by Laurie Roma
“I’ve been following the news reports,” Jessup told them. “There’s been no sign of Paul, and the parents haven’t had a problem shifting the blame onto their son, but it hasn’t worked completely. Their business has taken a hit, and a lot of dealers won’t work with them anymore.”
“Which has to piss them off,” Sam commented. “But the authorities have to have more dirt on them. After what happened to Zoe, there have to be reports about the investigation they are doing on their company and the players.”
“There are, but I can’t access anything without letting everyone in the Marshals service know that I’m looking into it,” Jessup stated with a sigh.
Dare shot Nikita a glance before he said, “Leave that to us. We can get the data without anyone knowing.”
Dante knew that Dare and Nikita had worked for some super-secret agency before they’d come to Breakers. They both had skills and resources that few people had access to, and he was grateful to count them as friends. “We want to leak that Zoe is here. If we can lure Paul Wei here with his men, we can control the situation better than if we took the fight to New York.”
“I can contact someone at the Marshals service, tell them that Zoe made contact,” Jessup offered. “If someone is monitoring the reports, that should get back to the Wei family.”
Dante nodded. “True, but I think we have an easier way to get the information out. During the anniversary party at the bar this Saturday, we are going to have pictures taken. We just have to make sure to post them.”
“So far, I’ve been very careful not to have any pictures of me uploaded on the web. All it will take is one, and Paul will be able to track me,” Zoe said.
“He has resources to do that?” Hammer asked, surprised.
“No, but my father does. And once he finds me, he’ll lead Paul straight here.”
“Your father?” Storm asked. “Has he been looking for you? And why in God’s name would your father lead that bastard to you?”
“Because my father won’t be able to help coming to track down his wayward daughter once he knows where I am. He won’t know Paul will follow him, but that’s what will happen. My father is Jin Tao…the owner of Tao Technologies. That’s why it will only take one picture.”
Silence met her statement.
Finally, Hunter broke the stillness when he said, “Yeah, I guess he can find you, seeing as the man owns his own fucking satellite and all. Christ, he probably has facial recognition programs running daily searching for you.”
“Holy shit, your dad is a billionaire. I just bought the latest Tao Tech computer for work, and it cost me an arm and a leg,” Hammer muttered in disbelief.
“I may be a little pissed at you after all, since I paid for the beers the other night,” Sam said when she noticed how uncomfortable Zoe looked. “Then again, it was my turn, so I guess I have to give you a pass.”
Zoe shot her a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
“After the anniversary party, we’ll have to be ready,” Dante said, getting back to the point. “I want Zoe protected around the clock after the pictures are posted and Jessup leaks her location to his agency.” Facing her, he added, “I also want to show you how to shoot a gun, just in case.”
“No need,” Nikita said. She’d been surprisingly quiet during the conversation so far. “She goes shooting with me and Sam every few weeks.” When all the men in the room simply stared at her in stunned silence, Nikita shrugged. “What? It’s fun.”
“Now, that’s what I call real girl bonding time.” Sam let out a happy sigh, then bumped her fist against Nikita’s.
“You women are a menace,” Storm accused. “And now I have Zoe running around with a firearm and no license. Don’t say it, I know she needs to protect herself, but damn it, this shit is giving me a headache.”
Dante gritted his teeth. “You never told me about that.”
Zoe just blinked at him innocently. “What do you think I do on my days off?”
When Sam snickered, Dante turned to glare at her.
Brix stroked at his chin with one hand, looking thoughtful. “You do realize that even if this works, this doesn’t guarantee that the rest of the family won’t come after Zoe once we take this Paul bastard down.”
“I know,” Dante said wearily. “But we can hope that they will use him as their fall guy and put an end to this shit. If they come after Zoe after Paul is gone, that will only bring more heat down on them.”
The conversation turned to Zoe’s protection detail, with Sheriff Wyatt taking the lead on that, and Jessup offering suggestions. Hammer told them he would be asking a few of his people at the gym to keep an eye out, while Brix was put in charge of organizing the bouncers at the bar.
Hunter sat back, thinking about the situation as the planning continued. A few minutes later, he watched as Nikita quietly got up and headed toward the front door while everyone else was distracted. As someone who would be instrumental at figuring out how to keep Zoe safe, it didn’t sit right with him that she wasn’t contributing anything to the conversation.
And that immediately put him on guard.
Nikita could be sarcastic, cutting, and mean as a snake, but what most people didn’t realize was that she was at her most dangerous when she went quiet. Besides working for her part-time at Ink This, Hunter also thought of Nikita as one of his closest friends…maybe even like a sister. Well, a surly, volatile, slightly psychotic sister, but hey, every family had its issues.
But the one truth Hunter knew down to his bones was that she would never walk away from a friend in trouble.
Cursing under his breath, Hunter got up to follow her. He wasn’t surprised when Dare joined him at the front door. Nikita had just made it down the front steps when both men pushed out onto the veranda.
“Just where do you think you’re going?” Hunter drawled out.
“You know.”
And because he did, it worried him. “Damn it, Nuria.”
She met Hunter’s glare with an icy cool look of her own. There was a long moment of silence before she spoke. “Zoe is a friend.”
“We know,” Hunter said. “But that still doesn’t mean you have to do what I think you’re planning to do.”
“Go back inside and stop nagging me.” She turned away from them, heading toward her bike. Hunter and Dare quickly followed, not letting her get away so easily.
“This is going to work,” Dare told her. “We’ll be ready for Paul and whoever he comes with. We’ll keep Zoe safe.”
“I know.”
Her simply agreement had Dare’s eyes narrowing. “Then where are you going?”
Hunter crossed his arms over his massive chest as he said, “She’s going to New York.”
“Fuck, I was afraid you were going to say that. You said you wanted out,” Dare added, reminding her of her vow to stop working for the covert agency they had both been a part of.
Her smile was anything but humorous. “And we both know we never really get out.”
“Nikita—”
“You know Zoe will never be safe while the Wei family is still out there.” She threw her leg over her Ducati, but paused before turning her bike on when Hunter spoke again.
“I’ll go with you.”
A small smile softened her features briefly as she looked at Hunter before her expression hardened to an impassive mask once more. “Stay here and watch the shop for me.”
He let out a weary sigh. “Exactly how long will you be gone?”
“Until.”
Hunter let out a low, vicious curse. “That’s not an answer.”
“That’s the only one you’re going to get.”
“Becca’s gonna be pissed if you just take off,” he pointed out.
“Tell my sister…no, I’ll just contact her later.”
“Zoe is going to be hurt if you leave. You know we can make some calls. There are others we can point in the right direction who can look into this,” Dare said, trying to reason with her. When h
e saw she wasn’t swayed he added, “You know everyone will ask where you went. What do you expect us to tell them?”
Her violet eyes took on a gleam of savage intent as she leveled a stare at them. “Tell them I’ve gone hunting.”
She made a move to start her bike, then swore as Zoe burst out of the front door. They watched her run down the front steps and saw Dante come out onto the veranda behind her.
“Give me a minute with her,” Nikita said softly.
Hunter studied her for a few seconds, then he gave in. “Good hunting.”
“Same to you.”
Dare and Hunter started back to the front porch as Zoe ran up.
“Where are you going?” Zoe panted out.
Nikita wanted to sigh again, but she fought down the urge. “I’m leaving town for a while.”
Zoe’s dark eyes widened in shock. “But…you…you’re leaving?”
Damned emotions, Nikita thought. She’d planned to leave before she had to deal with any of this shit, but now that she was caught, she couldn’t leave letting Zoe think she was abandoning her. “I’m going to New York, Zoe.”
It took Zoe a few seconds to catch on, and when she did, her jaw dropped open. “You’re going after the Wei family.”
Neither confirming nor denying, Nikita said, “The people here will keep you safe. Don’t pull any of that stupid shit like ditching your bodyguards or running off on your own. Work with them to end this.”
“I will, I promise.” Zoe’s eyes filled. “You don’t have to do this for me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nikita shift uncomfortably on the seat of her bike at the sight of Zoe’s tears. She started her bike, drowning out whatever Zoe said next, but before she could take off, Zoe flung herself at Nikita, wrapping her arms around her in a fierce embrace. Nikita hesitated, then awkwardly patting her on the back a few times.
“Please be careful, and stay safe,” Zoe whispered.
Nikita simply grunted in reply, then gently pushed Zoe away from her. “Later, Angel.”
Zoe stepped back and watched as Nikita sped down the drive. It had startled her when Nikita had called her a shorter version of her real name. She’d gotten used to hearing it from Dante, but that was an endearment, not an actual name.
From Nikita, it has sounded foreign…but nice.
From the porch, Dante, Hunter and Dare stood silently while Zoe continued to watch Nikita’s bike as it disappeared from view down the driveway.
“She’s going to New York, isn’t she?” Dante asked softly.
“Yeah, she is,” Hunter confirmed.
“Damn. A part of me wishes I could go with her,” Dante admitted. “But I can’t leave Zoe. Paul Wei will be coming here for her…I can feel it. I need to be here to take that motherfucker down, but damned if I don’t want to make sure his family pays for what they’ve done to her, too. Those bastards have used her for years.”
“Niki will see it done,” Hunter assured him.
“She’s gonna get herself killed,” Dare bit out through clenched teeth.
“No,” Hunter said softly. “She’s got contacts that will help her take care of this.”
But at what cost, Dare thought. His stomach rolled as he thought about the answer to that question. Nikita might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but she was a friend who had helped him during a time when he had been damaged and in need of some guidance.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Dare finally said with a sigh.
Hunter grunted. “Doesn’t matter. She’s gonna do it anyway. Nikita knows that Zoe will never be safe otherwise.”
“And I gotta love that crazy woman for doing it,” Dante said. “Honestly, I don’t think she’d even need my help.”
“Trust me, she wouldn’t,” Dare said with conviction. He knew what she was capable of, and could say it with certainty. Still, there was a worried look in his eyes as he turned toward them. “I just don’t want her doing anything she can’t live with.”
Hunter sighed. “That’s what you guys don’t get. There’s nothing she can’t live with. What worries her is if we can live with her afterward.”
Dante watched as Zoe wiped at her cheeks before turning to head back toward the house. He met her at the top of the steps and pulled her close, feeling a little of his anxiety ease as she leaned her head on his chest and her arms wrapped around his waist.
It might have been selfish of him, but Dante realized that he could forgive Nikita anything if she could keep the woman he loved out of danger.
He just hoped that it didn’t cost her too much of her soul in exchange for Zoe’s safety.
Chapter Twelve
Zoe paced her apartment, feeling a little stir-crazy.
It was the Tuesday after the anniversary party, and she’d agreed to stay indoors despite the fact she had the night off. She knew that Brix, Sam and Jessup were close by, but she wasn’t in the mood for company.
She’d woken up late, then spent the afternoon cleaning to distract herself, but every second indoors made her want to be outside in the gorgeous evening even more. Still, she remembered the promise she’d given Nikita, and Zoe vowed not to make things more difficult for the people trying to protect her.
After the meeting with their friends last Monday, Zoe had agreed to put her violin in the local bank vault so they didn’t have to worry about Paul Wei going after it. Dante had insisted on it, despite her protests. The instrument was like a security blanket for her. She liked knowing it was close by, even if she didn’t feel like playing it.
Sensing her sorrow, Dante had surprised her a few days later with another violin. It wasn’t a very expensive piece, but it meant more to her that he would think to get it for her than the actual value of the instrument. She had only played it once so far, and the sound quality wasn’t as good as her other violin, but she enjoyed watching Dante’s face light up as he listened.
They’d been busy the rest of the week preparing for the anniversary party, and there had been a brief moment of celebration when she and Dante had announced their engagement, but all of that had changed once they found out that someone was after Zoe. After that, she’d sensed a new tension in everyone that told her they were operating under a heightened sense of awareness.
Combat readiness was what Dante called it.
All the bar employees had instantly gone into protection mode. No one fucked with one of theirs…they’d make damn sure of it.
Dante had suggested that Zoe stop working at the bar until the threat was over, but she had argued against it. If she constantly had a protection detail with her, that meant there would be less people watching over the bar if she wasn’t there. He’d conceded since he felt she would be better protected surrounded by their people, not to mention almost everyone in the bar was armed to the teeth.
She’d gotten an earful from GT after Zoe had expressed some concern about her being in the bar if Paul showed up. It was one thing for the ex-military bouncers to be put in a dangerous situation, but the other bartenders and waitresses were a whole different issue.
“You have Sarah to think about…” Zoe had started to say.
“My daughter is just fine with my mother watching over her while I’m at work. And I fucking dare that cocksucking motherfucker to come in here to try and mess with you while I’m here. I’ll load his goddamn face full of lead,” GT had raged.
The waitresses had been a little less violent with their responses, but the gist was the same. They would continue to work, and if anyone came in to mess with Zoe, they would do what they could to help. It made Zoe weepy to think about all the friendships she had formed in Breakers. The people she had come to know were loyal and trustworthy. They had accepted her as one of their own, and she wasn’t surprised when she realized that she loved every single one of them.
During the week, Dante had made sure to take her shooting out in his backyard to check her proficiency. She wasn’t expert level by any means, but she could hit th
e cans he set up on the fence if she wasn’t too far away from them. He still wasn’t happy that she had learned most of her skill from Nikita and Sam, but she pretty much ignored him whenever he went into that particular rant.
Zoe might not have shot at anything besides targets and cans, but she’d damn well do whatever it took to protect herself and the people she cared about.
After he deemed her skill satisfactory, Dante insisted she carry her gun with her whenever she left her apartment, and because it gave him comfort that she would be able to protect herself if needed, she did. It felt strange carrying a weapon, but then again it seemed that everyone else in the bar was packing too, so she was in good company.
Sheriff Wyatt hadn’t been pleased when she confessed to having the gun, but instead of taking it from her, he’d simply shaken his head at her and said, “Try not to kill anyone.”
At the anniversary party, Zoe tried to have fun, but she’d been too aware that everything would change after that night. One of the high points for her had been watching Malcolm Fox and Ellie Tate snuggled up in a corner booth together. She and GT had joked about all of them potentially becoming family, but deep down, Zoe wished it were true.
The party had been a success, but it had simply felt like the calm before the storm. She’d been photographed with the other employees in a big group picture, and she knew that Dante had felt her trembling when he’d held her.
And that was the first night since they’d been together that she and Dante hadn’t made love.
He’d held her close through the night, but there was a distance between them that hadn’t been there before. She could sense it. At first it had worried her, but she quickly realized that he was completely focused on protecting her. It was her first real glimpse of the soldier he had been, and the deadly purpose in his ice-blue eyes frightened her a little even as it gave her comfort to know he would do anything to keep her safe.
The photo had run in the local news the following morning, and Dante had also posted it on the bar’s Facebook page and website. Seeing it online had filled Zoe with a sense of dread, but she also felt a new anticipation. She wanted her nightmare to end, and she was ready for whatever was to come.