: Chapter 16

Max

There was something about being around Lia that did strange things to my body. Flooded me with testosterone. Had me alert and aware of everything she did. Sitting beside her on the long car journey probably wasn’t the smartest idea.

“Tell me about the university deal.” I shifted my position. “What do ye want to study?”

Lia’s throat bobbed. “I’m not sure yet. American universities don’t make you choose in the first year, so I have time to decide.”

“There isn’t a specific job ye want?”

“Not really. I just want to feel valuable, I guess.” Her cheeks flooded pink. “What I mean is, my dad has an amazing career, and my mother did, too, or at least the start of one. I don’t want to waste the chances they gave me.”

“What happened to your ma? Do ye mind if I ask?”

“I don’t mind. She died giving birth to me. I never knew her.” She swallowed again and hurried on. “I guess I feel a debt to her, and it’s also why I want to stay close to my dad. I know you probably think he sucks, but he really is brilliant. He’s saved so many people, particularly when he was working in hostage negotiations, which is where he started before he moved into government standoffs. He saved children from a terrorist once. It was a huge deal.”

“Holy shite.”

“I know. He was forty when he finally married and they had me. He had a whole life before I came along. My birth, and the loss of my mother, led to him taking a less risky job, though arguably more important.”

“Sorry ye lost your mother. I cannae imagine life without mine.”

“Scarlet seems great.”

My heart warmed. Ma was the best. “She is.”

“What was it like growing up with her, I mean, having two parents?”

“Are ye sure ye want that image?”

“I do. Evie will have it now we’re…talking.”

I drove and talked, describing my childhood. Both my parents had worked, but one was always around for us. Then we had aunts, uncles, and cousins on tap. The family constantly had something going on.

I hadn’t realised how rich it was until contrasted with Lia’s upbringing.

She listened, quiet, her gaze on the view but little comments and questions keeping me talking.

“It was just ye and your da, aye?” I tried to flip it around.

“Pretty much. Plus his staff. One in particular was kind of like an uncle to me. Stephen.”

“The man who spoke to the great-aunt.”

“Yep. He was there for my whole childhood and devoted to Dad’s cause, but he was offered a job he couldn’t refuse. I lost contact with him—the only number I had for him was the one Felix now uses—but he’s the key to the mystery of what happened.” She gestured between us.

“Can you get his personal number?”

“I’ve asked.”

A surge of frustration formed inside me, and I willed it away. Lia was conditioned to do whatever her da said and to toe the line. It was no good me making demands of her.

She wouldn’t do it for my sake.

Then Lia snatched up her bag. “You know what? That isn’t good enough. I asked Felix for Stephen’s number yesterday, and he hasn’t sent it. What’s the point in waiting for something that won’t happen?”

She put the phone up to her ear. After a beat, she pulled it away and tapped the screen, hanging up her call. “Shit. I was going to call him to rant, but that won’t work. I need a different approach.”

“Who else knew Stephen well?”

“I…can’t think of anyone. He didn’t have a partner that I knew of, or friends that he ever mentioned. Linc might have a better idea. I’ll text him to see if it’s okay to chat.”

She wrote out her message and sent it.

“Did ye say Lincoln had a family emergency?”

She slid me a look. “His boyfriend is in hospital. He rushed to be with him.”

All the remaining antagonism I’d felt for Linc left in a rush. “Sorry to hear that. And I’m also sorry for being a jerk about him.”

Lia toyed with her phone. When a reply came in, she grinned and hit the button to dial. “Hi, I’m so glad he’s awake. Give me the latest.”

She listened to the update on the boyfriend’s medical condition, her expression filled with worry. “You must have been in pieces, but what a relief. No, no, don’t text Felix back. Leave that for me to handle. Listen, there’s something I wanted to ask you.” She placed her question about the old assistant then listened, something Lincoln said buoying her up. After she ended the call, she twisted to face me.

“So, Linc said Stephen dated a woman who worked in an art gallery in Paris. He used to travel to see her when he took his rare time off. Strange, Linc called her another survivor.”

“What does that mean?”

“No idea, but apparently, Stephen gave that as the reason they broke up. Linc didn’t know much about his life apart from this one detail. Dad has a type when it comes to picking assistants. Felix is the same. They are focused and lacking any big personality traits.”

“Okay, so the plan is to track down this woman to see if she has a current phone number for Stephen?”

“Exactly. It can’t have been more than eighteen months ago, and I have her name and the gallery: Adrienne from Galerie de la Ville de Paris.”

Lia started a search on her phone, then she placed a call, launching into easy French.

I gaped at her before snapping my attention back to the road.

She rattled on, charming whoever was on the line. Even having spent the past couple of days together, I still knew so little about this lass.

Had to admit, the way she wrapped her mouth around the foreign language was sexy as fuck.

At the end of the call, she blew out a breath. “Well, that was both straightforward and fruitless. Adrienne herself answered the call. She remembered Stephen mentioning me, so it wasn’t hard to get her to speak. The issue, though, was that Stephen was really cagey on details about his life and she respects that, despite the fact they broke up.”

“She wouldnae give ye his phone number?”

“Nope. But she promised to message him and ask if it was okay to hand it over. Or to contact me himself. I said Dad might be retiring, which isn’t exactly true, but it was the only reason I could think of to justify the contact.”

“Good job,” I commended. “Including blowing me away with ye being fluent in another language.”

To my surprise, Lia flushed pink.

“I’m not fluent at all, but thank you. I’m not willing to let this go. I meant what I said to your sister. I’m devastated that you missed out on Evie’s first year because of someone in my life. I’m determined to work out exactly what went down.”

Ahead, the Skye Bridge came into view, arching over the sea between Kyle of Lochalsh and Kyleakin.

Lia sat forward and gazed at the sight. The whole trip, she’d absorbed the spectacular scenery, and I’d enjoyed her reactions.

“Tell me more about the reason we’re here.”

As I drove us over the bridge and onto Skye, I explained about Struan and how something in his behaviour was bothering me. I kept an eye out for the lad but saw nothing, driving us to my outreach boss’s house instead.

“This is Baldwin’s place—he heads up the programme and told me he’d seen the lad I’m after.”

“What programme?”

“I help teenagers fix up their cars.”

Lia squinted at me. “Voluntarily?”

I couldn’t stop my laugh. “Aye. Is that such a surprise? If you’re stuck out in the middle of nowhere without transport, how do ye get shopping, or take your kin to the doctors, or even go to college? No car can mean no life.”

We climbed out, Evie waking at the rush of cool air as I opened her door.

“Hi, sweetheart. Good nap?” I asked her then peered back at Lia. “Nappy change needed?”

“I would. Do these kids call you up for help then? Like a travelling mechanic?”

“They’re meant to go through Baldwin, but many have my number and check when I’ll next be around. That usually means they’re stuck.” Many times, I’d driven out on an evening to carry out a fast repair. It was that or leave the person stranded. And they learned like sponges, carrying out their own fixes the next time I saw them. But this wasn’t my show, and I didn’t want Lia to assume I was a saint. “Baldwin also has people who give free driving lessons and help source cheap cars. It’s his brainchild. He’s a biker, but I guess he felt stuck as a teenager and knows what it’s like.”

On the back seat of the car, I changed Evie, then I wrangled her into her coat and plopped a soft hat on her head, even though it wasn’t so cold now.

When I locked up the car, Lia still stared.

“What?” I asked.

She blinked. “Nothing. Let’s go find your man.”

At the cottage, no answer came, so I led us down the street to the pub. Inside the barroom, the smell of hops thick and the carpet sticky underfoot, I spotted Baldwin amidst the small crowd of older men and moved through the tables, toting Evie.

The man lifted his gaze from his beer, then gawked. “Max. Ye made it. And who is this?”

I gestured to the woman behind me. “Lia, meet Baldwin. Baldwin, Lia. And this is our daughter, Evie.”

For the first time, I could make the introduction without giving a lengthy explanation. I’d known Baldwin for a couple of years but not personally. I’d volunteered after Uncle Gordain had seen him advertise for local mechanics, and he’d asked few questions.

“God above. I had no idea ye were a da!” The huge biker beamed. “Ye can see the apple fell close to the tree with this one. She’s the spit of ye.”

Pride had me standing taller. “Sweet like her mother, though.”

“Lucky, that,” Baldwin replied, his grin broad. He addressed Lia. “How do ye put up with this one then?”

I stilled, knowing she was about to whip away my illusion and explain our disconnection.

“He’s a good man,” she said simply instead.

My focus remained on Baldwin, though my fucking heart sped.

The man continued, oblivious to the exchange. “Aye, I know. I’m teasing. Max is my greatest asset. Now, Max. Since ye turned your manhunt into a family day out, I’ll tell ye what I saw—that lad, Struan, was racing around the island this lunchtime. He flew through Portree at over fifty, stopping at the shops for something. Kid’ll get himself arrested. If ye find him, maybe lose his spark plugs instead of helping him this time.”

I rubbed my jaw. “Did ye see where he went?”

“Naw myself, but I’ve been asking around, too. A friend up in Uig thinks he’s running a boat from there. He remembers the car, so that is probably where he leaves it.”

Which matched Baldwin’s theory that Struan lived on another island.

I thanked him, and he returned to his beer. “Nae bother. Ye seemed keen to find him, so there ye go. Good luck. Nice to meet your family.”

Outside, we returned to the car. But before either of us said a word, a banging sound disturbed the peace. At Baldwin’s front door, a red-faced man thumped the wood with his fist.

My spine tingled, and instinct had me handing Evie to Lia. “Wait here.”

The man looked up at my approach.

“Can I help ye?” I asked.

He narrowed his gaze. “Who are ye?”

“Max McRae.”

“Ye the one asking around after people who are none of your business?”

“What if I am?”

He marched right up to me and poked a hard finger into my chest. I didn’t budge.

“Stop asking questions.”

I cocked my head. “Why?”

“Nosey outsider. I am telling ye to leave it alone.”

His face was inches from mine. Alcohol fumes drifted from his ruddy skin. Still, my hackles were up, and I closed the distance, pushing him off me.

“Dinna ye tell me what to do. What are ye to do with Struan?”

The older man scowled, white spit building around his mouth. “He lives under my roof, in my holding facility, at my expense. That little shite belongs to me. Hear that? Just like the others. Stay the fuck away from him.”

Holding facility? I had no idea what that meant.

Nor was I about to handle the barked orders of some drunk and aggressive arsehole. I sneered at him. “What if I don’t?”

The man focused on me, then his gaze slipped to Lia and Evie.

Automatically, I stepped between them, breaking his eye line. “Eyes off her.”

“So I’m to listen when ye won’t? Fuck off if ye know what’s good for ye and your pretty girlfriend. Stay away or accept the consequences.” He raised both eyebrows and swayed on his feet, backing away to his car.

He climbed in and sped off, heading in the direction we’d have to go if I was to continue pursuing Struan.

I watched him go then swore and grabbed my keys from my pocket, unlocking the car. “Sorry ye had to hear that. Strap Evie in, will ye? I just need to tell Baldwin about that exchange. I got a partial numberplate and I’m pretty sure one of the other guys in the bar is a local cop.”

She dipped her head. “Are we going to go after him?”

Alone, I wouldn’t have hesitated. But with my bairn and Lia in the car? I had to let it go. For now, at least.

My shoulders came down. “No. I’ll take us home.”

My chase was over, for now. Maybe I should leave it alone, but the mystery of the delinquent lad had only gotten deeper, and I couldn’t help but feel he was in real trouble.

Lia and Evie’s safety came first. Not just now but every time. I had no hesitation in knowing that.