Page 125 of Red Flag
“I didn’t think you would notice,” he said but his voice broke as he looked down at me with desperation before pulling meto his chest. “Fuck, I never thought — I don’t ever want to cause you to worry. I’m so sorry,Livie.”
“Tell me what you were so worried about,” I demanded, desperate to change the subject. We didn’t need to continue talking about my issues.
He inhaled deeply, his chest rising. “I lied. When I said about my dad… that I didn’t know what he did… I lied. I know too well and I—I was involved.” He started to stroke my back. “Pedro wasn’t the only one shipping drugs.”
His heart was beating erratically and I could feel my own catching up with his.
He sighed in the silence and then continued, “My dad asked me for help on little things. Then bigger things, using those smaller jobs as blackmail. When I joinedStormSprint, I begged him to let me stop. His warning was sending Pedro to prison for my crimes.”
“He framed him?” I gasped.
“Not exactly.” But his words tightened. “The less you know, the better. I should have told you about Andrew. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to panic you while knowing I was panicking myself. Then, when Mum called…”
“It’s fine.”
He pushed the chopping board away. “My dad is dead,” he mumbled.
“What?” I cried, holding onto his arm.
“It’s nothing. If anything, it’s a relief. I just wanted to ensure you were safe while everything with him was sorted.”
“And is it? Is it sorted?”
He nodded slowly.Unsurely. “His business has been passed on to my brother, Jules. Who hates me. I’m out. I think I’m finally out.”
He held me so tightly that I thought I might faint, but I held him back just as tight.
“I can hire a new manager,” he breathed out. “I can do everything you ask.”
My swallow was painful in my dry throat, suddenly overcome with guilt.
“Not everything,” I warned. “How will we have angry sex still?”
He chuckled into my hair before pressing a kiss into it.
“So,” he said and pulled me back to let me see his cocked brow, “tuparlesfrançais.” You speak French.
I tried to fall back into his arms, but he kept me there.
“I do.”
“What have you heard?”
“From you? I’ve only heard you talk to your mum that first day. In the changing rooms. But that all makes sense with what you’ve said.”
“That’s it?” he asked, voice slightly higher than usual.
“Yep. That’s it.”
“I’m going to test your French,” he said and left me to grab his phone from the side of the kitchen. He had a chuffed smile on his return. “Listen to this.”
He pressed play on a clipped recording from a podcast. Two ex-riders in French said, “What’s going on with Nix? Went out with the team, smiling and laughing in the promo. Got a girlfriend now. Heard he’s looking at buying property in London and Spain too. That’s not the Nix we love to love and hate.”
“The new girlfriend. It’s got to be the new girlfriend. She’s made him settle a little. Or a lot.”
He pressed pause and looked at me, eagerly awaiting a reply.
“That is good press,” I said. “And I didn’t even arrange it.”
