UNASSUMED: Zara Zee and the Unassuming Case of the Billionaire Heir

by Kailin Gow

  “Step back,” the man said as he pulled his coat back to show the gun in his belt.

  Cursing his negligence, Leo took a step back. Vanessa had gotten him so horny, he hadn’t even thought to check the peephole before opening the door. Such a novice mistake, one that could end up costing him his life.

  “Leo?” Vanessa called from behind him. “Is everything all right?”

  Distracted by Vanessa’s exposed breasts and wanton posture, the armed man turned to her just long enough to allow Leo to land a solid kick in the man’s chest. The man doubled back as he grabbed his gun and fired, blasting a hole in the ceiling and another shot at the large paned window.

  More quickly than Leo had expected, the man regained his balance and raised his arm to aim the gun at him, but Leo whipped his leg back and kicked the gun from his hand.

  “Leo!” Vanessa screamed. “Oh, my God! Leo!”

  The assailant lunged at Leo who deftly sidestepped him, but the big man turned around, fists flying.

  “Leo! Watch out!”

  Her distracting screams were all it took to tear Leo’s eyes from the man who took advantage of the situation and punched Leo square on the jaw, sending him flying back.

  “Oh, no. Leo, he’s going to hurt you. Oh, don’t let him hurt you,” Vanessa’s impossibly high-pitched voice screamed, hurting Leo’s ears. She should’ve worked on her voice all these years instead of getting rounds and rounds of plastic surgery. He remembered now why he couldn’t stand to talk to her much over the years. Her voice grated on his ears. It was like listening to chipmunks talk to you excitedly all day long.

  “If you could just shut up,” he muttered under his breath as he struggled to get back to his feet, “I’ll be able to manage just fine.”

  But the man had some explosive fighting skills and he matched Leo’s thrusts, punches and kicks time and again. After taking a strong blow to the abdomen, Leo doubled over, allowing his attacker to deliver a crippling kick to his chest.

  Breathless and dizzy, Leo looked up as the glimmer of a shining blade came down toward him. The blade stopped in midair, just inches from Leo’s neck and for a strangely silent moment, he wondered what was keeping the man from finishing the job. But then he saw the strong but elegant fingers wrapped around his wrists and followed the line of a strong, but decidedly feminine arm until he came to her face.

  Zara.

  She twisted the man’s arm behind his back, twisted his wrist up just enough to force him to drop the knife and kicked it out of reach.

  Leo remained on his back and simply stared at her. She was a vision, a beautiful feline, all elongated muscles encased in tight black jeans, a form fitting black t-shirt and sexy killer boots. Her shiny beautiful hair tied back into a ponytail made her look both hot and elegant at the same time. Her movements were as graceful as any ballerina as she brought the big man to his knees, but the strength in her every movement was undeniably lethal.

  “Damn, you're hot,” Leo couldn’t help but say.

  “Save it,” she shot out.

  Just then, the goon at her feet rose, and butted his head back, hitting the back of his head sharply against her nose. Reeling, she stepped back, her eyes glazed over as she put her hands up to her nose.

  Leo shot to his feet to settle the fight, but Zara recovered quickly, she managed to get a hold of the man and deliver a swift kick that sent him flying up against the wall right beside Leo.

  “Watch out,” Zara shouted.

  Leo turned in time to see the man pull out a smaller knife and hold it up over him for a brief second before driving the small blade into Leo’s shoulder. Stunned by the pain, he let out an agonized gasp and tried to move before the man could deliver another blow, but once again the blade found its mark, driving deep in the flesh of his upper arm.

  Zara reached him before he could deliver a third blow, but the man refused to give in so easily. He slapped his hand back, landing the large, sharply honed ring on his middle finger right above her left eye. She faltered for a moment and wiped the back of her hand across the side of her face. Seeing the blood on her hand, she glared up at the goon.

  “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to play with sharp objects in the house?” She swung around and brought her leg back under his, effectively kicking his legs out from under him. He fell back allowing Zara to deliver a few sharp blows, but it was almost as if he were humoring her, for when he’d had enough, he got to his feet and fought her with all that he had.

  Blow for blow, kick for kick, they battled it out with the same degree of expertise. He seemed to know every trick she had and often foresaw her next move.

  “You’ve got some pretty moves, little lady,” he growled.

  “Little lady? I’ll show you some pretty moves.” She took two steps towards him, jumped in the air with her feet out in front of her, and caught the heel of her boot in the man’s cheek. He flew back and fell to the floor, his face oozing blood.

  She reached to her back pocket to pull out the handcuffs, but the man wasn’t through.

  “You're not going to take me in that easily. I’ve got a job to do and I’m going to get it done, or die trying.”

  “Your call.”

  He blasted his way to her, kicking her knees down and while she fell to the floor, he jumped up, ran to get his fallen gun and fired a shot at Leo. He missed, giving Zara the chance to get to her feet and run to Leo.

  Another shot rang out just as Zara came to stand in front of Leo, effectively guarding him with her life.

  “No,” Leo shouted as he tried to push her out of the way, but it was too late. A shot rang out. “Zara !”

  She closed her eyes and for a terrifying moment, he thought he’d lost her, but it was the big man who hit the floor with a deafening thud, his dead eyes staring into nothingness.

  “Looks like I’ve just saved your arse again,” Peter said as he blew a satisfactory breath to the tip of his smoking gun. He calmly walked to the assailant’s side and kicked the gun away. “I think he’s done.”

  “He’s dead?” Zara said, “but I wanted to question him.”

  After placing the man’s gun in a plastic bag, he knelt beside Zara, pulling her into his arms. “Yes, he’s dead, and you’ve once again scared me to death.”

  “Peter, we needed that man’s testimony. Who knows what information he might have had?”

  “All the information in the world would mean nothing if you were dead, which is what would have happened had I not arrived in time.” Peter turned a resolved glance to Leo. “Once again, I’ve saved you from certain death.”

  Chapter 15

  Zara

  Zara tried to ignore the pain in her knee and made her way to the assassin’s body to go through his pockets. “There must be something in here that can give us a clue as to who he is.” But there was nothing; no identification, no notes, no cards of any kind. Nothing. “A big fat blank.”

  “What d’you expect? These guys are pros.”

  She turned her attention to the man’s weapons. “This guy isn’t with the ring.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Look at this gun. The guys back at Da Hwa all had glocks and AK47s. This guy is going around with a small revolver.” She didn’t want to believe the man was working on his own, but it seemed unlikely he was part of the ring.

  With impressive speed and efficiency, Zara took the man’s prints, a snapshot of his face, via her smart phone, and sent the information to the precinct. “We’ll get this guy checked out.”

  “And the boys are going to have to come pick up another body.” Peter gave the dead man a light nudge in the leg.

  Moments later, Zara’s phone chimed and she checked her messages. “Hmm,” she said, more to herself then the guys. “That’s funny.”

  “What?” Leo said.

  She frowned as she continued to stare at the screen of her phone.

  “Honey.” Peter came to her side and put his arm to her shoulder. “What is
it?”

  “This man is from Shantou.”

  “Then why did he come here?” Leo said.

  Peter shot an annoyed glance at Leo then back at Zara. “What’s in Shantou?”

  Still staring at her phone, Zara said, “My parents and I lived just outside Shantou when I was little.”

  “Oh?”

  “That’s where they were killed, Peter.”

  “Why would the people who killed your parents want to kill me?” Leo said.

  Zara shrugged. How was it all connected? Or was it simply a coincidence and there was no connection? She didn’t really believe in coincidences and her gut told her there was a lot more to discover about the crime ring.

  “This is too wild for me. I’m getting out of here.”

  Zara turned to the sound of the sultry feminine voice. With all the excitement she hadn’t noticed the vibrantly dressed sex kitten who now swayed her hips past them to the door.

  “Hold on a minute.” Peter put a hand to Vanessa’s shoulder and shot a quizzical glance at Zara. “Seems our loverboy wasn’t alone tonight.”

  Zara tried to hide her dismay. Not that she expected Leo to be a saint, but to be with such an obviously loose woman… It just seemed so beneath him.

  “I think I might have a few questions for you, young lady,” Peter said. “As a witness, you could be of help... Miss…”

  Vanessa turned away and looked at the floor. “You can call me Nessi.”

  Aside from being dressed for a wild night of sex, there was something about Nessi that Zara didn’t appreciate.

  Jealous, she told herself. You're being silly and jealous like an immature teenager. Jealous or not, she turned to tend to Leo’s wounds. “Did you call for an ambulance, Pete?”

  “On their way.”

  “I’m fine,” Leo said.

  “Haven’t I heard that before?” Her tone was professional and firm. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’ve had better days.”

  “I’m here to protect you, Leo. You had no business pulling me out of the way like that.”

  He winced as he tried to sit upright. “You think I could just sit back and let you take a bullet for me?”

  She somehow managed to keep a cold and hard exterior as she inspected his wounds. The bullet had caused just a shallow nick that would probably required little more than a Band-Aid, and the stab wounds weren’t life threatening. Looking at him, she couldn’t believe what he’d done. For a man who had everything, who was seen as a spoiled billionaire who’d come into so much money so easily, he was as selfless as a saint.

  She leaned in closer and pulled back his shirt to take a better look at his shoulder. His breath brushed against her skin and she could almost taste the sweetness of his kiss. All too aware of Nessi and Peter standing nearby, she suddenly felt flushed as lurid thoughts of Leo played out in her mind.

  “Come on.” She helped him up. “We’ll go try to wash all this blood off.”

  As she led him to the bathroom she thought how wonderful it would be to erase whatever thoughts he might have of the sex bomb he’d been planning on spending his night with. How wonderful it would be to lose herself in his embrace, in his kiss… to share his bed, to wake up in this magnificent hotel room and have breakfast with him… to laugh and talk, or just sit back to watch a movie… maybe even one of his movies. She could laugh at him and tease him, tell him where his moves were impossible, or incorrect.

  It was all such a blissful dream, one she’d never dared dream.

  “You know, I’d pull you out of the way all over again if it meant saving you,” Leo said. He ran his hand over her cheek and pulled up to kiss her. “I’d do it all again,” he whispered. His kiss was long and deep, drawing her in and making her blissful dream seem so possible, so probable, so within reach. “I’m not letting you go,” he said as he looked into her eyes with such intensity, she knew he’d do anything to make her forget Peter.

  The sensations that spilled over her were overwhelming and she wanted to abandon all decorum and simply give herself to the passionate kiss. “We’ve been through this before, Leo. I’m here to…”

  “Protect me, yes. I know.” Knowledge of her role didn’t stop him, however. He pulled her in for another smoldering kiss. And it was heavenly. His soft lips made her heady, and his tongue drew electric shocks from way down between her thighs.

  “Leo,” she sighed. “I can’t.”

  “If you're so hell-bent on protecting me, why don’t you protect me from a broken heart?”

  Smiling, she looked at him. You're adorable, she wanted to say. But while she remained silent, her hands did a whole lot of talking. They roamed over his hard muscular body and one finally came to rest over the front of his pants.

  “I want you,” Leo said. “I can’t help it, Zara.”

  And, damn, I want you, but… Zara bit her lip and looked at the man who had her so perpetually confused. “I think I heard the guys arrive. I’d better go see what’s going on.”

  He gripped her hand as she pulled away. “Stop looking at me as if I were just some spoiled little rich boy who can’t take care of himself in the real world. I’m a real man, Zara, and I’m more than a bank account.”

  Pressing her lips tight, she nodded. It was unfair to think he was just an empty headed heir, but she knew he had a reputation for running around and the woman in the red dress was proof of that.

  “I don’t think I’m the kind of woman you’d really fall for,” she said with a quick glance over her shoulder. “I’m not that wild flash of overt sexuality, and I can’t see myself becoming involved with a man who can’t take a relationship seriously.” She turned away before he could say anything more.

  “What’s going on?” Zara came up behind Peter.

  He turned to scrutinize her. “Maybe I should be asking you that question.”

  “I thought I heard the guys arrive.”

  “They’re checking the body.” He glanced over Zara’s shoulder and grimaced.

  Guilt was a difficult pill to swallow and the rush of passion that Leo had ignited now made her feel she’d done something wrong. Following Peter’s gaze, she turned to see Leo head towards them, a victorious grin on his tired face.

  “I want to see you in my office the minute this is over,” Peter said, his tone decisive and possessive.

  Chapter 16

  Zara

  “You’ll be safe here,” Zara told Leo as she patted his hand. The nurse had just left after stitching up his knife wounds. “You’ll have two guards at your door at all times.”

  “I still don’t understand why I have to stay here.”

  “You lost a lot of blood, Leo. Give yourself a chance to recover.” She gave his hand a final pat. “I’ve got to go.”

  She left him and hurried back to the precinct to report to Peter. More nervous than she’d been in a long time, she knocked lightly on his door and walked in.

  “Sit down.” He didn’t look up from the files on his desk as he gave the order in a cool and distant tone. “And close the door.”

  Feeling like a reprimanded child, she quietly shut the door and sat down in the chair facing him.

  “Today’s been a long and difficult day.” Peter closed the file on his desk and rose to come pace behind her. “You put yourself in unnecessary danger, again.”

  “I’m sorry. You know how it is when you're in the heat of the action.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “I can’t stop thinking of you, Zara.” His fingers reached down over her collar bone as if seeking comfort and warmth.

  “Peter.”

  “I can’t stand the thought of losing you. I don’t know what I’d do. I’d kill any man who’d try to hurt you.”

  She sat silently examining his words. Were they just an expression of his true fears, or a veiled threat? “I have a job to do, Peter. All I’m trying to do is my job.”

  Peter suddenly came around in front of her and pulled her out of th
e chair and into his arms. “I’m so sick with worry about you, that I can’t do mine. That man at the hotel…the one who nearly killed you…I shot him dead because he was going to kill you. I could’ve aimed for his shoulders, shoot his hand…but when I saw him aimed his gun at you and was pulling back the trigger, all I can do was shoot to kill.”

  Peter ran a hand through his hair. “Zara, I stood by you for three years since I first met you, since I first fell in love with you at first sight. Instead of moving to another division, which I was supposed to do, or head back to England, I stayed in ours…because I had to be around to protect you. To take care of you.” He smiled. “You’re such a devoted and headstrong officer, without any care in the world for yourself, someone’s got to watch out for you. That’s why I stayed and even moved up the ranks to become your superior. So I can be on top of all your cases. But now… with Lee’s case being so complicated, and I…I am letting my personal feelings interfere with the case. Zara,” Peter said gently.

  “What Peter,” Zara said, looking directly at him. Peter had always been her friend, colleague, and now something more.

  Peter said, “I need you to get off this case.”

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Maybe this will convince you.” He pulled her in for an intense kiss that left her breathless. His entire body melted into hers, and the bulge in his pants pressed against her. “I want you to come back to England with me.”

  “What?” she whispered breathlessly, still riding on the heat of his kiss.

  “I love you, Zara. I love you more than anything, and I want to spend my life with you.” He grasped her hands and held them in the warmth of his, his thumbs running over her skin. “I know this case is important to you, and believe me, I’ll do all I can to make sure the people responsible for your parents’ death are caught, convicted and punished, but, Zara …” His eyes misted over. “You’ve become negligent and careless. I think you’ve become increasingly blinded by your need to solve this case that you overlook the danger you're putting yourself in.”