It’s strange to think I owe DeLuca for anything, but if he gave me Alex…
“Still my fault,” I say. “Stillmethey wanted to watch.”
“Except it wasmethey wanted to control.Throughyou.”
I stare at him and swallow hard.
That actually… made sense.
Fournier’s claim on me. Alex’s resistance. Prepared to do anything, in his possessive, obsessive way. Me, the perfect device for controlling him… and him, to monitor my investigations.
Almost elegant, in a twisted way.
All to protect their illegal enterprise, and the billions that pass through it.
“I hate them,” I say bitterly. “All of them. DeLuca. Fournier. Van Wyk.” I point a finger at him. “Your precious PA that kissed you at the dance.”
“Chief of staff,” he corrects mildly. “Rita.”
“Yes, her. Salacious little…floozie.”
His lips twitch in amusement. “We owe our freedom to Rita.”
“What?” I’ve been saying that a lot on this flight, and I’m not even sure we’ve reached the Atlantic yet.
“She got me into DeLuca’s files.”
“For her own gain, no doubt.”
“And then she resigned.”
I bite down hard before another ‘What?’ escapes.
Alex shrugs. “Smart woman. Very capable.” He smiles. “And yes… maybe a bit of a floozie.”
I have to know, even if I don’t want to know. “Tell me honestly. Did you sleep with her?”
He looks down at where our hands join. My right, his left. “I swear to you, on your soul and this ring, I did not. There was nothing more than that one kiss, which she instigated.”
Because she saw me there at the dance. I realize that now.
I nod jerkily. “I believe you. I’m sorry I asked.”
“Is that everything?” Alex asks. “If so, should you get some sleep?”
“Just one minute more.”
He inclines his head in agreement, waiting.
I grip the arm of my chair with one hand, and hold tightly to his with my other. “You know they’re going to come for us, don’t you? You know this isn’t over. You know Spain isn’t far enough away.”
“I do.”
“Then…”
He leans forward, out of his chair, close to mine. “I’ll keep you safe, Vicky. I promise you, whatever it takes, I’ll keep you safe.”
I want to believe him. But how does a man likeAlex keep off a man like Van Wyk? Like Haynes? Like Fournier?
