accept what that Pierpont-Rainier woman wanted to give you, you won’t have to worry about a paycheck ever again. More than that, it’ll ensure that this money is kept from the remaining relatives of Charles Rainier. I’m sure you remember them—they’re the compassionate souls who wanted you arrested for murdering their so-called misunderstood little scamp.”
Ella’s upper lip curled. She’d never forget or forgive how the Rainier family and their hired PR machine had tried to drag her through the mud. “I shudder at the thought of that entire family tree. I think it suffers from root rot.”
“Apparently Claudine wasn’t too bad, but then she wasn’t a blood relation. I’m not surprised it was a non-Rainier who tried to put things right.”
“No one can put it right.” Then she shook her head and pushed her untouched drink away. Self-pity was the one trap she’d never allowed herself to fall into. “Only I can make things right, and I do that a little more each day when I find something that makes me smile, or laugh. So while I’m still rattled I was found so easily, I’m not going to let it drag me down.”
“You weren’t easy to find, trust me on this.”
“So I was a challenge?”
“You have no idea.”
That pleased her no end. “Forgive my ear-to-ear grin.”
“Brat.” A corner of his mouth curled even as he huddled over his cup as if it were the only source of heat in the known universe. “If you hadn’t been in Chicago, I don’t know where I would have looked next. As far as I could tell, this was the only city outside of Asheville that had any personal significance to you.”
“That’s pretty much it.” She wrinkled her nose. “How sad that I’m so predictable.”
“You’re not. I really just followed a deep-down hunch, and it led me to you.” For a moment a preoccupied frown darkened his brow. “And other than Archibald, no one knows I’m looking for you in this city. Your anonymity is intact.”
“Will that continue to be the case if I decide to take the money?”
He shrugged while finishing his espresso. “You can hire an attorney to act as an intermediary. That way you won’t have to reveal your new name or whereabouts to anyone.”
“I need to think about it.” She slid out of the booth, all the while telling herself it would be crazy to become too comfortable with his company. Crazier still to acknowledge a part of her that craved his company even now. “I’m not sure if I should thank you for any of this.”
“I wouldn’t.” Nate came to his feet as well. To her surprise, he caught her hand in both of his and brought it to his mouth. The Old World gesture was so out of play in the twenty-first century her heart nearly strangled her at the lingering, warm-velvet brush of his lips over her knuckles. “I know bringing this back into your life was a kick in the teeth, but there was no other way to do this. I’m counting on you to be strong enough to handle it.”
“I am.” Ella knew she should step away. End it. They were done now, so letting go of his hand would be the next logical step. Wishing he’d kiss her hand again fell into the thoroughly not-logical category. “Since you found me, do you have any suggestions on how I can make sure no one pulls a repeat performance?”
“Nope.” That slow, crooked smile of his appeared, and it was so blatantly masculine she almost forgot she didn’t trust him. “I’m just that good at everything I do.”
She could imagine. “Now, now. No need to swagger.”
“I’m not, I’m merely stating the...” Without warning, his head snapped toward the TV over the bar, a strange, frozen expression carving into the lines of his face. Startled, Ella followed his gaze to the screen flashing with the Breaking News banner and tried to understand what it was that had caught his attention.
“Again, for those commuters who take the eastbound 950 Metra from Union Station, your train has been shut down until further notice. Police say a young woman, identified by her co-workers as Briella Fields, somehow fell onto the tracks and was struck by an inbound train. Medical crews have declared the twenty-five-year-old medical assistant dead at the scene, but have been unable to extricate her body from the train itself.”
“No,” Ella heard Nate whisper, and it chilled her blood. His voice sounded like it had crawled out from the