Chapter Ten
Adam
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I HAD NO IDEA WHERE her sudden burst of insecurity derived from, but holding her on the floor of the vault, I realized the ‘why’ no longer mattered.
She was bound to have emotional peaks and troughs in the weeks to come.
We both were. After everything she’d been through, it was amazing she was so damn collected most of the time.
Time passed as we held one another, moving in the same odd pockets it seemed to have enjoyed since we had fled Fortorus.
Since I was no longer in charge.
Once upon a time, I’d commanded the clock, telling prisoners and commanders alike when it was time to eat, to meet, and to sleep, but all that had changed. With one decision, I’d turned my entire future on its head, and breathing in her scent, I acknowledged I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
By the time she wriggled free of my embrace, I had no way of knowing how long we’d been kneeling there. The only things of consequence were her faith in me and the possessions in the box behind me.
“Wanna see what’s in the box?” I hoped my more playful tone would at least distract her from whatever woe she was still carrying.
Lifting her head, she managed a small smile. “This sounds like one of those crappy old game shows that used to be on television, Sir.”
“It’s better than that.” I stroked her heated cheek, wishing I could take her pain away with a flick of a pen.
It had been so easy to act before. I’d given the order, and the deed was expedited, but things were going to be trickier going forward.
Maybe, though, with time and patience, I could try to smooth away her concerns.
“Because I meant what I said. Half of the contents of that box belongs to you.”
She shook her head. “Sir, I—”
“Shhh.” Leaning closer, I planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. “A bank vault is a pretty unconventional place for a spanking, but if you keep defying me, you’ll leave me with no choice.”
She chuckled at my logic. “I think you’re obsessed, Sir.”
“I’m obsessed with you, little girl.” Kissing the side of her face, my caresses lowered to her neck. “You’re addictive.”
“Adam.” Her smile was weary.
“Don’t Adam me,” I admonished lightly, although I secretly loved the sound of my name on her lips. No one had ever breathed such passion into the syllables before. “I mean it.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean I get to have half of what’s yours.”
“It’s only stuff, sweetheart. We need it right now to make us comfortable, but none of it will ever be more important than you. Now, come on.” I rose to my knees and urged her to her feet. “Take a look.”
“Okay, Sir.” She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand. “What are you hiding in there?”
“All the essentials.” I signaled to the open box as she edged closer. “Money, documentation...”
“Documents?” Her brow creased. “But, surely, your BTP documents will draw attention to who you were, and...” She hesitated. “Neither of us wants that at the moment.”
She was right. To the best of my knowledge, the International Criminal Court had never actually issued a warrant for my arrest, but I was sure its representatives would be interested in having a chat if an official at Immigration ever flagged my British passport. I wasn’t prepared to take any chances.
“Not British documents.” My lips stretched wide as I recalled how fortuitous my planning had been.
Years before I was in charge of Fortorus and had met Caroline, I’d put the necessary emergency documents away in Switzerland—far from Ian’s grubby hands for a just in case scenario.
I hadn’t seen how bad things were going to get in the country, but deep down, I must have realized the possibility of disaster was always there.
Ian was in charge, after all; a man I’d increasingly lost respect for ever since we’d left the undergraduate debating room.
He’d used the Christian Nationalist platform and collected as many unhinged right-wingers along the way as he could, and those men had become the founding fathers of his glorious new empire.
I’d gone along with his plans mostly for self-gain.
It wasn’t heroic, but it was the truth. I’d incorrectly assumed I’d be able to control him, but in the end, I’d been wrong.
He’d wanted to kill Caroline alongside millions of other women, and I just couldn’t condone his disturbed power trip anymore.
I’d sensed the danger in him long before he’d unfurled his final plans, though.
That was why I’d taken the money out of the country and had the spare passport created.
Forging documentation when required wasn’t so hard to do.
Not with money and the right contacts, and fortunately for me, I’d had both.
I also benefited from my mother’s French citizenship, which meant I was eligible for a genuine French passport.
I’d pursued the forgery, though, knowing anything official would have been accessible by other officials in Ian’s government.
I wanted everything about my contingency plan to stay secret.
My linguistic skills had only assisted my scheme, ensuring everything was kept well beyond Ian’s reach.
She peered into the box, her eyes widening. “Jesus, Adam. That’s a lot of money!”
I couldn’t help but grin at her accurate analysis.
It was a lot—everything I’d managed to save for years prior to being Ian’s commander general, plus the regular amounts I’d managed to funnel out of the country electronically ever since.
Working in the top brass of Ian’s party had meant an incredible salary, and all my living expenses being taken care of.
For all my wicked deeds, I’d always been well-rewarded and able to take care of myself financially.
“We’ll need it, little girl.” I leaned against the counter. “We have a whole new life to set up somewhere, and to leave Switzerland through the usual channels, we’ll need passports.”
“I haven’t had a passport for years, Sir.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “Even before the shit hit the fan, I couldn’t afford to travel out of the country.”
Tension tangled in my stomach at the glimpse into her old life.
I’d never even considered that her writing hadn’t made her a decent income, but perhaps that was another false assumption.
Maybe she’d suffered long before the Edict changed all our lives, though nothing would have compared to what she’d endured at Fortorus.
“Well, you’ll have one now.” I was pleased to be able to reassure her. “I have embassy contacts who helped me.”
I reached into the box and pulled out the European passport that had been made for me. My mother’s French heritage had really paid dividends, and changing my name hadn’t been so difficult with the right contacts.
“You’re a European citizen?” Her face lit up as I passed her the document.
“I am now.” I watched as she flicked the passport open and scanned the photograph page.
“Adam Clement?” Her gaze darted back to me.
“It’s Clément,” I corrected, employing my best French accent. “My mother’s maiden name.”
“Wow.” She passed the passport back to me. “That’s great, Monsieur Clément, but I don’t have any European relatives.”
“Forgeries can be very authentic these days.” Dropping the document back into the box, I took her hand. “Once we have somewhere safe to stay here, I’ll get one made for you. Don’t worry.”
She nodded, but I could see the concern flickering in her gorgeous gaze.
“You’ve never told me anything about your family, little girl.”
I wasn’t sure that the bank was really the right place to talk about anything so personal, but if the last couple of days had taught me anything, it was to relish the present moment.
Nobody knew what was coming next.
“Yeah.” Her gaze dropped. “There’s not much to say, really.”
“What happened to them when the new regime took hold?” The melancholy in her gaze warned me it might be nothing positive.
“I don’t know what happened to Dad,” she admitted in a whisper. “And I know that Mum got out of the UK just before the whole country went to shit.” She blew out a breath. “I’ve always been thankful for that, to be honest. She never had to endure the camp, but I don’t know where she is.”
“I’m sorry.” I seemed to have gone from a man who never felt the need to apologize for anything to one who couldn’t stop, but if anyone should be repentant for the dreadful things that had happened, it was me. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“One younger sister.” Her voice was barely audible. “She left with Mum. It’s been just me ever since.”
“Not anymore.” That much I could guarantee. “You’ll never be alone anymore, Caroline.”
“Thank you.” She closed the distance between us and rested her head against my chest. “I’d be lost without you, Adam Clément.”
***
Caroline
HE COLLECTED THE VAST quantities of cash and his new passport, bundling everything into our bag before zipping the pack up. It was worrying, walking around a city with that much money with us, but I couldn’t deny it was liberating to know we had access to that kind of cash.
“First stop is to buy a new phone.”
I had the sense he was more talking to himself than to me, his gaze perusing the plush interior of the viewing room as he went on.
“Then we can find somewhere to stay.”
“Maybe an Airbnb?” I suggested as he slung the bag over his shoulder. “That could be booked in your name only, and if they ask for identification, you’ll be able to produce it.”
“Very smart.” His lips curled. “Good thinking, little girl. You’re right. Fancy hotels will be off the table without you having documentation, and honestly, I’d feel better staying somewhere quiet and out of the way for a while.”
“Agreed.” I moved toward him and reached for his hand.
Being there had been more emotionally trying than I’d anticipated, and even though dealing with my rising anxiety was challenging, there had been clarity in the remedy he offered.
While everything else around me was volatile and out of my control, there was still Adam, the man who seemed to have officially become my life raft, and when his fingers entwined with mine, my mind was quieted.
I’d been reticent to believe his passion could stretch beyond our initial escape, but he’d sounded so sincere when he sought to comfort me that it left me wondering. ..
Maybe I could trust him.
Maybe he was the one I’d persuaded myself didn’t really exist. A man who would love me for who I was, without demanding I change for him.
It was as though, after years of fear and insecurity, I could finally rest my head on something tangible, and I liked it more than I was willing to admit out loud.
“So?” I glanced toward the door. “Do you know where to buy a phone in this city, Sir?”
“We’ll ask Claude.” He chuckled at my change of tack and tugged me against his body. “But if he can’t help, we’ll figure it out. We always do.”
I smiled as he steered me out of the room. For two people who’d absconded from Fortorus, no words had ever been truer.