Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,79

need to lock the house up and set up the alarms, but once that’s done, we’re going.”

Relief floods me, making my knees weak. I fully expected him to try and convince me to stay here, and the fact that I don’t have to fight with him on this makes me relax a little.

“Okay,” I say. “Thank you.”

Alec shakes his head impatiently. “There’s more.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I throw my hands in the air.

“Protests and demonstrations in New York have escalated, both in numbers and intensity. There are certain people taking advantage of the chaos.” He’s choosing his words carefully, watching me intently.

“Just say what you want to say, Alec.”

He studies me for a long moment before replying. “The people who have been sending death and kidnaping threats for you to Van Dorf Group’s main office have revealed their demands.”

Taken aback, I gape at him. “What?”

“Not only that, but the threats have become very specific. They know you’re out of the city, and they know I’m with you.”

Running a hand through my hair, I start pacing, trying to put some sort of order to my jumbled thoughts.

“What do they want?” I finally ask, remembering that Alec hasn’t actually told me.

“Your father was right when he speculated it could all be orchestrated by Calloway’s following.”

I stop in my tracks, suddenly feeling lightheaded. “What do they want?” I ask with more urgency.

“They want your father to donate two million dollars to Calloway’s campaign, and publicly—and fervently—endorse him.”

“But that’s crazy! They can’t make demands without having kidnapped me first!”

“Nobody’s going to kidnap you!” Alec walks over to me, cupping my jaw. “Do you hear me? Nobody will lay a hand on you.”

My chest warms, and my anxiety eases slightly. I smile up at him. “I know.”

He drops his hand, but his eyes remain trained on my face.

“But that’s not the point,” I continue. “You need to have leverage to make demands. Right now, they have nothing.”

“You’re looking for logic where there’s none,” Alec says, folding his arms. “They’re probably so full of themselves that they think a threat is enough to scare someone into submission.”

“They don’t know my father if they think he can be bullied into anything.”

Alec nods, but his gaze remains apprehensive.

Something’s nagging at me; something I can’t place. Like a word I’ve used a thousand times but is just on the tip of my tongue when I need it most.

And then, like a drop falling into a glass of water and making it overflow, it hits me. “What if they’re so certain they can make good on their threats that they feel they can start making demands now?”

Confusion’s written all over Alec’s face. “I don’t follow.”

I walk over to him, looking him straight in the eyes as I say, “What if they have someone on the inside?”

Alec’s face pales, his mouth opening to protest, but nothing comes out.

“It’s a huge company, Alec. Everyone who works for Van Dorf Media Group is vetted and approved, but what if they’ve been playing a long game all along? What if someone’s been working behind the scenes for some time?” He still stares at me, his eyes unfocusing as he tries to make sense of my words. “What if they know so much about us, and about my schedule in particular, because someone’s been feeding them inside information?”

Alec exhales, long and hard, before he scrubs a hand over his face. “It’s a possibility. We’ll look into it when we get back.”

I nod, stepping into his personal space. “Thank you,” I say.

“It’s a very good suggestion, Zach. We should have looked into that already…”

“No,” I interrupt. “Not about that.”

He looked at me, puzzled.

“About telling me about Evie. And agreeing we should go back right away.”

The puzzlement written all over his face doesn’t ease at my words.

“Three years ago, you’d have insisted I had to stay here for my safety. And that she was fine and well taken care of, and there was nothing I could do.”

“Three years ago, I was a different person.”

“So was I.” I lick my lips, plowing forward, not letting anxiety and doubt set me back again. “But… I loved you. Back then.” Alec stands completely still, watching me with big, surprised eyes. I weave my hands around his neck, and he immediately grabs my forearms as if to anchor himself. I welcome the contact; I need it, too. “And I love you now, Alec. Just as much, if not more. I’ve always loved you, ever since I met you. And I never