"I am the police!"
Silence enveloped the room as they stared at one another. His stomach ached as his feet itched to move closer to her. The hurt in her eyes. Just as suddenly, they went round with shock as if a sudden realization came over her.
"You thought I was a hooker and then you were going to arrest me, weren't you?"
His hand released the chair from the death-like grip he had been exerting and averted his eyes. That's exactly what he had planned to do. How could he explain he read her wrong? That he regretted insulting her. He wanted a second chance.
"I can explain—"
"No need to explain. You were doing your job. Of course, perhaps you need more training to realize who is a hooker and who isn't and how far you should really go in that kind of situation."
"Would you quit interrupting me? Can we please talk about this privately?" He took a step forward, pleading with his eyes as best as he could.
She backed up and crossed her arms. "Why are you in Mr. Mills's office?"
His stomach twirled with disgust as her bottom lip trembled. Damn, she was on the verge of tears because of him.
"Great question. And let's all lower our voices. People are starting to stare." Ben gestured towards the office window where the blinds hung halfway down. "We need to look into Mr. Mills's files and ask you some questions about him. I'm assuming you're his secretary Zoe Sullivan?"
"Assuming is a very dangerous thing, sir. Look what happened the last time an officer of the law assumed something." Her voice sounded in control, yet the glistening in the corner of her eyes couldn't be mistaken. Tears were coming.
"You're right. Zeke's an asshole. Nobody's denying that. Please, what's your name?" Ben asked calmly, glancing at Zeke. His lips were pressed together, clearly showing his annoyance at being called an asshole. He couldn't deny the title, but damn if it didn't hurt his pride to hear it from his partner.
"Well, I am his secretary. He hasn't been in today and I'm not quite sure when he will be," she replied, sucking in a small breath as the tears still lingered in her eyes.
"Why in the hell wouldn't you just say you were his secretary from the beginning? Clearly, my partner was right in his assumption," Zeke snapped.
Damn the sadness filtering in her eyes. Nobody to blame but himself. His heart would break if tears started to fall. And yelling at her wouldn't help his case any. Why was he yelling at her?
Fear could make a person do ugly things. Such a coward.
"Not my fault when people assume things," Zoe said with a shrug.
"When was the last time you saw Mr. Mills?" Ben asked.
"Why are you asking about him? Don't you work hookers or something? Is he involved in the sex trade of some kind?"
"Are you serious?" Zeke growled. What else did he expect her to think after the night they shared?
Zoe's lips tightened as her arms stayed curled together. At least the tears didn't look close to falling anymore.
Ben shook his head at Zeke and walked up to Zoe, blocking her view of him. "Let me clarify a few things so we can get back on track. I'm Detective Ben Stoyer and that idiot over there is my partner, Detective Zeke Chance. He was helping that night on a prostitution sting. He obviously made an error in judgment. We don't work vice, but homicide. Mr. Mills was found dead this morning."
Zoe would've lost her balance if Ben hadn't been standing so close to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her to the chair in front of the desk. Zeke clenched his fists at the sight. No man should be touching her. Not even his partner.
The jealousy hit him like waves crashing against the shoreline. Only his hands belonged on her. And yet, he lost his chance. He insulted her, degraded her, and cheapened what they shared. The feeling in his stomach reached new heights, making him search for the nearest trash can, which sat next to the desk.
"Take deep breaths, Ms. Sullivan," Ben said, glancing at Zeke.
Zeke couldn't help but glare daggers. The silent glint in Ben's eyes communicated how badly he screwed up. Deal with the consequences.
A knock on the doorframe made him avert his eyes.
"Ms. Black said you wanted to speak to me about Mr. Murphy. I'm Rina Chastain, his secretary." She walked inside the office and approached Zoe. "What happened, Zoe?"
Zeke crossed his arms like a petulant child. If Ben wanted to take over, he'd let him.
Ben looked away from him, shaking his head. He looked at Rina and rocked back on his feet before finding his voice. "I'm Detective Ben Stoyer, and that's my partner, Zeke Chance. Mr. Mills was found murdered this morning."
"Oh, my. Zoe, are you alright?" Rina said as she rubbed Zoe's back, glancing between Ben and Zeke, her expression blank until her eyes landed back on Zoe.
Zeke wanted to shove everyone aside and embrace her in the fiercest hug imaginable. Rejection would be inevitable, possibly even more anger and tears directed his way, but anything would be better than the paleness covering her skin.
"Where's Murphy? Where is he?" Zoe clutched Rina's arm, the panic falling out in waves as she focused on Ben. "He's not dead too, is he?"
"We were hoping you would know where he is, Ms. Chastain. His wife hasn’t heard from him since last night. We can't say if he's dead," Ben replied, looking back and forth between Zoe and Rina.
"The last time I spoke to him was yesterday around five, right before I left," Rina responded softly, her eyes avoiding his gaze as she clasped her hand over Zoe's.
Ben crouched down to Zoe's level. Zeke wanted to growl for him to back off. "When did you last speak to Mr. Mills? Did he mention any problems or issues he was having?"
Zoe looked at him, glancing briefly at Rina as well. She bit her lip, hesitating. "I worked late last night. I thought I was alone, but then I noticed him in Mr. Murphy's office. Maybe around eight thirty."
Zeke didn't think he could feel any worse until those words left her mouth. Shivers of fear wracked his body. Mr. Mills was likely killed shortly afterwards. Zoe may have been the last to see him alive.
"Did he say anything?" Zeke finally spoke, his arms falling to his sides.
She refused to lift her eyes his way. "He said goodnight. The entire encounter was strange. I'm pretty sure I saw him take a flash drive from Mr. Murphy's computer. They haven't been getting along lately. The tension's been very thick in the office."
"Do you know what was on the flash drive?" Her skin still held the pale hue. How could he focus on the facts when she looked like that?
"If I did, I would've said so," Zoe snapped as she dared a glance, glaring as she did.
"Can't we get along?" Zeke asked.
"You’re a jerk," Zoe declared as she looked away.
"Whose ass do I have to kick for you?" a woman with crazy curly hair asked as she walked into the office without invitation. Her head instantly snapped between him and Ben.
"It's nothing," Zoe muttered.
"Oh, it's something. You rarely call anyone a jerk."
Rina ignored the question. "They're both detectives with homicide. Mr. Mills was murdered."
Her jaw dropped, then composed herself just as quickly. "When was he murdered? And my instincts say it's the dark haired one behind the desk. Why is he a jerk?"
"I'm not a jerk—" Zeke started to say.
"Yes, you are," Zoe yelled.
"Time out. Who are you?" Ben asked the woman as he stood up and gave Zeke a look to knock it off.
"Deena O'Malley, secretary for Mr. Young. Cop or not, I'll kick his ass for hurting my friend," Dee said with a death glare pointed directly at him.
"Did Mr. Young happen to mention where he was going?" Ben inquired.
"No. He left about an hour ago, quite quickly, actually. He received a phone call right before he left and it wasn't a happy one, that I know," Dee replied, refusing to remove her eyes from Zeke. Not much got to him, but he had to admit, the look she was giving him unnerved him somewhat.
Ben looked back at Zoe. "Are you sure it was a
round eight thirty that he was here, Ms. Sullivan?"
Zoe nodded.
"I still wanna know why he's a jerk," Dee said, the glare intensifying.
"Mystery man right in front of you, Dee. That's why he's a jerk. You called him one too and some other choice words," Zoe blurted as she tossed a shaky hand towards him. She jerked unsteadily from the chair and ran out of the room.
The pain that bled from her mouth had him taking a step to follow her when his partner put a hand out to stop him. "She needs some space, man."
"A cop, huh? Come on, Rina. We need to follow her before she does something rash like cry over this jerk," Dee exclaimed as she turned to leave the room.
Rina slowly followed her, then suddenly turned back around. Her voice didn't rise once in volume. "She won't be back until you leave. I think it's best if you have any questions pertaining to Mr. Mills you ask me, Dee, or Ms. Black. She went out that night to heal from another man treating her unkindly. Instead of going home feeling better, she felt even worse. You have no idea what that did to her. Please leave her alone."
Rina didn't wait for a response. She walked out of the room as if she hollered at the top of her lungs instead of speaking softly.
Her words resonated around Zeke. He had treated her like a prostitute, diminishing the beauty they had created. He'd give anything to turn back the clock and change his actions.
The best thing to walk into his life and he royally screwed it up. He hadn't known her name until five minutes ago. Yet, he couldn't ignore the connection he felt that night. Something he had never experienced before.
It had felt right. Perfect. And he wanted more.
Zeke stared at the doorway, willing Zoe to come back, even as he did, knowing that she wouldn't.
"She's right, you know. I don't think it's best to talk to her," Ben said intruding on his thoughts.
"I know. We both need to cool down and then—"
"Maybe you need to let this one go."
"Why does everyone insist on interrupting me? I'm not letting her go. I was a jerk. I'll admit it. I made a mistake. A huge one. But she's special and I have to fix this. I can fix this." He said the last words like they were true, but they didn't come out very strong. Defeat filled his bones as the seconds ticked by. How could he fix this?
"Let's search through his office and continue to track down Murphy. We have a murder to solve first. Unlikely relationship last."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, partner."
"Hey, man. You dug yourself a deep hole. It's gonna take a lot of digging to get out of that one."
Ben was right. He hoped he wouldn’t be buried alive by attempting to dig himself out. His heart throbbed painfully at the thought of losing. He already spent an entire month without her. Complete torture. Living another day without her seemed impossible.
They searched Mills's office, but didn't find anything suspicious. They took his laptop as evidence, eager for the crime lab to get their hands on it. Any tiny lead would make them happy.
As he walked out, he slipped his card onto Zoe's desk. He wrote his cell number on the back with, please call. I want to explain. His optimism had dropped when she fled the office, but he could still dream she might call him. He'd give her a few days and then drop in on her.
The word quitter wasn't in his vocabulary. A little time and space might help the situation. He had to explain what happened, his reasons for everything. Or at least let her know she wasn't cheap or dirty, but beautiful and sexy.
Revulsion swarmed around as he thought about what he did to her and the pained look in her eyes as she ran away.
How did he expect her to forgive him when he couldn’t even forgive himself?
Chapter 3
"I'm fine, Rina. I promise. I'll be in tomorrow," Zoe said, ending the call with her before she could argue in her sweet, gentle way that always made Zoe cave.
If anyone would dare to come over, they would see how truly miserable she was. Her hair, tossed in a messy bun, didn't even see the shower today. Her grungy pajama pants hung low on her waist and the rattiest shirt she owned clung to her chest. Perhaps dressing better would've improved her mood, but she couldn't find the energy.
Three long days had passed since hearing about Mills's murder, Murphy not surfacing, and learning the name of her mystery man. She should be shocked about her boss's death and the other one missing, but she couldn't get beyond the surprise of running into Zeke.
Even his name was sexy. Damn him.
Every day she woke up determined to forget him. Yet, every night she went to bed dreaming of him. Her treacherous mind refused to flush him clean out of her system. She had found his card on her desk. Her initial reaction had her hand hovering over the trash can, but she never opened her fist.
No matter how horrible she felt, the disastrous emotions swirling constantly in her mind, she couldn't seem to toss his memory away. She still wanted him. Why?
And why hadn't he called her yet? Or dropped by the office? He said he wanted to talk. He couldn't possibly expect her to reach out to him first. It'd be a cold day in hell before that happened.
She went to work the first two days, but the effort to get out of bed today never came. Every time she glanced at Mr. Mills's empty office, her skin prickled with unease. Mr. Young had returned to the office the next day, never explaining why he disappeared. He had told everyone he was cooperating fully with the police, as should they. When he learned more information about his two partners, he would let everyone know.
Dee, of course, yearning for suspense, insisted he was hiding something. Zoe had tried to drown out her voice, not wanting to think about it, and Rina had no opinion on the matter. What would it accomplish to contemplate what happened? Nothing. Except drive the fear further into her veins.
She still couldn't get the image of Mr. Mills walking away from her desk that night. The last time she ever saw him alive again.
And the phone calls. They wouldn't stop. Two days ago, someone called her cell asking, "Where is it?" She had no idea what the person was talking about and hung up. Since then, she had received several hang-ups.
Today the person asked again, "Where is it? I won't keep asking." She had declared as confidently as possible, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Stop bothering me." She didn't wait for a response and hung up immediately.
She needed to voice it to someone. Telling Dee would create over-exaggerated suspense she didn't want. Telling Rina would cause concern she probably couldn't handle.
Earlier in the day, it had crossed her mind to tell Zeke. He was a cop, after all. He could point her in the right direction.
Then the image of him holding out a wad of money slapped her in the face. She never wanted to see him again. The image would then morph into the vision of his beautiful blue eyes as they undressed her with slow, deliberate strokes. She wanted to see him again.
Complete insanity. Back and forth, her turbulent thoughts went all day.
She threw her phone to the side and crashed against the couch cushion. Perhaps she should've told Rina about the calls. A quick glance at the clock told her it was nine o'clock. She should just go to bed. Of course, the minute her head hit the pillow and she closed her eyes, Zeke's handsome face would appear without effort. She would replay the night like a movie on a projector. Why did she act the way she did when her eyes landed on him?
She stood up from the couch, determined to go to bed without thinking about him. Positive thinking. She would wipe him from her mind sooner or later. She merely preferred sooner.
The doorbell rang. The sound tripped up her feet, almost making her tumble to the floor. Could it be the person who called her? Should she hide or check it out?
Exhaling a deep breath, she took a few steps toward the door. One quick glance. Flight or fight mode could kick in after that.
Two feet from the door, the doorbell went off again. She twisted her body to bolt, but froze. Nobody had ever called her a coward. Tentatively, she
peered through the hole and jumped back as if the door had shot up in flames.
Running away seemed like a very good option.
Zeke.
Why was he here? How did he find out where she lived? No phone call from her should've been an obvious answer. Or was he here concerning Mr. Mills and Mr. Murphy? Either way, she didn't want him here.
He should've showed up sooner. Maybe she would've opened the door three days ago, but he had to take his time to find her.
Back and forth once more. Wobbling in her resolve.
She glanced through the peephole again, his bright blue eyes glowing in the night air. The intensity. The magnetic pull they had. Why was he standing on her doorstep? For her? And if so, what took him so long?
She backed away from the door. No. She didn't care what he wanted.
She turned to walk away when he rang the doorbell again.
Screw it. Maybe another slap to his face would get the point across.
Flipping the lock, she swung the door open. "Go away."
Zeke put his foot in the doorframe as she tried to slam the door on his face. "Five minutes, please. If you still don't want me here, I'll leave. I won't bother you again."
So he wasn't here about her work. He had no right to be standing at her doorstep invading her space, her home, or her heart.
His beautiful blue eyes sucked her in. She jerked her gaze away. Always his eyes reeling her in.
"Fine. The clock starts now." She walked away towards the living room. He wouldn’t be receiving any manners tonight. Not to mention, distance. Lots and lots of distance.
Because her body was already begging him to take her.
***
Zeke hadn't realized his heart was pounding until she gave the okay to enter. One chance. That's all he had to make her see reason. To show her the connection they had, the power between them, and become a permanent fixture in her life. Any other result was unacceptable.
He followed her inside, her décor filling his soul with happiness. Sweet and beautiful, just like her. Why did he ever think she was a prostitute? If he could kick his own ass, he would. Maybe he'd have Ben do it.
One Taste of You (One Taste #1) Page 3