Broken Circles

Part IV

Back at the precinct, Yvana and Achillean spend countless hours digging up leads for their investigation, each finding themselves tangled in more mess than before, until Achillean asks Yvana a question that she was hoping she would never have to answer, and the past comes flooding back to her

Until they are interrupted and find that there is much more at stake than simply their own lives as the Voltaris return for their bounty, and don't very much care how they get it

And Yvana finds something that she has been looking for - just not in the way she had hoped

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"Yvana! Where the fuck have you been?! You look awful!"

"Thanks, babe. It's nice of you to notice for once."

"You're drunk! What the hell?"

"Zina and I went on a girl's night out to get away from your bullshit."

"I tried calling you – why didn't you answer? This is ridiculous! And you hound me for staying out late without telling you, what is this about?"

"Just giving your salty ass a taste of your own medicine. It's not nice, is it? Bet you thought I was with another guy, didn't you?"

"It didn't even cross my mind... I- What the fuck, Yva, what is wrong with you?"

"A bit like how you have been out with another girl this week?"

"Wha- no! How could you think that?"

"I saw your phone, you little bitch. Who is this 'Allegrous' you have been talking to? Or 'Victus,' huh? Her name was plastered all over your call logs."

"Allegrous and Victus are not girls, for one, Yvana. And what the hell do you think you're doing looking at my phone without asking?"

"So, you do have something to hide?"

"Oh my- Yvana, I cannot talk to you while you're like this; it's unbelievable. You're unbelievable. You shouldn't be asking about Allegrous or Victus. They are none of your business and you could find yourself in trouble..."

"And why is that, golden boy? Are they coming here to kill me? Are you gay, is that what you're telling me?"

"Oh, for the love of- No, Yva! No. You can't leave the house, now – you know that, right?"

"What you going on about, bitch?"

"You're not leaving this house."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is so. I can't have you out this late anymore, whether you are with Proxina or not."

"What are you gonna do? Lock me up? I'd like to see your weak ass try."

"If that's what it is going to take to keep you safe, then so be it."

"You controlling asshole! This is it? I move in with you just so that you can...oppress me?"

"No, you stupid bitch! I want to protect you! I love you, Yvana and I want to stop them from getting to you, but you don't seem to see that..."

Yvana looked at her phone.

22:43pm.

31% battery.

She had been home once since she left for the Nestoris precinct barely a week before. She was lucky that her phone had lasted that long, but then she so rarely used it. If it weren't for her false hope that Riorden would one day call, she wouldn't even bother keeping it charged. She never posted photos of them both on Facebook anymore, nor a selfie or two on her Snapchat. She hadn't checked Instagram in six years, and no-one ever texted her. Riorden had Twitter and she only checked his account for trace of him, but she hadn't even done that following the first three years of his absence.