CHAPTER NINE

ISLEPTBADLY and it wasn't because Lukas had woken more than once. Dain had been thoughtful—grumpy, but thoughtful—in the middle of the night. I wasn't able to get back to sleep at all because the reality of my position is very clear. It's taken less than twenty-four hours back in his presence and I'm willing to do almost anything he wants. I don't deserve his attention but I want it. And last night—for a moment—I had it. But he stepped back right at the moment I would've surrendered. He doesn't want me any more. Or maybe he doesn't want to want me. And he doesn't trust me.

But I'm going to go with Dain to Australia. I'm going to agree to almost anything he wants to ensure Lukas has the best from us both. Because Lukas comes first. But it's not only Lukas depending on me, I have Ava too and I have to do my best for her as well. If I leave she'll be alone. Which means taking a risk. Enraging Dain seems less terrifying now I've seen him with Lukas.

He's interested in his son and he wants the best for him. Yep, he might've had some tough times in his own childhood that he doesn't want to open up about, but he wants to protect Lukas from anything similar. Fine by me. It's awful to admit, but I'm actually a little jealous of the way he looks at Lukas, how carefully he held him. I need to get over that. And knowing I don't have his trust, I figure I might as well do the worst and hopefully ensure Ava is okay as well.

I find him sitting at the kitchen table. There's a coffee beside him and the remnants of an omelette on a plate. My heart thunders and I feel cold, but I do the thing I promised myself I never would.

‘You said you're a billionaire.' My voice cracks. I clear my throat and make myself continue. ‘Is it all tied up in assets or do you have access to cash?'

Surprise lights his eyes. ‘I can access cash. Why?' He cocks his head and surveys me steadily. ‘How much do you need?'

I don't hesitate. ‘Quarter of a million.'

‘Uh...' He does hesitate. Briefly. ‘No more, no less?'

‘Quarter of a million. Cash. Upfront.'

‘Or...?'

I swallow. ‘Or I'm not going with you. Nor is Lukas.'

It's a bluff but one I have to make.

To my astonishment he doesn't instantly get angry. He blinks but the smallest quirk tilts his lips. Surely he's not amused?

‘How will you stop me from taking him?' he asks blandly. ‘And you, for that matter. You know I could bundle you both onto my jet and—'

‘You're not a bully. You're not a criminal. And you don't have passports for either of us yet,' I say.

‘The passports are less than twenty-four hours away and if you think I'm such a straight-up good guy why didn't you try harder to let me know you'd had my son?'

I don't want to admit my shame. I take a breath. ‘This is my price. I won't ask for anything more. Not for me. Ever. But I need all of it. Upfront. Before leaving.'

‘You want it in unmarked dollar bills? Untraceable bags?' His smile deepens.

I purse my lips. I need to remain serious so he finally gets that this isn't a joke. ‘Bank transfer will be fine.'

‘Sure.' He keeps his gaze drilled on me as he pulls his phone from his pocket. ‘I need your account details.'

He says it so matter-of-factly I just stare for a moment.

‘You're doing it now?'

‘You want the money, don't you?'

I fumble for my phone and pull up my banking app and read the numbers to him.

He taps his screen for a few moments then glances up at me. ‘The money's gone through.'

I just gape at him. ‘What?'

‘Refresh your app,' he says. ‘It should be there.'

I really don't want to believe him, but I do it. And there it is. I break into a sweat. My account has never seen so many zeros. There's a quarter of a million dollars—plus the meagre few hundred I had saved in there. I drag in a breath but still feel as if I'm suffocating. The sweat trickles down my spine as I tap the screen to forward the payment to Ava right away. I'll call her and explain it all later. I just want that money out of my account now. Because I feel bad about this. So bad. I'm barely aware that Dain's now standing beside me, silently observing over my shoulder.

But the payment doesn't go through. I frown at the ‘transaction denied' message.

‘I put money into that account all the time,' I mutter. ‘Why won't they let me do it today?' I tap the app and try again. A big bright red alert message appears at the top. ‘It's been "blocked for unusual activity".' I read it aloud in frustration. ‘I have to phone them. Or go into a branch and take photo ID with me.'

‘Your bank is right to query such a large transfer,' Dain says, way too calmly for me to handle.

‘Because I'm usually so destitute an amount like this has to be some kind of fraud?' My eyes fill. I was so close and I'm frustrated. And I'm kind of blown away that he's just done that with no questions asked and I'm horrified with myself for asking him to in the first place. I feel as though I'm about to vomit.

Dain pushes me into the seat and hunches down before me.

‘Breathe,' he instructs calmly. ‘Just breathe.' Reaching up, he wipes a rogue tear from my cheek.

‘How about you just tell me what it's for?' he says after a few moments. ‘Are you in trouble—is it debt collectors?' He growls. ‘I can help, Talia. I have a whole team of people who can help. It's not hard for me. I have an appalling amount of privilege. Let me help you with whatever the problem is.'

I stare at him and simply feel worse.

‘Because there's obviously a problem,' he adds. ‘Talia?' he prompts.

‘It's for my sister,' I blurt.

His eyes widen. ‘Sister?'

‘Yes.'

‘I didn't know you had a sister.'

I shoot him a look. ‘Swapping life stories isn't a favourite pastime for either of us.'

‘Right.' He almost smiles again. ‘So she's in debt?'

‘No. That's the point. I don't want her to be.' I breathe in slowly, frustrated because I'm explaining this backwards. ‘She's a student. This is for her fees, her flat, her food for the next few years. She's in her second year of med school and she wants to specialise and—'

‘That's a long expensive road ahead.'

‘Exactly. She can't work while studying. She needs to concentrate fully. I don't want her to worry—'

‘You've been supporting her for years,' he interrupts. ‘Because neither of your parents help.' He suddenly rises and grabs his phone from the table. ‘Give me her bank details.'

‘What?'

He flips my phone around and copies the account number for Ava. I just stare at him, too sluggish and sickened to believe what I'm seeing.

A few minutes later he flips the phone back towards me. ‘There's quarter of a million in her account now.'

As well as the quarter million in mine.

‘Your bank lets you do that no problem?' I stammer. ‘Twice?'

The man had access to half a million dollars just like that?

I feel even more nauseous. ‘Now I have to transfer all that back to you. But I have to go to the bank to—'

‘Leave it,' he says shortly. ‘Doesn't matter.'

‘You're not buying me, Dain.' Even though I've basically just asked him to.

‘Never dreamed that would be possible.' He suddenly chuckles. ‘You're the one who demanded payment before leaving.'

‘I'm not keeping that money in my account. Only the money for Ava and I'll pay that back. Eventually.'

He sighs and rolls his eyes. ‘Whatever will help you sleep.'

But I feel worse.

‘You might want to phone her before she calls her bank thinking there's been some sort of mistake and asks them to reverse it.' He draws a breath. ‘You'll want to see her before we leave the country. We can—'

‘No!' I shake my head furiously and the truth spills out before I think to stop it. ‘She doesn't know about Lukas.'

‘You haven't told your sister you've had a baby?' He frowns. ‘I thought you were close.'

‘We are.' But I have to explain more. I want him to understand his money isn't going to be wasted. ‘I didn't want her dropping out to help me.'

‘Yet that's what you did for her.'

‘I never dropped in. I always worked. I never...' I shake my head, frustrated that I'm not explaining this well enough to wipe that frown off his face. ‘Ava's amazing. Like really, really amazing. I didn't want her jeopardising her future and that's what she'd do if she knew—'

‘How much you're struggling.'

I glare at him. ‘I've worked too hard for too long to get her into the position she's in now.'

He glares right back at me. ‘Your sister should know you've had a baby. Just as your baby's father should.'

It hits. Hard.

‘You really do like keeping everything within your very tight control,' he says.

I don't know why he's so bothered by this. ‘I was doing it for her.'

His mouth thins. ‘No, you were controlling. Not involving her in any decision to help you or not. She'll be angry with you for keeping this from her.'

‘That's a price I'm willing to pay because her future is too important. I was going to tell her once I had things more secure.'

‘Fortunately things are more secure now. We'll visit her before we leave.'

I stare at him.

It didn't occur to me that visiting her would even be an option. I'm used to packing up and clearing out without any chance to say goodbye. The moment my mother decided, that was it—all hands on deck to put our few things into bags before they were forgotten. We always left as if a killer were at our heels.

Dain misinterprets my hesitation. ‘Surely you don't want to leave the country without seeing her?'

My heart's in my throat. I would love to see her. I've missed her so much in these months that I've kept away from her. ‘Are you sure?' I ask hesitantly. ‘You don't mind?'

His jaw drops. ‘I'm not a monster, Talia,' he mutters bleakly. ‘I'm not going to force you to pack up and leave the country without saying goodbye to your family or friends first.'

I hear the hurt in his voice. ‘I... I just...'

‘Think the worst of me.'

‘Of most people,' I correct. My heart squeezes. It isn't only him.

‘Well.' He watches me. ‘You can ask me for anything.'

To my total mortification my face heats and I can't even mumble a response. The things I really want to ask from him are way too...way too...wild.