by Desiree Holt
“Zoe, wait.” His voice was softer now. “I didn’t mean—”
“I know exactly what you mean.” She glared at him. “I thought you were different from other men, but you’re just as controlling as every male in my family, not to mention every one I’ve ever met.”
“That’s bull, and you know it.”
“Are you jealous, Zak, because Nate Dunning is so rich and good-looking? Is that it? Don’t you trust me to work with him?”
“What?” His eyebrows hit his hairline. “Where is this coming from?”
“What kind of a future would we have if you had to make all the decisions? If you exploded in anger whenever I did something you didn’t like? That shows me you not only don’t trust me, you don’t respect my decisions. We’re done, Zak. Finished. You’re out of my life.”
Grabbing her purse and car keys, she slammed out the front door. As she cranked the ignition, the door opened and Zak came running out, barefoot, in jeans and T-shirt.
“Wait,” he yelled, racing toward her.
She shifted into reverse, backed out of the driveway, and laid rubber as she peeled out into the street.
And that was the last she’d seen of Zak Delaney until tonight.
****
“Zoe?”
Zak’s deep voice shook her out of her mental meanderings.
“Sorry. I was—”
“So back to square one,” he said. “Just out of curiosity, why not call your uncle or your cousin? I’d think they’d be your first choice.”
“First of all, they aren’t criminal attorneys. At least my brain is working enough to know I need someone who specializes in this.” She flopped a hand. “Whatever this is.”
“Neither am I,” he reminded her.
“But they… But I… But you…”
He tilted her chin up with the tip of one finger. “Say it, Zoe. Just say it, and we can move on.”
She licked her dry lips and looked down at her lap. “Because I didn’t know who else I could turn to. No matter what happened between us, Zak, I don’t trust anyone else. Just you.”
“Me,” he repeated.
“You’re the only person I could ever really trust completely. The only one I was sure would help me no matter what. And because…”
“Okay, I get it.” His voice was flat. “Just go on with your story. Tell me everything and start from the beginning.”
She inhaled and let her breath out slowly. “I told you about the break in and the incident on the road. They just happened a couple of weeks ago. Tonight…tonight scared the hell out of me after what’s been happening. I woke up in the den and…and… She waved her hands in the air. “There was Nate. I mean his body, and…and I couldn’t remember anything. Nothing. Not why I was there or how I had the gun in my hand. Then I heard sirens coming closer to the house, and I was afraid…”
She dropped her head into her hands.
“Afraid you’d really killed him?” He shook his head. “Zoe, I don’t think you have it in you to just murder someone. Okay, let’s have the rest of it.”
That didn’t take long, because there wasn’t much she knew or remembered. Just the image of Nate’s blood-drenched body stretched out on the floor.
Zak rubbed his neck again. “Let me see if I understand. You woke up in his den, holding the gun, his body just lying there? Dead?”
Zoe nodded, then wished she hadn’t as the movement made her stomach flop. “I’m guessing there was a party there, and I must have been talking to Nate in his den for some reason. Otherwise, why would I have been in there? God.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “I’m glad the people who call me a brilliant programmer can’t see me now. They’d laugh their asses off.”
“I don’t think so. Like I said, fear changes everything up.” His lips curved in a hint of a smile. “Even for brilliant programmers.”
“It’s possible someone put you there to be found with the body,” Zak pointed out. “Anything else?”
“I have a pounding headache, which still hasn’t gone away, and incredible nausea.” She tried a weak grin. “I hope I don’t throw up in your kitchen.”
“Let’s check something out.” He moved to stand behind her, his fingers gently sliding through her hair as he probed her skull. “No bumps, so nobody hit you. Okay. What did you drink?”
Zoe tried to think, but her mind seemed to have taken a vacation. “Just wine. I’m pretty sure because it’s usually the only thing I drink.” She rubbed her forehead. “God, Zak, I don’t remember. It’s all a big blank.”
“What do you remember? Anything at all?”
She drew in a steadying breath. “Getting dressed for the party. Driving there. Talking with people in the early part of the evening.”
“People? Like who?”
She shrugged. “Oh, you know. Business friends of Nate’s. Some were people who wanted to talk to me about creating simulations for them.”
“What’s the very last thing you remember?”
She squeezed her eyes hard against the tears starting to leak down her cheeks and raked her hands through her hair, dismantling what was left of her fancy hairdo.
“Talking to some friends of Nate’s. Someone handing me a fresh glass of wine. And that’s…that’s all. Nothing after that.” She looked up at him, the panic rising again. “My brain is like oatmeal. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I remember anything else? I don’t even know what I was doing in the den.”
“Don’t sweat it. Things will come back to you. Let me get you some aspirin and water and see if we can take the edge off that headache. When you settle down, I’ll see what I can pick out of your brain.”
She swallowed the aspirin gratefully, the water cool gliding down her throat. “Now what?”
He pulled out his cell. “First I’m getting someone here to draw some blood. Guardian has a couple of techs on call twenty-four seven and a lab that will do us favors.”
Her eyes widened. “My blood?”
“Zoe, there’s a real good chance you were drugged, probably in that last glass of wine. I want to be sure and also find out what kind of drugs you were given.”
She waited while he made the call, her stomach tied in knots at the possibility.
“Okay.” Zak hung up. “He’ll be here shortly. You’re sure you were alone in the house when you woke up?”
She rubbed her forehead. “I didn’t run around looking, if that’s what you’re asking. But when I opened the door to the hallway, I didn’t hear anyone. And there was no one else in the den.”
He sat down across from her again. “Can you remember anything at all about the evening? About what you were doing there? Who you talked to? The way you’re dressed it obviously wasn’t a casual evening.”
She looked down at her dress. “Like I said, there was a party, but I can’t remember what it was for or who was there. I know that sounds stupid.”
Zak ran his hand over the stubble on his jaw. “Somebody will know about it. His secretary. Maybe even your uncle or cousin. There are ways to find out. It just needs to be looked into properly. And quietly.”
The cold knot in her stomach began to dissolve. “Then you’ll help me?”
She seemed to wait a century before he answered her.
“Yes. I’ll help you.”
She didn’t realize how tense she was, waiting for his answer, until every muscle relaxed. “What about your partners? Won’t they object? Guardian is a huge agency with a long list of corporate clients. They might not take kindly to you helping a possible murderer.”
One corner of his mouth turned up in a reluctant grin. “Believe me, Reno and Nick would be the first to jump in and help you. Remind me sometime to tell you how Nick snuck a witness out of the hospital right under the nose of the Department of Justice.”
“Really?” She clutched the water glass. “They’ll be okay with this?”
“They’ll be fine.” He paused. “But there’s a big stipulation here.”
&nb
sp; “Oh?” She clenched her teeth together against the coffee threatening to wash back up from her stomach into her throat. “What’s that?”
“You’ll have to do exactly as I say. And I mean without exception. That’s the ground rule. Do you trust me enough for that?”
She didn’t even have to think about the answer. “I trust you for anything.”
Blinking hard against the tears forming in her eyes again, what little discipline she’d been able to hold onto left her. She buried her face in her hands, fear and panic and relief all mixed together inside her. “I’m so sorry about everything, Zak. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I was so incredibly stupid. You were right. Everything you said was true. I was a fool for not listening to you.”
He moved closer to her, and when she raised her eyes, he was crouched in front of her again, pulling her hands from her face and handing her a paper napkin. The heat between them was like a lit match, and the look in his eyes showed how it affected him before he tamped it down.
Okay, he wasn’t ready to forgive and forget, and how could she blame him? But he was going to help her and that was a big start.
“We’ll get into that later. But being right doesn’t always get you points. It doesn’t make me feel good to hear you say that. It means whatever I suspected about Nate Dunning may have been the reason he’s dead and you wound up with the body and the gun.”
“If only I could make my brain work.” She sniffled and pushed her disheveled hair back from her face. “I hate feeling like this. If someone drugged me…”
“The most logical assumption is, it was dropped in that last glass of wine. That would account for the physical symptoms as well as the loss of memory.” He cupped her elbows and lifted her from the chair. “I’d love to let you sleep, but we really don’t have any time for it. The cops will be all over this one like white on rice, but I’m not letting you talk to them until we get the results of the blood test.”
Zoe felt as if she might throw up any minute, and it wasn’t just from whatever was in her system. “God.”
“I’m also going to have you checked for gunshot residue.”
“What?” Her heart tightened. “Please tell me you don’t really think I shot him.”
“No, but I want to have all our ducks in a row when we need them, that’s why we need that test. So just hold tight for a little bit, okay?”
“Thank you,” she whispered, reaching to put her arms around him, wanting to feel his familiar warmth.
The ringing of the doorbell startled her. Her hand jerked, and she nearly spilled the coffee she’d just picked up again.
“It’s okay,” Zak assured her, switching the television screen to the feed from the security monitors he had installed. Two men stood on the front porch. “It’s the tech I called. Just hang tight for a minute.”
When he came back into the room, a short, thin man was with him. Zoe didn’t think he looked older than eighteen.
Zak caught her expression. “Don’t worry. Kenny’s old enough to vote. He’s going to draw some blood from you and do the GSR test. Then, if you want to, you can take a shower.”
God, that sounded heavenly. Hot water to wash away the disaster clinging to her.
She sat in the armchair, and Kenny went about his business with a quickness and efficiency that reassured her. He filled vials with her blood, then took swabs from her skin. Pulling out a sharpie, he wrote her name and date on each vial, sealed the box, and did the same with that.
“I need these yesterday,” Zak told the tech as he packaged everything up.
“Of course.” He flashed Zak a grin. “I think that’s in my job description.”
“I’m sure your bill will reflect it.” Zak’s chuckle had little humor in it.
“Just remember, these will only be preliminary. Just what shows up at first pass.” He looked at Zoe. “I hate to ask, but it would be good if you could give me your dress, too.”
She frowned at Zak.
“For lab testing,” Zak explained. “You never know what we’ll find that can help us point a finger. Or defuse someone’s accusations.” He helped her out of the chair and guided her to the downstairs powder room. “Go on into the bathroom and toss it out to me.” He pulled off his T-shirt and handed it to her. “I’ll do better once we get Kenny on his way.”
Even in the stress of the situation, she caught herself drooling at the sight of Zak naked from the waist up. He was still as toned and buff as ever, a dusting of dark hair covering his lightly tanned chest and arms.
Not now, you idiot. But maybe if you get out of this mess you can mend some fences.
In the powder room, she yanked the fabric over her head, opened the door a crack, and tossed the dress to Zak. When she turned back to the mirror, the image she saw stunned her. She looked like a walking corpse. Her face was pale, and her eyes were sunken with dark shadows beneath them. And this had all happened in a very few hours.
Well, I’m in better shape than Nate. He won’t be walking at all.
But the sight of her bedraggled state flicked a switch inside, and in moments, she changed from a frightened, helpless woman to someone mad as hell. How dare these people fuck with her life? How arrogant of them to think they could use her as a pawn, set her up to take the blame for Nate’s murder, and she’d simply fall apart, just as she’d been doing. Her brain might not be hitting on all cylinders, but at least she still had one. And she had Zak, or at least his promise of help.
She held his T-shirt up and rubbed it against her skin, inhaling his scent from the fabric. The familiar aroma of male and citrus made her knees weak and nearly brought tears to her eyes again. What a mess she’d made of things. She probably deserved exactly what happened to her.
She slipped the T-shirt over her head, resisting the urge to inhale its scent again. When she came back out into the living room, he was holding a fresh cup of coffee for her.
“Drink this. Take it with you to the bathroom. The caffeine will counteract whatever’s in your system.”
“Thank you. I can use this.”
He set her up in the guest bath down the hall from his room and made sure she had enough towels and whatever else she needed.
“Take your time,” he told her. “Come downstairs whenever you’re finished. I have some calls to make.”
She wrapped her fingers around his arms for a moment. “Thank you. I seem to keep saying it, and it seems so inadequate under the circumstances, but—”
He set her gently away from him. “It’s okay. We’ll get it all sorted out. Take your shower.”
Zoe closed the bathroom door and leaned against it. What on earth had she gotten herself into? And how was she ever going to repair her situation with Zak?
Chapter Three
The hot water felt so good on her body Zoe thought she might stay under it forever. She scrubbed every inch of her skin and shampooed her hair twice, trying to wash away not only the evening but the entire situation.
Zak had been so very, very right. Nate Dunning was unstable and difficult, and the things she’d inadvertently discovered gave her an unsettled feeling. Had she confronted Nate tonight with what she knew? Had they argued about it? Something tickled at the back of her mushy brain, but she couldn’t bring it into focus no matter how she tried.
When she had rinsed off thoroughly, it occurred to her that she had nothing to put back on except Zak’s T-shirt. Then she looked on the vanity counter and saw a San Antonio Spurs shirt along with a pair of shorts. With an aching heart, she recognized them as clothing she’d left here that Zak had never returned. Had he forgotten about them or had he wanted to keep something personal of hers so the connection wouldn’t be completely broken?
Whatever the reason, she was more than grateful for them now.
The aspirin had helped marginally, bringing Zoe’s headache down to a dull roar, and she had a renewed burst of energy fueled by her anger and the coffee she refilled her mug with.
Zak was in the living room, pacing
as he usually did when he talked, the cell phone clapped to his ear. This was Zak in control. Zak in charge.
How many times had she seen him snap from casual and easy to the discipline of his business when working a case? Or when a client was in trouble? He was so good at what he did. No wonder the men from Guardian Securities had wanted to bring him in. If anyone could help her in this nightmare, it was Zak, and that steadied her wobbly insides.
“Yes,” he was saying. “Anything you hear, anything you can find out. Anything at all. Whatever’s shaking out on the streets.” He paused. “Don’t I always pay my debts? You get first call when I have something to tell you.” He listened for a moment. “Okay, okay. Thanks.”
He disconnected the call and studied her with those intense eyes of his, as if assessing her condition.
“I’m okay,” she told him. “Really. Much better than before.”
“That must have been some shower.”
“No, I just got mad that someone is doing this to me. I’m angry that half my memory is gone and furious that they’ve screwed with my company, not to mention setting me up to take the fall for a murder. I’m not letting them get away with this.”
He grinned at her. “That’s my Zoe, the woman I…”
She had no idea how he was going to finish the sentence, because at that moment, his cell rang. He looked at the readout.
“Good. A callback from one of my partners.” He placed the phone to his ear. “Reno? Sorry to wake you. What? Oh, yeah, and whoever else is sleeping there. What? No. Got some serious shit going down and wanted to get you on board with it.”
He wandered into the kitchen as he spoke, his voice low enough that Zoe had no idea what he was saying. She strained to hear if his voice raised, if he was battling objections, but nothing in the low murmuring indicated that.
“Okay,” she heard him say as he walked back into the room. “Nick’s still out of town on a case. I thought I’d leave him a message on his cell to call me back. Yeah? Okay, thanks. Yeah, yeah, I’ll fill you in more in a while.”
Zoe looked at him, eyebrows raised, but he shook his head and pointed to the phone.
