“Oh, really? So you…what? Just completely forgot to mention your daughter the whole time we were dating? Even if you weren’t with her mother, surely you knew she existed?”
Alaric laughed. He couldn’t help it, even when Emmy gave him the mother of all glares.
“You’re talking about Rune?”
“Unless you have two daughters?”
“Emmy, Rune isn’t my biological daughter. I didn’t tell you about her because I hadn’t even met her at that point.”
Now Emmy raised her eyes and met his gaze.
“Then what…? Did you adopt her?”
“It’s a long story. How did you find out about Rune?”
A shrug. “Sources. Are you going to tell me the story? Or is it a big secret?”
“I’ve been waiting for the right time. We’ve both been so busy, and…” They’d been finding their way back into each other’s lives slowly. Truth be told, Alaric had been on tiptoes, sticking to business for fear that Emmy might slam the door in his face. And there’d always been somebody else around. Black, or Beth, or Sky, or Emmy’s staff. But that wasn’t a great excuse. “I should have made the time.”
“Seems our communication could do with some improvement all around.”
Alaric held out a hand. “Then let’s talk. But not here—too many bad memories.”
If Black was being a prick, then Emmy could do with getting away from Riverley too. He’d probably bugged the place, and if not him, then Bradley had a habit of planting clunky surveillance devices he bought from internet spy stores. Weekly sweeps picked them up for the most part, but every so often, one slipped through temporarily. Alaric didn’t exactly want their private conversation, their secret thoughts, broadcast to all and sundry.
Emmy put her hand into his. “Okay. Where are we going?”
“I’ll drive.”
They often used to sneak out to CJ’s Diner in the old days. CJ’s served the best cheeseburgers, and the high-sided booths kept private conversations safe from prying ears. Eight years had passed since Alaric last set foot in there, and the place hadn’t changed a bit. Same wood-panelled walls, same faded red vinyl seating, same crackly jukebox. Even the same waitress, although her hair was mostly grey now.
“I haven’t been here in forever,” Emmy murmured as Alaric led her towards “their” table—the one right at the back, nestled beside an ancient cigarette machine. An Out of Order sign was taped over the coin slot.
“What can I get ya, hun?” the waitress asked, no hint of recognition in her eyes.
Alaric already knew what Emmy would have. “Two cheeseburgers with everything, two portions of fries, one of onion rings, a diet cola, and a sparkling water.”
Emmy always said that if they split the onion rings, they could also split a dessert afterwards. Calories shared were calories halved. They’d spent hours in this place, talking and laughing about nothing in particular, but tonight, Emmy could barely muster a smile.
“They’ve got chocolate orange cheesecake.” Alaric nodded towards the glass counter at the front. “I bet it’s the same recipe.”
It had been her favourite. If he’d ever mustered up the courage to give her the ring he’d bought all those years ago, he’d planned to hide it in a slice.
“I’m not that hungry.”
“See how you feel later. So, you want to know about Rune?” If Alaric kept talking, that meant Emmy wouldn’t feel pressured to. “It all started five years ago in Phuket. I’d been travelling more or less constantly until then, doing odd jobs, meeting people, but I figured I’d spend the winter in Thailand for a change. The past couple of years before that, I’d headed back to Europe to ski, but diving seemed like a fun alternative. I passed my IDC—Instructor Development Course—and rented an apartment near the beach.”
“At this particular moment, I’m tempted to do the same.”
“Don’t be too hasty, Cinders. Was that the first proper argument you’ve had with Black?”
She nodded.
“Then let the dust settle. It’ll blow over.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“You two were made for each other. We might both have tried to deny that once, but with time comes clarity.”
Emmy looked dubious, then turned away and began rearranging the table accoutrements. The napkin dispenser, the cutlery caddy, the ketchup, the salt and pepper—she wanted everything lined up just so. She only normally got OCD over her weapons.
“Anyhow, I spent my days either underwater or hanging out near the beach, and I hooked up with Ravi.”
“As in hooked up, hooked up?”
Alaric nodded.
“And now? You’re still together?”
“Mostly just for work, but occasionally we fool around. We agreed that as long as we’re both single, it’s preferable to sleep with each other rather than picking up strangers to satisfy a physical need.”
“Thanks. I just won fifty bucks off Dan. She said he wasn’t gay.”
“You’ll have to split it—he goes both ways.”
“Dammit.”
“He broke up with his ex-girlfriend three months before we met. They were meant to travel to Thailand together, but he decided to go alone rather than waste the ticket.”
“And what’s Ravi’s background? A gymnast with a B&E habit?”
“Close. He grew up in the circus. His parents were both acrobats, but now they’re doing life for burglary.”
“Harsh.”
“He’s always been cagey about exactly how they were caught, but I suspect he was there and got away. They’d been forcing him to help out with the family business since he was a kid.”
“And now? He’s gone straight?”
“He had until we started Sirius. When I met him, he was working as a bartender in a dive on the backstreets of Patong. I was there, waiting for him to finish his shift when it all started.”
“When what started?”
When what started? The rest of Alaric’s life.
CHAPTER 38 - ALARIC
“WE’VE TAKEN TO calling it ‘the incident,’” Alaric told Emmy. “Judd and Naz were there in the bar too, drinking. Well, Naz was hunched over his laptop. And Judd was hitting on a girl who was actually a guy. Ravi and I made a bet on
