Kaden let out a short, disbelieving breath, his brain rapidly catching up with implications he’d missed. “When you first contacted me, you said you’d read and liked my work. You mentioned the book I’d ghostwritten that went on to have a lot of success as a reason for choosing me, along with day-in-the-life articles. Maybe they were the more important. Has everything I’ve done for you led to this moment? You chose me all those months ago for this?”
“I knew you were sharp.”
“Oh God.”
“We needed to know who you were before we took our interest further.”
“That sounds like a yes.”And now you’re awe?
“It means we don’t ask people for help without understanding them first. And I wouldn’t be asking you if it wasn’t in the public interest. You’ll need to sign the Official Secrets Act before I give you any details.”
Kaden swallowed. To think he’d thought Alistair had been impressed with his credentials. He felt…used. That box he’d been given to look through. Had that been a trap? A test? To see if he’d steal anything? He doubted Alistair would tell him if he asked.
“We pay attention to what people do when they think no one is watching.”
Kaden’s heart thumped hard. The bedroom?Please no.
“When you mentioned Jalis…Joe,” Alistair continued, “it complicated things. Made me reassess.”
“How?”
“Because Joe might not have been what he seemed. Initial impressions show him to be a pleasant young man. Friendly. Helpful. Straightforward. Incredibly bright. But is that the full story? Has he manipulated you to enable him to stay in this country? Is he really from Afghanistan? Or is he from Russia?”
It was impossible not to react. Kaden’s jaw had dropped and he shut his mouth. Joe’s origins had to stay secret. “Yes, he is from Afghanistan. He’s not deceiving me. There’s nothing more to his story.”
“I don’t believe that. There are always omissions. The question is whether they matter.”
Kaden forced himself to hold Alistair’s gaze. This was an interrogation, just dressed a little differently. He had to be careful. “Joe needed somewhere to stay assuming he managed to get to the UK. I wanted to help him. That’s all there is to it.”
“Right.”
He doesn’t believe me.Elsie shifted against Kaden’s leg. He scratched behind her ear, more for himself than for her. Though it didn’t help his anxiety.
“You think he’s dangerous.” Kaden was unable to keep quiet. “He’s not.”
“I suspect you don’t know him as well as you think you do.”
Kaden let out a quiet, humourless breath. That was probably true but… “It seems I don’t know you at all.”
Alistair shrugged. “I’ve spent my life being many different people.”
Kaden felt hurt to have been used. Silence stretched. He was determined not to be the one to break it this time.
“What are you not telling me about him?” Alistair asked.
“Nothing.”
“I know that’s not true.” Alistair’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. It lingered there, as if he were waiting for Kaden to slip up, blurt something out.
Kaden swallowed. “I’m not hiding anything. Joe’s just…Joe. He needed somewhere safe to live. I like him. A lot. I wanted to help him. I still want to help him.”
“And when I told you I expected the truth about him, you saidwe’ll tell you when we can.”
Words he now regretted. Kaden sucked in his cheeks. “And we will.”When we’ve decided what the truth is.“Why assume Joe’s lying?”
“I think,” Alistair said, leaning back slightly, “that people rarely arrive in one’s life without a reason. Especially not when circumstances align so neatly.”
Elsie shifted against Kaden’s leg, probably sensing the tension. He kept his hand buried in her fur.
