by Rebecca Deel
A reluctant nod from Ethan. “No detours,” he murmured.
He was a suspect? “Two minutes,” he promised.
“Want coffee, Ethan?” Sasha asked as she handed Simon and Zoe their drinks, her eyes filled with concern.
“I wouldn’t turn down a cup.” Ethan pulled out his wallet and dropped a few bills on the counter to pay for his drink. When the coffee maven handed him a to-go cup, he nodded his thanks, turned a pointed glance Simon’s direction, and walked from the shop, stopping to speak to a few customers who greeted him by name.
After he paid for Sasha for their drinks, Simon cupped Zoe’s elbow and escorted her out the back door. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t want you to leave the police station without me or one of Bravo at your side.”
“Something’s wrong.”
“Oh, yeah. We’ll find out what I’m suspected of doing soon. If you’re a suspect, too, don’t make a statement without an attorney present.”
Her eyes widened in alarm as he helped her into the SUV. “I don’t know any attorneys, Simon.”
“Call Trent. One of the Fortress lawyers will represent you.”
“But I’m not guilty of anything illegal.”
He couldn’t say the same for himself. He tried to abide by the law. In some cases, skirting the law was the only way to complete his mission. Had one of those instances come back to haunt him? “I’m not saying you’ve broken a law, especially since I’m the one Ethan came after. Considering what’s been happening the past 24 hours, keeping the attorney option open might be wise.”
Simon parked in the visitor section of the station’s lot and escorted Zoe inside the building.
The desk sergeant looked up. “Help you?”
“I’m Simon Murray. Chief Blackhawk is expecting me.” More like commanded him to show up at the station or else Ethan would come after Simon himself. He didn’t want Ethan Blackhawk on his six. The six-foot-four cop was one of the most dangerous men Simon had ever met and that was saying something considering the terrorists he’d fought over the years. Ethan could have easily been a member of Delta Force, but was rumored to have chosen to stay in the Rangers to be more accessible to his beloved aunt.
The cop inclined his head toward the plastic chairs against the wall. “Have a seat. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
A minute later, Ethan opened the double doors into the inner part of the station and motioned for Simon and Zoe to follow him. Once they crossed the threshold, the chief led them down a hallway to a smaller room.
One glance inside had Simon casting a questioning glance at Ethan. “You’re taking us to an interrogation room?”
“Two rooms. You’re in this one. Zoe will be in the second one.”
Simon slid his arm around Zoe’s waist. “I’m checking the second interrogation room. It’s not negotiable, Ethan.”
After a slight nod, the police chief led them to a second interrogation room. No windows and a two-way mirror on a wall butting up against an observation room. “Satisfied?”
“She can’t be alone. Someone tried to hurt her yesterday morning. I’m not taking chances with her life.”
“I’ll have an officer stay with Zoe until one of the detectives arrives to question her.”
“Only if it’s a cop I know and trust.”
That brought a scowl to the chief’s face. “You don’t have the control here, Murray.”
“You wouldn’t trust some random cop with Serena’s life. Why would you expect me to hand over Zoe’s safety to a stranger? Come on, Ethan. You know what’s at stake here and the kind of people Bravo fights against. A run-of-the-mill beat cop can’t handle our enemies. I’m not risking her life with unproven assurances and loyalties.”
“Wait here.” Ethan strode from the room, phone in his hand. Two minutes later, he returned. “Finish your drinks. Zoe’s bodyguard will arrive in five minutes.”
Trusting Ethan to choose someone with the right skill set to protect his girl, Simon seated Zoe at the wooden table and dropped onto the seat beside hers. Ethan returned after a minute and sat across from them with his own coffee cup in hand.
The three of them navigated a stilted conversation about town happenings while they sipped their beverages. By the time they finished their drinks, a brush of fabric against the wall heralded the approach of someone new. Simon’s hand automatically went to his Sig. At least his weapons hadn’t been confiscated the moment he entered the station. He’d expected to have to relinquish them. Perhaps that meant the coming interrogation was a formality.
“Stand down,” Ethan murmured. “It’s the bodyguard.”
When Josh Cahill entered the room, Simon’s worry for Zoe’s safety faded. He trusted Josh at his back and knew Zoe would be safe with the Delta Force soldier turned cop and black ops operative.
Josh nodded at him and greeted Zoe before turning to his brother-in-law. “How long will I be tied up? We’re spread thin at PSI with Bravo having four members in limbo.”
“You’ll be free to leave when Stella arrives. She was with Nick at the crime scene fifteen minutes ago.”
Crime scene? Simon stared at Ethan. Something else must have happened in the hours since he’d left Nick standing in front of Zoe’s house this morning.
At that moment, someone else approach, the steps light and quick. Stella walked in. She glanced at Ethan. “Sorry for the delay. Are we questioning them together or separately?”
Them? Simon frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that. Suspecting him of something nefarious was one thing. Zoe shouldn’t be under suspicion.
“Separately.” Ethan glanced at Josh. “Keep her safe and secluded until we’re ready to talk to her.”
“Copy that.”
“Let’s go, Simon. The sooner we do this, the better this will go for you.”
The hairs rose on the back of his neck. Not good. If Ethan arrest him arrested, who would protect Zoe?
The woman in question drew in a ragged breath. “Simon, what’s going on?” she whispered.
“Everything will be fine.” Please, God, let that be the case. Simon didn’t want to hand responsibility for her safety to anyone else, even his teammates. She was his. He brushed her lips with his. “I’ll be next door.” If she needed him, he’d get to her no matter who he had to go through to reach her side. Rising, he sent a pointed glance at Josh.
Understanding dawned in Josh’s eyes. “I’ve got her, Simon. No one will touch her. You have my word.”
Unable to resist, Simon kissed Zoe again before making himself leave the room. The sooner he cleared up whatever they thought he’d done, the faster he would return to Zoe’s side to act as a shield against the danger stalking her.
Ethan and Stella followed Simon into the first interrogation room and the chief closed the door. Stella sat at the table and waved Simon to the seat across from her. Ethan took up a position against the wall near the door, arms folded across his chest. Seriously? Did Ethan believe Simon would bolt from the room and leave Zoe vulnerable?
Another thought occurred to him, this one sending a spike of disappointment through him. Perhaps Ethan was here as protection for Stella. He’d never hurt Nate’s wife. Stella was a friend.
He shifted his gaze to the detective. “Enough secrecy, Stella. Why did you send Ethan to find me when a simple phone call would have brought me here voluntarily?”
“Do you know Isaac Lyons?”
He glanced at Ethan and, no surprise, got nothing in the way of a clue from the police chief. Simon refocused on Stella. Had Lyons filed charges against him for slamming his back against the wall and choking him? If so, the trainee was going to be out of PSI on his ear before the day was finished. Not only that, any charges he might have filed against Simon wouldn’t stick. He had a room full of witnesses who would state the trainee had been going after Zoe. “He’s one of PSI’s trainees.”
“How well do you know him?”
“He’s been training as a bodyguard fo
r three months. In that time, he’s rotated through my classes twice a week, sometimes more depending on whether or not I covered another instructor’s class. But I’m guessing that you know this. What’s this about, Stella?”
“When did you see him last?”
Frustration bubbled inside him at the deflection. “Yesterday morning at breakfast. Cade and I broke the news about Macy’s death to him. We didn’t want him to hear about it through the town grapevine. Lyons and Macy were dating. No one deserves to hear news like that through gossip.”
“I understand you had an altercation with him in the dining room.”
Now they were getting somewhere. “He was upset over Macy’s death and, for some reason, blamed Zoe. Matt and Liam stopped him when he went after Zoe. They took him to the floor and got him under control, then let him up when he calmed down. By that time, I was beside Zoe. However, once Lyons was free, he came at Zoe again. I stopped him.”
“How?”
“Shoved him against the wall and pressed my forearm against his throat.”
“What did you do then?”
“Warned him off. Told him if he tried to hurt Zoe again, I would take him down hard.”
“Anything else?”
What was she looking for? “I told him to take the day off from training and go to his room or run until he had himself under control, but he was to leave Zoe alone.”
“Did you see him again after that time?”
Simon frowned. “No. I already told you I didn’t. Talk to me, Stella. Is Lyons filing assault charges? If he is, I have about 200 witnesses to verify my story. He didn’t have a mark on him when he left the dining room.”
“Where were you this morning between two and five?”
He laid his hand on her forearm. “Stella, talk to me.”
Ethan stirred, his gaze hard. “Simon.”
When he looked at the chief, the man shook his head slightly.
Okay, then. This was definitely official and Ethan was here as Stella’s backup. Having Ethan with her was a wise move on Stella’s part. If Simon had intended to harm her, Stella wouldn’t have been able to stop him by herself.
He released her and sat back. “At two o’clock, I was standing in front of Zoe’s house with Nick Santana. Zoe’s home was broken into and trashed sometime yesterday. We discovered the mess after we left Piper’s hospital room. Once Zoe packed an overnight bag under Nick’s supervision, we drove to PSI for her to use the kitchen to bake muffins and scones for Perk. We stayed in that kitchen until 5:30 when we loaded my SUV with baked goods with Nate’s help and drove to Perk where Ethan found me at 6:00.”
“When did Nate arrive?”
“A few minutes before five o’clock.”
“Did you leave Zoe’s side at any time during those hours when the two of you were baking in the kitchen?”
“No.”
“Even to go down the hall to the bathroom?”
“Again, no.”
“Will you provide access to the security footage at PSI to verify your story?”
“Of course.” But they all knew he could have tampered with the footage to make it appear he’d never left the kitchen. Even if he didn’t have the skill to pull off the deception, he knew enough people at Fortress with the ability who also owed him a favor and would keep their mouths shut if requested to do so. The footage wasn’t definitive proof.
“I’ll expect that footage from Zane by the end of the day, Simon.”
He looked at Ethan. “I’m getting my cell phone.” He didn’t particularly want to end up with another bullet hole in his body.
A nod from the chief.
Simon pulled his cell phone from his pocket and sent a text to Zane, requesting the security footage at PSI for the times in question. That done, he laid his phone on the table. “Zane will send the information by the end of the day. What’s going on, Stella? I answered your questions. It’s time for you to answer mine.”
“Isaac Lyons is dead. He was found in his car with his throat slit.”
Stunned, Simon sat in silence for a moment. Lyons was dead? “Where was he found?”
“Half a block from Zoe’s house.”
Could Lyons have broken in and trashed Zoe’s place in a fit of anger over Macy’s death? That would explain the stark difference between the search through Macy’s house and the utter destruction in Zoe’s. “You think I killed him.”
“You’re capable of subduing Lyons and slitting his throat. He was found down the street from her house, a place you admit to being this morning. You had motive to kill the man. He threatened your girlfriend. I know exactly how protective Fortress operatives are when their women are in danger. Lyons was a threat to Zoe. Seeing him that close to Zoe’s house could have sent you over the edge. He was a danger to your woman. You dispatched the danger to keep her safe. No muss. No fuss. No regret for protecting what’s yours.”
Despite the maelstrom of emotion, Simon forced himself to think. On the outside looking in, he appeared to be the perfect suspect. But he hadn’t seen or touched Lyons since breakfast yesterday morning. “If I thought Zoe’s life was in imminent danger, I wouldn’t hesitate to do what was necessary to protect her. In this case, I didn’t have to. I didn’t know Lyons was parked near her house and I was more interested in driving her to PSI to complete her baking than killing a pathetic excuse for a man who was mouthing off.”
He probably should shut his mouth and call the Fortress lawyer, but he wanted to say a few more things on the record. “Three things to remember. If I had killed Lyons in self-defense while protecting Zoe, I would have owned up to the deed like a man and turned myself in, even if the result was jail time. But the fact is I didn’t kill him. Second, if I determined Lyons’ death was necessary, I’d kill him somewhere other than close to my girlfriend’s house and take the time to hide the body where you’d never find it. Third, you both know what I’m trained to do. I’m capable of pulling off the crime without throwing suspicion on myself or Zoe. This is clumsy work. I’m not clumsy or careless.”
“Let’s go through everything again.” Stella flipped her notebook to a fresh page. “Back up to when you arrived at the bakery yesterday morning and go from there.”
Simon went through everything again. When he finished, he looked from Stella to Ethan. “Do I need to call a lawyer?”
“That’s your right.” Ethan’s tone reflected nothing but professionalism. Frustration bit at Simon. Ethan would have made a great operative. He was impossible to read. “At the moment, you are a person of interest in the murder of Isaac Lyons. If we file charges, you’ll have the opportunity to call the Fortress lawyer.”
“What about Zoe? Is she a person of interest, too?”
A slight nod.
Simon scowled. “That’s crazy, Ethan. She would never be able to sneak up on Lyons, hold him steady, and slice his throat. He might not have been fully trained, but he could have overpowered her seconds. Zoe doesn’t have the strength to pull this off.”
“The element of surprise and a sharp knife would take care of the job.”
“Not a chance. She doesn’t have it in her to kill someone.”
“Everyone has that capacity if the stakes are high enough.”
“To protect herself?” Simon shook his head. “No way.”
“What about to protect you?” Ethan asked, voice soft.
“I can take care of myself. Zoe knows that.”
“Does she? You haven’t been together long. I’m betting she doesn’t know who and what you really are.”
Simon bit back a further protest. Ethan had a point. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to her about his job.
The muscle in his jaw twitched. Zoe’s character precluded her from harming anyone even if she had underestimated Simon and his abilities. Besides, Zoe didn’t have the opportunity to sneak off and kill Lyons. She’d been by his side since she’d joined him in the PSI classroom yesterday. “You’re wrong, Ethan. Zoe hasn’t been alone since I foun
d her unconscious on her bakery floor yesterday morning. Don’t waste your time looking at her. Zoe didn’t kill Lyons.”
Stella stood. “We had to ask you these questions whether we wanted to or not. It’s our job. We can’t show favoritism to friends. We have to consider every angle, every alternative. It’s how we eliminate suspects and move on to new ones. The questions weren’t meant to be personal.”
Ha. They were plenty personal to him. “Do you believe I killed him?”
She stared at him. “I know you’re capable of killing without an ounce of remorse if doing so saved your girlfriend’s life. I don’t believe you would have slit his throat from the back seat of his car. That smacks of cowardice. You’re an in-your-face man. If you believed Lyons needed to die to save an innocent, you would have taken him on face to face, not attacked him from behind.” She smiled. “And no, I don’t think you’d have been stupid enough to kill him close to Zoe’s house and point the finger at yourself or her. I believe Lyons would have disappeared, never to be seen again. You are far from careless. If you were, you wouldn’t be a member of one of Fortress’s top operative teams.”
Relief loosened the knots in his stomach. Stella hadn’t given him the all-clear, but neither did she believe he was guilty of murder. “I think I’m insulted. One of Fortress’s top teams? Bravo is the best team I’ve ever worked with.”
“You and your teammates are exceptionally good,” she admitted. “I’ve seen your training maneuvers and watched when Bravo acted as a county SWAT team in that hostage situation last month when Nate and the others were out of the country. But however good you are, you aren’t Durango.”
Those words would have rankled more if she hadn’t been right. Durango was special, and Simon had the greatest respect for them and their skill. Fortress was lucky to have that team.
Stella rounded the table and headed for the door. “You’re free to leave the room. There’s a vending machine in the lobby and you’re welcome to the coffee in the squad room. It’s Serena’s Home Runs blend so you won’t have to worry about losing your stomach lining.” Stella glanced over her shoulder at Simon. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on yet, but be on your guard, Simon. Someone wants to hurt you and those love.”
