CHAPTER 2

(GIDEON)

"Yes Scott," I snap into my intercom.

I am not in the best mood. I have spent far too long this afternoon responding to and dealing with the ramifications of yet another email informing me that, that annoying fucker in Seattle is once again trying to make inroads into Nexus Telecommunications, a company I acquired for their technology to use in conjunction with a new gaming concept my company is currently developing. I first became aware of Grey's interest in the company when the share price suddenly went up. I noticed GEH had been buying them up, indicating that the fucker was probably trying to pursue a hostile takeover. I had managed to stop him and have now managed to successfully block him from getting a bigger foothold and that is how it is going to stay. Nobody knows that I own Nexus as the shares I own are currently buried in a number of my more obscure subsidiary companies as the technology they are currently developing for my game concept is top secret.

"Mr Cross, I have just been informed by the reception that your wife has just arrived she has been buzzed in and she is on her way here to see you" my PA informs me.

"Send her straight in when she arrives" I say automatically as I will never make my angel wait to see me.

Then I pause, momentarily panicked by this information wondering what the problem is to necessitate a surprise visit from Eva, that is until I look at my watch and am astounded to note that it has gone 5pm. I realise immediately why my angel is here. She has finished for the day and as is her custom now she is coming to see me before leaving the Crossfire for the evening and either going to the gym, her Krav Maga class in Brooklyn or home to our Penthouse.

In that moment I realise that I am also very close to finishing tonight. I smile as I think about that, at one time I was here around the clock. I arrived long before the sun rose and left late into the evening. That was before Eva and before I had a life worth living. Now I have organised my day so that I don't arrive before 8.30am and I am out the door by 7pm at the very latest. Back then I existed only for Cross Industries as I had nothing else of worth in my life. Now I truly live and she is my reason for doing so and I know for a fact if my angel were to leave me I wouldn't survive it, as I could never go back to the way I was before she enriched my life. She is my reason for living and I cannot breathe or function properly without her. That may sound overly dramatic but it is the simple truth.

I feel myself starting to get hard as I think about my wife, as I consider my feelings for her my office door opens and I look up into my angel's face. I smile as a sense of overwhelming calm and serenity fills me at the mere sight of her and my bad mood and irritation just evaporates. I automatically stand and reaching for the button on my desk which frosts the glass walls and I press it, immediately giving us privacy and then I round my desk and walk towards her. She meets me half way and wraps her arms around my neck pulling my head down gently and then sealing her lips over mine.

I wrap my arms around her, one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her behind as I pull her up against me so she can feel exactly what seeing her does to me.

I savour the kiss and almost lose myself in her presence but then I notice; I feel it in her demeanour and the way she is almost violently eating at my lips. There is an almost desperate nature to her greeting and how when we eventually do pull apart to breathe she doesn't let me go; she clings to me, still needing that close connection with me. I wrap my arms tightly around her to offer the comfort she is craving from me and I whisper in her ear.

"What's wrong Angel?" I ask.

"Nothing" she replies, but she answers too quickly and too defensively for me to believe her. My eyebrows rise and I give her a sceptical look, making it clear I don't believe her.

"Let's try that again shall we, and maybe this time you will answer me truthfully?" I say.

I feel her sag slightly and I keep my hold on her. She has been reeling and scattered ever since it all came out about her dad and I have tried to be there for her, I've tried my hardest just to be the supportive husband she needs right now when it is in my nature to try and take over and fix everything. I can't bear to see her upset about anything so it is instinctive for me to want to eradicate what it is that is hurting her, but I know I can't fix this no matter how much I try and I can't interfere with this as even I realise that isn't what she needs. She needs to be the one to work through this life changing event and work things out for herself and my job is to just be there to support her and not to try and take over, as much as I want to.

It came out recently that Victor Reyes the man she had always thought was her father isn't. As a result, the relationship with her mother which was always rocky and strained has now deteriorated beyond repair. Victor is trying to help Eva to come to terms with this life changing news, whilst also dealing with it himself and whilst also trying to reassure her that it makes no difference to him. That she will always be his little girl, no matter what.

I return my attention back to Eva and try and coax the truth out of her.

"So, what's wrong?" I ask.

I hear her sigh and she grips me tightly.

"Let's go and sit down" she says after a moment and I feel her pull away from me.

"Alright" I reply, not letting go of her hand as I lead her over to the seating area.

I sit down and she joins me on the sofa. I look at it as it is the sofa which I have taken her on so many times, but I try and push that errant thought out of my head as at this moment it is totally inappropriate. She sits and is gripping my hand tightly as she pulls out her phone with her other hand. After calling up her emails she hands me her phone.

"This email came through about half an hour ago" she says.

I take the phone from her and from the expression on her face I know what it is about before I even start to read. I glance at her phone and the sender of the email confirms that for me.

TO: Eva Cross

FROM: Miranda Bennett, (Finding Family Inc)

DATE: 22nd April 2015 16:32

SUBJECT: Genealogical Query: Frank Lambert

Dear Mrs Cross

Further to our telephone conversation and your request to find Frank Lambert. We regret to inform you that from our extensive enquiries it appears that Mr Lambert is now deceased and has been for a number of years.

We appreciate that this must be very upsetting for you and that you may feel that you will no longer be able to discover the truth and gain the answers which you need. However, during our investigations we have discovered that Mr Lambert was also named as the father to another child before his death.

I have taken the liberty to trace and reach out to the person concerned to try and help bring this case to a satisfactory conclusion. I will of course, keep you informed of any developments as we receive them should the person choose to respond to us.

Thank you once again for trusting Finding Family Inc with the task of searching for your missing family member and I am sorry that at this point I cannot give you any better news.

Regards

Miranda Bennett

Finding Family Inc

I look up at Eva who is watching my reaction closely.

"So, if this pans out… you could have a sibling?" I say carefully.

Eva nods, "I feel a bit funny about it, as I don't want to disrupt anyone's life".

I smile at her, "Angel, you are entitled to know the truth about where you came from and if this person can give you any information on Frank Lambert regarding that, it is worth pursuing. But you are jumping ahead of yourself, as this may not even pan out. The person they have contacted may be connected to another Frank Lambert, but it's good that they are doing this as if that is the case then they can eliminate them and narrow the search down for anyone else who may be able to offer you any answers on the man".

Eva shakes her head, "But if they have established that my Frank is dead, they also know that this person's dad is dead and I don't want to tarnish their memory of their father; by barging into their life and saying oh by the way he was my dad too".

I look at her carefully and shake my head, "Angel that is not going to happen and you know it, these people at Finding Family are trained intermediaries and they will handle it with tact and finesse. They will do their best to make sure that nobody gets hurt by this and that everyone is adequately protected" I say trying to reassure her.

I see her think about this and eventually she smiles and nods. I watch as she relaxes and she reaches for me.

"You're right of course" she says.

I shrug, "I know I am" I say arrogantly and she gives me a small amused snort.

I watch as she lets go of the worry that she has and she looks up at me. "What time will you be done?" she asks.

I glance at my desk, "I'm actually very close to being done. I just need to finish off what I am doing and send a few emails then I'll call it a night, so I would say about half an hour at the most".

Her eyes light up at this and she nods, "Can I wait here for you then?" she asks hopefully.

I lean towards her and kiss her gently. "Of course you can, are you not going to the gym or Krav Maga tonight?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "No, I was going to go to Krav Maga but Parker called to say tonight's session as been cancelled… he has a family emergency and also his other trainer has hurt himself and is unable to cover, so as he has been unable to find anyone to take over he has had to cancel the sessions".

I rise to my feet, "Ok well let me get on and the sooner I am done the sooner we will be out of here". I make my way back to my desk as Eva settles herself on the sofa with her phone.

I see her placing a call and as I return to my work I hear her talking to her friend Cary Taylor. I stiffen slightly as I hear her. I really don't like that man and believe wholeheartedly that Eva's life would be much easier if he wasn't in it. But she is adamant that he is important to her and so for her sake I tolerate him. To be fair to the man he has been nothing but supportive towards her since everything came out about her dad. I return my attention to my computer screen and tune out the conversation going on in the background.

(EVA)

"Hey Cary" I say brightly.

"Hey baby girl, how are you?" my best friend in the world replies and I can't help but smile.

"I'm ok; I have news, both good and bad. I got an email from Finding Family and apparently Frank is dead so that's the end of that" I say.

There is a brief silence "Oh Eva I'm sorry" Cary says sincerely.

I shrug even though he can't see me, "Yeah well… what can you do? There is nothing I can do about it, yes it's a shame I will never get to meet him but they have discovered he had another kid. They have approached them, so all may not be lost" I say.

"Oh ok, who are they and are they younger or older than you?" he asks.

"I don't know they didn't say and it hasn't really got that far yet, they just told me that they have reached out to them and are waiting for them to respond. So I will have to wait and see" I say.

"Hmmm" Cary says thoughtfully.

"What?" I ask, now on alert at the way he said that.

"Just be careful, as you have no idea who you are reaching out to, it could be anyone. Can you imagine if they discover who you are and more importantly who you are married to?" He says.

I stiffen as that very thought had gone through my mind when I first started on this search for answers about my biological father. Gideon is more than a little bit high profile and I had thought about all the implications of that.

"I know, I have already thought at great length about that fact. But the lady at Finding Family said that they would be very discreet and everything would be handled carefully to protect us… and also the people they are searching for. They are not about to go in there and say, oh by the way a billionaire's wife from New York is your sister" I say sarcastically.

I hear Cary snort, "Yeah… I get that and I'm sorry I just felt the need to point it out" he says.

"I know and I love you for it, but I have thought about that and so has Gideon and the main thing is that he is happy for me to pursue this as he knows I need the answers. Plus he is a good judge of character he can read people really well and if he thinks they are only agreeing to pursue a relationship with me because of him he will know and warn me but as he said, it may not even pan out at all and may even be a dead end" I say.

"True… Listen baby girl I have to go now, I'm at a shoot and they are calling me" he says.

"Ok Cary talk to you soon" I say.

"Bye baby girl" he replies and the line goes dead.

I push my phone away and watch Gideon working at his desk and I get a surge of protective pride along with something much more primal go through me. This man is my world, and he has been my rock since everything came out about my dad… my dad, my heart aches at that very word now. I was always confident in the knowledge that my dad was Victor Reyes and I had no reason to question that fact. That is what my mom had always told me and I had no reason to doubt her. She was young when she had me, very young and her family frowned upon the relationship as they didn't believe he was good enough for her and they forbid her to see him, and as far as I was concerned they had ignored that and I was the result. I know she had been pressurised into getting rid of me and as a result had left home because she had refused to do so. I had often wondered why my mom had always refused to marry dad when she left home as from what I know he was more than willing to do so, I had always assumed it was down to her materialistic nature and my dad being a cop, he wouldn't be able to maintain the kind of lifestyle she aspired to. But now, I wonder if it was because she knew he wasn't responsible for fathering me.

She was always adamant to me he was my dad, and I even went to live with him for a while in California and he was responsible for helping me get my life back on track after what happened with Nathan. I was self-destructing and so he got me into therapy with Dr Travis. I had never questioned anything. But a telephone conversation a few weeks ago changed all that and changed my life forever.

My mind goes back to that time…

"Eva Cross speaking" I say automatically as my desk phone rings.

I hear the voice of Megumi Kaba the receptionist of Waters Field and Leaman on the line, "Eva I have a Captain Philips from the 15th Precinct San Diego Police Department on the phone for you".

I go cold, that is my dad's precinct and his Captain. I immediately go into a blind panic at the thought something bad has happened to my dad.

"Put him through" I stammer and I wait as the call is connected.

"Eva Cross speaking" I say and I am surprised at just how together my voice sounds.

"Good afternoon Mrs Cross, my name is Captain Philips and I am calling as you are named on our files as the next of kin for Officer Victor Reyes of this precinct".

"I am, he's my dad" I say.

There is a brief pause and then Captain Philips speaks again, "I'm sorry Mrs Cross but there is no easy way to tell you this but your father has been seriously injured in the line of duty, he was on a call and was shot by a suspect when he entered a residence" he tells me. I feel myself rising to my feet at this news as the panic surges through me.

My heart is beating out of my chest and I feel sick, no not my dad. I had only spoken to him that morning and I had ended my call as I always do with the words 'stay safe' and my dad had assured me he would – as he always does.

"Is he…?" I trail off not wanting to say the word that is stampeding through my mind. Not wanting to make it real.

Philips is quick to reassure me, "No, no he's not dead, but he is seriously injured and we felt it was only right and proper that you were informed so that you could make arrangements to come and see him if you wish to do so" he says politely.

"Ok, thank you for letting me know and obviously I am coming out to California. I am in New York so I need to organise a flight" I say, I know I am rambling but the only thoughts going through my mind right now are get off the phone and get to Gideon. He will make this better; he will help me and get me to my father.

"Certainly, I will let you get on so I will say goodbye," he says kindly and then I vaguely hear him telling me not to hesitate to call him if I need any further information. I hear him give me a phone number, but I don't register it and then the line goes dead and it occurs to me the call has ended.

I stand there still holding the phone receiver in my hand as Mark comes out of his office and into mine, he pauses with a look of concern on his face.

"Eva is everything ok?" he asks carefully.

I shake my head "My dad… he's been shot… I… I need to go" I stammer and I feel myself start to shake as I drop the phone on the desk.

Mark rushes over and wraps his arm around me, "Of course you do, but you are obviously in shock so just sit down a moment and let me call upstairs to Gideon for you" he says.

I nod and allow myself to be led out of my office and into his. I vaguely notice he is on the phone as I sit in the seat in front of his desk and then I feel him push a bottle of water into my hand. I don't take much notice but the next thing I realise Gideon is crouching beside me saying my name and then gently pulling me to my feet. I vaguely hear him thanking Mark and leading me from the building…

I pull myself out of those memories. That phone call had been the start of a series of events which blew apart my life and everything I took as fact.

No matter how I try and fight it the memory of how I discovered Victor Reyes isn't my dad pushes its way back into my head…

I stride into the hospital with Gideon at my side. We have literally come straight from the airport and I am single minded as I need to see my daddy.

Gideon has been on the phone organising everything and talking to Captain Philips. As we arrive, we are quickly ushered through the procedures. I am sometimes more than thankful how Gideon's name opens doors and smooth's paths.

"Mrs Cross, please sit down," the doctor who has come out to greet us and talk to us says.

I shake his hand as he introduces himself as my father's lead physician.

"Your father is now in a stable condition; he is a very lucky man the bullet missed all his vital organs but he did lose a significant amount of blood. We had to give him a transfusion and as he has one of the rarest blood types that proved to be slightly problematic. With the amount of blood he had lost along with the supply we had, but we prevailed and he is now making a good recovery".

I unconsciously smile at that, "Yeah my dad is AB negative, I always said he just had to be different not like me and mom, plain old common O positive".

The doctor stills for a moment and stares at me, "No that can't be right" he says quietly almost to himself and then abruptly stops. I watch as he flushes slightly and presses his lips together. He looks uncomfortable, almost as though he realises he has said something he shouldn't have.

I frown wondering what he means, "No, my dad is AB negative" I argue.

He nods, "Yes, that is correct and that is a very rare blood type" he confirms.

I nod, "and I am O positive… like my mom" I say with a shrug.

The doctor glances at Gideon who is watching this exchange with interest, "You are completely certain of your blood type?" he asks me leaning forward.

I nod, "I am, I had to have a transfusion when I was a teenager and that is when I found out my blood type… look what is this and why is this so important?" I ask.

The doctor looks uncomfortable and shakes his head.

I watch as Gideon leans forward, "Look this is clearly significant and my wife has the right to know what this significance is" he says sharply.

The doctor takes a deep breath and after shuffling uncomfortably in his seat he begins to somewhat reluctantly explain. "Red blood cell antigens are inherited as dominant traits, so Mr Reyes would have automatically passed on the A or B antigens to you so there is no way you could possibly be O Positive, in layman's terms… it means that Mr Reyes cannot possibly be your biological father".

I feel the room closing in on me and I reach out blindly for Gideon, he grasps my hand as I shake my head.

"I'm sorry" the doctor says apologetically and he stands up. "I'll give you a moment" he says and leaves us alone in his office.

I look helplessly towards Gideon, "But… but…. But" I stammer.

Gideon grips my hand tightly, "Call your mother" he states simply but firmly.

His no nonsense tone cuts through the confusion and haze which is currently overwhelming me and I nod and reach for my phone. As I fumble with it, Gideon takes it from me and thumbs through my contacts. Then he hands it back to me and he reaches for me and pulls me close.

As I hear my mother's breathy voice come to me, I feel the tears welling up and an overwhelming anger building inside me.

"Hello" she says, and just hearing her makes that anger increase, now that I have the knowledge that she has possibly lied to me for my entire life.

"Mom, what blood type are you?" I ask innocently.

There is a pause, "The same as you darling, O Positive" she says after a moment and those words cut through me, now I know how significant they are.

I close my eyes, "In which case mother, who is my damn father?" I spit.

I hear her gasp and she doesn't answer. The silence spreads out between us and lasts so long I eventually speak again. "I asked you a question mom" I say coldly.

"How… how did you find out?" she stammers.

The anger I am feeling quickly builds inside me, "Because I got a call from dads Captain at the precinct telling me he had been shot, so Gideon brought me to California and it came up in conversation with the doctor about my dad having a rare blood type. I commented on mine and he told me that someone with my dad's blood type couldn't possibly father a child with mine, so start talking mom and explain it to me, who is my damn biological father?"

"Eva please" my mom whispers.

"Just tell me" I snap.

I hear a sob, "I never wanted you to find out… he wasn't a good man" she sobs.

"Tell me" I say again.

"Frank Lambert, his name was Frank Lambert he was in the military and we met in California, I have no idea where he is now or what he is doing but he was in the Marines and… that's all I know".

I feel sick, I don't say another word and I just hang up. I turn towards Gideon and he reaches for me and holds me tightly…

"Angel".

I am pulled from my thoughts and look up; Gideon is standing next to me and he is shrugging into his jacket.

"Ready to go Angel? I'm done now" he says smiling down at me, and he holds out his hand to me.

"Erm… yeah sure, I'm ready" I say hurriedly as I reach for his hand and rise to my feet, whilst quickly picking up my purse.

He is watching me closely, "Are you still fretting about that email?" he asks.

I look and smile, shaking my head at him. "No, well… not directly, I was just going over everything that happened which got us to this point" I say sadly.

"Have you spoken to your mother since that day at the hospital?" he asks warily and I shake my head.

"No, I've spoken to Stanton though, as apparently dad called mom in a rage after I told him what the doctor had said. He let her have it both barrels which I can totally understand, as she has also lied to him for years. Stanton then called me and tried to blame me because I had told my dad but as I told him she is the one in the wrong here, as she knew dad wasn't my dad but she let us both believe he was" I say.

I watch Gideon's eyes narrow, "Stanton blamed you?" he says deceptively quietly and I know that tone of voice, he is getting ready to leap to my defence and protect me, just as I do so readily for him.

I pat his hand reassuringly, "He tried but I told him straight that it was her actions that caused all this and he couldn't argue with me as he knew I was right" I say.