Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“You all right?” Walker asked.
“I hate the tabloids.”
“Aye, me too.” He sighed heavily. “Look, all the articles I’ve read are apologetic and favorable toward North. This might be a good thing for him.”
“For his career,” I corrected Walker. “Not for him. This is just making him relive it all again.” Realizing my tone and words gave too much away, I was a little sharper as I said, “I’ll contact Mr. Hunter and make sure he’s aware. You, Jock, and the team should prepare for visitors at the gate.”
“We’re on it.”
After we hung up, I stared at my cell phone. I didn’t want to call him to explain this. It needed to be face-to-face. They could do without me at the castle for one day. I could answer my emails from home, and anything else Wakefield could deal with. I was five minutes away if they needed me. Decision made, I gathered my stuff and hurried upstairs to North’s room. When he opened the door, he was wearing workout gear.
He seemed surprised to see me so soon. “I was just heading to the gym.”
“We need to talk,” I told him solemnly.
I’d decided North’s well-being was more important than my professional reputation, and I wouldn’t overanalyze that either. Without explaining myself, I told Walker that North would be at my place if they needed us. Sloane’s partner didn’t make a big deal out of it, but I had no doubt he’d tell Sloane later. We wouldn’t have told security, but with the paparazzi most likely on their way, Walker and his team needed to know where North was. I informed Wakefield I’d be working from home today and to call if he needed me.
Then I’d waited in my car for North as he packed an overnight bag. He appeared in the gray morning light, face grim, and my agitation grew. I just wanted to get him to my place to make sure he was okay. The anonymous email I’d received that morning paled in comparison to what he was going through.
A while later, we sat together on my couch, North staring out toward the water with a mug of hot coffee between his hands.
His cell had been ringing nonstop since we left the castle. They had just woken up in the US, so it had taken them a little longer to hear the news. First his publicist, then his agent called, then a lot of friends who had abandoned him these past few months. Cara, apparently, had been trying to get him back before this, and she called so many times, it compelled North to block her. I didn’t overanalyze how satisfied I felt by that.
His inbox, in general, was filled with apologies.
“What are you thinking?” I asked quietly.
His gaze flicked to me, and I hated the weariness I saw there. “That I can’t believe this is being dredged up again.”
“It’s different this time,” I told him gently. “Everyone can see you tried to stop it.”
“You watched?”
I nodded grimly.
“Fuck.” North shook his head, agitated. “You shouldn’t have had to see that. No one should have. Gil’s family shouldn’t have to see it. The fucking tabloids don’t care who they hurt.”
An alarming surge of tenderness and admiration filled me. North didn’t care if this cleared his name. He cared if people could be hurt seeing the video. The police had reported the footage missing from their evidence archives, so someone had been paid to steal it.
He put down his mug and stood, pacing beside me. “Who would leak that? Who would do such a thing?”
“Who would gain from it?”
North halted and looked sharply at me. “I would.” His expression tightened, and he yanked his phone off the table. “No, no fucking way.”
“North, talk to me.” I stood, grabbing his wrist before he could dial whoever he was planning to call.
“It’s like you said. Who would gain from it? I would. The studio would rehire me and everyone on my team would make a lot of money if this spy franchise were to take off.”
Understanding, I still didn’t remove my hand. “But you can’t go accusing anyone because you won’t ever know for certain if one of them got hold of that footage. All you’ll do is cause more drama and strife among your team. It’s done now. It’s out. As difficult as it is, you have to make peace with that.”
He glowered, but I knew it wasn’t at me. Then North’s expression changed as quickly and dramatically as the Scottish weather. Pain etched his features. “I feel like I’m going to spend my whole life paying for that night. And maybe that’s the way it should be.”
Without thinking, I clasped his face in my hands, the bristle of his unshaven cheeks prickling my palms. “You did nothing wrong. You tried to save a man. But you were just a child, North. And you have to learn to forgive yourself.”