: Chapter 21

Max

Another bright day dawned, and I bounced up the steps to the castle apartment. Last night, the job I’d picked up at the garage had taken hours longer than expected, but the result was worth the hassle. I brimmed over with excitement for the new owner to see the repaired Austin-Healey, but that would have to wait.

First, I had a wee lass to pick up for a daddy-daughter date.

Lia opened the door before I knocked, her pretty gaze taking me in. “Right on time. She’s raring to go.”

Behind her, Evie toddled a few steps, stomping in her walking shoes. Likewise, her ma was ready for a day outdoors in shorts and a tight T-shirt.

I swooped in on my bairn and lifted her for a hug, but my attention fixed on her mother. “Tell me again what ye and Effie are getting up to today?”

Using a small mirror propped up against a cereal box on the kitchen counter, Lia clipped back her blonde curls. “No idea. I told Effie I was sick of living a safe life, and she winked at me and said she heard me loud and clear. Which is confusing because I’m not sure what I meant by that, so how can she?” She finished with her hair and crossed the kitchen to grab a backpack, bringing it to me. “Everything is in here that you might need. Clothes, nappies, sunscreen, countless snacks. I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything.”

Today was the first time I had solo management of Evie, and as confident as I felt with her, nerves still gnawed at me.

I shouldered the pack and gave Lia a reassuring smile. “I’ve got this. I think she likes me well enough to forgive me if I get anything wrong.”

For a long moment, Lia just gazed at us. “She loves you. I’m barely panicking about going out without her because, from the moment you two met, she was instantly a daddy’s girl. She laughs all the time with you. She’s always looking for you. It was all I’d ever hoped for.”

Her words dried up, and she swallowed. I did, too.

Lia leaned in and kissed Evie’s forehead. “Your dada is going to take you for an adventure. You be good, and I’ll see you in a few hours.”

As she straightened, her attention jumped to my lips, and she hesitated over the natural next step. I made a decision for her, drawing in to deliver a soft but insistent kiss to her lips.

“Rewriting something else,” I said gruffly. “This time, I’ll take every chance at a kiss.”

A horn blared outside, and Lia pressed her fingertips to her mouth. Then, making a decision, she ran her hand around my neck and into my hair, then gave me a harder, longer kiss.

“Agreed,” she said.

Then she turned and left the apartment, her boots drumming down the steps. At the door, I waved to Effie in the driver’s seat of her big car. Lia closed herself in, and the lasses sped away.

On my arm, Evie snuggled closer, one hand lifting to pat my face.

“Just us now, sweetheart,” I told her.

Maybe this was how it would be in future—Lia leaving Evie with me for visitation. Yet a different reality beckoned. All of us together. This being our home, our lives shared fully. When I’d asked, Callum had happily let me extend my temporary lease on the place, but I couldn’t afford it for long.

Heaving a sigh, I closed and locked the apartment door and carried Evie down the steps, my thoughts heavy with all the hurdles between here and the vision I’d had.

It was one thing Lia and me revising all the shite that had gone down between us, but another thing entirely creating a life together.

I had no roadmap for that, nor any clue that Lia would want it even if I asked.

Setting that mindfuck aside, I took our daughter out for a ramble. First stop was down the loch path to home. Ma was at work, but my father was in our cottage. He and I had barely spoken in the past couple of weeks aside from general conversation when I’d taken Lia and Evie to the house and his prompts to talk to the solicitors.

Other than telling Lia I’d planned to make a legal claim over Evie, I’d pushed back the appointment, the urgency no longer there.

That aside, I worried about my father. His usual easy grin had been forced when I’d watched him, and I had no doubt my life events had triggered memories of his.

“Da?” I called, entering the hall.

“Out here, Max.” His voice came from the back.

I strode through the kitchen and peered out of the open door. Halfway up a ladder, my father wrangled a drainpipe, attempting to reattach the wall mountings.

“Give me a hand, will ye?” he muttered, his gaze on his task.

“Sorry, no can do.”

He glanced around, and I waved one of Evie’s hands at him. Instantly, my father’s gaze brightened. He abandoned the drainpipe and descended to the patio, brushing his fingers on his T-shirt.

“I didn’t know we were seeing ye today,” he said to Evie. To me, he added, “Can I take her?”

We made the exchange, and I grinned at the sight of my dad clearly enamoured with his granddaughter.

“Evie and I are out for a walk while her mother’s busy,” I explained. “We’re starting here then heading out to the hangar so I can show her the helis. Gordain wants a chat, too.”

Da toted Evie around the garden, letting her touch the pine needles of a tree. She’d been here a couple of times now and pointed at the flower border.

“What is it, the flowers?” Da asked.

Evie struggled to get down, then wobbled her way over the stones to thrust aside a leafy shrub. Underneath, a colourful ball waited.

“Clever girl!” Da exclaimed. “That must’ve been there since ye and Isla were out here playing. What a memory ye have.”

He sat cross-legged with her and rolled the ball. “Can you say ball, Evie?”

I hadn’t spoken to my parents about her limited speech, but I understood what Lia meant now. Ava made ten times the amount of noise that Evie did even just moving around. The rare occasions that Evie opened her mouth were precious.

“Ba,” Evie tried.

I sucked in a breath and sat on the patio tiles beside them. Da repeated the word, but Evie now seemed content just to play.

“Were any of us quiet as bairns?” I asked.

Da wrinkled his nose. “Naw. Ye were all noisy wee monkeys from the second ye were out in the fresh air. Especially ye. Evie’s not like ye for that, even if she is in every other way.”

I mulled that over. Da was unable to read because of extreme dyslexia. At school, I’d struggled to concentrate and either failed or didn’t take most of my exams.

“How early would we know if she needed help with learning?” I asked slowly.

My father tilted his head. “Are ye really worried? From what I can see, she’s happy and healthy. No cause for concern.”

“Lia’s da implied Evie could be more difficult because of it,” I said lower while Evie chased the ball.

I hated the words and the memory of that phone call.

My father’s gaze darkened. “From what ye told me of the man, his opinions need challenging at every point. Unless he’s a child expert, I wouldnae pay him any mind.”

“That’s what I thought. She can make sounds so she’ll talk when she’s ready.”

“Aye.” Da grabbed Evie on a pass and whipped her upside down, holding her in front of his face.

A squeal came from her, and we both grinned.

“I think,” Da said to Evie, “you’re a smart wee thing, and ye prefer watching and learning. People chatter on enough, so you’re the one taking care over your words, aye? I like your way of handling the world, my little angel.”

He righted her, and she turned to him, patting his face like she was memorising him. Da had scars under his blond beard, caused by a car wreck when he was in his twenties. His ear had a nick taken out of it, and gouges crossed his chest. He’d been a model, but the accident ended his career. Ma called him battle-worn as his injuries had come when he was in the middle of fighting for my sister. I’d only ever known him to have them, so it was part of him.

Just like I’d done as a lad, Evie traced the lines, fascinated.

“Grandpa,” Da said to her. “Ye don’t have to say it, but keep it in your head.”

Emotion rolled through me at the sight of them together.

We played for a while longer, but soon it was time to go.

At the door, Da hugged Evie goodbye. “Thanks for the visit. I want more of these whenever she’s here. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but getting used to ye being a da has been easier than I imagined.”

“I wondered if it bothered ye, after all you’d been through with Cait.”

My father gave a short laugh. “I might’ve had a couple of sleepless nights remembering the headf— I mean panic from that time, but it was over twenty years ago. Those scars dinna hurt now. By the way, how is it going with the solicitors?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Haven’t met them yet.”

Da’s expression fell. “Ye have to.”

“I will, but things are going well, so the urgency went away.”

Something flashed over Da’s expression. “I’m glad, but this is important. Call them. Now. Get the paperwork sorted. Get yourself on her birth certificate. I’m not joking when I say it’s vital.”

I didn’t dare admit my dream that Lia might consider staying. Da’s force of feeling drove me to action.

“Aye, I will.”

“Good lad. Take out your phone.”

He held Evie while I made the call and instructed the solicitor to go ahead with the case.

That done, Evie and I continued on our way.

Our walk through the estate took far longer than usual. Evie and I rambled around, taking breaks for snacks and to examine every pinecone and rock that interested her.

Whatever concerns I’d had about her speech fell away. Her curiosity in the world shone. At the edge of the forest before it gave way to the open ground where the hangar sat, Evie and I played in the dappled sunlight. My daughter collected sticks into a little pile, fitting them together. I watched her, increasingly obsessed the more time we spent together.

“What are ye building? Looks like a car to me. That’s my job, fixing cars. Your dada is a mechanic. How about we try dada again?”

Evie peeked up at me. She opened and closed her mouth as if considering trying the word.

“Dada,” I tried again. “You’re already most of the way there with ba.”

A slight tilt to her head showed me Evie was making a decision. Then she stooped, grabbed two handfuls of sticks, and flung them in the air. “Ba,” she said proudly.

I cracked up, collecting her to my lap. “Good try.”

In the rucksack, my phone rang.

“That’ll be your ma, I bet.”

Today, I’d changed Lia’s entry in my phone to be her name, not just Evie’s ma. Only I’d known about it, but it felt…important.

I found my phone, but a different name waited onscreen. I answered the call. “Baldwin, how’s it going?”

The manager of the outreach programme cleared his throat. “Max, something strange happened. Ye know ye had that run-in on your last visit out here.”

“Do ye mean the man who warned me off finding Struan?”

“Aye. I assume you didn’t pay any attention?”

A cold ripple of anticipation moved over me. “I asked my uncle to look into it. Why, did something happen?”

“I had a note through my door.” He went quiet for a moment, and paper rustled. “This is a warning,” he read. “If you want to keep your programme running, don’t interfere with the work of others. Ignore this, and I’ll get your funding pulled then shut you down.”

“What the hell?” I bit back a swear word. “Not only did the man try to warn me off, but now he’s trying to scare ye, too. This is suspicious as anything.”

Baldwin grumbled something to himself. “Listen, Max. You’re the best mechanic I have on this programme, but we run on a shoestring. Any dent to our funding, and I won’t be able to supply parts or pay for fuel.”

I recoiled. “You’re not seriously going to tell me to back off, are ye?”

“We have dozens of people who rely on us. Hundreds over the years. I don’t know who this man is that you’ve pissed off, but if he has any sway, then we’re fucked. We’ll have to shut down. That means no more car repairs. Families stuck without transport. The kids willnae be able to get to college, and the whole system breaks down. This message was delivered yesterday, and I sat on it because I didn’t want to make this call. But I cannae sacrifice the whole programme for the sake of one troubled lad.”

I leapt to my feet, shouldering my bag then scooping up Evie. “No chance. This is a bully tactic, and I bet anything that it’s an empty threat. I am not going to let anyone tell me what to do. Particularly not that red-faced arsehole.”

“Sorry, Max, but if ye make that decision, then it has to be your battle, not the programme’s.”

My blood ran cold. “You’re asking me to step down?”

“It’s the last thing I want, but aye, if it’s the choice between helping twenty kids or one, I can’t ignore those numbers.”

Anger washed the chill away, and I stomped across the grass in the direction of the hangar. “Fine. Then I tackle it on my own.”

“I’m sorry, Max,” Baldwin added.

I’d heard enough. Killing the call, I stashed my phone. Evie cuddled into me, and I rubbed her back to reassure her.

“Here’s a lesson in how to be a McRae,” I told her. “We don’t bow to bully tactics, and we never leave anyone behind. Watch and learn, sweetheart.”

In the wide-open hangar, mechanics worked on helicopters, tools clanking, and the familiar scent of fuel drifted in the air. At a whiteboard, an instructor drew up some kind of diagram, ready to give a flight school lesson. I strode past them all, my sights set on the offices next to the mountain rescue operations room.

My uncle sat at a desk in his office, and I homed in on the open door.

“Max,” a voice called behind.

I squinted back to find Gabe joining me. In a blue pilot’s jumpsuit, he grinned. Then his expression fell. “What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t help my glower. “Come with me.”

Without hesitation, we marched into Gordain’s office. My uncle raised his head.

“Max, and this is Evie! And Mr Gordonson,” he added as Gabe brought up the rear.

I tilted my head at Gabe. “That’s your surname? You’re Gabe Gordonson?”

He and Gordain swapped a look.

“No,” Gabe admitted. “But I’m on the books here now. Had to choose something.”

I rapidly caught up. When Lochie had started work for Gordain, he’d used a fake surname, too. My uncle enabled people like no one else I’d ever met.

I squinted at Gordain. “Ye chose Gordonson for him?”

He grinned. “It was the first name that came off the top of my head. Now sit down and tell me why ye have such a bleak expression.”

I did as he asked, Gabe closing the door then taking the seat beside me. Evie reached and poked his arm, testing the jumpsuit material.

Rapidly, I told them of the call I’d just had with Baldwin. “The more I think about it, the more effed up it seems. Like something to do with Struan and the other boys is being hidden. By threat of violence to me, then to Baldwin’s bank account.”

“By any means necessary,” Gabe added.

“Agreed. Which is why I asked ye to come here today so we could talk through a plan.” Gordain rolled his shoulders, and his sleeves stretched over his biceps. Like me, he had tattooed arms, along with thick muscles made from years of hard work.

He continued. “I’ve been making enquiries of people I know who live up there. I have a friend who runs military training exercises on a remote island in the Outer Hebrides. He’s on the local council, too, and said there’s no official facility like the one we’re looking for. Not on any island.”

“Which makes it unofficial,” Gabe said darkly. “What man would have a house of young lads concealed up there that isn’t government funded, and that he is threatening people to keep away from?”

Gordain thinned his lips. “When ye put it like that, it’s chilling. Max, did Struan have an accent? Can you tell which part of Scotland he was from?”

I thought about it for a moment, picturing the younger man, his black hair and the anger in his eyes. “Glasgow at a guess.”

“Which means at some point, he was taken to this place. None of this adds up. Your instincts were bang on.”

Vindication had me sitting up taller, a now-tired Evie clinging to me. “Right, listen. Tomorrow, I’m heading up there. Are ye with me?”

“Aye,” both men replied without hesitation.

“Gabe, can ye fly us? I’m not sure how this will work, but it’ll be too hard to get from island to island by car and boat.”

Gabe agreed, pulling out his phone to reserve a helicopter.

Gordain drummed his fingers on the desk. “Think about what we’re seeking. It’s unlikely to be a small place like a regular home.”

That made sense. “Plus it’s probably going to be away from any villages. So we’re looking for a larger isolated house. Easy to do from the air.”

The phone on Gordain’s desk rang. He picked it up and spoke into the handset, asking the caller to give him a second before coming back to us. “Then we have our plan. I’ll need a couple of hours in the morning for handover with Maddock coming back, so we’ll head out mid-morning. Agreed?”

“Agreed. Gabe and I can use the time for research,” I replied.

Gabe gave his approval, then we left the office.

My thoughts clouded with the adrenaline rush of what we needed to do and the new knowledge that my twin was returning.

With a hand to my shoulder, Gabe guided me into the mountain rescue operations centre. “Was that a surprise for ye, about Maddock? I thought ye knew. He messaged me yesterday so I’d be prepared to leave his cottage.”

I shot him a glance, cradling Evie to me as she dozed. “Where will ye go?”

“I visited your uncle Callum at the castle this morning and took out the lease on the tower apartment. We’ll be neighbours.”

“Glad you’re staying,” I managed, but my thoughts had turned inward. Maddock had messaged me, but I hadn’t read it. If anything was going to burst the bubble of mine and Lia’s time together, it was his return.

“Aye, I’m staying. I’ve never known a place like this one. It suits what I need to do perfectly.” He went to punch my arm, then thought better of jolting Evie and grinned instead. “I’ve got a training flight now, hovering close over hillsides to show your uncle I’m good with winch control.”

“Yeah? Where are ye practising?” I asked absently.

“Glen Durie. It’ll be quiet out there. See ye later.”

Distracted, I watched him leave, my mind in turmoil. Tomorrow was going to be a shocker for multiple reasons, and I wasn’t prepared for my brother’s return. Not even a little bit. Lia and I had to come to some agreement.

Before everything unravelled once again.