Nightingale 》Jake Seresin

Chapter 5

By this point in Amelia's rant, she has tears in her eyes, because she is finally able to get this off her chest. "Hell it doesn't even matter if he's on the other side of the world, he always sends a birthday card and a Christmas card. He remembers the important dates that my own dad forgets half the time."

Now she's really crying and Nova reaches out to hug her. Amelia just sobs into Nova's shoulder as Bradley comes to the other side of the couch to sandwich her between the two of them. And they sit there for a while, just giving her the support she needs after finally letting this out.

Once she's calmed down enough, Nova pulls back to ask her a question. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Amelia just shakes her head. "That's something I'll have to do myself. Maybe if he can actually get it together for Mom this time."

The three of them sit in silence for a little while longer before Amelia looks at Bradley. "Tell me something about this mission that will cheer me up. I know it's big and classified, but something from training must be funny."

He chuckles a bit before telling her some of the more upbeat stories. His favorite, however, is all the times Hangman has gotten his ass handed to him by Maverick. No matter his feelings towards Maverick right now, anyone that can knock Hangman down a few pegs makes for good stories.

He was so caught up in explaining these incidents, Bradley didn't notice Nova's expression and the way she tensed slightly at the mention of Hangman.

But Amelia did. And she was one of two people who knew the entire story behind Nova Mitchell and Jake Seresin.

Because of this, she kept gesturing to Bradley to stop or at least notice how it was making Nova feel. Soon enough he notices. "You good Nova?"

She smiles at him, clearly a forced smile as she answers in a less than convincing voice. "Yea, I'm good."

He gives her a look. "You got tense when I started mentioning Hangman. Did he do something?" Bradley was ready to kill Hangman if he did anything to Nova. Hell all he really had to do was let Ice know something had happened and Hangman would be out faster than he could say sorry.

Nova shakes her head. "He didn't know anything, Brad. Promise."

But Amelia knows better. She has seen what Nova was like after the break up. She knows how hurt Nova was, especially when she didn't have her entire support system. Half of them still didn't know who the man that broke her heart was. And Bradley was about to find out.

"This time," she mutters. Nova shot her a look, but it was loud enough for Bradley to hear.

"What do you mean this time?" He was serious. There was no way Bradley was leaving without an answer.

Nova looked at Amelia, essentially saying Now you've done it. Amelia just shrugs. She thought Nova should have said something ages ago, especially with this detachment happening.

Nova takes a deep breath. She really did not want to do this, but she knew Bradley wouldn't stop until he had an answer.

"Do you remember that relationship I was in about two years ago? The one that ended after the incident at work?" Nova is wringing her hands together in worry. She knows damn well Bradley doesn't like Jake very much and the past few days have only cemented that fact.

"Him?! It was him?!" Bradley can't believe it. No way was Hangman ever good enough for his little sister. Not only that, how the hell did Hangman in all his arrogant assholery manage to convince Nova to go out with him? And for a long term relationship at that? It just didn't make sense.