You can bet your ass I’ll be calling Cole and questioning him too.
“I’ve told you enough. Can you please just let me leave now?”
“No. I can’t. Zoey, someone hurt you. I’ve got no information to go on, I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you out of my sight until I’m sure you’re out of harm’s way. Grab your shit, I’m taking you back to my place.”
“You can’t just fuck me into submission,” she snaps back. “I have nothing to tell you. Taking me back to your place against my will isn’t going to get you anywhere.”
Taking a deep breath, I squeeze my eyes closed and pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. “I don’t want to fuck you into submission. I’m not trying to take you anywhere against your will either. I’m trying to keep you safe and figure out what the hell is going on. I thought getting you out of here and letting you decompress a little bit might help.”
When her shoulders slump ever so slightly, I hope that she’s finally starting to see things my way.
Chapter Fifteen
Smitty
It was no easy task, but Zoey finally fell asleep. In my bed. After a warm shower and some time alone. She hasn’t spoken to me since we left Rhys’, but I feel like this alone is progress.
After watching her sleep for the last ten minutes, I decide it’s time to call in back up on this one.
Cole answers his phone on the third ring, sounding like he’s still half asleep.
“Hey, I need your help. But first, I want to know what went down with you and Zoey last night.” I can’t help it; the twinge of jealousy reared its ugly head the minute I heard his voice.
“Nothing went down. She came here. We talked. I told her the three of us were done and that you are a stupid fucker who is madly in love with her, then I sent her on her way.”
Pride and gratitude swells in my chest. If there was anyone I’d trust with Zoey, it would be Cole.
“Well, now we’ve got a little problem on our hands.” I take a deep breath and fill him in on what I know.
“Shit. Fuck, man. I…damn. Maybe I shouldn’t have let her leave. I feel like I fucked up here,” Cole admits.
“You’re not the only one. If I hadn’t been such a dick, she would have been in my bed. This would have never happened.”
“Yeah. Well, I know you didn’t call here for a counseling session. so my question is, what are we going to do about it? Besides you flying off the handle.” Cole pauses for a second. “Do we know if she went straight to Rhys and KJ’s place?”
Before I can answer him, my phone beeps in my ear, pulling it away I notice its Rhys’ number. I debate answering it and decide to let it go to voicemail. Instead, my text alert dings a minute later.
“Shit, hang on one second, let me see what the fuck Rhys wants.”
Rhys: She told Kelsey, some guy grabbed her at the gas station off Kerry Forrest. That’s all we got out of her. Assumed you’d want to know. Don’t go losing your cool on this man. Handle it the right way.
“Shit.” I relay the vital part of Rhys’ message to Cole.
“Give me five, and I’ll call you back.”
It takes less than five minutes before Cole’s number flashes on my screen. “You’re in luck. I’ve got a buddy who knows the owner. We can meet him there in half an hour and check security footage. I’m going to make a suggestion though. I think you need to let me go alone on this one. Since it’s not official police business. And since you’re already fired up about this.”
“Not going to happen,” I growl.
“Let me rephrase it. You’re sitting this one out. I’m going to review the security footage. If there is anything there, I’ll bring it back and let you look. Not letting you get tangled in this yet. Trust no one, man. We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet.”
Damnit. I know he’s right. It’s a conflict of interest right now.
Trust.
It comes down to trusting him. The same guy I wanted to beat the shit out of not all that long ago because for a split second I thought he did hurt my girl.
He’s the only other person in the world I would trust with my life, besides Rhys.
“Whatever. I want a full report when you get back. In the meantime, get Cody on setting up some kind of protection on Zoey. I want eyes on her at all times. If I’m not at work, I’ll be watching. When I’m on duty, I want you or one of your best men on her. Do not let her know you’re watching though. You got me?”
“You’re a real pain in the ass, man. I get the feeling you’re going to be telling me how to do my job left and right,” Cole grumbles, but I know he’ll get the job done.
“Do it right, and I won’t ride your ass. It’s that simple.”
“Smitty, fuck off, man. You know I’m the best at what I do, or you wouldn’t have called. Email me everything I need to know, and I’ll get back to you.”
At least putting together details for Cole will help distract me while I wait to find out what he can get from the gas station security cameras.
I drop my phone onto the coffee table and head back upstairs to check on Zoey first.
She nearly scares the hell out of me when she meets me in the hallway.
Instinctively, I want to reach out and wrap her in my arms, but I fear she’ll push me away.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Who were you talking to?” she questions.
“Cole.” I don’t offer her any more information. I’m unsure exactly what she heard, but I’m not giving her more than I have to right now. “Did I wake you?”
“No. I had to use the bathroom and heard you talking. I…I…was going to come down for a glass of water.”
“I can grab you a glass if you want to get back in bed,” I offer gently.
She shakes her head. “I’d like to talk. There’s something you need to know.”
Chapter Sixteen
Zoey
Regret.
So much regret.
Smitty brought me back to his place, I showered and then promptly fell asleep in the familiar comfort of his bed. I would have stayed asleep if not for the buzzing of my cell phone from my bag on the floor next to the bed.
I would have ignored the message, like I did all the others, if it hadn’t been for the mention of my best friend and her family. Innocent bystanders in all of this.
I should have told Dylan about the messages long before now.
Or maybe I should have taken his advice earlier today and went to the police, with everything.
I didn’t want to bring him into my drama though. When he said he’d risk his badge if it meant keeping me safe, I believed him. I know in my heart that Dylan Smith would go to the ends of the earth to protect the ones he cares most about.
So, I kept my mouth shut. I suffered in silence.
Letting myself fall back into one of the darkest places I’ve ever been.
Two years ago, I left a relationship with an emotionally abusive asshole. I feared things would continue to escalate and it would get violent. He liked to boss me around. It was his way or the highway, and he’d make me absolutely miserable if I didn’t comply.
It’s exactly what triggered my reaction to Dylan telling me that I couldn’t be with Cole again. Even when I knew in my heart things with Cole were done. I’d had my fill and was ready to give him up. Until Dylan told me I had to. Then, I wanted to spite him.
When I broke up with my ex, I vowed I’d never let another man control me. Ever.
Dylan taking charge in the bedroom was different. It was the release I needed. I knew under his command, I was still the one in control. I could handle that. He was my game changer. Letting me explore my sexuality without judgment or fear.
He brought a sense of peace to my life.
The minute his dominance and commands took place outside of the bedroom, I panicked.
In the end, I wound up here. Beaten, bruised, and scared. Relying on the one man who pushed me away just twenty-four hours ago.
“You might want a glass of whiskey to go with what I’m about to say,” the words come out in a whisper.
Dylan reaches for my hand and guides me, gently, down the stairs. I settle on the couch, wrapping myself in his throw blanket while he pours us each half a glass of his preferred, Jack Daniels.
He hands me my glass before sitting on the coffee table so that he’s directly in front of me and waits until I find the courage to speak.
“I need you to promise that you won’t freak out,” I start.
He cocks his brow and stares at me. “I don’t make promises I’m not sure I can keep.”
“I mean it, Dylan, I need you to hear me out, completely. Without flipping your shit.”
“Zoey…”
“Dylan.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I give him the same stare down. The edges of his lips twitch ever so slightly, and I know, I’m winning this one. “You’ll stay calm, or I won’t tell you.”
“Christ, woman. Fine. I’ll stay calm. At least until you’re finished talking,” he concedes.
Before I go on, I take a small sip of whiskey, wincing at the burn as it goes down. “I don’t think what happened was random.”
I watch Dylan grind his teeth, but he stays quiet, letting me continue.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure who my attacker was, but something about him felt familiar.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he starts but falls silent when I hold up a hand for him to stop.
“You promised to let me talk.”
“Go on.” he nods somberly and takes a drink of his whiskey.
“Someone has been sending me messages.”
“For how long, Zoey? And why the hell wouldn’t you tell me?” He stands and walks around to the other side of the table to pace.
“Because! I knew you’d act exactly like this. For months, you’ve reminded me that we’re having fun, it’s nothing serious. But, Dylan, I’ve seen past that. I’ve known for a while now that you care about me, even when you try to deny it. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’d stop at nothing to keep me safe. Because you care.” I take a deep breath. “At first, I thought it was a crazed fan or some random cyber bully. It was innocent enough.”
“Damn, no. These things are never innocent. Majority of the time they escalate!”
“Yeah, I know, but do you know when the police act? Usually not until it’s too late. I know it, and you know it. Even with last night’s event, there isn’t a whole lot to go on. I couldn’t see his face. He only sounded vaguely familiar but not enough that I could place him. Besides, even if I did know who the guy was, it would be my word against his.”
“Unless there is something on the security camera at the gas station! If you…damn, Zoey!” Dylan throws his glass against the fireplace and I jump as it shatters, the amber liquid sliding down the stone. “You should have let me take you to file a report. Shit, we still should file a report, now.”
“That’s not everything,” I admit, weakly.
Dylan closes his eyes and rubs the back of his neck. “What else is there, Zoey?”
I take my phone from my pocket and hand it over to him. “He knows about us. About Cole. And he’s making threats against Kelsey and her family now.”
He’s silent as he reads the new messages, then he stuffs my phone in his pocket. “Let’s go. You have to do something now. It’s not just about you anymore, Zoey.”
“I know.”
In his truck on the way to the police station, Dylan calls Cole and says something about aborting the mission and that he’ll call him later with an update. Then he calls Rhys, and I try not to break down as he warns his partner to keep a close watch on Kelsey and Reid.
When we pull up outside the police station, he hands me back my phone and urges me inside.
“I won’t be able to go with you,” his voice drops. “Tell them everything. Don’t leave anything out. And don’t worry about me. Even if you don’t think something is important, tell them. One minor detail could be all it takes.”
“What if they ask about…” my voice trails off.
“I’m not ashamed of what we’ve done together. None of it. You shouldn’t be either. We’re all consenting adults.”
Dylan takes me as far as the front desk, telling the officer that I need to file a report. He waits with me in silence until a female officer comes out to collect me. He’s still sitting there on the bench as I walk away.
Chapter Seventeen
Smitty
“Hey! Smitty, what the hell are you doing here on your day off?” I let out a groan as Logan walks over. I don’t mind the guy, but he’s still a rookie and therefore, annoying as hell sometimes. Especially when you don’t want to be bothered, like now.
“Hey, man. Just brought a friend in. Needed to file a report.”
“Yeah. We got a call a few minutes ago. Apparently, a woman was attacked last night at a gas station over by Rhys’ neighborhood. Gas station owner says they caught it on video and he wanted to turn in the tape.”
Fuck. So much for keeping things quiet. I should have known better.
“I’m going to pick up the tape now, I’ll catch you later, man.”
“Yeah, see you,” I mumble as he leaves. As soon as he’s out of sight, I pull my phone from my pocket and send off a message to Cole, filling him in on what I know and telling him I’m going to kick his ass too.
Cole: You should be thanking me, asshole. I figured you finally got her to go in and file a report. The video isn’t much to go on, but she might be able to give a positive ID off of it. You can’t actually see the entire attack, but you can see the asshole grab her and drag her around the side of the building. Something’s up with that too, man because the camera’s happened to be not working on that side. Update me when you can.
Dylan: Yeah, you’re right, asshole. Don’t let that go to your head. I’m at the station now. She’s in the back giving a statement, could be awhile.
Cole: Stay calm. Don’t go and do anything stupid. Yet. Let the law handle it. You’ve got me for back up to fill in the gaps.
I don’t bother answering him. Instead, I sit and wait, trying to go unnoticed, which only lasts for about five minutes. Apparently, the whole damn department is here today and wants to chat.
After the first hour passes, I’m anxious and restless, so I welcome the distraction. It’s going on three and a half hours later when Zoey finally walks out of the conference room with a tear-stained face. The minute she sees me, she rushes over and wraps her arms around me.
“She’s free to go. You know we can’t discuss any of this with you though,” the female officer, Shannon, one of the transfers from out of state, tells me.
“Yeah, I know,” I grumble before guiding Zoey out of the building and back into the safety of my truck.
“I should probably go home,” Zoey sighs as we pull up outside my house a short while later.
“You really want to have that argument again? Don’t you think you’re safer here?”
“If I’m here, I’m closer to all the people I love. If I’m here, I’m putting you all in danger.”
“We all know how to defend ourselves. I can keep you safe. Back in Mobile, you’re alone.”
“I’m capable of handling myself, I think I already proved that once.”
I’m still arguing with her as we cross the threshold and step inside my house. “Remember what you said earlier? I don’t take chances on the ones I care about. I said I love you, and I’ll do anything I can to protect you. That means you need to stay here.”
When she turns to face me, I know she’s not about to back down. “Stop saying you love me. You’re only saying it out of pity. You don’t love, remember? Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you guard your own heart and refuse to let me in. When you love someone, you share a piece of yourself with them. You tell them everything.”
If she wants to fight dirty, I can too. “Like you told me about the threats and the anonymous
messages, right?”
“Fuck you, Dylan. Fuck. You! I did what I thought was best for all of us.”
“And got yourself attacked in the process. You can be mad at me all you want, you haven’t exactly been forthcoming yourself, Zoey. I know for a fact you didn’t tell me everything about these messages and the shit that’s been going on.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
My friends know me like I know the back of my hand. While I waited, Cole ran a full background check and did some digging. Sometimes it pays to have the connections he has because it means he doesn’t spend weeks waiting for information. “You never bothered to mention your ex. The one who you filed a restraining order against about eighteen months ago? The one who’s served jail time for beating a woman.”
Zoey lets out a gasp and covers her mouth.
“Yeah. See, my friends and I – we look out for each other and the ones we love, Zoey. I have ways of finding out things that I may need to know.”
Her eyes spark as her hand falls away, “So you had Cole run a background check on me? Is that who you were talking to earlier? How long have you known?”
“He messaged me while I was waiting for you to finish up. I needed all the details I could get to make sure we keep you safe.”
“That’s an invasion of my privacy, especially when you won’t allow me the same courtesy.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I smile at her. “I’m an open book, baby, anything you want to know, I’ll tell you.”
“You’re a liar! For months I’ve been doing this dance with you. Whenever I get too close, you retreat. Change the subject or distract me.”
“What more could you possibly want to know about me, Zoey?”
“Everything! I want to know everything about you, damn it. You never talk about your past. I want to know about the stupid high school boy that ran through the football field naked on a dare. Or the young man who beat up a kid for picking on a kid in a wheelchair. Things that I should have learned from you, not Cole.”
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