He went chest to chest with Alec, his eyes flashing and his jaw tight as they stared each other down. But where Monroe was defensive, ready to throw down if need be, Alec looked… resigned. He turned away for the briefest of moments. Then he squared his shoulders and clenched his jaw. It was as if he was psyching himself up, talking himself into being angry.
My breath caught and I bit back a sob. Was it disgust? Was he that appalled by everything said about me online that he was ready to walk away? This was all my fault. I shouldn’t have been so naive. I should have realized that if I’d been promoting the tour, getting photos with the team, and posting them to social media and LinkedIn. I’d eventually be found. I should have had the foresight to keep the images I’d taken with the team to myself and only used professional shots and ones without me in them. What was I thinking? This fight was because of my stupidity.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, but they didn’t acknowledge I was even in the room. My tears started again. I clutched the cushion closer, rocking on the spot.
“You can’t just walk in here and accuse either of us of something when you know fucking well you’re hiding too,” Monroe continued like I hadn’t spoken. Anger punctuated every word he spoke.
Alec swallowed, and his eyes slipped closed before he shook his head and seemed to slide his mask back into place. It was as if his demeanour changed on a dime. I hadn’t seen this side of Alec before, but it didn’t feel right. There was something off. Was he forcing himself to be angry? Was he trying to provoke a fight? Alec huffed out an incredulous laugh and he threw his hands up in the air.
“You want me to fess up to my issues when you’ve been hiding a secret worthy of the fucking CIA?”
What?Alec’s reaction was over the top, especially for someone who was used to the public eye. I went to them, closing the loop between the three of us. I stood shoulder to shoulder with them, ready to intervene. Alec needed to stop whatever he was doing here, and Monroe needed to take things down a notch rather than escalating.
“Stop,” I begged, but neither one of them was listening.
“Please,” Monroe spat back, disdain dripping from him.
He turned and stepped away from him, giving Alec his back. I watched the colour drain from Alec’s cheeks, his lips turn down, and whatever spark was left in his eyes dull. He exhaled harshly, as if Monroe’s response was a physical blow. But like a tether connected them, Alec reached out and grasped Monroe’s arm, his fingers white as they bit into his skin. He tugged on him, stopping Monroe in his tracks.
“Don’t walk away from me,” Alec warned.
His voice was rough. But it definitely wasn’t anger pushing him. He was hurting. I didn’t know why, but I had to fix it. The pit in my belly had grown to the size of the Grand Canyon, but determination flared in me.
“I’m fucking sick of it. All I get from everyone is either an attitude or their backs.”
Oh, Alec. Don’t you see? We don’t want to walk away. You’re pushing us.
I stepped into his personal space and rested my hand on his belly. “Alec—”
Monroe whirled around. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, then poked Alec in the chest, daring him to react. “An attitude? You think this is an attitude?” Monroe shook his head, his lip curled into a sneer. “You’re sorely mistaken, Alec. My past isn’t a secret, but I don’t go around telling just anyone either.”
I could have cried at Monroe’s use of Alec’s first name. Last night, he’d been Hux. But even with our issues, even with the world imploding around us, Monroe still inadvertently acknowledged that connection. Except his delivery could use some work. Monroe was angry, and rightly so, but couldn’t he see that Alec was hurting too? I was convinced of it. He needed comfort, not antagonizing.
Alec brushed my hand away. He stepped back and sneered, “Great. So I’m a nobody. Nice to know where I stand.” Alec shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. He was behind that mask once more, building the brick walls up around his heart again. But I could read him, and the person before me was not the cheeky, sweet man I knew. He was rattled, running scared, and hurting. He was like a wounded bear, lashing out to protect himself. But Monroe had landed a bullseye with his careless comment.
“I didn’t say that, and you bloody well know it. Stop twisting my words,” Monroe ordered impatiently.
“Please, stop,” I cried, my voice a raw rasp. “Please.” But once again, they acted like I wasn’t there, ignoring me completely. Frustration bit at me. I wasn’t invisible. I deserved to be a part of this conversation even if neither Alec nor Monroe wanted to listen to what I had to say.
But they didn’t. They stared each other down, neither one of them backing off.
“That’s enough,” I ordered, stepping between them and pressing my palms to their chests.
Alec’s heart was racing, and his shirt was damp with sweat. He was trembling. Monroe was tense, every muscle in his body coiled.
“We need to talk about this like adults. We’re all upset. Let’s calm down before we say something we’ll regret.”
“It’s too late for that, Cara,” Alec rasped, easing my hand off him again. He swallowed and flicked his gaze to Monroe. His words were curt and taunting, but agony radiated off him. “It sounded pretty clear to me. Your wife and kid are the talk of the town. Everyone apparently knows about them. Well, except for me.”
Oh, heck. This is not good.
Alec waved his hand dismissively and smirked at Monroe. But it was a façade Alec was hiding behind. His eyes told the truth. He was heartbroken. I didn’t know whether the anguish was from only having just found out about Monroe’s family or something else, but he was hurting. Lashing out at Monroe wasn’t fair, though. It was a painful topic, and I understood Monroe not wanting to relive it over and over. This trip was a bubble, and it had burst spectacularly. We’d only wanted to block out the real world for a couple of precious weeks. Alec had been a completely unexpected but very welcome surprise. I could never have dreamed of our trip turning out the way it had so far—well, except for the last few minutes, anyway.
“But I’ve downloadedTarnished Crownnow,” Alec added.
“Alec,” I warned, trying to get him to stop talking. But it was no use.
“Should I just go and put it on? Listen to the series and get to know what happened to your wife’s company from your mate, Tristan?” He narrowed his eyes as Monroe stumbled back, looking like he’d been slapped. “It’s all good. Just let the guy you’re sleeping with be the last to find out.”
