by Axl Goode
Brenley’s body went cold at the thought of what might have happened. She had tried to bait someone into revealing they were watching her but what she got was a lot more. Someone wasn’t interested in watching anymore. Clearly they wanted to keep her quiet or at least know what she knew. Someone had a clear plan to apprehend her and wasn’t even being subtle about it anymore. She had thought she would be safe in a hotel but then had been tricked by a fake phone call to go back to her apartment. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. This was beyond her.
Glancing up, Zane was giving her a worried look. She was still mad at him, but at the same time looking into his eyes she found genuine concern. He had cared enough to hack into her computer knowing she would be mad at him, in order to protect her. She wasn’t happy about it and damn sure wasn’t going to show him she was okay with it but maybe he wasn’t as bad as she thought.
Sitting there with his broad shoulders and massive arms, she wished he would just wrap her up in them and make everything safe. She wasn’t going to let him though. She was still too angry at him for violating his privacy.
“I want to know what they did inside,” she said. “I mounted a wireless camera yesterday to record if someone took the bait. It uploads to a website so I can check it remotely.”
Zane went to the website and she typed in her username and password. Clicking on the video footage, Zane scrolled to the time stamp of when the intruders should have been inside. The screen was blank. Scrolling forward more, there was nothing. Rewinding, video footage of the inside of her bedroom came into view right before the men would have broken inside her apartment.
“Shit! What happened?” Disappointment filled her voice.
“My guess would be they used a signal jamming device. It would prevent you from calling anyone on your cell phone if you had been home. Incidentally it may have blocked the signal of your wireless camera, allowing them to dismantle it before you got any footage of them. It doesn’t make sense because the frequencies are different but anything is possible.” Reluctantly she admitted to herself she didn’t have a better theory.
“Okay, I believe what you said. Obviously someone took my bait in the email and is more serious than I thought. Why don’t we take the video you have to the police?”
“Several reasons, in fact. First I think one of those guys may actually be a police officer. Second, we want to know who specifically is targeting you. Third, if Frederickson has involved you in some sort of dirty scheme we want to clear your name.”
“Okay. You’re the one with a plan and the ability to break into computers here. What makes you think one of those guys is a police officer?”
“I think I may have seen him working security for an event I attended before. Let me do a little research and we’ll know.”
Turning to his computer, Zane started opening different windows and speeding through them. It was weird for Brenley because she was pretty decent with computers but nowhere near this proficient. He couldn’t have been lying about being good with technology, seeing how he handled things here. She watched his fingers fly across the keyboard and found herself thinking he had nice hands and impressive finger dexterity.
Where was her mind at? How could she be thinking about anything sexual at a time like this? And with Zane Anthony at that. She tried to distract her mind from it but the seed had already been planted as she watched him work his magic.
In a moment she saw one of the men who broke into her apartment. His face popped up on the screen, along with a background report of him.
Holy shit, that was fast! There was no question about it, that was the same guy and he was currently a Dallas police officer. Damn, this is serious.
“This is the guy.” Zane said.
“Wow, this is starting to get really scary.” Brenley said, feeling her hopes drain. She didn’t actually think it could be this big of a deal but she was clearly wrong.
“Why don’t you go lie down for a while and I’ll see what else I can dig up. Given this new information I may be able to find a connection here and come up with a lead. Also now that I know what you were looking for from Frederickson I’ll look over his financials and see if I can find anything out there.”
“Okay, that sounds really nice,” she said, realizing how much all the excitement had drained her.
Zane walked her to a guest bedroom and assured her he would be down the hall if she needed anything. After he left she crawled in bed and was asleep in minutes.
* * * * *
Brenley woke to the smell of food. Whatever it was, it smelled like it was burning. Feeling her stomach rumble, Brenley realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast that day. Climbing out of bed, she made her way down the hallway toward the kitchen. Soft music was playing in the background.
Zane was at the counter chopping up onions for a salad bowl. She thought he looked rather adorable at that moment, with his eyes filled with tears from the onion. He looked up and smiled.
“I keep thinking I’ll get used to cutting onions one day but I never do,” he said, chuckling.
She took a seat at the bar, surveying all the food. He might be a computer wizard but cooking was clearly not his strong point. She could tell he was trying hard to make everything look nice but it wasn’t working out for him.
“I hope you like steak, with sautéed vegetables, sweet potatoes, salad and bread.” Zane said after clearing the tears from his eyes.
“I love steak. It’s one of my favorites.”
“I admit I don’t cook very much. I hope it turns out all right.”
Surveying the kitchen, it looked like a tornado had gone through it. Rather than doing things in an organized manner or trying to have everything done at the same time, he seemed to be working on it all equally. The lettuce was cut at weird angles. Half the vegetables were already smoking in the skillet as he added the onions.
After stirring them, he checked the bread in the oven. As the door opened, Brenley already knew the outcome. She couldn’t help laughing however, when Zane cut off the burnt sides to the loaf and turned around saying “Perfect.” Setting it down, he ran outside to check on the steaks.
Brenley tried to stop herself from laughing more. The man was trying so hard but it just wasn’t working for him. After a quarter hour he turned to her with a proud look.
“Dinner’s ready. I hope you’re hungry.” Moving to the marble top table, Brenley nearly cringed at the sight. All the food looked like was either burnt or raw with no in-between. Zane picked up a bottle of red wine from the table.
“Do you like wine? I have a bottle of Pinot Noir that will go well with the food.”
“That sounds perfect to me,” she said smiling. At least I’ll have a good drink to wash this down with.
Brenley put on the best show she could, not wanting to hurt his feelings. The food wasn’t awful but it wasn’t good either. The bread still had a burned taste and the vegetables were either overcooked or completely raw. The steak was a solid well done. It was so dry she had to sip on her wine with each bite to get it down.
They made light conversation over dinner, taking their minds off the food. She thanked him for dinner and what he was doing for her. She was actually enjoying his company. Zane was very engaging to talk to and had a much better grasp on life than she had previously thought.
The way he looked at her made her feel nervous, but also warmed her insides at the same time. He had a deep, penetrating gaze that said he noticed her every little nuance. It was a look that said he deeply appreciated who she was. It felt strange coming from someone she had disliked only a short time ago. She had seen others look at someone that way but it had never been directed towards her.
At the end of the meal, Brenley could easily say it had been one of the worst meals of her life. She knew he had tried to impress her but she was thankful when she could stop eating. At least she had a full stomach and was starting to feel a buzz off the wine. She helped Zane clean the table and kitchen, seeing that he was not used to the
process.
After they were done they decided to open a second bottle of wine before going to the living room to sit in front of the fire. It was a big stone fireplace with wood trim that had a mantel filled with pictures. The weather had cooled down since the sun had set so Zane opened the windows and started a fire. A cool breeze flowed through the room while the fire in front of her kept her warm. She found the juxtaposition of temperatures quite pleasant.
For a time they sat in silence on the plush cushioned rug, sipping on the wine while enjoying the crackle of the flames.
How odd is this, Brenley thought, considering where I came from? Several weeks ago she had hated this man. His arrogant attitude had caused her to want nothing to do with him. Looking back at it now, her opinion of him seemed premature.
This was a man who had come into her bank looking to invest with her just to get the opportunity to ask her out. She had completely shunned him, not giving him a chance to show who he might really be.
A few weeks later, he stunned her even more. She recalled how she had seen him at Hotel Ra. She had been so annoyed running into him but right before he’d gotten out of the elevator he had given her the most passionate kiss she’d ever received. She could have protested and stopped him, of course, but was even more surprised to find she didn’t want the kiss to end.
Now that she was sitting in his living room with him, she couldn’t stop from thinking about having his body pressed up against hers again. A warm ball of desire had formed in her belly. Today was the second time he had saved her from someone trying to harm her. She realized that she felt incredibly safe around Zane. She knew it wasn’t the most rational feeling ever, considering the way he kissed her in the elevator but there all the same. He had also hacked into her computer but something told her that he would never hurt her.
She looked over at him. Fire danced in the reflection of his eyes. He leaned back lazily, sprawling across the floor. He was resting on his elbows with his hair hanging back freely. He was wearing his classic black fitted tee with jeans and biker boots. His face was beautiful. His whole body was beautiful, for that matter. He was proportioned perfectly. Brenley flushed with heat as she looked at his full lips, remembering them pressed up against hers.
She didn’t understand why he even liked her but was secretly hoping to get another chance to feel his lips against hers. He could have any woman he wanted. He had dated any number of supermodels. Why was he interested in her? She didn’t think she was especially pretty, not like a supermodel at least. She was fit but it wasn’t her job to have pictures taken of her.
Even if she entertained the idea of her and Zane it would never happen. He would only end up breaking her heart so it was best to not let him close at all. She needed someone more down-to-earth, someone who would value and cherish her. She couldn’t take the heartache she had experienced from Warren again.
Looking over at Zane, her eyes met his piercing gaze. At that moment she felt like she was the only thing in the world that mattered to him. Her heart rate sped up. Holding his gaze for a moment, she finally looked away. She was definitely starting to feel the wine at this point. Her vision had a slight blur to it and her inhibitions seemed to be growing smaller by the minute.
“I love sitting by the fire like this on cool nights,” Zane said.
“Me too. Sometimes it’s the small things in life that seem to be the best.”
“Definitely. This place is like a refuge to me when I need to disconnect from my life and everything is moving too fast. It lets me come back to myself and reconnect with what’s important.”
“You’re very different from who I thought you were.”
“Oh really? How so?” he said in a playful tone with his lips curling up into a slight smile.
“Well, I guess I just imagined you as a city boy who was rather shallow. You have this playboy type of image, always dating supermodels and hanging out at upscale places. You just didn’t seem grounded, I guess. Like you were larger-than-life. I’m not saying that you’re not all that. Only that I would never have guessed you had this side to you.”
“I am larger-than-life,” he said looking into her eyes. Brenley wrinkled her nose in consternation. Okay, Mr. Humble. “Joking. I’m joking. Geez, don’t take things so seriously.” He laughed. “Seriously though, I appreciate that. I maintain an image because I like the attention and it helps me sell myself for roles. If I’m larger-than-life it only makes directors want me all the more. Most people have a very poor idea of who I really am, though.”
“That makes sense. So who are you really then, Zane Anthony? This is your chance to impress me.”
“I don’t think so…I don’t think I have to impress you at all actually. I don’t want someone who I have to impress. My take on you is that you don’t really care about my status or money or any of that. You care about who someone is and how they treat you. You want what plenty of people want. To be loved for who you are, taken care of, valued and most importantly to be safe with that person. You want someone who is on your level as a partner. That’s why I’m attracted to you, I think. You don’t care about all the extra stuff in my life. If you wanted me it would be for the right reasons.”
Brenley’s insides twisted into a knot. How could he know her so well while hardly ever talking to her? Either way, he impressed her with how he saw and connected things. She could tell he noticed the effect he had on her and that he knew he was right.
“Brenley, I could sit here and laud upon myself but those would be just words. I let my actions speak for me. I can tell you who I see myself as, which is important in and of itself but what truly matters here is how you see me. I think if you give me the chance and spend more time around me, you’ll see the type of person I am.”
“You keep surprising me with your answers. You’re not thinking of going into politics, are you?” she said with a smile.
“No, I consider myself to have too high of a moral standing for that,” he returned playfully with a smile. “I have my computer running and sifting through data. It’s searching for keywords I think might be related to you. I’m searching through Frederickson’s office and personal computer along with the police officer’s from today. We can start tomorrow and look through the financial records you have on Frederickson to see if we can find a connection between him and the dirty funds. Why don’t we relax and watch a movie tonight?”
“That sounds nice. What about work tomorrow?”
“I would just call in sick for a few days and see what we find.”
“Okay. I’m going to need some different clothes though. Do you think it’s safe to go back to my apartment now?”
“I doubt it. Who knows if someone is watching or not. I wouldn’t take the chance. I’ll go and buy you some more clothes tomorrow.”
Moving off the floor, Zane grabbed the remote and flipped the TV on while Brenley took a seat on the couch.
“What kind of movie would you like to watch?” Zane asked stepping over to the library of movies filling shelves to each side of the fireplace.
“Hmmm. Let’s go with a comedy. I need something to cheer me up after today.”
As Zane sifted through his collection of DVDs, something on the news caught her ear. Grabbing the remote off the sofa, Brenley turned up the volume.
At that same moment her apartment flashed up on the screen with a reporter speaking in the back ground.
“Today the police were called after someone reported a break in to the home of Brenley Meyers. Upon arrival the door was open and the police quickly searched the place and found several kilograms of cocaine along with eighty thousand dollars. The police believe Meyers was kidnapped in relation with being a drug dealer. Meyers works at a local bank and has no record of ever being involved with drugs. Her family and associates have been unavailable for comment. Even more surprising, a police officer arriving on the scene early reported Brenley Meyers getting into a car with who he claims is local celebrity Zane Anthony.”
&
nbsp; The screen switched to a task force currently outside Zane’s townhome attempting to reach him. Brenley saw Zane’s face darken as he watched it with her. He started visibly shaking with rage at the accusations.
“Police have received a court-issued warrant to search Anthony’s property. They believe he and Meyers may somehow be connected, possibly selling drugs together. After searching his property the police found another few kilos of cocaine, along with an unregistered firearm with the serial number filed off. Both are felonies with potential heavy sentences. The police have issued a warrant for the arrest of both these people. If you see them please call…”
Brenley couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was absurd. How could this be happening to her? She had never done drugs in her life, let alone sold them to others. Hot tears started pouring from her eyes when she realized how serious this was. Zane came over and wrapped his arms around her. Burying her head on his shoulder, she took a few minutes to let her anger out.
Someone was out to make sure she had no credibility and ruin her life. They wanted to make sure whatever she had stumbled upon never came to light. She didn’t know how many people were involved, but it was clear they had vast resources and were hell-bent on keeping her quiet.
Why hadn’t she just let it go from the start? Ever since she had received that damn note, she couldn’t get doing the right thing out of her mind. Now she had been branded a criminal and even Zane was implicated in it. She had no way out now. There was no ignoring it. She had to find the evidence she needed and clear her and Zane’s name if they were going to have any sort of lives from here on out.
It gave her a small modicum of comfort having Zane’s body pressed against hers. His was hot and hard. She could feel his muscles rippling over his body. She could tell his rage equaled hers. When she looked up, she was glad they were in this together. She had never seen someone with such a dangerous look in their eyes. He looked like he was ready to take on the entire world if need be.
