Page 20

T he wait had been excruciating. Both in giving Dani the space she’d demanded, which kept Zack away from her office as a mark of respect, and the stomach churning tenterhooks he experienced as he stayed with Saul, trying vainly to concentrate on the auction search, while he waited to find out if the woman who might hold the key to his past would grant him an audience.

Finally, things seemed to click into place, and he’d been offered a time and a place to meet up. Zack left Saul, his nerves skittering as he forced himself to walk down to Iniquity, instead of riding the ATV, in an effort to calm himself.

He knew Marcus Mountbatten, Duke of Buckingham, well enough.

With wealth and influence such as theirs, they often frequented the same circles.

As he approached their table, it was also obvious how possessive and protective the man was about his new wife.

However, one look at Gabriella Mountbatten nee Preston and Zack saw a blonde beauty with a deceptive air of fragility coating a core of pure steel.

“Well, Zack, this is a surprise. I didn’t think you and Gabi knew each other.”

There was a proprietary edge to Marcus’ voice which made Zack want to smile. The guy was smitten.

“Actually, we don’t,” Zack agreed. “But I’m hoping your wife can help me with something.”

Marcus’ eyes narrowed, but Gabi gave him a serene smile which lit up the room and pressed a sweet kiss against her husband’s cheek before turning back to Zack. “I’m intrigued, Mr. Kincaid. What is it you think I can help you with?”

“Please, call me Zack,” he began, gesturing to the bartender and asking for a bottle of his favorite Luminous Hills Pinot Noir.

For ease and a modicum of privacy, they sat in a quiet, semi-private corner of the bar area. Zack soaked up the atmosphere. They’d done a great job with this place, but it was a stark reminder of everything he was missing.

Pushing aside the melancholy that had taunted him since Dani sent him away, Zack focused on the task at hand. He poured the wine, offering glasses to Marcus and Gabi since none of them were scening tonight and didn’t need to worry about alcohol consumption.

He took a sip, and the rich, velvety liquid coated his tongue, steadying his nerves.

"I'm looking for someone," he began, his eyes fixed on Gabi. "A woman named Emylyah Baskov. I have reason to believe you might know of her."

Gabi's serene expression faltered for a moment, a flicker of surprise crossing her face before she regained her composure. Marcus tensed beside her, his hand moving protectively around her shoulder.

"Lyah?" Gabi's voice was soft, tinged with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "How do you know about her?"

Zack leaned forward, his heart rate quickening, even though the name Lyah was unfamiliar. Then again, so was everything about his child bride. "So, you do know her?"

Gabi nodded slowly, her blue eyes studying him intently, before she threw a questioning look at Marcus who narrowed his gaze on him and squeezed his wife’s shoulder before she could continue.

“Before Gabi says anything else, I’m afraid you’re going to have to tell us why you want to know. This is some… sensitive stuff, Zack.”

Zack hesitated. He was a private man and didn’t really want to go through all the details of his personal affairs all over again. Then again, this was his best lead so far, and if what Saul suspected was true, then Gabi was technically his sister-in-law.

Taking a deep breath, he related the story to them both, watching carefully for Gabi’s reaction.

When he finished, she shook her head, her gaze far away in the past. “I always wondered how Lyah’s mother managed to keep her safe…”

There was a wistful note to her voice which made his gut wrench, even though he wasn’t privy to her story. “I’m sorry…” Zack felt compelled to apologies, even though he didn't know what for.

Gabi shook her head, clearly affected, but it was Marcus who spoke.

“Gabi and Lyah have the same father. He’s dead now, but when he was alive, he bartered his twelve-year-old daughter in exchange for his debts.”

Marcus’ disgust was palpable. “When Lyah’s mother managed to get her out of it, the guy she was promised to set his sights on Gabi instead, even after their father’s death.”

"She's my half-sister, but we don’t really keep in touch. It’s never been safe...” Gabi explained.

Zack rubbed his temple and forehead with one hand. “So, your half-sister, Lyah, is Emylyah?” he asked, needing to clarify. “Emylyah Baskov?”

“That’s right,” Gabi confirmed, but she shook her head and frowned. “But there’s something I don’t understand. You say you’re looking for Lyah so you can get an annulment?”

“That’s right.” Zack nodded.

Gabi pursed her lips. “You see, that’s where I’m confused,” she admitted. “Because I was under the impression Lyah’s married to a man named Nikolai Radaeva. I certainly never heard about her being married to anyone else.”

Zack digested that nugget of information. Shit, could this be another dead end after all? Digging in his pocket, he took out his wallet and unfolded the photocopy of his marriage certificate, pushing it across the table to Gabi.

She studied it carefully before passing it back to him, her expression troubled. “I can’t believe parents conspired to marry off their children so young. I don’t… I don’t think Lyah ever knew about this… or understood what happened that day.”

“That’s entirely possible,” Zack agreed with a nod. “I didn’t appreciate the situation myself until years later, and Emylyah’s even younger than me… So do you still think the girl I’m married to is your sister?”

“I believe so.” Gabi bit her lip. “I mean, we didn’t live in the same household, and of course I was only about ten years old at the time.

But I came to understand the situation as soon as it affected me, and I made a point of trying to piece together the reasons why I was being targeted.

Although I never knew how or why Emylyah’s mother got her off the hook, I knew she did since it affected me so catastrophically.

Both the facts and circumstances sync too well to be coincidence.

And this…” Gabi tapped a line on the paper in front of her. “Is her date of birth.”

The seed of hope Zack had buried sprouted and grew to magical beanstalk proportions. He leaned forward, eyes intense. "Do you know where I can find her, contact her?"

Gabi exchanged a glance with Marcus, who gave a slight nod. She turned back to Zack, her expression guarded. "I'm not sure…"

"I really need to get in touch with her," Zack insisted, cutting off the objection he could hear coming, his voice low and urgent. "This marriage, even if neither of us knew about it, is holding me back from..." He trailed off, thinking of Dani.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "From what, exactly?"

Zack sighed, running a hand through his hair. "From moving on with my life. From being with the woman I love."

Gabi's eyes softened. Zack knew she was friendly with Dani. It was entirely possible she’d heard Dani’s version of their past relationship.

"I understand, but I can’t just give out her details.

Like I said, she’s married to someone else now, even if that’s technically bigamy.

I can’t let you just barge into her life and destroy everything for her. ”

“Gabi…”

She held up a hand to stop him.

“But I will contact her myself and see if I can…” She huffed out a frustrated breath. “See what I can find out, on both your behalves.”

Zack clenched his fists in frustration, then made a deliberate effort to relax. This was more than he’d had thirty minutes ago. As much as he wanted to take immediate action, he needed to focus on that.

He’d waited eighteen years after all. He could be patient a little longer.

And at least he now had some positive news to reassure Dani with.