by Cynthia Eden
This is the bastard who hurt Zoe so badly. This is the guy who broke her heart.
Wasn’t a broken hand the least the guy should expect in the way of payback?
“Tom?” Zoe took a step toward the other man, then stopped.
Tom strolled into the room, then paused to shut the door behind him. “Hello, Zoe. It’s been a long time.” He pulled a small black box from his coat pocket. “I like privacy,” he said. “And while you both did pass the security search, I want to make absolutely sure that neither of you managed to smuggle in a listening device.”
Victor didn’t let his expression alter.
“There.” Tom pressed a button on the box he held. “Now, we don’t have to worry about anyone overhearing our conversation, do we?”
Audio jammer. Victor knew exactly what that little box was.
Tom paced toward Zoe. His gaze locked on her face. “How is it possible,” he asked her, “that you’ve grown even more beautiful?”
The asshole was not flirting with her. Victor took an aggressive step toward the lawyer. “I didn’t come here to talk to some middle man.”
Very slowly, Tom’s gaze left Zoe and drifted over to Victor. That faint smile—that annoyingly smug one—curved his lips. “Ah…so that’s the way this scene was supposed to play out, hmmm? I have to confess, I was curious. Especially after I saw you talking with Roy at the police station. I wondered just what plan you might be spinning.”
Victor’s hands had clenched into fists. He hated this jerk. “You’re not the kind of guy who gives orders. You take them. Just like you’ve been taking them from Luther Bates. How many years have you been on his payroll? Five? Six? I would’ve thought that you’d be tired of being Luther’s errand boy by now.”
Because he was watching so closely, Victor saw the way Tom’s eyelids jerked at his jab. He’d figured a guy like Tom would have one big, overinflated ego, and an ego like that could be his downfall.
“Zoe…” Tom sighed out of her name. “I’ve tried to reach you many times over the years. Tried to talk to you again. I have so many regrets.”
Oh, hell, no, the guy wasn’t about to try to stir up that particular part of their past, was he?
Tom side-stepped so that he could stare at Zoe. “I’ve missed you.”
She didn’t say a word.
Victor focused on breathing, slowly and easily, and keeping his control. This little meeting was important. Too important to let his emotions rule. “I want to talk to your boss.”
“I thought you just said my boss was Luther Bates,” Tom murmured. “In case you didn’t realize, he’s still in prison. For the moment, anyway. If you want to talk with him, visit him there.”
For the moment, anyway.
“I’m so curious about what plan you have going on here.” Tom motioned toward them. “You bring her in here and—what? You act as if you’re selling her out? That is what my client is accused of doing, correct? You think that Roy Duncan was going to trade Zoe for the two million dollar bounty that’s on her head.”
The guy was so damn controlled and cold. Emotion only flared in Tom when he looked directly at Zoe.
“He wasn’t just doing it for the money,” Zoe said, her voice husky. “A woman named Michelle Lane is missing. She was part of the deal. Roy said that if he brought me in, Michelle would be set free.”
A faint furrow appeared between Tom’s perfect brows. The guy’s whole face was too sickeningly perfect. He needed a broken nose. Something to make him look more human. Victor would be happy to oblige the broken nose need.
“Michelle Lane?” Tom repeated as his brows furrowed even more. “Can’t say I know that name. Why was she important for a trade? Is she a cop, too?”
Tread fucking carefully. Victor was afraid they’d already revealed too much.
“She was my friend. Is my friend,” Zoe said, voice still soft. “And I want her back.”
Tom laughed and the sound was bitter. Angry. “Oh, Zoe, you and I both know that you don’t have real friends. You have people who want to use you. And you—because you are too damn good—you let us all do our worst.”
She retreated a step.
“Take for instance…this man at your side.” Disgust curled Tom’s lips. “I imagine he’s lied to you over and over, ever since the first moment he walked into your life.”
Fucking hell.
“No.” Her voice wasn’t so soft any longer. “He hasn’t. What he’s done…Victor has saved my ass—over and over—since the first moment he walked into my life.”
Tom’s cheeks flushed. “He’s worse than I am.”
“No!” Now she was almost yelling. “Victor is nothing like you! Victor is good. He’s a decent man who wants to help the world. He wants—”
“To use you.” Tom spoke with devastating finality. “That’s what he wanted from the moment he met you. Hell, even before you actually met. He’d been having secret meetings with your father for weeks. Did you know that? Did you know that Victor is the agent who has met privately with your father the most? He’s the person who has visited Luther in prison the most since your father’s incarceration.”
Victor risked a quick glance at Zoe. She was shaking her head.
“Yes,” Tom said. “It’s true. An easy enough fact to check out—his visits are in the prison records. If you’d bothered to visit your father, you could have seen those records for yourself. But…” Now he walked toward the desk that waited on the right. He put the jammer down when he opened the desk. Pulled out a manila file. “I took the liberty of making copies for you during my last visit. Take a peek. Victor is Luther’s most regular visitor.”
She lurched toward the desk. Victor stood there, frozen, wondering just how much Tom could know—and how much damage the guy was about to do.
To Victor.
To Zoe.
To the trust that he’d worked so hard to build.
Zoe’s hands were shaking when she reached for the file. But she didn’t open it. Instead, she shoved it back across the table at Tom. “I don’t need to see the records. Victor is an FBI agent. Of course, he visited Luther. He was working Luther’s case when he first met me. He was—”
“Using you,” Tom cut in sadly. “All along. He was using you, and you didn’t see it.”
She flinched.
“Shut the fuck up,” Victor said, his voice low and deadly quiet.
“No.” Tom didn’t even glance his way. His focus was on Zoe. “I’m sorry this has happened to you—again—but you can’t trust Victor. You don’t know him. Not really. He’s just some street kid who still belongs in the gutter. A punk who will use anyone and anything to get what he wants—”
Victor lunged for the guy. He shoved Tom back against the desk and drew back his fist, ready to strike.
But Tom laughed. “See what I mean?” he asked Zoe. “Is this what an FBI agent is really supposed to do? Or is this what a street fighter would do? A man who would fight anyone, anytime, if the price was right. A man who nearly killed one of his opponents.” His gaze drifted to Victor’s poised fist. “With his bare hands.”
Zoe hurried toward them. Her fingers curled around Victor’s arm. “Don’t. I get that it’s tempting. Trust me, I get it, but don’t. I think the guy wants you to hit him.”
Yeah, Victor suspected that. The problem was that he wanted to punch Tom, too. And if they both wanted it…
“I didn’t fake how I felt,” Tom suddenly burst out. “I never faked that. When I said I loved you, Zoe, that emotion was real.”
Her fingers tightened on Victor’s arm. “Let him go.”
“I wanted to marry you,” Tom continued, a bit of spittle flying from his mouth. Not so controlled now. “I didn’t think you’d actually walk. I mean…who walks from that much power?”
“I do.” Her simple reply.
Victor lowered his hand. He also let go of Tom and took a step back. The better to remove himself from temptation.
Zoe’s chin lifted a
s she faced off against her ex-lover. “You see? Victor is the better man here. He’s decent and kind and he wants to put the criminals away, not help them. He is nothing like you.” She looked up at Victor, giving him that look that made him think…Shit, she does trust me. She stares at me like I’m a good man.
He felt like hell.
“Let’s get out of here. He doesn’t know anything about Michelle. Like you said, he’s the middle man. He’s not worth our time.” She tugged on his hand and they headed toward the door.
They’d taken about five steps when…
“Elizabeth Ward.” Tom said the name with relish.
Victor’s spine stiffened.
“Does that name ring a bell for you, Zoe?” Tom pushed.
She glanced over her shoulder. “You know it does. When I was taken…the first damn time…she was there. Luther put a hit on Elizabeth. Her mother—she was his lawyer once, too. Only he had her killed.” Her voice hardened as she warned, “Better watch yourself, Tom, because Luther doesn’t have a good track record with attorneys.”
And, once more, she started for the door.
“Elizabeth’s mother was Luther’s lover, too,” Tom said.
She stumbled.
“You didn’t know that, but your FBI agent, he did. He knew a lot. So many secrets…and he’s been keeping them all from you.”
She cast a quick, worried glance Victor’s way.
He reached for the door. “Screw him, baby. It’s time to go.” Because this was not going down the way he needed. He strode into the hallway, pulling her with him. If they got a little farther away, that jammer wouldn’t work any longer and his team would be able to pick up on the conversation again. Provided, of course, that the jammer had the short transmission distance he hoped…
“Victor knew.” Tom had followed them. “Luther told me that Victor knew.”
Zoe stopped in the middle of the narrow hallway. She turned to face Tom.
“Your FBI Special Agent knew that Luther was involved with that woman and even more—”
“Don’t listen to him, Zoe,” Victor interrupted, aware that he was sounding desperate. He had to refocus them all. Get the attention back on Michelle. The case. “The guy is a criminal. He’s probably behind Michelle’s abduction. I mean, shit, he’s here, isn’t he? And he was the one at the police station. How the hell did he even become Roy’s attorney?”
“Victor knew—” Tom began and Victor couldn’t hold back. He couldn’t stop. There was no way he could let the guy say what would come next. Because maybe the listening device he wore was working again. And if Tom spilled this news, he would bring hell falling down on Elizabeth Ward.
So, before Tom could finish his sentence, Victor attacked. He lunged for the other man and this time, his fist flew. He drove his fist straight into Tom’s jaw, a hard right hook that had—once upon a darker time—been his specialty. He wasn’t particularly surprised to see that punch take Tom down. No way was the fancy suit meant to withstand hits like that.
While Tom lay on the floor, dazed, Victor grabbed the guy’s shirt front and stood over him. “Watch the fuck what you say,” he snarled.
“H-he doesn’t want you to know…” Tom gasped out the words.
“Victor! Stop!” Zoe shouted. “Let him go!”
He heard the thunder of rushing footsteps and knew that Tom’s guards were coming. Cursing, he let the bastard go and jumped to his feet. In the same move, Victor grabbed the listening device, one of his cuff links, and he crushed the damn thing in his fingertips. He couldn’t let the other agents and cops hear—
“Elizabeth…is your…s-sister…and he knew.”
Victor’s gaze flew to Zoe’s face. He saw her confusion, her shock, her denial, her…
Betrayal. Her eyes widened as she stared back at Victor. “He’s lying.” Her voice was almost ghostly.
The two guards were there. Big and Brawny—Samuel—made the mistake of swinging at Victor. He ducked the punch. Then Victor delivered one of his own—a hard hit to the guy’s mid-section. The breath blew out of the fellow in a whoosh as the guard doubled-over.
The other guard—Kevin—had made the mistake of grabbing Zoe. She slammed her foot down on his shoe and drove back with her elbow. He swore and jerked her harder.
Big fucking mistake.
“Duck, Zoe,” Victor ordered.
Her head dipped down and he used his right hook once more. This guy fell even faster than Tom. Only he nearly took Zoe down with him. Victor grabbed her, held tight. Her body pressed flush to his. And she stared up at him once more with—
Betrayal.
“We’re getting the hell out of here,” Victor snapped. He’d fix this. He had to fix this.
“Is it true?”
He locked his fingers around her wrist and pulled her toward the elevator. “We have to go.” Because the whole plan—it had been blown to hell. He needed to regroup. He needed to figure out why Luther would have told that information to Tom. Luther had been hell-bent on keeping the news of Elizabeth’s paternity a secret.
Because if the truth got out, she’d have a two million dollar price tag on her head, too.
Not what he wanted to happen for his sister-in-law.
And that was why he’d smashed the listening device. No way could he allow that information to get out.
“Zoe!”
Fuck. Victor looked back. Tom was on his feet. His jaw was already bruising.
“Zoe! He’s using you! Listen to me—listen! He realizes your father is close to getting out of prison, and he wants to stop that. He’s under orders…do anything necessary to gain your trust. Anything. And this Michelle person…how do you know she isn’t working with the FBI? That her supposed disappearance isn’t all a scam?”
Victor jabbed the button for the elevator, but nothing happened. Hell. He needed the keycard. His hands closed around Zoe’s shoulders. “Stay here.”
“Is it true? Is she my sister?”
Yes. I am so fucking sorry, but…yes. “We’ll talk later.” When they were out of there. When she was safe.
She shook her head. “Why would you keep this from me?”
He spun away.
Tom had his sick smirk on his face. “Now she knows the truth about you.”
Victor marched toward the guard who was still hunched over on the floor. “Keycard,” he barked. “Keycard or I kick your ass right now.”
The guy handed him a keycard.
But Tom stepped closer. That smirk stretched. “I have all of this on video.” He pointed to the ceiling. To the small camera there. “You’ll be arrested for assault.”
Sonofabitch.
“I’ll share the video and Elizabeth Ward…she’ll become a target.”
Victor stilled. Tom’s voice had been so low that Victor knew Zoe hadn’t overheard the dark threat.
“You’ll be arrested, your precious career will go down the drain, and Elizabeth Ward will be dead. All of that will happen.” Tom rubbed his bruised jaw. “Or you can make a deal with me. Right here. Right now.” Again, his voice was too low for anyone else to hear.
But Victor risked a quick glance at Zoe. She stood in front of the elevator, her eyes wide, and her expression stark.
“You like deals, don’t you?” Tom asked him.
He didn’t make deals with the devil, not anymore. “What do you want?”
“Oh, I think that’s pretty obvious.” Tom’s gaze slid over his shoulder. To the elevator. To Zoe.
“No,” Victor growled as rage twisted in his gut.
“Yes.” Tom nodded. “I want you to walk away from Zoe. She is not meant for you. You really think Luther would ever let you stay with his daughter? An FBI agent?” He laughed again, and the sound was mocking. “He’d kill you first.”
Victor recognized the threat for exactly what it was—and he didn’t give a shit. “I walk away, and she’s dead. The price on her head—”
“I’ll keep her safe.”
“Vic
tor!” Zoe called.
“You have until the elevator reaches the ground floor to make your decision,” Tom told him, voice so soft and smug. “Because if you haven’t chosen—and made the right choice by the time you reach the lobby—then your FBI and cop friends will be swarming…and they’ll be coming to arrest you. One click on my computer, and the video of your assault on me—and Elizabeth’s parentage news—will go far and wide. To the cops. To the FBI. To the Press. To all of Luther’s enemies…”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. This bastard was smarter than Victor had suspected. “What the hell…if I’m already going down…” Victor began. But he didn’t finish that sentence. Not yet. Instead, he swung his fist. And this time, hell, yes, he broke Tom’s nose. Bones crunched and Tom howled in pain and fury. “Then I might as well enjoy myself a little more.” He glared at the bastard—a bastard now clutching his broken nose. “That was for breaking her heart.”
He whirled away and stalked toward the elevator. Toward Zoe. She watched him, her beautiful green eyes locked on his with every step that he took.
And as she stared at him, Victor saw the fear in her gaze. He’d never wanted her to look at him that way. Never wanted her doubt and her anger and her pain.
He stopped in front of her.
“Victor?”
There were a million things he needed to say to her. A million. But he had no idea where to begin. He lifted his hand and swiped that keycard so he could get in the elevator. So they could get in. He pushed her inside and turned to look back at Tom. Blood dripped down the guy’s face and stained his suit. Tom glared at Victor with absolute hatred in his eyes.
The doors slowly slid closed.
Chapter Fourteen
The bastard had broken his nose. Tom swiped at the blood that kept gushing out and glared at the elevator. Victor Monroe was a pain in his ass. He was also a problem that would be eliminated.
One way or the other.
Tom swung around and stomped back to his office. He yelled at the guards. Those two had sure been freaking useless. If they failed him again, it would be the last mistake they made.
Tom headed toward his desk. He typed in the security code that unlocked the top drawer of his desk, and when he opened the drawer there, his laptop waited. He pulled it out, booted it up, and, a few keystrokes later, he connected with the building’s security feed.