Chapter Twenty-one

NATE

By the time we landed in Zurich, I realised why Tom Fortescue had brought me to Switzerland rather than introducing me to clients in England. The two-hour flight had been an uninterrupted interrogation.

He asked all sorts of questions about Bim and the rest of my family Not about the banks, which would have been easy to parry, but more personal questions. He was intent on sounding out my relationship with my family.

Thankfully, once we were on the ground, his attention turned to the clients we were meeting.

"Is there a particular line you want me to follow?" I asked him in the taxi. I'd never gone into a meeting without being fully briefed.

"Your role is to charm them. Michel likes them pretty, and you fit the bill in Charlie's absence." His mouth soured at the mention of Charlie. "He's bringing some PE LPs along for a preliminary discussion, so you can do the sales pitch."

Do the sales pitch when I didn't know what they were interested in? Either Tom Fortescue was negligent to the point of misconduct, or this was one hell of a test. Given how profitable the Fortescue bank was, my bet was on the latter.

Or perhaps I really was along just as eye candy. Before now, I'd used the way clients seemed to like my smile. It had backfired once, when Harry Elliott's wife had been a little too bowled over and he'd moved his accounts to a different bank. But behind the smile, clients knew they were paying for my analytical ability and expertise. I wasn't used to having those overlooked completely. I gritted my teeth. This wasn't real. This was to provide a way into the bank. That was all.

Tom was buried in his phone, so I took the opportunity to shoot Alex a text. Wish you were here. It was only after I'd sent it that I realised it might sound needy rather than a low-key humorous excuse for contact. Damnit. I'd have to be more careful in future.

ALEX

With Nate gone, I had nothing to do. I was still determined to search Steven's room, but doing so would be suicidal without Nate acting as lookout.

Anna Fortescue invited me to sit beside her at lunch. She proceeded to quiz me on my profession and looked dissatisfied to learn I was a part-time tour guide.

"Well, it must be difficult in Cornwall," she said. "We'll see what we can find for you closer to home."

I knew rich people thought they ran the world—because they actually did run the world—but the arrogance of her statement on so many levels left me breathless.

"Some elocution lessons will help with that accent." She must have seen the expression on my face, because she pressed on extremely swiftly. "It's a very charming reminder of where you come from, but it won't quite do in the circles you'll be moving in."

Circles that could kiss my Cornish arse. Somehow, and God only knew how, I managed not to say that out loud.

"Ella's going to read Banking and Finance at university. She'll go into the family business, of course."

Woah, hold up—going to? I hadn't wondered where she went each day, but if you'd asked me, I'd have guessed uni. I knew there was one in Bath. "How old is she?" I asked.

"Eighteen," Anna said. "But a very mature eighteen."

Seriously? Even if she had been mature, eighteen? Did Anna Fortescue think I was some sort of predator? I glared at Margaret, sitting a couple of seats away, until she came to my rescue.

"Anna, I was wondering if you could show me around your garden after lunch."

Margaret had as much interest in gardening as I had in trombones. I really owed her for starting a conversation about hollyhocks and hydrangeas. But if I'd had to talk to Anna a moment longer, I wouldn't have been able to hide my anger.

Like Nate had said of Ella once, that poor kid. Auctioned off before she'd had a chance even to live. We couldn't leave her here when we left. But then, that would probably result in kidnapping charges, and I doubted Ella would be happy without unfettered access to designer labels. I didn't think I'd yet seen her in the same outfit twice.

I concentrated fiercely on my lunch. Or, as I would have called it at home, dinner. I expected that was wrong, too. Anna Fortescue would probably send me for vocabulary tutoring alongside the elocution lessons. I hated it here. I hated these people. All except Nate.

My phone sounded with a text. Wish you were here.

Me too, I sent back, and I meant it. I wanted to be with Nate. I also wanted to be as far away as possible from this amoral family with their elocution lessons. But mostly, I wanted to be with Nate.

NATE

Tom had handled the meeting expertly. He was far too professional to have brought me simply because I was, allegedly, pretty. Perhaps he'd said that to gauge how compliant I was, how willing to do unsavoury things in the pursuit of Fortescue interests.

Michel took us out for supper at one of Zurich's best restaurants. I knew that because he told us, just before he slid his hand onto my thigh.

"Come home with me tonight, and I will show you more of the best that Zurich has to offer," he murmured, his mouth close to my ear.

About to peel his hand off my leg, I hesitated as another reason for this trip occurred to me. The Fortescues knew that Alex and I spent a lot of time together. Steven had seen us kissing. Was this a test to see if there was anything between us? Once I realised that possibility, I changed my mind about trotting out the "I have a partner" line.

I smiled apologetically at Michel as I firmly removed his hand. "I'm sorry, but I don't mix business with pleasure."

He wasn't bad looking, but noone could hold a candle to Alex. I couldn't imagine ever wanting to be with anyone else. It wasn't only how Alex looked, gorgeous though he was, but the connection I felt with him. Sex with him was incredible because it wasn't just sex. It was us having sex.

Okay, so the fruit brandy Michel had plied me with after the meal had been a bit stronger than I'd realised—I wasn't making sense even to myself. All I knew was that Alex was amazing, and I missed him.

*

The following morning, Tom had some meetings to which I wasn't invited. Even though I'd signed an NDA, it would have been reckless to disclose too much commercially sensitive information in front of me.

I took the opportunity to explore Zurich in the autumn sunshine. The previous times I'd been here had been on business, and I'd seen nothing more than the airport and boardrooms.

A beautiful medieval church sat next to the river in Old Town. I was about to climb one of the towers for its view over the city when my phone sounded. A video call from Rufus. He obligingly waited while I found somewhere to sit and talk to him, and then he told me he'd been hurt.

After my first moment of blind panic, fury followed. "What the hell, Rufus?" My voice echoed around the picturesque old square. "Fucking Fortescues, taking me out of the country just when I need to be there. I can't—the flight's scheduled for late afternoon, but I can fly commercial and be with you by…" I looked at my watch, calculating journey times.

"Nate. Nate. Nate." Rufus's voice finally penetrated. "I'm okay. Honestly. I had a paramedic look me over, twice. You don't need to interrupt your trip for this."

My eyes quartered his face. He looked pale and had dark shadows under his eyes, but he didn't appear in imminent danger of collapsing. "I promise," he said softly.

And then he proceeded to tell me all that had happened. My head was spinning with what he told me, but somehow I couldn't let go of the fact he'd been hurt when I wasn't there.

"Let me talk to Mark," I demanded when he got to the end of his story. I didn't know Mark well, but one video call had been enough to reinforce how protective he was of Rufus. If Mark told me Rufus was okay, I'd believe him.

Rufus rolled his eyes. "For God's sake, I'm not a baby." But he handed his phone to Mark, whose cheery grin reassured me more than any of Rufus's words.

"Honest, Nate—I've got him well in hand," he said, a wicked light in his eyes at those words that I really didn't want to know about. "If I thought he needed medical attention, I'd be dragging him there myself. He's okay." He then segued into the parts of the story that Rufus had missed, and by the end I had almost relaxed. Almost. There was still that shock rattling around inside that reminded me of being a dragonet and accidentally breathing fire for the first time.

Rufus was an adult, I told myself after the call ended. I should trust his judgment of the situation.

Yet it wasn't quite as easy as that to let go of my concern. It spilled out in a text to Alex. Rufus was injured last night.

He answered instantly. He's in Oxford, isn't he? Can I go and check on him for you? Make sure he's ok.

My heart overflowed with love for Alex at that moment. Who else would even think of doing that, let alone offer to?

His boyfriend's with him. But thanks. Really. Means a lot.

I had to stop there before I blurted out too much. I couldn't wait to see him again.