Page 15 of Secret Redemption

“I never saw that,” her mother stated.

Ava blushed then and put her head down. “I didn’t want to get Zack in hot water with dad until I’d had a chance to tell him, so I moved it every time you came over.”

“Not every time baby girl,” Frank said, and all eyes swung to him. “Do you remember the night Riley was sick with an ear infection and your mother and I came over to take you to the paediatrician in the middle of the night?”

“Yes.”

“I saw it then.”

Zack watched like a tennis match, his head bouncing back and forth as the conversation evolved. He didn’t like the thought of his son being sick and Ava having to turn to her parents instead of him.

“But that was a month before I came to the UK,” Ava stated sounding confused.

“It was time sweetheart,” her father said softly.

“So, you knew and sent me so that Zack would find out?”

“It was time,” Frank said with finality.

Ava nodded and looked at him. “So, in short, that’s why Riley knows you’re ‘daddy’. I’ve always told him to say goodnight to daddy.”

“Daddy,” Riley said again and wriggled from his mother and held out his arms to Zack. He wasn’t sure what to do so he put his hands out towards his son. His son climbed onto his lap and sat there like it was the most natural thing in the world. While he sat there feeling emotions he had never experienced before.

The love coursing through him for this little human was overwhelming and brilliant and so potent he could hardly breathe. He wanted to know everything about him, and he had the strongest need to protect Riley, and those feelings were all mixed up with Ava too.

Everyone else resumed their conversation, and Riley picked up a crust of toast from his plate and tried to feed him. Zack willingly obliged and opened his mouth so his son could put the toast in.

“Good?” Riley said in question.

“Yes, very good,” Zack said and laughed at the look of pleasure on his son’s face. He looked over and saw tears in Ava’s eyes, reaching over he grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight and hoping it conveyed even a fraction of the joy he felt.

The rest of breakfast passed without incident. His son stayed on his knee and played with the dials on Zack’s watch as they all talked and finished their coffee.

As Frank and Helen cleaned up the kitchen, while he went into his office to call Daniel. Ava went to put some children’s television on for Riley in the lounge. A smile tugged his lips as he thought of his son. Twenty-four hours ago, he had been a single guy with no family responsibilities, and now he had a fiancé—even if she didn’t know it yet—and a son. He couldn’t be fucking happier about it.

He opened his phone and called Daniel. “Sit rep.” he stated when Daniel answered.

“Boss I was just about to call. We have a situation. Fortis has been compromised, and some files have been taken.”

“What do you mean compromised?” he asked angrily, as he started to pace.

“It looks like someone hacked the mainframe. Will is losing his shit down here. Not a lot was taken, but what’s interesting is the only files taken were the ones Ava was working on with the books and the translations.”

Zack rubbed his eyes, but his head came up when the door opened. Ava popped her head in, and he waved her in.

“Okay, give me twenty minutes, and I’ll be in.”

“Copy that.”

“Oh, and Daniel, I want increased security on my home and family and on all the women and children. Tell Lucy to call in her favours from Zenobi and call Jack. I’m through dicking around with these fuckers. It’s time to end this shit.”

“Yes, boss.”

Zack hung up and looked at Ava. “Is Riley okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. Watching television with grandad. Honestly, I don’t know who enjoys it more.”

He stepped up close to her. “We have a situation. We need to go into Fortis. We were hacked, and the files you were working on were stolen.”