It was inexplicably silent in the car on their way back.
When Hera and Bernard reached the entrance of the courtyard house, they seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement. Hera didn’t ask Bernard to stay. He said he had some matters to attend to back at the Killians.
Ten minutes later, Hera went inside, changed her clothes, and called Samantha.
“Are you done with work? Want to go out for a drink?”
“Yeah, I’m done. Weren’t you at the auction with your dear Bernard? Back so soon?”
“Let’s find a place to talk.”
“Alright. Let’s meet at Nightless Haven.”
Hera hung up and headed to Nightless Haven in a taxi.
Meanwhile, Bernard took a different turn at the junction that was in the direction of the Killians before calling Shaun.
“Come out for a drink at the old place.”
Nightless Haven was the largest bar in Jedburgh. All sorts of people frequented the bar.
When Hera arrived, she was stopped by a security guard at the door.
“Missy, no minors are allowed in here.”
Hera was speechless.
She was about to show her ID when she heard Samantha’s voice from behind her.
“Hera…”
The security guard saw Samantha, who was wearing a mask, and immediately smiled.
“Ms. Samantha, long time no see.”
Samantha casually tossed her car keys to him before hooking her arm around Hera’s shoulder and leading her inside.
Samantha was a regular, so the manager promptly arranged a private room for them on the second floor.
Then, he had drinks sent over and asked cheerfully, “Ms. Samantha, is this your friend? We just got some newbies in. Do you want me to call a few of them to join you?”
She was tempted by the mention of newbies, but Hera’s cold gaze made her refuse immediately.
“No.”
After the manager left, the room finally quieted down.
“What’s wrong? Did you have a fight with your dear Bernard?”
Samantha poured Hera a glass of red wine even though she knew Hera wasn’t much of a drinker despite asking her out for drinks.
“No.”
Hera took a sip of the wine.
“I feel like he’s hiding something from me.”
She had noticed Bernard’s intention in the parking lot but pretended to be unaware.
“What? Is he cheating on you, or is he terminally ill?”
Samantha looked shocked.
Hera was taken aback.
“Can’t you think of anything positive?”
Samantha poured herself a glass of brandy to calm her nerves.
“What could it be if it’s not cheating or an illness?”
Hera briefly recounted the events at Astral Nova and Bernard’s probing questions.
He often complained about his
struggles with the Killians, but his actions suggested otherwise. Hera saw through it but chose not to expose him.
Since she also kept many things from him, they were evenly matched in keeping secrets.
But now, they were dating. She wondered if it was really okay for them to keep hiding things from each other.
“Oh, that’s no big deal.”
Samantha set down her glass and
said, “If you’re just playing with him, it doesn’t matter if you tell him or
not. But you want to spend the et
rest of your life with him, I suggest not hiding anything. Be completely honest and let him see how amazing you are.”
“No way.”
Her identity as Raven was still on the wanted list, so she couldn’t reveal that.
“Are you afraid of scaring him?”
Samantha misinterpreted her meaning.
Then, she continued, “On second thought, maybe it’s better not to tell him. Your dear Bernard has been in the military for ten years. He hasn’t seen much of the world and might get frightened.”
“That won’t do either.”
Hera realized that keeping secrets long-term was not a solution.