get it dirty—or that once he held her, he would never be able to let go.

"Nova..." Cyrus swallowed hard, his voice dropping low and shaky. "You shouldn't hug me like this. I'm covered in sweat, and you're a married woman—"

"I'm not married anymore," Nova whispered against his skin, wrapping her small arms even tighter around him.

He smelled like clean soap, rain, and warm man. Every time she breathed in, she could feel the hard muscles of his stomach jump beneath her fingers.

"What did you say?" Cyrus breathed.

Nova tilted her head back and looked straight up into his dark eyes. "I woke up today and saw Luke for the greedy liar he really is. I just took back all my money at the bank, and my lawyer is sending him divorce papers right now. I left him, Cyrus."

Something hot and wild flashed inside Cyrus’s dark eyes.

His big hands slowly came down and settled on her small waist. Even through the thin silk of her dress, his palms felt like two hot irons, making Nova shiver in the best way.

"Did he hit you?" Cyrus asked, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle jumped in his cheek. "If he laid a finger on you, I'll break both his legs tonight."

"He didn't hit me," Nova said softly. She reached up with one small hand and gently touched the rough scar along his jawline.

Cyrus froze at her touch, sucking in a sharp breath. He leaned his rough cheek into her soft palm just like a giant wolf waiting to be petted by its master.

"Cyrus, something really bad is going to happen to the world in sixty days," Nova whispered, rising up on her tiptoes so only he could hear. "I can't explain how I know yet, but I need to turn my mom’s Ocean-Cliff Farm into a giant fortress and fill it with food and weapons. And I need a man I can trust with my life to live with me and protect me."

She pulled a shiny black bank card out of her purse and pressed it against his bare chest, right over his racing heart.

"There is ten million dollars on this card," Nova said, her eyes dropping to his lips for a second before looking back up into his eyes. "Quit this gym and come home with me today. Will you be my personal bodyguard?"

Cyrus didn't even look at the bank card.

Instead, his big hand covered hers, and he brought her small palm up to his mouth, pressing a slow, hot kiss right into the center of her hand.

The touch of his warm lips sent a tingle straight down Nova’s spine, making her knees feel weak.

"Put your card away, princess," Cyrus murmured against her skin, his dark eyes burning into hers with three years of hidden love. "You don't have to pay me a single penny. But be sure about what you're asking, Nova. Because if I walk out that door with you today, I'm not just guarding your house. I'm keeping you—and I'm never letting you go."