"You're not telling me anything I don't already know. What new information do you have?" Ganderson finally interrupted him as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.
Zeke shrugged. "That's all we got, Cap. We're not any closer to finding Murphy. We—"
"That's not what I want to hear, Chance," Ganderson said, glancing at Ben to see if he had anything to add.
Ben shared a look with Zeke, then kept his mouth shut when Zeke subtly shook his head. "Mills's secretary might be connected to this case. She, as far as we know, was the last person to see him alive when he stopped at the office late that night. He took a flash drive from Murphy's office. She's been getting phone calls from someone asking, "Where is it?" We think it could be related to the case, sir."
As soon as that slipped out, it felt real. Too damn real.
That's what the phone calls were about. Why didn't he see that last night when she told him? Because he'd been too busy groveling and attempting to feel her up. That's why. Put him in the same room as Zoe and he lost all train of thought, including the fact he was a cop and should be acting like one.
"Keep me posted. Get out and get to work. No more dallying around," Ganderson said as he pointed for them to get out of his office.
Ben walked out first with Zeke following. As soon as they were out of earshot range, Zeke muttered, "Thanks for the back up there, buddy. You made me talk the entire time."
"Hey, man. You said you were gonna play it cool in the background, and when you didn't, I decided to follow your lead. I wanted to mention the part about Zoe, but you told me no. You seemed to be handling it well," Ben said as he laughed.
"Really? He kept hollering at me and interrupting me. What is it with people interrupting me lately? I—"
"It's just so easy to do. I mean, look at your face. It's a classic look. I'm sure it turns Zoe on like nothing else," Ben snickered.
"Shut up. Don't talk about her that way. I'll deck you," Zeke said with a mock fist in the air.
"So you're saying it does turn her on." Ben laughed and held up his hands as Zeke took a step toward him. "Come on. Let's get lunch and work on her phone records. I know you hate hearing it, but the calls have to be related to our case. We should also head down to the lab. See if anything popped up from the computers yet."
Zeke plopped down at his desk. "I hate to think the calls are related to this case. I don't think I can handle it if she's in any sort of danger. Knowing someone's bothering her, regardless of the reason, makes me want to beat the living shit out of them."
"I can help you if you'd like. You have a lousy right hook."
Zeke aimed a glare at him, although it wasn't as strong as it could've been. He knew what Ben was doing. Trying to distract him. Trying to make him feel better. Trying to make light of a situation that could possibly turn deadly for Zoe.
Coincidence? It couldn't be.
Ben sat down at his desk and leaned back. His eyes softened. "We'll figure it out before anything else happens. She'll be fine."
Zeke nodded his head. She had to be fine. He just found her again.
His hand reached for his phone, then froze. Damn it. He forgot to get her cell number last night. Would she even talk to him if he called her office line? He wanted to hear her voice to know she was safe.
He continued to reach, but instead of grabbing the phone, he grabbed the papers he had been looking at earlier. He was still on shaky ground with her. Slow and easy. Upsetting her now could be very disastrous.
They hadn't made any plans last night, but nothing would stop him from seeing her tonight. She didn't know it yet, but he'd be knocking on her door again.
***
"Are you sure you don't want to go out for a drink? I know I could use one. We can talk murder, intrigue, and suspense about the office," Dee said dramatically, feigning as if she was smoking a cigarette like an old-time detective.
Zoe gave Dee a weary look. Going home and curling up in bed with Zeke sounded like a much better plan.
No, it didn't.
Yes, it did.
Ugh, her rebellious mind still couldn't agree with her body. She wanted him and she shouldn't.
Take it slow. Even though they had already devoured each other with complete abandon, they had to take it slow.
Without notice, she saw perfectly before her, his beautiful blue eyes and sweet voice. Oh, to actually see it for real in front of her. She'd probably pull him into a closet and have her wicked way with him.
Her treacherous body was so bad. Thank goodness, her mind was still intact.
Good thing they hadn't made any plans. Some space to clear her mind of the situation would be good. She couldn't think straight when he was near. And when he touched her. Forget it. All coherency went kaput.
"Yo, earth to Zoe," Dee said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Girl, I know where your thoughts were. Remove that douche from your mind."
Zoe's cheeks flamed with heat as she inched away from Dee. "I'm not into the whole intrigue thing. Dealing with it at the office is enough for me."
Dee raised a brow as if she couldn't believe Zoe was ignoring the douche comment. Zoe didn't want to talk about Zeke, especially when she was so confused what to do about him.
"You have it easy. Your boss is still around. My job has become stressful with Mills gone. Rina doesn't have it easy either with Murphy still missing."
Rina nodded. "I'm worried about you. Those phone calls. Are you sure that trace feature will work?"
Zoe avoided eye contact with Dee as she replied to Rina, "Zeke said it would. I wish that part would disappear."
"Oh, so we agree." Dee puckered her lips as she propped a hand to her hip.
"The calls have been driving me insane," Zoe said as the hair on her arms prickled with unease. More like driving her into fear.
"I was talking about that jerk."
"Let's go for a drink, Dee, but I don't want to talk about work. Zoe's right. It's been stressful. I'm worried about Mr. Murphy. He's a nice man," Rina said to Dee.
Dee whipped her head at Rina. Zoe let out a soft breath. When Dee felt strongly about something, she refused to let it go.
"He's a little douchey to me," Dee said with a smirk.
"You think most men are douches," Rina said as she laughed lightly.
"You're so right, Rina. I also think Zeke what's-his-name is a douche. Why are you giving him a chance? You do remember how he treated you, right?" Dee snapped at her.
Zoe winced. "You can't just let this go."
Dee shook her head and waited for Zoe to tell her something she couldn't. She wasn't ready to slam the door on his face. She should, but she wasn't ready.
"I know what you're saying, but you weren't there last night. I don't know what comes over me. My mind tells me I'm crazy for even giving him a chance and my body says do me now. If he hurts me again, I'll never forgive him. That I know."
"You're crazy. I'm telling you," Dee exclaimed, then paused slightly as her eyes glittered. "Was he that good?"
Zoe averted her eyes, staring at her desk for a moment. She looked back at Dee with a quick glance to Rina and smiled. "You have no idea. All he has to do is look at me for a quick minute and my body screams for him to take me. Then when he actually touches me, I lose it all together. How can I pass up a chance like that? I know better than to completely trust him yet."
Rina gave her a sweet smile. "If that's what makes you happy, then you should. You have to admit, Dee, what Zoe told us earlier about what he said. It was romantic."
"Yeah, romantic alright. He's good with words. Not a good sign. Player written all over that. I'll kick his ass if he hurts you again," Dee said, refusing to remove the hard glint from her eyes as she stared at Zoe.
Zoe rolled her eyes. "Trust me, Dee. I still have reservations. Don't think I don't."
Before Dee could reply, Mark appeared around the corner, approaching them without hesitation. "Can I have a word with you, Zoe?"
"Where hav
e you been this afternoon, Mark?" Dee demanded.
"Last time I checked, I didn't answer to you, Dee—a mere secretary," he retorted with disgust.
"You think you're a big bad accountant and above me, do you? Maybe you killed Mills to get his office," Dee snapped back.
Mark looked taken aback by that comment and muttered to Zoe, "Forget it, Zoe. I don't appreciate the company surrounding you right now. That was rude and uncalled for."
Mark didn't wait for an answer as he turned back around and walked away, stomping his feet like a petulant child.
"What was that about?" Rina asked.
"What did I do?" Dee asked innocently.
"You don't think Mark really killed Mr. Mills, do you?" Zoe asked shocked.
"Of course not. But he came in here charging like a bull and I didn't like his attitude. He pretended like Rina and I didn't exist and basically demanded your attention. You have one douche to deal with already, you don't need two of them," Dee replied matter-of-factly.
"You had me worried there for a second that he could have," Rina said.
"Please, Rina. He doesn't have it in him to kill another person. He's a wimp." Dee scrunched her hair, puffing it out more, even though it didn't need it. "I'm getting a drink. Who's joining me?"
"I'm going to take a nice bath or read a book or dream about a sexy man I shouldn't," Zoe said, refusing to make eye contact with either of them.
"One drink and no office talk," Rina replied.
"Let's go. This day was over, like, an hour ago." Dee took the lead as the other two followed her.
Zoe daydreamed the entire drive home. How delightful would her night be if Zeke came over? Too delightful. Too tempting. And oh so wrong. She had to maintain her strength.
Curling up on the couch sounded nice. Alone. That would be the safer option.
When she finally got home twenty minutes later, she couldn't seem to remove the silly grin from her face. It may be wrong to think about him, but it made her feel good inside. She'd feel even better if he came over. Maybe she didn't need to keep her distance that much.
He asked for a chance and she would make him work for it. He had to prove to her that he meant what he said. No way would she make it easy. He deserved that for making her feel the way he did.
Could she stay strong? It was so hard to resist him.
Zoe slammed her car door shut and walked quickly up the pathway to her front door. Her steps wobbled as she neared it. The door stood slightly ajar. It wasn’t noticeable from the street, but very obvious as she got closer.
Who would break into her house? Was the person still inside?
She certainly wasn't going to find out for herself. Taking a deep breath, she backed up a few steps and then raced for her car. The clicking of the locks boomed loudly in the small confines of the car.
Stay calm. What should she do?
Call Zeke—duh. He's a cop.
She opened her purse she had been clutching to her chest and started to dig through it. Where in the hell did his card go? She had resisted the permanent feeling of adding his number in her phone. No more. That damn number would be inputted into her phone immediately. After she called him, of course.
Deep breaths.
Too much crap. She opened her purse wide and dumped everything out on the passenger seat. Raking her hands over everything, she finally found the card tucked between an old grocery list and a receipt.
She started to dial his number and paused. Her fingers weren't hitting the correct numbers. The tremors were consuming her. After three attempts, she managed to hit the right numbers.
Stay calm. Zeke would fix this.
What happened to not trusting him?
Perhaps she didn't with her heart, but she did with her life. That made no sense. But it all felt right as the ringing echoed in her ear.
***
"Wanna get a beer tonight?" Ben asked Zeke as they cleaned up their desks to call it a day.
They never liked to leave clutter, enjoying the satisfying feeling of coming in each morning to a clean desk. A clean desk meant they were making progress even when they were nowhere near solving a case sometimes. Weird how they both thought that. One of the many reasons that made them perfect to be partners.
"I'm heading to Zoe's." Zeke didn't glance at Ben. He didn't want him to see the anticipation of seeing her, or the fear she changed her mind about him.
"I didn't think you had any plans with her."
"What made you think that?"
"Your silence earlier today was a good indicator. Maybe a day or two to think things through would be good for her."
"Are you crazy? I can't give her time to think I'm not good enough for her. I gotta stay strong and in her face." Zeke stood up from his desk as he shoved a pencil into his desk drawer.
"I don’t know, man, she—"
"That's right, you don't know shit. Don't like being interrupted, do you?" Zeke asked as Ben frowned at the interruption.
His phone started to ring. Pulling it off his belt, he waved it in Ben's face. "Hold your wonderful response I'm sure you have. Phones ringing."
"Gee, is that what that device does?" Ben rolled his eyes as Zeke answered his phone.
Zeke froze as the terrifying words slid down his spine. He glanced at Ben, who had stopped what he was doing when he noticed Zeke's pained expression.
"Calm down, Zoe. I'll be right there, honey." Zeke grabbed his car keys and motioned for Ben to follow him out of the building.
"Drive down the block and wait for me to get there," Zeke answered her. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I promise."
Zeke practically ran out of the building with Ben on his heels. As they got into Zeke's car, Ben noticed he hung up with her, asking, "What happened?"
"Someone broke into her house," Zeke said as he turned his lights and sirens on and stepped on the gas hard.
"The flash drive. You know it as well as I do," Ben replied.
Zeke glanced at Ben. Why did they have to think alike so much? Damn this case. And damn the person who dared to try to hurt Zoe. Over his dead body. She would hate him by the end of the night.
Because he didn't know how he would be able to leave her alone. He'd argue with her this time about kicking him out.
Zeke made it to her house in under ten minutes instead of the normal twenty. Before pulling into the driveway, he noticed her car about a block down. She didn't wait for a signal from him because she started her car and made her way to them as they exited his car.
"Stay in your car. We'll check the house out," Zeke said, ignoring the fright in her eyes. This was one time he needed his complete focus.
"You could get hurt."
"Zoe, honey, this is my job. Go to your car, please."
Zoe nodded and turned around. He waited until she got back in her car and locked the doors, then looked at Ben as he removed his handgun. "I'll take the front. You take the back."
Ben nodded and proceeded around back.
Zeke walked up the front steps, stepping carefully toward the door and eased it open with his foot. He entered, his heart pounding. He had walked into many different types of situations. Crime scenes. Traffic stops. Responding to calls without knowing whether the suspect was armed. Hell, a bank robbery, one time.
His heart never pounded like it did now.
He jerked at the sight in front of him. Unlike the night before where sweetness and beauty met his eye, now hatred and destruction glared at him. To his right, the living room sat shattered into pieces, her couch torn up, knickknacks scattered and broken, pictures on the wall thrown to the ground. The intruder left nothing untouched.
He continued his sweep of the house, meeting Ben near the kitchen. Ben signaled his area was clear. They made their way to the stairs, moving stealthily and met the same treatment of destruction as they reached the top. Room by room they searched for an intruder, coming up empty.
Ben met Zeke in the hallway, holstering his weapon. "She's going to freak whe
n she sees this. It looks like whoever did this destroyed everything."
"They were definitely looking for something. It feels personal as well," Zeke said, as he clenched and unclenched his hands. He couldn't wait to get his hands on this person and rip them apart. No one would touch her. Not in harm. And definitely not intimately. That was his job.
"Can you call in a forensics team? I need to check on Zoe," Zeke asked.
Ben nodded and pulled out his phone.
Zeke walked back outside. Zoe still sat in her car, staring at the house. The moment she saw him exit, she darted out of the car before he stepped one foot off the porch. He didn't hesitate the moment she was within arm's reach. He pulled her tightly into his embrace.
He breathed in her delicate scent, a mixture of vanilla and lavender. Holding her felt perfect. Meant to be. Could she feel it as well?
He didn't want to do anything but hold her. Ignore everything around them. Of course, he couldn't do that. He pulled her back slightly.
"No one's in the house. We have a forensics team on the way." Zeke paused, waiting for her to look at him. When she didn't, he put his fingers under her chin. The fear still lingered in the depths of her eyes.
"You can't go in there. It's going to need a lot of cleaning and...whatnot. I'm positive that they were trying to find whatever they think you have."
Zoe gasped. "So it's the same person who's been calling me? I don't have anything."
One Taste of You (One Taste #1) Page 5