Securing Zoey

by Susan Stoker

  “That’s great, Mom,” Zoey said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

  “It is! He’s different from anyone I’ve ever met before. He’s so good-looking, and has a great job too.”

  “Are you sure this is what you want, Mom?” Zoey asked, knowing what her mom was going to say before she said it.

  “Yes! This is it, Zoey. I feel it in my bones!”

  “I’m happy for you then.”

  “Thanks, baby. I’ll call when I get settled in and give you my new address.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay!”

  “Me too. Drive safe.”

  “I will. Love you.”

  “Love you too, Mom. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Zoey handed the phone back to Ace and scooted up on the bed. Most of the towels had been folded, and she felt six pairs of eyes on her.

  Making sure no emotions were on her face, she looked up and said unnecessarily, “That was my mom.”

  “She’s not coming to see you?” Rex asked with a frown.

  Zoey shrugged. “Apparently, she’s moving to Fairbanks with her latest boyfriend.”

  None of the guys said anything, and it felt extremely awkward, so Zoey tried to explain. “It’s just how she is. We never stayed in one place long when I was growing up. We moved from town to town when Mom met guys. She always thought they were ‘the one.’ I’m used to it. It’s fine.”

  “She should be here,” Phantom said harshly.

  Zoey flinched, but shrugged. “She does her best. She hasn’t had an easy life. We were even homeless for a while when we lived here in Anchorage. I was in middle school and we stayed in our car for about three months, until she found a job and we could move into one of those rent-by-the-week motel rooms. The only thing she wants in life is a guy who will take care of her.”

  The more Zoey spoke, the more pathetic her mom sounded, and she hated that. “She’s not a bad person,” she said urgently. “She’s…it’s just that her goal in life is stability, and she hasn’t been able to find that yet. So she moves from town to town, guy to guy, looking for it.”

  “That’s why you moved to Juneau when you were in the tenth grade?” Mark asked.

  Zoey nodded. “Yeah. Her latest boyfriend lived there and convinced her to move to be with him. When I was a senior, she broke up with him but stayed so I could graduate. The day after I walked across the stage, she headed to Kodiak with a new boyfriend.”

  “Jesus,” Gumby muttered.

  “And you stayed,” Mark said. He hadn’t taken his eyes from hers.

  “Yeah. I liked it there, and I was tired of moving around. Besides, it was way easier for my mom. She didn’t have to worry about me then.”

  “You mean the assholes she was hooking up with had one less person to worry about,” Rex said under his breath.

  “Yeah, that too,” Zoey agreed. She knew she was a third wheel in her mom’s relationships. Some of the men had made that more than clear. Breaking up with her mom because she had a kid, or simply ignoring Zoey. “But seriously, she loves me, and I love her. I hope this guy is the one she’s been praying for her entire life.” She didn’t mention that she doubted it, but figured she didn’t have to.

  “I’ll get these towels back to housekeeping,” Rocco said.

  “I’ll help,” Ace chimed in.

  “We’ll all help,” Gumby said.

  One second, Zoey was surrounded by six hot, bearded men, and the next she was alone with Mark once more. “Thank you,” she told him. “I haven’t felt that spoiled since I was ten and my mom splurged and bought me breakfast at McDonald’s, lunch at Hardees, and dinner at Kentucky Fried Chicken.”

  Mark smiled, but she could tell it was forced. “I’m sorry about you not getting to see your mom.”

  Zoey shrugged. “Honestly, Mark, I’m used to it. And I got to see her for a while before I got on that stupid plane. It’s fine.”

  She could tell he was struggling with her mom’s inattentiveness, but she relaxed when she realized he was going to let it drop. “I’ve got another surprise,” he told her.

  Zoey shook her head. “You’ve done enough for me. I should be finding ways to spoil you. I wasn’t the one who took a header into a glacier-fed stream.”

  Ignoring her as if she hadn’t spoken, he said, “Scoot over here and sit on the floor by the bed.” He took a pillow and placed it on the floor at the end of the bed.

  Frowning, she got off the bed and went to where he’d indicated, sitting slowly on the pillow. He grabbed a bag from on top of the dresser, and then sat on the bed behind her. His legs were on either side of her body, and she could feel his heat radiating into her.

  “I had Rex stop at the pharmacy. He got some detangling spray—I think that’s what it’s called—and different kinds of combs and brushes. I didn’t know what would work best on your hair and didn’t want to rip it out at the roots.”

  Zoey stilled for a second, then turned to stare at him. “You did?”

  “Yeah. I told you I’d help you brush your hair when we were rescued, and that’s what I’m doing…unless you’d prefer I didn’t.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’d love that. But I just…” Her voice trailed off.

  “You just what?” Mark asked.

  “I thought you’d want to hang out with your friends. They’re obviously glad to see you. I’m just kinda confused.”

  “I’m not leaving you, Zo. Maybe I’m the only one who’s feeling a little lost, but I don’t want to be away from you.”

  “Do you think we’re still in danger?” Zoey asked.

  “Maybe. But that’s not why I don’t want to be away from you. Something happened out there. I’ve always liked you, Zoey. Even when we were teenagers, I thought there was something special about you. But spending every day with you for a week made that ‘like’ morph into something more. Respect. Admiration. I want to see where things between us can go. Maybe being in the real world will make me realize what I was feeling wasn’t what I thought it was. But what if it makes me feel even closer to you? If I’m out of line here, now’s your time to speak up.”

  Zoey swallowed hard. She was at a crossroads in her life right this second. She could choose the easy path. Go back to her boring and lonely life in Juneau by herself, now that Colin was gone. Or she could take the winding, bumpy path with Mark. She had no idea where that scary and unknown path would take her, but at least she’d be living.

  For a second, she wondered if this was how her mom often felt. That the winding road might lead her to heartache, but it also might lead her to the life she’d always dreamed of. She understood her mom a little more at that moment, and felt a little guilty at the way she’d always judged her so harshly.

  “You’re not out of line,” she told Mark. “I admired and respected you before we even crossed paths again because of your dad. He talked about you all the time. To be honest, I’ve always had a crush on you. But now that I know you?” She shook her head. “You’re so much more than the stories your dad told. And I’d like to see where things between us can go too, but I’m scared to death of being like my mom. Of moving to another city every time a man asks me to.”

  Mark smiled, then put a hand on her shoulder, physically turning her so her back was to him once again. He sprayed her mussed hair with the detangler and slowly, and ever so carefully, began to brush her hair.

  “How many men have you moved for?” he asked.

  “Well, none,” Zoey said.

  “Right. I’ve been thinking about this ever since we were picked up. I already told you I wanted you to come down to Riverton with me, both to keep you safe from whoever wanted us to disappear, but also because I could see you all the time. I don’t want you to feel as if you’re completely dependent on me, I know you want to be independent, and I have no issues with that.

  “I have this neighbor… She’s eighty-three, and she lives by herself. She never had any children, and her h
usband passed away about five years ago. She does pretty well on her own, but I’ve noticed recently that she’s been slowing down. I mow her grass and try to touch base with her once a week, but her house hasn’t been cleaned the way I know she likes it recently, and I don’t think she’s been eating as well as she should.

  “She’s lonely as hell. One night when I went over to visit, I stayed several hours. We played cards and talked. She said she would enjoy having someone stay with her, but she didn’t have any family left. Meeting you, hearing how you took care of Pop, got me thinking. What if you moved in with her? She’s really nice and honestly doesn’t need much care. She just needs someone to be there just in case, and to talk to.

  “As much as I’d like for you to move in with me, I’m not sure that’s the best thing for either of us at this point. So this could be the next best thing. I could still see you almost every day, since you’d be living across the street, but you could be independent and do what I think you enjoy doing…taking care of others.”

  Zoey closed her eyes. Between his hands on her hair, slowly brushing, and his words, she was practically a puddle at his feet. She wanted to turn around and throw herself into his arms, but a part of her was still scared she might be misinterpreting what he was saying.

  “So you want me to come to California because I might still be in danger, and because you want someone to look after your neighbor?”

  He stopped brushing and leaned over, putting his hand on her chin and turning her so she had no choice but to look at him. “No. I want you to come to California because the thought of leaving here without you makes me physically sick. And I want you to look after Jess because I honestly think it’s something you’d love. I saw how animated you got when you talked about hanging with my dad and helping him out. But more than that, it’ll give you some independence, and you’ll be near me so I can see you every day.”

  When Zoey could only stare at him and try to get her thoughts in order to respond, he kept talking.

  “I know this is sudden and you have a life here in Alaska. You have a job and all your things are here. But we can figure that stuff out. I heard what you said about your mom, and this is not that. You’re an amazing woman all by yourself. You don’t need me to be successful in life. You don’t need any man. But I’m sitting here pretty much begging you to let me be in your life. You hold all the cards here, Zoey. Jess can pay you to help her, so you won’t be dependent on me. I just…I can’t let you go. Please say yes. At least try it out.”

  “Yes,” Zoey said when he took a breath, probably to continue to say things that would make her fall for him even harder.

  “Yes?” he asked.

  Zoey nodded.

  Mark let out a little whoop of delight that made Zoey chuckle, then he stood, pulling her up with him and folding her into his arms and spinning in circles, laughing delightedly.

  “Everything okay in here?” Rocco asked, poking his head into the room from the connecting door.

  “Everything’s great,” Mark told him. “Zoey agreed to go back to Riverton with us.”

  “Awesome. Oh, and, Bubba, I got in touch with your dad’s lawyer. Tomorrow afternoon, he’s going forward with the official reading of Colin’s will.” Then he pulled back and shut the connecting door behind him.

  Zoey’s enthusiasm dimmed at hearing that. Mark still held her in the circle of his arms. “I’m so sorry about your dad,” she said. “I’m not sure, in all the hub bub, that I even told you that.”

  “I know you are. And honestly, I’m glad we’re getting this done. The sooner we know what Dad left us and why someone might’ve wanted us dead, the closer we are to figuring out who’s behind it.”

  “Do you really think there’s going to be any big surprises in his will?” Zoey asked. “I mean, your dad was one of the most straightforward men I’ve ever met. I can’t imagine he’s got millions of dollars stashed overseas somewhere. Or that he’s a member of some secret organization or something and his ‘associates’ want to get their hands on his money.”

  Mark smiled down at her. “No, I don’t imagine there will be anything shocking. I’m guessing that his stuff will be pretty much split between me and Malcom. And he obviously left something to you. And since he’s a half partner in a business, something will have to be done with that too. I can’t think of any reason why someone would want to kill us.”

  “Oh…speaking of the will, have you seen your brother?”

  “Yeah. I saw him for a brief moment while you were showering.”

  “And?”

  “And what? We were glad to see each other. He’s been in Anchorage helping with the search for us.”

  “And did it go okay?”

  Mark stared at her for a long moment. “Yeah, it did. He seemed very happy to see me alive and well. It surprised me, actually. He’s either a very good actor, or he was genuinely relieved to see me.”

  “Interesting. Did he say anything about me?”

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Mark asked, looking concerned now.

  “Nothing. It’s just…we don’t really get along, Mark. And it’s not a big deal, but he was mad at me before I left Juneau. He was supposed to come to the house I’m renting and look at the roof, then get someone out to fix a leak, but he never came. I asked him three times when he was coming over before I finally had to go to Colin, which pissed off Malcom. I hated to do it, but the stupid roof wasn’t going to fix itself. Anyway…it’s ridiculous. Of course he didn’t mention it because it’s silly to be worrying about that now, when you were missing and miraculously found.”

  “I won’t deny that Malcom and I have grown apart since I left Juneau, but honestly, we weren’t all that close while growing up. We were simply too different. He’s still my brother, and I love him. But if he gives you any shit tomorrow, or even looks at you wrong, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”

  Zoey sighed. “Thanks. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  Mark looked skeptical but didn’t say anything more about it. “How about you sit back down and let me finish your hair?” he suggested.

  Nodding, Zoey lowered herself back onto the pillow and couldn’t help but feel goose bumps when Mark once again began running a brush through her hair. It felt so good, and she felt a true connection with him at that moment.

  She was mostly asleep, swaying in position as Mark brushed her hair way longer than necessary. It was practically dry by the time he finally called it quits. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you tucked in.”

  He helped her up and led her to the bed, and when he started to step back, she reached out and grabbed his arm. “Stay with me?”

  “You sure?” he asked. “I was going to sleep in the other bed.”

  Zoey shook her head. “Please?”

  Without comment, Mark shucked off his pants and climbed under the covers. He pulled her toward him until she used his shoulder as a pillow. She twined her leg with his, and his arm around her tightened. “God, this feels so much better than the hard, cold ground,” she murmured.

  “Agreed. Sleep, Zo. We’re safe.”

  “I’ve never felt safer than when your arms are around me,” Zoey admitted sleepily.

  She didn’t feel him relax under her, didn’t feel him reverently kiss her temple. The second the words left her mouth, she fell into a sleep borne of a week of uneasiness, being cold, and not knowing if they’d be rescued.

  Chapter Twelve

  Following a nervous flight to Juneau, Bubba sat around a large table the next afternoon and listened to Kenneth Eklund, his dad’s lawyer, read the last will and testament of Colin Wright. The room was packed full, with him, his brother, Zoey, Tracy Eklund, the lawyer’s wife—who also served as his assistant—Sean Kassamali, his dad’s business partner, and his wife Vivian. Also in attendance were Rocco and Phantom. Bubba had asked them to attend to keep watch over everyone there, and so they could relay any particular names to Tex, to see if the computer genius could come up with
a reason why someone would want him, and possibly Zoey, dead.

  The more he thought about how close they’d come to being missed by the search chopper, the more Bubba was convinced his pop had to have had a hand in their rescue. He was usually never as careless as he’d been at the stream. Nothing had happened the way he’d planned it, and because it had been so FUBAR, it made him think it had all gone down exactly the way it was supposed to.

  He was happy to be alive. Happy to have reconnected with Zoey. He was pleased he was able to see his brother in person. Talking with Sean was also good. The man had always been somewhat of a grouch, but it seemed that Colin’s death had mellowed him some. He wasn’t the same asshole Bubba remembered him being in the past. He said a lot of great things about his pop, and it was clear the other man loved his friend and was devastated he was gone.

  “If it’s okay with everyone, I’m going to paraphrase what Colin said in his will instead of reading the legalese word for word,” the lawyer said after everyone was seated and ready for him to begin.

  Kenneth was in his mid-fifties and wore a gray suit with a red tie that didn’t seem to match the solemn occasion. He was around five foot nine inches tall and had a pronounced beer belly. His light hair was combed back and Bubba could see the lines his comb had made in it when he’d last brushed it back.

  His wife and assistant, Tracy, stood behind his chair and looked bored out of her mind. She’d said all the right things earlier, telling Bubba and Malcom that she was sorry for their loss, but her tone didn’t exactly match her words. She was quite a bit younger than her husband, and stood at his same height in her two inch heels. She had on a black dress, which hugged her slender body, but all-in-all, simply looked as if she was trying too hard to be fashionable and younger than she really was.

  When everyone agreed, he continued. “Right, so Colin had about a hundred thousand dollars in cash in his accounts. This money will be evenly split between Mark and Malcom Wright, and Zoey Knight. The house he was living in will go to Malcom; the house Zoey was renting will go to her to do with as she pleases. As for his investments, he’s instructed those to go to four different charities in Juneau: The Glory Hall, an emergency shelter and food bank; Best Friends Animal Society, which is a no-kill shelter; Big Brothers, Big Sisters; and this last one he added at the last minute when he was sick…the Hospice and Home Care of Juneau.”