He smiled a little more, and his thumb rubbed across her knuckles. “A few months ago, you hated my guts.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Okay, but I had good reasons.”
“Yeah, you did.” His voice was breathy, almost wistful. “I betrayed them, my family. The bank had gotten into some bad things, somecriminal things. I became involved, too. Something happened. It went too far. It went somewhere I couldn’t go. They crossed my line, and I was as surprised as anyone else that I had a line. I went to the police, but I didn’t stay around to take the blame. I changed my name and left so they couldn’t find me.”
He’d joined the Swiss army, Flicka knew, but he hadn’t said that. That might be secret.He hadn’t said anything about Rogue Security since his father had appeared, either. Flicka needed to keep track of the secrets.
“You said the bank was already involved, though,” she said.
“There were repercussions. I left my family to face them alone.”
“You were how old?”
“Seventeen.”
“You were a seventeen-year-old kid, and you went to the police when you found out they were committing crimes.”
“The problem was what I was before I went to the police. I was in everything.”
“You didn’t know any better.”
“I did, and I liked the danger.”
She squeezed his hand. “You haven’t changed that much.”
“No, I was an entirely different person.”
“You’ll always be myLieblingwächter,no matter what I call you.”
He didn’t smile. “And you’ll always be myDurchlauchtig,and I will never betray you,no matter what I have to do. Don’t believe what they tell you. Or if you do believe them, just know that I was different back then. I won’t change back. No matter what I call myself, I’m a guardian of the Alps. I’m as pure as the alpine ice, and I’ll defend you and Alina like the Swiss mercenary I am.”
She held his hand while the dark pressed all around them.
A few minutes later, Raphael said,“I have to meet with my father tomorrow at the bank, downtown. Could you, by any chance—”
“Of course.” Flicka wasn’t going to leave Alina alone with any stranger just then, anyway.
“It should only be a few hours.”
“It’s okay.”
“I don’t know when we’re going to be able to get help or nannies.”
“We’ll manage.”
He held her hand more tightly. “Don’t let them separate you.”
“I won’t. You’vetaught me what to do my whole life.”
She held his hand as his breath deepened into sleep.
