Page 4

“Perhaps we should sit,” Wilt suggested. “Did Margot ask if you’d like something to drink?”

“She did, and I declined,” the woman responded.

“Still not keen to give me your name?” Damon said, as he took the seat opposite her. The shock that this person could’ve been known to his parents had worn off, and he wanted answers.

“Marian Ridgeway. I’m your aunt.”

It took a second for the words to sink in, and when they did, shock had him sitting back. “My aunt? I don’t have any relatives.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Wilt’s wince.

It’s a low blow, but it was the truth. If his parents had wanted him to get to know their families, they would’ve tried to fix things. But they hadn’t, and so he didn’t want to either.

Marian sighed, her shoulders retreating from near her ears, as if his words pricked the balloon of her bravado. He felt a momentary pang of guilt before he pushed it away. His loyalty was to his parents and their memories. It wasn’t to this woman.

“I shouldn’t be surprised with your response. I knew it would be a risk to come here, but my daughter and her husband have moved to Perth, and she’s expecting our first grandchild any day, so I’m here, and I thought…” Her words trailed off.

For the first time since he sat down, he could see this wasn’t easy for her. Had she tried to reach out to his parents in the past and had been ignored? Did she even know that they weren’t alive anymore?

The avalanche had happened at a ski resort in Japan. It had made news headlines, and their names had been listed with the other casualties. Their families had to have known they were gone.

“Are you sure you don’t want something to drink?” Wilt asked gently, as if he could tell this was difficult for her.

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind a glass of water,” Marian replied with a grateful smile.

“I’ll get it.” Damon jumped up and was out the door before Wilt could protest. He needed a few minutes to get his head around the fact he had a living relative sitting opposite him. That he had a cousin living in the same state.

Had he passed her in the street and not even known?

That was a ridiculous thought considering he didn’t do much other than get up, go to the beach for morning PT, come to work, and then go home when the sun set.

He walked into the kitchen and gripped the edge of the counter, his head dropping forward as he took some deep breaths.

“Are you okay?” He stiffened at the sound of Margot’s voice, the last one he wanted to hear.

For half a heartbeat, he almost turned and snapped at her to go away, but he swallowed the words. Right this second, he was tired of fighting against the wall he’d erected around himself when it came to this woman. A wall he’d been battling to climb ever since she got shot. Perhaps it was time to stop climbing.

He turned and found her standing less than a foot away. “No, I’m not.”

Chapter

Three

Margot didn’t know what shocked her the most—that she’d been brave enough to ask Damon what was wrong or that he answered her.

He looked wrecked, as if he’d been given a death sentence.

Who was the woman who’d asked to see him?

The one who had refused to give her name. She’d been adamant that Damon would be the only one to hear her name.

It was the first time in all the time she’d been working at Power Security that someone had refused to tell her who they were. But there had been a determination in her countenance that suggested no matter how many times Margot asked, she wouldn’t budge. Or wouldn’t leave until she’d gotten to see Damon. That had been the catalyst to Margot calling him. Margot hadn’t wanted to work all day with that woman looking down her nose at her.

Had she told him something life changing? That was the only reason for Damon to look… defeated.

“Can I do anything?” she asked, when it looked like he wasn’t going to elaborate.

“Not call me about her?”