by Katie Reus
A shiver snaked down her spine. She kept her gaze on Klein until he got into a dark luxury sedan and steered out of the parking lot. As he sped away, she released a pent up sigh of relief and turned to Gerard. “That was an impressive threat.” He was always so mild mannered and easy going. She felt as if she was seeing a different side of him.
“I don’t like bullies.” Jaw clenched tight, he finally looked back at Zoe when Klein’s car pulled out of sight down the road.
“I’m filing a restraining order tonight,” she said before he could continue. She’d filed a temporary one right before Klein had left, but it had expired a month ago. With him out of the country, she hadn’t attempted to get it extended, mainly because she’d moved and she didn’t want to list her new home address on it. Not when she’d gone to great lengths to hide where she was now living.
He nodded. “Good. I’m going with you.”
Her first instinct was to argue that it wasn’t necessary, but she knew that look of determination by now and the truth was, she didn’t want to go alone. Instead of arguing she nodded. “If you’re sure it won’t affect you getting home in time for dinner?” Because she knew he loved having family dinners with his two teenage daughters every night. Especially since his wife had died a couple years ago.
Half-smiling, he shook his head. “My sister is with the girls. They’re fine.”
Palming her keys, she nodded, already feeling stronger. “Let’s do this then.”
* * *
Zoe stood in front of the security desk at her friends Mina and Blue’s high rise luxury condo. After filing a restraining order against Klein, she’d been too wired to go home. Well, and scared. Terrified that Klein had found a way to follow her, she’d checked her car for freaking trackers. She’d felt stupid doing it, but was relieved once she’d finished her inspection and found nothing.
After leaving the police station she’d driven around aimlessly for what felt like forever until finally she’d decided to come here. Their building had the best security she’d ever seen. The couple could certainly afford it and Blue was security-minded by nature, especially since his new wife had just inherited her father’s billion-dollar empire, and he worked for Red Stone Security.
The twenty-something aged man behind the desk smiled politely at her as he placed the phone back in its cradle. Zoe was on their approved list of guests, but it was still late, and security didn’t let anyone up without verbal approval. Not workers, friends, family, no one.
“You’re cleared to go up, Ms. Hansen,” he said, nodding toward the elevators where another two security guards stood like Roman sentries.
And these weren’t typical security guys, not like the type they’d had at the hospital. Every single man or woman she’d seen here had a distinct military bearing and they were all visibly armed. Probably had hidden weapons too. Strangely, the sight of those guns actually made her feel safe.
A couple minutes later she stepped out into the lobby of the penthouse floor and found two more armed guards. She didn’t recognize them, but knew they must work for Red Stone Security, the same company Blue and her brother worked for.
They nodded at her in that same polite way as the guard downstairs. Completely professional, but it was clear they were looking at her as if she might be packing heat or something. Before she’d taken two steps, the front door of the condo flew open.
Both men turned and went to stand in front of Mina protectively but she brushed past them, her arms outstretched. “Zoe! This is such a pleasant surprise.”
And the woman meant it. The welcoming note in her voice did something to Zoe. She hadn’t cried over the entire mess with Klein, not after her attack and not after the hospital treated her like garbage, forcing her to leave a job she loved. But seeing Mina opening her arms to her, Zoe lost it.
She burst into tears, clearly taking Mina off guard. Well, she’d taken herself off guard too. God, she hated crying—because it was embarrassing and she was an ugly crier. Ugh.
Zoe was vaguely aware of Mina wrapping her in a hug and ushering her into the plush place as tears blurred her vision. She should probably be more embarrassed but Mina was her friend and she knew she could be real with her.
“He’s back,” Zoe blurted as Mina led her to one of the couches in a spacious living room that overlooked downtown Miami. The city lights below were a kaleidoscope of bright colors, all blurred by the tears in her eyes. “I parked across the street but was careful not to be followed,” she added, wiping the wetness on her cheeks away as she managed to get herself under control.
Mina just snorted softly. “This place is a fortress, don’t worry about that. So…you’re sure he’s back?” she asked as she sat next to her, turning her body to face Zoe’s.
She nodded. “Oh yeah, he showed up at my work.” Just thinking about that made her shiver.
When Mina let out a surprising curse, Zoe smiled, the small action loosening something inside her chest.
Her friend stood and moved to the small mini-bar by the window, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of red wine before sitting back down next to her. “Tell me everything.”
Twenty minutes later Zoe had unloaded everything that had happened, including her trip to the police station and that she’d finally told her brother about what was going on. He was in California on a job now so she felt even worse that she’d unloaded so much with him out of town. He’d been pissed that she’d withheld something so important, and in typical Vincent fashion, he’d threatened to kill Klein. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but that was the real reason she hadn’t told her brother before.
As a former SEAL, Vincent wouldn’t have a problem defending her against a psycho. But she didn’t want him to do something he couldn’t take back, something that could affect his career and the rest of his life. He’d worked so hard to get to where he was and she couldn’t ever be responsible for him ending up in jail.
Mina leaned back against the couch, wine glass in hand, her finger idly tracing down the stem. Zoe noticed that Mina hadn’t actually drank anything, but didn’t comment as her friend set the glass down on the table next to her. “So the restraining order bars him from coming to your work?”
Zoe nodded. “Yes. And I’ll be making copies of it for everyone at work and including his photo so they know who he is.” She just hadn’t listed her home address on the order. Considering Klein knew where she worked, which wasn’t a surprise since people she used to work with were aware of her new job, she hadn’t wanted to make it easy for him to find her house in case he didn’t know yet. Because a piece of paper wouldn’t stop him from coming after her. It would certainly get him in trouble with the law if he broke the order, but if he decided to attack her, she’d still be injured or dead, piece of paper or not.
After his attack at the hospital, he’d been smart about harassing her, making sure nothing could be traced back to him, but she knew he’d slashed her tires, stolen her mail, and sent her too many anonymous, vile texts from a burner phone to count until finally she’d changed her phone number. The police had actually believed her. But believing her was one thing. The State’s Attorney wouldn’t press charges against someone like Braddock Klein—upstanding citizen with a lot of politically powerful friends—without hard evidence. The justice system was so broken it made her want to cry. Or punch something.
Mina started to say something when a soft chime filled the room, the alert letting them know someone had entered the front door.
“Mina? Is Zoe here?” Blue called out from the front of the condo as Mina stood.
Zoe followed suit and realized she still had her jacket on—and still felt cold despite the warmth in the room. It was a bone-deep kind of chill, one that had nothing to do with the temperature.
A second later Blue and another man entered the living room, both dressed in suits. It took Zoe a moment to recognize the guy. Dark hair, piercing green eyes, about six feet of raw muscle that a suit couldn’t hide. Sawyer McCabe. Navy SEAL, or maybe former, i
f he was working with Blue now. The last time she’d seen him, he’d punched her brother in the face.
Zoe withheld a groan. Just freaking great. She had enough to deal with without some jackass who’d tried to hurt her little brother being present to hear all her drama.
Chapter 2
Braddock Klein wrapped his fingers around the glass tumbler, trying to temper the rage burning inside him as he stared out at the Atlantic Ocean. The spectacular view from his lanai normally soothed him, but nothing could do that now. He couldn’t believe the way Zoe had spoken to him after all the time they’d been apart, and in front of someone else no less.
Dr. Gerard Fernandez was a prick. Braddock had met him at different functions over the last decade and couldn’t stand the guy. So self-righteous about everything. It wasn’t like Fernandez did any pro bono or charity work, not like Braddock did. Something Zoe should be able to clearly see. Why couldn’t she see how good they’d be together? How right they were for each other?
After spending six months in South America working for Medicine Without Borders, he’d come back ready to start something with Zoe. He knew she was angry at him for what had happened at the hospital, but she shouldn’t have played so hard to get with him. She should know that she belonged to him. He’d made his intentions clear long ago and she’d seemed receptive, always so friendly at work. Until that night when she’d completely overreacted to his advances.
He’d even left his wife for her. Right before he’d gone to South America he’d started the divorce proceedings. His lawyer was brilliant and everything had gone smoothly. He was paying out the ass for the divorce but it was worth it. Especially since he knew he could be paying a lot more.
For some reason his ex-wife hadn’t fought him at all. She’d just taken what was owed her in their prenuptial agreement and walked away without a fight. She’d tried to leave him once two years ago but he’d made it clear that no one walked away from him. Ever since then she’d done nothing but try to please him. It had been so tiring. Being rid of her was one of the best things that could have happened to him.
Now he could focus all his attention on Zoe. Like she deserved. She was a smart, talented woman and deserved to be with someone like him. She was knowledgeable about their industry, could hold intelligent conversations with their peers, and was an incredibly calm surgeon. She’d never gotten rattled during surgeries, had always been cool and focused. That alone was a turn-on. Plus she was beautiful so he could take her anywhere. That nonsense from the hospital would blow over eventually. It was just a misunderstanding and he would forgive her for embarrassing him. Of course he’d have to punish her, but he wouldn’t hold it over her head forever.
When he realized his tumbler was empty he started to stand—only to discover he wasn’t alone. As he faced the glass doors that led to his living room, he frowned at the tall, lithe woman standing there with her hands on her hips.
“What are you doing here?” His gaze went to the Scotch bottle in her hand and his frown deepened. He hated it when she made herself feel at home. He’d barely been back in the country and here she was. Annoying him.
With a tinkling laugh, she glided toward him, her hips swaying seductively. Despite the cooler temperature and the breeze coming up off the ocean, she wore a skin tight neon purple dress that accentuated all her curves. The puffy jacket she wore looked as if it was for fashion, not warmth. She had a tight body, one she worked hard to keep, but strip it away and there wasn’t much underneath. She’d been a good fuck, nothing more. It was deeply disturbing the way she kept trying to insert herself back into his life. All those emails and phone calls while he’d been away. He knew she wasn’t that bright, which was one of the reasons he’d originally hooked up with her, but she was clearly persistent.
“I heard you were back in town and couldn’t believe you hadn’t called.” Her lips pulled down into a faux pouty frown and he noticed she wasn’t wearing her normal bright red lipstick.
How the hell had she known… Damn it, fucking social media. He’d gotten an alert that the hospital had posted something about his return. He’d wanted to fly under the radar for a couple weeks, but he should have expected that someone as important as him wouldn’t go unnoticed for long. Well, if she was here, maybe he could get something out of her visit. He tilted his head at the bottle in her hand before he sat back in his chair. “Is that for me?”
Sighing, she moved toward him, her heels clicking on the tile as she opened the bottle. She poured him a glass before spreading her legs and straddling him. Her puffy, feathery jacket brushed against his face as she sat on him. “You’re in a mood. Did the South America trip not go well?”
His gaze dipped to her mouth as she spoke and he started to get hard. The woman could give some serious head. He wondered if she’d blow him then leave. No, that would be too much wishful thinking. She’d want to stay and talk afterward. “It was fine. I’m just tired after traveling.”
She shifted slightly over him, her dress riding up on her thighs as she rubbed herself over his growing dick. “Is that for me?” she murmured, leaning down to nip his ear between her teeth.
He slid his hands around her, letting them settle on her hips. Pushing out a sigh, he leaned his head back. “I’m not really in the mood.” He knew if he said that, she’d give him what he wanted and he wouldn’t have to do any work. And after he got what he wanted, he’d make up an excuse about having to get up early tomorrow and kick her out.
She leaned back then, her dark eyes flashing with anger. One of her hands tightened on his shoulder and the other slid around to the back of his neck. She usually liked it rough, maybe he’d make time for her tonight after all.
“Not in the mood? Could’ve fooled me,” she snapped.
Damn, time to placate her. “It’s not that. I…my divorce is just final and I’ve been in a shithole for the last six months. I’m exhausted and you know what I need.” He dropped his voice, sounding apologetic.
Her lips pursed. “If you’re so exhausted how did you have the time to go see Zoe Hansen tonight?”
He jerked in his seat, sitting up straighter. Alarm surged through him. He hadn’t told anyone he’d gone to see Zoe. “How the hell did you—”
A sudden, sharp pain pierced his neck as she sliced across his jugular. He lurched forward, his hands on her hips tightening as blood sprayed everywhere, covering her face and clothes. Blood?
That was when he saw the flash of metal in her hand as she slid off him. Crimson stained her stupid jacket as she laughed crazily, a knife gripped tightly in her fingers. He slapped a hand to his neck, trying to stop the gushing. He stood, his legs wobbling, but he forced himself to remain upright.
She took a step back, watching him gleefully, her eyes completely crazy.
His knees shook, but he had to stand, to get help. Sitting would accelerate the blood loss. Help. He had to call for help. He fumbled in his pants pocket and grabbed his phone. It slipped from his fingers because of all the blood. As it landed on the tile, she laughed again.
“That’s what you get, stupid fuck,” she spat, turning on her heel and stomping toward the open sliding glass door.
He took a step after her, but fell to his knees, the impact jarring him, but he barely felt the pain. The blood was spurting out, not leaking so the bitch must have cut an artery. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but a rush of pain overwhelmed him as blood gurgled up from the wound. He tried to hold his wound but his hands were too slick and his vision was turning dark.
No! This stupid bitch couldn’t have killed him. He refused to die like this. No, no…
* * *
Sawyer tried not to stare at Zoe as she smoothed a hand down the front of her wool coat and made her way around the couch to hug Alex. Or Blue, as almost everyone else called him.
But hell, it was hard not to watch her. Petite and compact with smooth mocha skin and intelligent dark eyes, nothing got past that woman. He vividly remembered the last time he’d se
en her and inwardly cringed. He didn’t regret punching her brother, but he did regret doing it in front of an audience. Especially since she’d been there.
He’d only met her a couple times before that encounter and each time he’d been too damn nervous to talk to her. Big, bad SEAL couldn’t talk to a small woman with luscious curves and a smart mouth he’d had way too many fantasies about. Her hair was shorter now, the corkscrew curls bouncing everywhere. Years ago she’d worn it long and straight. He liked this version of her too.
He jerked out of his haze when he realized Blue was talking to him. “Sawyer, this is Zoe Hansen, Vincent’s sister.”
Sawyer started to say they’d already met before when Zoe held out a hand, her expression polite. “Nice to meet you.”
What the fuck? She didn’t remember him? That shouldn’t annoy him as much as it did. Talk about a blow to his ego. He gritted his teeth and tried to force a polite smile as he returned her handshake. God, her hands were soft too. That was when he realized how red her eyes were, as if she’d been crying. He frowned. “You okay?”
Just like that her polite expression went completely blank. “I’m good, thank you.” Then she cleared her throat and looked pointedly at Blue.
His friend gave a short nod before looking back at Mina and Sawyer. “We’re going to be in my office for a few minutes but make yourself at home.”
“Come on, I’ll get you something to drink,” Mina said, smiling and motioning to the mini-bar. “How’s this week gone?”
Tearing his attention from Zoe’s retreating backside, he turned to Mina and smiled as she poured him a bourbon. “Good. Learned a lot.”
Laughing lightly, she shook her head and handed him the drink before dropping onto one of the couches. “Such a succinct answer. You’re as bad as Alex.”
“You really want to hear about the protocol review and training exercises we did?” After a twenty-year Navy career, he’d recently retired at thirty-seven and had taken a job with Red Stone Security heading up one of their East Coast divisions. And this was his last week of training under Alex.
