There was so much more I wanted to know, but his former occupation would be a decent start.That would tell me something about his life choices and the man he’d been before the commander general came calling.
“What did I do?”He snorted as though the question was amusing.
“For money,” I prompted.“It must have been impressive.I mean, you have a lot of it, Sir.”
I cringed, hoping I hadn’t overstepped the invisible line between us.I’d sensed that line fading recently, but with the power dynamic between us reasserted by choice, it was possible to tumble into jeopardy without even noticing the stop signs.
“It’s the same old story with me, I’m afraid.I left university and worked in the city for a while.That gave me a head for numbers, a lot of money, and even moreusefulcontacts.”He rolled his eyes.“But I knew Ian from our undergrad days, and I could see which way the tide was turning in the country, so I got more involved in his plans.”
Shifting his weight, his gaze bored into me.“I got involved to protect myself.It’s not something I’m proud of.”
“You did what you had to do.”My fingers trailed a line over his bicep.“I get it.We’ve all had to do that.”
“I was weak.”He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.“I should have stood up to him, should have used the allies I had to bring him to heel, but, somehow, it didn’t happen...”
“No.”My voice sounded tiny as I considered the consequences of his words.“It didn’t.”
“It all happened so fucking quickly.”He frowned.“Populism was popping up everywhere like dry fucking rot, and the papers were full of headlines about how women and the falling birthrate were the main problems.Before I knew it, views that I’d thought were fringe were suddenly mainstream, and Ian threw huge ad spend into social media, paying the algorithms to just keep indoctrinating people.Suddenly, he had the majority under his thumb.”
“I remember.”Blowing out a breath, I stretched back and closed my eyes.Those dark, oppressive days when the walls had been closing in around me were only too easy to recall.
“I didn’t really know what I was unleashing with Ian, but my ignorance is no excuse.”His hand found mine on the covers between us.“I should have done better, little girl.I’m sorry.”
“I know.”I blinked back the tears that threatened to brim when my eyes fluttered open to see him.“I know you are, Sir.”
“At least I can make it up to you.”He rolled in my direction.“I just wish there was something I could do for all the other women, and for our country.”
“Maybe there will be.”I squeezed his fingers gently.“Maybe one day we’ll be able to go back, and you can help rebuild what’s left of Britain, Sir.”
“Maybe.”His smile was weak.“Until then, I guess, I—”
His words were interrupted by loud knocking on the front door downstairs.I tensed at the noise, rising from the sheets as my pulse quickened.
“Who’s that?”Releasing his hand, I dragged the covers over me, my apprehension immediately spiked.Harper could bring me enormous solace and peace, but I’d noticed it didn’t take much to trigger me again.Panicking easily, was, I assumed, another side effect of Fortorus.“We haven’t ordered any food, have we?”
“No.”He hid his concerns well as the banging on the door continued, but I saw the tension creeping into his shoulders as he climbed to his feet.The musculature of his back tightened as he turned to face me.“You stay here.I’ll deal with it.”
I watched as he padded from the room, aware that those words had been an order yet unable to shake the ominous feeling ballooning in the pit of my stomach.It wasn’t only the low-lying anxiety we’d lived with since Hans had taken us across Europe, but something far deeper.Something that reminded me too much of how it had felt living within the suffocating confines of Fortorus.
I wanted to call out to him, to tell him to stop, but I realized in slow motion that it was too late.Harper had disappeared from my line of sight and was already down the staircase.
Clutching the sheets to my breasts, I held my breath, straining to hear who had splintered our fragile sanctuary.
