NIKOLAI
I had seen that look before. I knew it instantly.
Tyce’s entire body went rigid. His breath caught in his throat. Something unseen, tragic, passed through him. His fists clenched into balls, and his face twisted, eyes squeezing shut as he braced against it. Then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
He blinked a few times, then collapsed into the hotel chair like his legs had given out.
“Tyce?” I approached him cautiously.
For a moment, he looked lost. Like a child searching for something just out of reach, grasping for answers that wouldn’t come. Vulnerability flickered across his face.
Then, his expression hardened.
“Sophia’s dead,” he said in a flat voice. With a heavy sigh, he dragged a hand down his face.
I stared at him. “Dead?”
“Dead,” he repeated. His jaw clenc
