The Lies That Shatter by A.V. Asher
Chapter Sixteen
“Jesus Christ, that was intense,” Luke said. “Did you know they were going to be here?”
Alec turned in his seat to watch the small crowd of cameras and microphones shrink behind them. “Not at all. I’ve no idea why they’re interested in me.” He cast his gaze at Kristin. “You alright?”
She sent him an unsettled smile. “Just a little shaken, I think.”
“Aye, they’re a lot to take in.” Alec scanned the vehicles behind them. “Luke, we need to take a little drive. I want to make sure we aren’t being followed.”
“Can’t they figure out what hotel we’re in and wait there?” Kristin asked.
Cressida popped up with the answer. “We have dummy rooms in our names at a different hotel. Our actual rooms are under aliases, even yours.”
“Oh.” Kristin cast her gaze away. Alec could tell Kristin didn’t like Cressida knowing they weren’t sharing a room. He gave her hand a squeeze.
“Cress, can you arrange for Sam and maybe one more of our guys here in town to run security for Luke and Charlie’s house? I don’t know if we’ll need it, but I wasn’t expecting the press to know anything about me.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Cressida said as she put the phone to her ear. “It’s almost like they were tipped off by someone inside the circle.”
Cressida wasn’t wrong. Whoever had leaked Alec’s name knew where and when to find him. Only someone from the top had that information.
The trip across the Golden Gate Bridge gave Alec a chance to take in the city from a distance. It looked so peaceful from here. But it held the chaos of the trial in its depths.
A melancholy swept over him. It was familiar. He’d spent the week of Mercedes’s funeral gutted by loss. Now he was a little more pieced back together, but it was hard not to slip into the sorrow again. This was hopefully the last barrier to picking those fractured pieces up and becoming whole.
* * *
As they pulledinto the driveway, Charlotte threw open the door and came down the steps with a wide grin on her face. The pain of seeing her was as real as it had ever been, but the sight of her growing baby bump gave Alec a jolt of joy.
“Look at you! You’re gorgeous.” Alec laughed, enveloping her in his arms.
She squeezed him hard and gave him an exaggerated kiss on the cheek. “You’re not so bad yourself. I’m glad you shaved that mountain man beard.”
“Aye, now you can see my pretty face.” He grinned at her, rubbing his stubbled jaw.
Charlotte giggled. “I like your pretty face.” Then she looked to Kristin, and back to Alec expectantly.
“Sorry,” he said, drawing Kristin to him to make a proper introduction.
“It’s so lovely to meet you. I hope you had a nice flight.” Charlotte’s hazel eyes were soft and warm. No matter how brave a face she’d put on this meeting, it had to remind her of the life her sister had lost. But Charlotte hid it well, smiling broadly to welcome Kristin. Why he’d thought Charlotte would ever do anything different, he couldn’t say.
Alec could see Kristin was doing her best to reply with the same warmth, chatting about the beauty of the neighborhood as they climbed the steps.
When she reached the top, Charlotte stopped and turned to him. “Alec, I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh, aye?”
“Aye,” a voice from inside the door pulled his attention. Declan stood there grinning at him.
“The hell?” Alec said, embracing his cousin. “I thought you weren’t coming in for a few more days?”
Declan’s shoulder rose and fell. “I had some extra time, so I switched my flight.”
“Any luck?”
“Aye, I found Mara Donovan in Ireland. Even managed to meet with her a couple of times. I tried to convince her we’d take care of everything. But she took off on me and her trail went cold again.”
“Damn.” Alec shook his head. “She has to be getting help from somewhere.”
Declan nodded but his gaze shifted past Alec’s shoulder. Alec followed it to where Cressida was chatting with Luke. Declan tried to cover a look of longing, but Alec knew that look well. He’d worn it too damn long himself. He wished the two of them would figure things out.
Throughout dinner, Kristin was quiet. When Charlotte tried to talk to her, she gave only a few word answers. Alec hoped she would become more comfortable as the days went on.
After they’d cleaned up, they moved to the living room, where Luke poured whisky and wine for the guests. Declan was in storytelling mode, making them all laugh with tales of growing up in Scotland together.
After the laughter had died down from the latest tale, Charlotte reached out and pulled Luke’s hand into her lap and they shared a look that made Alec ache. A conversation took place that only they knew the words to.
Luke cleared his throat. “Speaking of weans being unruly, we have some news. Charlotte had her scans this week.” There was a baited silence. “And our daughter is braw.”
“Slàinte mhath.” Declan called.
Alec held up his whisky. “Slàinte.”
What it would have been to have even half the years with Mercedes as Luke and Charlotte had. Damn, it made him happy to see his wee cousin so enamored with his wife and daughter.
“Alec.” Charlotte’s voice drew him back to the room. “We’re going to name her after both Luke’s mom and Sadie. Her name will be Mercedes Clare McKinley.”
The name slammed into him, gutting him.
Mercedes McKinley
It was a name he’d hoped would come into existence one day.
Charlotte’s eyes were wide with concern. If she thought it hurt him, she was wrong.
He cleared the tightness in his throat away. “She would have loved that.”
“Yeah, but are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m absolutely sure. It’s bloody perfect. I can’t wait to meet her.”
* * *
After the evening wore down,Charlotte walked them to the door and gave Alec a kiss on the cheek. Kristin thanked Charlotte for a wonderful dinner and joined Alec outside.
A soft fog had twisted through the quiet neighborhood. Alec breathed in the misty air tinged with the scent of jasmine that hedged the front of the house. A distant foghorn broke through the quiet of the night in a steady call.
Then a black SUV caught his attention. It was sitting across the street with its parking lights on.
Kristin stopped at the base of the stairs and turned to him, straightening the lapel of his jacket. “That was a lovely evening.”
“It was. Thank you for fighting off the jet lag for me.” Alec agreed and leaned down to kiss her.
“Mmm. Anytime.”
They walked to Luke’s car, but Alec’s attention was on the SUV. As he held the door open for her, he rummaged in his pockets and pulled out his phone and dialed.
“Hey Sam, what do you know about the SUV across the street? Is it the press?”
“No, sir. I spoke to him. It’s an FBI agent just checking on the house. Solid ID on him. Three passengers. He said they’d be moving on in a few.”
“Did he give his name?”
“Aye, I wrote it down. It’s um, Special Agent Nick Kessler.”
Alec frowned and studied the vehicle. Nick was an old friend. Why would he sit in his car instead of coming to the door?
“Alright, Declan is staying in the house tonight. Luke is going to drop us off at our hotel and come right back. Anyone else does more than drive by and I want to know about it.”
“Aye sir. Call with further directions.”
Alec leaned down into the open car door. “I’ll be just a tick.”
He hadn’t even made it across the street when the engine suddenly came to life, the headlights popped on, and it drove away.
What the fuck?
The cold tendrils of distrust worked their way up his spine. He pulled his phone up again, this time dialing Nick’s number.
He answered on the second ring.
“Hey Alec, how ya doing?” A fake sunniness filled Nick’s voice.
“I’m doing fine. Are you avoiding me, mate?”
“Nah, I just came by for a quick patrol to see how things are. I talked to your boy, and he said everything’s been quiet. I have a few analysts in the car, and I need to get them back to their assignments.”
Alec gripped the phone until his knuckles ached. Motherfucker.
Nick had never lied to him before.
He let the silence coat the air between them for a second. “Is that the story you want to go with?”
“I . . . I don’t know what you mean, man.”
He wasn’t getting anywhere with Nick. “Alright mate. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
Nick exhaled sharply. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
Alec strode back to the car and leaned into the window. “Luke, can you take Cressida and Kristin to the hotel for me? I’m going to stay here tonight.”
“What?” Kristin said. “Alec, I thought maybe we could have another drink and unwind after all the traveling.”
“No, sorry. But something’s wrong. I want to stay here in case Charlie needs me. Luke, can you open the boot?”
Kristin popped open her door and followed behind him. “But Declan’s here. Can’t he handle it.”
Alec jerked his luggage out of the car. “Aye, he can. And so can I.” He stopped when he saw her crestfallen face. “Look, I’m sorry. But I was just lied to by an FBI agent, and I don’t know why. I won’t leave my cousins and Sadie’s pregnant sister to deal with it alone.”
Irritation flashed in Kristin’s eyes. “What are you going to do about it? Hunt them down yourself?”
A choking cough came from Cressida. Kristin shot a glare at her.
Alec stepped toward Kristin. “If someone came for Charlie, I would absolutely hunt them down.”
“I see.” Her lips tightened. “You sure you don’t just want to immerse yourself in the woman you lost and not the one standing right here?”
A flush crept up Alec’s cheeks. “It’s late, and we’ve been up for hours. And this is not a great time to have this discussion. Please, go with Luke and Cress. I’ll come by for you at eight.”
Kristin’s face was flushed when she dropped into the seat and jerked the door closed.
Alec caught Cressida’s eyes in the light. Her brows were raised, and her lips pursed.
The car pulled away from the curb and Alec watched them leave, then he walked back to the house. Declan was leaning against the railing with his arms crossed.
“I don’t know if it was a good idea to bring her or not.” Alec said, joining his cousin. “She doesn’t seem to understand any of this.”
“She will, mate. She’ll see what’s been happening tomorrow. Maybe it’ll open her eyes.” Declan smacked his shoulder. “Come on, you need some sleep.”
Kristin was right about being keyed up. It was nearly six in the morning at home. As exhausted as he was, his brain thought it was time for breakfast.
Charlotte made up a bed for Alec on the couch in the walkout basement. Like every time he’d been in this house, he felt Mercedes’s presence everywhere.
Maybe Kristin was right, and he was still drawn into the ghost. He needed to find a way to live again.