Page 40 of Fergus

She then crossed the kitchen to take a jug of milk from the refrigerator before picking up the sugar bowl and bringing them over to the Russian too before returning to pour three more cups of coffee and placing them on the breakfast bar.

She did all that without saying a word.

Probably because she was as surprised by Nikolai’s information as Fergus was. Not for the same reason, obviously. After all, she had known what she’d done to stop Jessica, and because of it, she had been the brunt of her mother’s ire for the years that followed.

Fergus’s surprise at Thea’s courage in standing up to her mother was now fading. Enough so that he deeply regretted being the cause of Jessica’s further ire toward her daughter. Although it sounded as if the older woman had never been particularly warm toward Thea.

As for how easily Nikolai had learned about these things…

There was a reason, other than the deep and loyal friendship that existed between Nikolai and hispakhan, that Nikolai was sovietnik to the head of the Russian bratva in London. As Nikolai had just stated, nothing happened inhiscity that he didn’t know about.

“Did you ever regret what you did for me, Thea?” Fergus now prompted.

She shook her head. “My mother had set her sights on having you as her second husband, along with all your millions, and when that failed to come to fruition it became obvious she had decided to blackmail you instead.”

Which, Fergus realized, didn’t answer the question he had just asked her. “And?” he prompted.

“And so, no, I don’t regret exposing her for the liar she was. The thing about bullies, as I’ve had reinforced since I became a teacher, is that they back off if challenged. I tell my students they should ignore bullies and never resort to violence. That the bully will soon become bored if they do. But the truth is that challenging them works as a far quicker and more efficient deterrent, basically because, at heart, they’re all cowards.”

It still seemed incredible thatfourteen-year-oldThea had challenged her own mother and forced Jessica to back off trying to blackmail Fergus. Even knowing what that betrayal would do to their already-strained relationship.

“We’ll talk about this again later, okay?” He touched her arm gently.

Her gaze lowered from meeting his. “Okay.”

“As you seem to know so much, perhaps you can tell us who Thea’s stalker is?” Fergus now challenged the Russian.

“This coffee is delicious, Miss Morgan,” Nikolai murmured appreciatively after taking a sip of the black, unsweetened brew.

She gave him a wry smile. “Please call me Thea.”

He nodded. “And you should call me Nikolai. I have a feeling we will see a lot more of each other in the coming years.” He aimed a mocking glance in Fergus’s direction.

Fucker, Fergus mentally accused for the second time in minutes, but to Nikolai this time rather than his brother.

“Will you just answer the damn question?” he snapped at the older man.

“I believe Linus has that particular piece of information.” Nikolai glanced at the younger man.

“Well?” Fergus demanded of his silently watching brother.

Linus gave Thea an apologetic smile before revealing, “Fergus asked me to look into a man named Martin Hayes. When I did, I discovered that he had taken a train to Paris four days ago. When he arrived, he booked into a small boutique hotel several streets away from George V, where Thea was staying?—”

“Very nice,” Nikolai approved.

Linus nodded acknowledgment before his smile faded. “He immediately began to stalk Thea.”

* * *

“Martinis my stalker…?”Thea echoed hollowly.

So many things had been revealed in the past few minutes. Her own part in the dropping of her mother’s case against Fergus, for one.

That Fergus and her mother had never been intimate, for another.

Thea would be lying if she didn’t admit, to herself at least, that the thought of her mother and Fergus having sex had bothered her.

Learning that they hadn’t, felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest.

---