Chapter 12 #2
Slowly, she held out her hand, and he carefully took it. Their hands brushed again, and a zap of awareness shot up her arm. She kept her arm steady this time and tried to keep her breathing steady.
“Thank you,” Nathan said, pocketing the thumb drive and smiling sadly. “I’m sorry I had to bring you into this.”
“It’s okay. I understand why,” she told him. Then she remembered. “You told me you’d fill in all the details if I got you the data. You have the data.” She gestured to him. “I want details.”
His body froze, and she immediately wanted to take the last part back. She shouldn’t have pushed. Whatever happened to him was obviously raw, despite the jokes, which were most likely gallows humor.
“I was hoping you’d forget,” he grumbled, but then, that beautiful grin splashed back on his face. “But I should have known you wouldn’t. Where should I start?”
“The beginning?”
“Nice one.” His grin turned devilish. “It all started when my mother and father got together. I don’t know if you know this or not, but when a man and a woman love each other very much, they get together and—”
Alex leaned over and slapped him lightly on his forearm, her face feeling hot. She had walked into that one, but she was also feeling embarrassed because she had never—
Alex stopped that thought before it festered. Instead, she sat up, her back straight, her breathing harder than it should have been.
“Shit,” Nathan cursed, sitting up with her. “Are you okay? I shouldn’t have been fucking around like that. I’m sor—”
“No, it’s okay,” she said, cutting him off, so he didn’t apologize for something he shouldn’t have to. “You did nothing wrong. It’s my issue. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Now, don’t think you’re going to get out of telling me your life story.”
Alex plastered on a smile, but she wasn’t sure if it looked genuine. Nate didn’t press. Instead, he laughed and said, “My life story, eh? I thought I was going to talk about the mission?”
“No, I want everything.”
He sighed.
“Okay, everything it is…”
She listened intently as he talked about his childhood—about growing up with Logan, the Golden Child, and his toxic parents.
He talked about self-destructing: purposely tanking his grades, stealing from his parents, running away, doing drugs, and being homeless.
Then, he talked about how a man named Victor picked him up and gave him purpose in the Conglomerate and how he ended up in a special spec ops unit, which used the super soldier suits.
When he talked about the island, the realization about the Conglomerate, about escaping, hiding the suit, and running for his life, tears began to pool in her eyes.
When he discussed his abuse in the psych ward, she was crying outright.
“Please don’t cry for me,” he said softly. “I’m tough. I survived.”
“You never mentioned how you escaped from the Sims Center.”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.”
“Is it that bad? I’m sorry. I won’t push anymore.”
“It’s not that. I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to tell you. I wasn’t supposed to talk to anyone in Gray Tower, but I got stuck with that whole programming flaw, though I think he knows I’m working with you.”
“He?” she asked, her body stiffening.
She had agreed to work with Nathan. The idea that she had handed over sensitive Gray Tower data to someone else made her panic. That wasn’t in the plan. Oh, God. She should have asked. She had been an idiot not to ask more questions.
“Hey, hey…” he said, his hand coming out to rest on her forearm.
His touch felt electric—like it always did. But instead of her yanking it back, she let him comfort her. She liked the gentle touch, and looking into his beautiful blue eyes, she knew instinctively he hadn’t betrayed her.
“No one else is getting the code to the suit. Okay?” he said, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing her arm.
She nodded.
“Who is this person? Can I trust him?”
“Probably.”
“That’s not instilling confidence. Please tell me who it is.”
“John Stratton.”
He waited for her response, and she certainly did react.
Her mouth dropped in surprise, and her eyes widened.
Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be Keira’s father?
Then again, of course, it was John Stratton.
This reeked of something he’d do. He was a slippery bastard, and Alex had often wondered what the hell he was up to and why he wasn’t with his daughter.
“Judging by your reaction, you are aware of your friend’s father.”
“That son of a bitch,” Alex muttered.
Nathan chuckled.
“Sounds about right. But he did spring me, and I will be forever grateful.”
Alex nodded and swallowed a lump in her throat.
“He did the same thing with Keira.”
“I’m not sure how he did it, but it was impressive.
” Nathan went into the details of his rescue and then to when he ran into her.
“I’m sorry I kidnapped you.” His eyes were sincere, pleading.
“I’ll never forgive myself for the pain I put you through.
I…had to leave there, and I wasn’t thinking clearly.
When I knocked you out, all I could think was that I couldn’t leave you passed out in the middle of a parking lot.
Someone could have attacked you. Hell, Sims could have done something terrible. ”
Alex shifted uncomfortably, wondering if she should tell him about what Sims had done before she left. He may have been right to take her with him. If Sims had found her in the parking lot…
She shook her head, tears pricking her eyes as she said, “I understand why you had to take my car, and I understand why you knocked me out.” It had been the easiest way to keep her quiet without harming her. “I know the desperation you were feeling, and…you were right to take me.”
Nathan frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Alex shifted uncomfortably. She never opened up to anyone. She had only ever been able to talk to Miles or her therapist, but Nathan needed to know. Sims was his problem, too, and he needed to stop beating himself up.
“I had, uh, quit my job there.”
“Your undercover job,” he stated.
“Yes.”