by Kailin Gow
The young woman barely glanced at him as she picked up a few rags and a bucket from the corner. Before she could walk away, Leo took a hold of her forearm.
“Please, I’m looking for a young woman, Zara Zee, and…”
“Sorry,” she said with a shrug. “I no can tell you.”
Letting her go, he bit his lip and knew he’d have to explore the small hospital on his own. He turned down the first hallway and peered into the first room. After taking a careful look at the eight beds crowded into the small stuffy room, he moved on to the next room and the next and the next.
Finally in the third crowded room, he saw a young girl seated by a bed at the far end of the room. With her back to the door, she sat facing an elderly person in the small cot.
Leo quietly made his way to her, careful not to disrupt the other patients who moaned and groaned for their aches and pains.
“Zara,” he whispered as he put his hand to her shoulder.
The young girl turned to him, her brow creased in question.
“I’m so sorry,” he said as he realized he’d been mistaken.
Pulling in a deep breath, he quietly left the room. “Where are you, Zara?” he muttered to himself.
Retracing his steps, he returned to the nurse’s station, saw no one, and continued into the hallway facing it. Soon he arrived at what appeared to be a feeble attempt at a cafeteria.
Dozens of people sat at two long plywood tables, their heads hung low over tepid cups of coffee or tea they’d purchased from one of the three vending machines set along the wall.
A quick glimpse around and he knew Zara wasn’t there either. With no other options, he pulled out his phone to call her. Even if she didn’t answer, he should be able to hear the phone ring from even the furthest corner of the small hospital.
From the far end of the cafeteria came the muffled sound of a cell phone ringing. Following the sound, he shimmied between the crowded chairs and came to the vending machine that sold chocolate bars and potato chips.
Though still muffled, the sound came from close by. Under the glare of many of the people seated at the long tables, he lifted the pale blue blazer atop the vending machine and saw the bling of Zara’s phone. It was unmistakable; colorful gemstones, a snowflake and the Eiffel tower embellished her unique phone. He’d been surprised to see Zara pull out the flashy phone, the only instance in which she allowed herself an explosion of expression.
Picking it up, he stared at it as it continued to ring. If her phone was here, where was she?
He turned off his phone to stop the ringing. Filled with questions, he turned to the people at the table. “Where’s the girl who left her phone here?”
Many of them shook their heads and many more shrugged before turning away. One old man raised a shaky hand and pointed down the hall.
With a pat on the old man’s shoulder, Leo thanked him and hurried out of the cafeteria and down the hall. He passed an operating room and immediately came to a small waiting room. In the corner, tucked up on the old dusty sofa was a frail girl in faded jeans and a pink hoodie.
“Zara,” Leo said as he came to her, his hand instantly going to her brow. “Zara.”
She didn’t move, or stir, or budge. Completely knocked out, she remained deep in sleep.
Realizing that she’d probably been up all night, he decided to let her sleep. At least he knew where she was and he’d be there for her the moment she awoke. Poor girl, she’d even forgotten her phone on the vending machine, she was so tired.
At the sound of footsteps, Leo turned to see a nurse heading into the operating room.
“Excuse me. Please.” He hurried up to the nurse. “Who are they operating on?”
The woman simply stared at him.
Leo pointed to Zara. “Is it her grandmother? An older woman? Is she the one they’re operating on?”
Tightlipped, but compassionate, the woman nodded.
“This woman is very important to me,” Leo said, still pointing at Zara. “And her grandmother means everything to her. Please make sure the surgeon does his best to do whatever this woman needs.”
The nurse nodded. “Surgery start early this morning,” she said. “They should be almost finish.”
“I plan on making a huge donation to this hospital. Tell them that. Tell them to be especially careful and diligent with this patient. Lots of money. Money for equipment. Money to repair and renovate.”
Pursing her lips, she glared at him. “Doctors always do best, no matter who you are, no matter how much you pay. We do our best.” With a huff, she turned on her heel and left him.
He’d obviously offended her and the establishment for which she worked, but he didn’t have time to get caught up in remorse. Returning to Zara, he knelt down in front of her.
So innocent, so frail, she was far from the mighty and ferocious police officer who whipped up a fierce martial art move at the drop of a hat. His instinct told him to pull her into his arms, to hold her tight and promise to protect her forever, but when she stirred, he froze and readied himself for the tears and emotion that were sure to come.
But after a few unintelligible utterances, she curled up once more and slept soundly. In the silence of the small waiting room, the sudden strident sound of her phone ringing made Leo jump. He didn’t want a phone call to awaken her so he hurried to pull the phone out, but when he saw the caller, he stared at the screen a moment: Peter Brock. What the hell did he want with Zara?
If he continued to let it ring, Zara would surely wake up, but if he answered, he’d have to talk to the man, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Making a snap decision, he left the waiting room to return to the hall and switched the phone to text mode with the intention of answering Peter as if he were Zara .
Sorry, still at the hospital. Can’t really talk right now.
I understand, Peter replied
What do you want?
Have you seen Lee?
Lee? No. Why? Did you lose him?
No.
Liar, Lee thought. You lost me over an hour ago.
He had a few meetings earlier this morning and must’ve stepped out for a minute. How’s your grandmother?
In surgery. Getting back to Lee, I think I’ll be able to watch over him starting tomorrow morning. I won’t need you to step in.
About that… I’ve come to realize that assigning you to Lee wasn’t a good idea to begin with.
Why would you say that? I’ve enjoyed working with him.
For starters, he’s a bit of a womanizer. I’m not really comfortable having you around a guy like that.
Lee smiled. So he was getting under Peter’s skin.
Why would you be uncomfortable with the job I have to do? Lee wrote, hoping to get more information from Peter.
Zara, you know how I feel about you. I don’t want to leave you in a position where a man like Lee can take advantage of you. Plus, I’m your superior and you're my responsibility. I have to ensure you're capable of performing your job, and I’m not so sure you can around Lee.
I’m in a perfect position to watch and protect Lee. We know from past kidnappings that they get in close to their victims before taking action. I need to stay close to him, and being his assistant allows me that proximity. Believe me, I’m so unassuming, no one would ever guess I was a cop.
I know you're a talented and professional detective, Zara, but I just want to take care of you. A man like Lee can’t help but want to get into your pants. As unassuming as you might think you are, you're always ravishing and no man can resist you. You know the hard time I’ve had resisting you. Believe me, I’ve tried to think of you purely as a detective, but I can’t.
So Peter really did have a thing for Zara. He’d suspected it right from the start, but seeing it written out came as a blow all the same. Frowning, Leo read the text three times before finally answering.
You're my superior, Peter, and you can’t allow yourself to think of me that way. In fact, your unprofess
ional behavior is even worse than Lee trying to get together with me. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable all this makes me feel? If you did than you would stop.
I apologize. Did I really read you so wrong? We had a few enjoyable dates, and I thought you had a good time with me. And when you came to London for the holidays. We had a smashing time together… didn’t we? And the time you spent at my country estate. My parents loved you, they found you interesting and entertaining and they’ve been looking forward to seeing you again. Are you saying all that meant nothing to you?
Leo didn’t answer. An intense and unfamiliar sense of jealousy took over him as he thought of Zara with the Brit. She’d visited Peter’s home. She’d met his family. Yet, as he prepared to answer Peter, he felt a bit of sympathy for the man who obviously had big plans for his relationship with Zara.
Look, if that’s how you really feel about it, about me, I can ask for a transfer, Peter wrote.
That might be a good idea.
You mean a lot to me, Zara., certainly more than this job. I’ll ask for a transfer first thing tomorrow morning, if that’s what you really want.
Leo almost heard Peter’s heart breaking in the text, and once again, a sense of sympathy and guilt took hold. Having known Zara for only two weeks and feeling such an intense desire to be with her, to protect and possess her, he could easily understand how Peter had fallen so hard and fast for her.
Closing his eyes, he questioned what he’d just done. He had no right to play with her life like that. He opened his eyes and looked at Zara’s phone in his hand.
He already had so much on his plate; inheriting his father’s estate, heading Lee Holdings, and meeting with Errol to discuss the Oyster House.
He looked at the screen and finally sent a message;
Don’t worry about me and Lee, and I don’t want you to transfer. Just give me a bit of time and some space. I don’t want to feel rushed into anything. Besides, Lee’s case is just getting interesting and I wouldn’t want to miss out on that.
All right. Take your time and be with your grandmother as long as you need. I’ll see you tonight.
Tonight? Leo thought. They were hooking up that night?
No, Leo texted back. I’m supposed to be going to Lee’s restaurant tonight.
I thought you were taking the night off, and with all the stress you must be going through with your grandmother, I wanted to do something special for you. I have to admit, I’m looking forward to seeing your beautiful face. I don’t mean to put the pressure on, but I do love you, Zara. Very much.
Leo’s face heated up and his gut tied in a knot.
Got to go, he texted plainly.
He ended the conversation and quickly deleted the thread. Feeling a little foolish, he returned to the waiting room. “Zara,” he said softly, but the room was empty. “Great. Now where’d she go?”
More importantly, how had she not seen him just outside the waiting room?
He took to the hall and continued down to the next intersection. Looking to the right, all he could see were piles of damp boxes leaning up against the wall. Looking to the left, his heart stopped.
Two men held onto either side of Zara as they tried to shove her into the rusted old freight elevator. Still drowsy, her feeble attempts to get away had no effect on the burly men who dragged her inside.
Leo wasted no time running up to the trio. Just as the elevator door was about to close, he thrust his foot in the gap, preventing it from shutting further.
“What the…?” one of the men cried out.
Leo pushed the door open, grabbed Zara’s wrist and yanked her out of the elevator, letting the doors close behind her. With the men’s expletives echoing through the door, he pulled Zara down the hall.
“Come on! Quick!” he shouted as he ran down the hall.
“Leo? What’s going on? My grandmother. I…” Confused, she followed behind him.
“My car’s just down the street. Hurry, Zara.”
“What are you doing here? Isn’t Peter watching over you?”
“I gave him the slip.” Seeing the shock on her face, he added, “When you didn’t show up at the office… I had to come find you.”
“Did he tell you my grandmother was in the hospital?”
He nodded. “I didn’t believe him. I thought you were just trying to avoid me. I had to come see for myself. Besides…” He turned to quickly look at her. “If it was true, I wanted to be here for you. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.”
Just when he thought they should come upon the front door, Leo realized he’d made a wrong turn somewhere. This way,” he said taking another corridor. They arrived at the front doors in time to see the two burly men running out of the hospital. “Shit.” He yanked Zara back and for a moment they pressed back against the wall.
Zara looked up at him, her eyes wide with fright, but before she could open her mouth to question him, Leo brought his finger over his pursed lips and mouthed, “Quiet.”
“Bitch,” one of the men grunted as they came back inside. “I thought you said they went this way.”
“I did. I could’ve sworn… There’s no other way in or out. Shit the guy is fast.”
“Did you really think Leopold Lee was just a pretty boy who brought it to the movie screen? The bastard’s the real deal. The guy’s in shape and he can run like nobody’s business.”
“Fuck him. I just want to get the girl back. What the hell do you want to do now? Head out to her grandmother’s place and wait for her there?”
“I don’t care what we have to do to get her back. I want that girl. She’s the guy’s fucking assistant. She has access to what we need and I know we can crack into the network with her help. I’m not about to let her slip through our fingers.”
Leo’s heart pounded in his ears as he listened to the men talk about them.
“Her grandmother.”
“Come again?”
“Her grandmother is still here. Zara’ll have no choice but to come back to see her sometime. If we stay close to the old lady, we’re sure to get our hands on her.”
The silence thickened, and Zara looked up at Leo with concern clearly marring her brow.
“Yeah,” the goon said. “And when she does come back, we’ll get her to work for us.”
Frowning with anger, Zara pushed off the wall, but Leo quickly pulled her back.
“Now is not the time,” he said in a quiet hush.
“Did you hear what they said?” she hissed. “That’s my grandmother they’re talking about.”
He nodded his understanding of her frustration, but still held on tight.
“Let’s go see if the old lady’s out of surgery.”
Her face red and her eyes turning something akin to maniacal, Zara struggled against Leo’s hold. Only when they no longer heard the men’s footsteps did Leo finally release her.
“Those idiots are going after my grandmother at her most vulnerable, and you want to stop me from going after them?” Turning on her heel, she headed after them.
“Be sensible, Zara.” Gripping her wrist, he pulled her back to him. “You're letting your emotions get the better of you.”
“No. You're being a careless macho man who doesn’t know what it’s like to care so much about someone. Now, let go of me.”
Leo winced at her words, and considered letting her go, but couldn’t. “Your grandmother is still in surgery. They can’t get to her. Besides, you heard them. It’s you they really want. They want to use her to get to you, and we can’t let that happen. How much help are you going to be to your grandmother if these men get a hold of you.” Pensive and concerned, he thought a moment before going on. “We have to be smart… smarter than them. We know they want you and with that knowledge, we can make our own game plan.”
Looking at him, she smiled.
“What are you up to now?” he said.
“You’ll see.”
Chapter 8
Zara
Z
ara still couldn’t believe that Leopold Lee had come to the hospital to find her, but she hid her giddiness behind a professional façade. She was thrilled he’d missed her and she’d almost let slip how much she’d been thinking of him since running out on their shopping spree.
Since arriving at the hospital late the night before, she’d had plenty of time to sit and wait and think, and more often than not, it was Leo who crawled into her thoughts. He’d been so kind and generous, and she’d repaid him by turning her back on him.
Looking at him, so stylishly handsome with his hair swept back, his tight muscles well concealed in a perfect tan suit and his butt… No matter what pants he wore, she had trouble tearing her eyes off his exquisite backside. He really had it all – looks, charm, charisma, and a darn sexy butt. No wonder he was very popular amongst women, although an action star, and men.
“What do you have in mind, my dear detective?” Leo said as he looked tenderly at her.
“Playing into their hands.”
He cocked his head to the side in the most engaging manner and Zara just wanted to run her hand along his cheek and push her fingers into his hair. She wanted to lose herself in him and completely erase the past twenty-four hours.
“I’m going to just go out there and innocently walk right into their trap.”
Taking a step closer to her, he grinned. “You are devilishly wicked, and I love it, in theory, but this isn’t a movie, Zara. So many things can go wrong.”
Her body wanted to explode as thrill after thrill rushed through her. His smile was divine, and damn it if he didn’t look so freaking hot. It was all she could do to keep from pressing up to his hard, muscular chest. “I have to find out what they want from me,” she said with professionalism. “And if I’m right in there with them, while you know exactly where I am, it’ll be a piece of cake.”
“Yeah, don’t bet on that.”
“Don’t underestimate me. They want me to work with them in order to get what they want from you. I’ll just play along.” Beaming, she looked up at him. “I’m really good at playing along.”
“So I’ve noticed.”
