Chapter Thirty-Two

Catriona

I wait until we're on the jet and in the air before I decide to push Alex for more information. I still have questions he hasn't answered, not completely. So I start with the one I've wondered about for the longest. We're sitting on the sofa by the windows, snuggled up with his arm around my shoulders and my legs tucked under me.

"How much did you pay Logan?" I ask.

Alex glances at me sideways. "What?"

"You heard me. How much did you pay Logan for the two times when he helped you with your problems?"

"Does it matter?"

"Please, Alex, tell me."

He lets his head fall back against the sofa, exhaling a long breath. "The first time, I paid him fifteen thousand dollars. The second time, it was twenty thousand."

For a moment, I'm convinced I've hallucinated what he said. But I haven't. It's true.

I turn my whole body toward him. "Why would you pay him so much?"

"Because the missions turned out to be more complicated than they seemed, and because Logan did a fine job."

"What about your parents? Nigel and Julia. They must've gotten out of prison sometime."

"They were each sentenced to four years but served only two." He shuts his eyes, his expression pinched. "They tried to reclaim me, but Henry and Imogen fought to keep me. Eventually, they won. Nigel and Julia didn't want to give up, though. They tried to kidnap me twice, but both times I managed to get away from them."

I want to touch him, to say something, but I know he needs to tell me the story in his own time.

"Henry and Imogen took me to Cornwall when I was sixteen," he says. "They thought it would be safer for me there and harder for my charming parents to track us down. It worked for a long time, but I found out later that's because Nigel and Julia had gotten arrested again and sent back to prison."

Imogen and Henry seem like sweet, loving people, but they clearly possess a strength and determination hidden under the surface. The way they fought for Alex proves how much they love him, and I can tell he loves them just as much. He might not have a large family like I do, but he has parents who will sacrifice anything for him.

"Nigel and Julia were in and out of prison for years," Alex says. "They seemed to have given up on taking me back, and I let myself get comfortable in my new life. I had just received my PhD when they were given early release and decided to come for me a third time. They wanted my help in executing a dangerous con. When I refused, they threatened Henry and Imogen."

"What did you do?"

"I pretended I was going to cooperate when I was actually working with the police. Nigel and Julia went back to prison." He sits up, rubbing his forehead, but won't look at me. "I'd had enough of worrying when they might come back to try something worse, so I took a job in America, far away from my darling parents. Henry and Imogen came with me, and we've been here ever since."

"Did you change your last name before or after you moved here?"

"Before. I wanted a clean break from my past. I tried to talk Henry and Imogen into changing their last name, but they wouldn't do it."

"I know I've asked a lot of you lately, but there's one more question I'd like to know the answer to."

"Go on."

"What did that police chief in New Mexico have on you? Why would he think he could blackmail you into stealing a necklace for him?"

It's the reason I walked out on Alex twelve years ago, and I need to understand why it happened.

"He found out who I really am," Alex says. "He had a friend in the UK who worked at Scotland Yard, so he asked that bloke to search for Alex Thorne in their databases. Since I'd changed my name legally, there was a paper trail. He found out my original parents and I had been grifters."

"But you didn't let him use that against you. You exposed his affair with a university trustee's wife."

Alex smiles in his sexy-smug way. "Yes, and he got what he deserved." His smile fades. "But I lost you in the process."

"You have me now. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, and it doesn't disturb me as much as it used to. I hope that's all your questions because I'm ready for a lie-down."

What can I say? What should I say? He's told me everything now, I'm sure of it, and I want to let him know how much it means to me that he trusted me with his secrets. But it might make him uncomfortable, so I'll wait until another time, when he's gotten used to this new, deeper intimacy between us.

"Tell me something," he says. "Why did you take a job in America? You knew I lived here. Logan told you as much."

"If you'd asked me that a few weeks ago, I would've said you tricked me and that's the only reason I took the job."

"What do you say today?"

I study his face for a moment, noting his tense expression and the wariness in his eyes. Though I'm not sure if he'll like my answer, I tell him the truth. "I think deep down I was hoping I'd see you again. That maybe, somehow, you would be here waiting for me."

"And since you know I'm a conniving shit, you knew there was a better-than-average chance I'd arranged the sudden job offer."

"Maybe."

He finally looks at me. "Did you hope I had?"

"Aye. But I never would have admitted to that."

"Naturally." He raises a hand to touch my lips with his fingertips. "What have you been doing all these years?"

"Teaching children about history. The work was sporadic, but I enjoyed it. I never could get a job at a university—until recently, after Iain became a professor at the University of the Highlands and the Islands. He asked me to give guest lectures in his classes now and then."

"What else have you done without me?"

"Living with my parents and living my life. A few years ago, my sister Fiona and I moved into our own house. I was Rory's legal secretary for a while, then I worked at Aidan's construction company until he married Calli. And I dated, off and on, but nothing ever came of it." I lay a hand on his cheek. "I was still in love with you. No one else can compare to Alex Thorne."

"You're massaging my ego, aren't you? I don't need the reassurance."

"I'm telling you the truth, that's all."

He considers me for a moment, his gaze flitting around like he's examining every part of me. "Family is the cornerstone of your life, isn't it? You must want children."

"I haven't thought about it."

Alex runs a hand over his mouth. "I can't give you a family. My genetic pool is rancid. The thought of bringing another Nigel or Julia into the world is unacceptable."

"But you are a good man, Alex. In spite of what they did to you."

He gets up and ambles to the other side of the cabin, then glances around like he has no idea how he got there. Frowning, he comes back to me and sits on the table in front of the sofa. With his head down, he wrings his hands. "You shouldn't stay with me, Cat. It will be your undoing."

"Rubbish. You are not evil." I clasp his hands, halting his nervous wringing. "Do you have any other family? Aunts or uncles? Cousins? What about your grandparents?"

"I have no bloody idea." He smiles with an acidic edge. "If I have any relatives, I'm sure they're in prison."

"You should find out. Maybe you have family who aren't criminals. They might be decent people who would love to meet you."

He bows his head again, concentrating on our joined hands. "Henry and Imogen have harassed me occasionally about looking into my family tree. I, ah, worry about what I'll find if I do look."

"Donnae worry, Alex. You won't be doing it alone. I'll be here with you, always."

Lifting his head, he gazes at me like he's never seen me before.

I kiss him, the barest touch of my lips on his. "You can think about it and let me know. But I do believe it could be good for you to find your family."

The pilot announces over the intercom that we're about to land. Neither of us moves, and I keep holding his hands until the jet touches down on the runway and the engines wind down. Then he leads me down the stairs to the tarmac.

We're about to confront my brothers.

And I will punch any of them who tries to hurt Alex.