by Vella Day
Her plan was to thank the guy and then ask him to leave—politely, of course.
She waited. No answer. A faint humming came from down the hallway, and she edged toward the sound. The person had to be in her master bath—just where she wanted to be.
When Zoey pushed open the door, the sight of a tight ass bent over her newly-installed jetted tub almost took her mind off her troubles. From the length of his legs, the man was tall. At least six feet. He was kneeling, polishing the porcelain bath, and her mind shot to her last two boyfriends, Mark and Dave. Sure as hell, neither one of them had ever cleaned a bathroom.
She’d had a ton of workmen through her house, but she didn’t recognize this guy. “Excuse me?” Regardless if he looked fine from the back or not, he had to leave.
The worker wore ear buds, which was probably why he hadn’t responded and just kept cleaning. She tapped his shoulder. The man turned his head, removed the buds, and smiled. Her heart stuttered.
He jumped up and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in. I wanted to have this all cleaned up before you got home, Ms. Donovan.”
She had arrived an hour earlier than usual. “You would be?” That came out rude. “I’m sorry. I’ve had a really bad day.” He wouldn’t have any idea what had transpired.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” He held out his hand and despite his tanned face, he flushed. “Pete. Pete Banks. Of Banks Construction.”
The owner. To her knowledge, he’d never stopped by before. She shook his hand, but as soon as their palms touched, he let go. Perhaps he could tell his hand was still damp.
A bit embarrassed for him, Zoey nodded to the tub. Stay calm. He’ll leave soon. “It looks wonderful. I can’t wait to relax in it.” As in now.
He stepped back. “Go ahead. I’m done. I just have a few more things to finish up in the kitchen and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“You’re not done in there either?” Stop it. It wasn’t his fault.
He tossed her a sheepish grin. “I just need to grout the last few feet of the backsplash. That’s all.” He nodded to the stack of candles still in their wrapper. “I was about to set them around the edge. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
It was a surprise. It was nice even. “They’re not pink.” Her irrational behavior caused tears to drip down her cheeks, and she swallowed back a sob.
“Ms. Donovan. Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” The tears fell and she wrapped her arms around her waist to keep from throwing up. It was like someone else had invaded her body, and all reason had disappeared. No one cried over beige candles.
Pete grimaced. “Ah, how about you sit down?” He grabbed a towel off the rack, folded it, and placed it on the edge of her new tub.
He guided her over there and helped her ease down. “I’m fine.”
On one knee, Pete knelt in front of her. “I beg to differ, ma’am. Your hands are shaking something fierce, your nose is red, you have a bandage on your head, and… I could go on if you like.”
She didn’t need him to detail what a mess she was. “A man I knew was injured today protecting me.” Why did she blurt that out? She didn’t know this guy. “And I could have died.”
Pete dropped onto his heels. “I’m so sorry. Want to tell me about it?”
A huge sob bubbled out of her, one that was both unexpected and violent. Pete straightened and reached out, almost as if he thought she’d fall.
“I’m good.” That was a lie, and he probably could tell that. When she was able to breathe, she told him—in fits and starts—about how she hadn’t been paying attention when she was walking down the hospital corridor this morning. “The next thing I knew, this man grabs me.” Bile rushed up her throat, and she rubbed her neck.
Pete placed a hand beside her. “Inhale. That’s good. You must have been scared shitless.”
His soothing tone helped. In the retelling of the event, more memories had surfaced—ones she needed to deal with. “I was. When the two gunshots rang out, the man holding me fell, and I tumbled, too. If I’d been able to get out of his grasp sooner, the cop could have taken him down before being hit.” There. She’d said it. She’d been the cause of Thad’s injury. Her vision swam, and she rubbed her hands over her slightly bruised knees.
“It’s not your fault.”
He’d hesitated. He must know it had been. “It was.” The tears came in full force now, dripping into her mouth and down her chin. This time she didn’t bother to wipe them away. Pete yanked on the toilet paper roll and handed her a wad. She took his offering and dabbed her eyes and chin. “Thanks.”
“I have a friend who’s a cop,” Pete said. “He’s told me a lot of stories. Trust me on this. You did nothing wrong.” Pete nodded to her face. “Did you bang your head when you fell?”
Her chin trembled as the pain of the horrific memory sliced through her. “No. My captor smashed the end of his gun into my face.” The blunt force trauma could have done some serious damage, but she’d been lucky.
Pete rocked back onto his heels, stood, and held out his hand. “Come with me. You should be lying down. I’ll get you something to drink.”
She liked the drink part. Pete Banks was a kind man. He also had a strength that she appreciated. Between the ache in her head and the grumble in her stomach, she wasn’t sure she was a good judge what was best for her anyway. “Okay.”
Once in the living room, he placed a few pillows on one end of the sofa and then made her sit down. “Lean back. I’ll get you that drink.”
“There’s diet soda in the fridge.” With him taking control, she didn’t have to think. Pete returned with two aspirin and her drink. Wine might have been more soothing, but her headache would have accelerated, not to mention mixing drugs with alcohol would have been stupid.
“Thank you.”
He placed a dishtowel on the seat across from her and sat down. “Do you happen to know the name of this cop?” Before she could respond, his cell rang. He pulled it out, glanced at the number and stood. “I need to take this. He never calls during work hours.”
“Go right ahead.”
“What’s up, dude? You what? Fuck. Where? How bad?” Pete glanced at her then walked into the kitchen.
* * *
Pete did not want to leave Zoey Donovan alone, not when she was this highly emotional and hanging on by a thread, but Thad had been shot. Fuck. Pete had been so focused on what Zoey was saying that he hadn’t thought to ask if “her” cop had been Thad. Pete’s roommate dealt with gangs, not abusive husbands. “You okay, man?”
“It was a scratch. Left arm. Doc said it didn’t hit anything vital. I was lucky.”
From the way Thad was working hard to have this conversation, it was worse than he was letting on. “How long will you be there?” Perhaps he needed a ride home if the wound was that superficial.
“Two days tops.”
Shit. It had been serious. “You want me to come over now?” Pete would go, but he wasn’t convinced Zoey didn’t need him more. “Zoey Donovan was the woman you were defending, right?”
“How did you know?”
“It’s her house I’m renovating.”
“She okay?” Thad’s words were a bit slurred as if he was on pain pills.
His roommate didn’t need to be obsessing over her. “She’s good. How’s Garrett?”
“Alive.”
Visiting hours were over at eight. Unfortunately, he knew that because last year he’d visited Thad after he’d been in a knife fight with a kid. That injury required about ten stitches. Being a cop wasn’t easy.
A woman’s voice sounded in the background. “Shit. Another fucking nurse,” Thad said, his voice a whisper.
Now Thad sounded like his old self. “I’ll let you go. I’ll take good care of Zoey. See you tomorrow.”
Pete needed to let her know that he and Thad were roommates. When he walked back into the living room, her eyes were closed and her breathing raspy. She
’d only sipped her drink.
He needed to make sure she was okay first, and then he’d tell her about Thad. “Zoey?” Her eyes sprang open. “Would you like me to fix you something to eat?” Perhaps if she ate, her energy level would improve, though she might not appreciate him cooking in her house. Didn’t matter that he’d helped install all the cabinets and put in the new appliances.
She sat up, licked her lips, and then placed a hand on her stomach. “I’m hungry, but I don’t feel like eating.” She shook her head as if confusion was clouding her vision. “That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
“Sad to say, it does. Would you like to take a soak in the tub while I order some take out?” That way she wouldn’t have to worry about him touching her things.
Her jaw slightly dropped as if no one had offered something like that before. “I…”
He waited for her to finish her sentence. “You what?”
“That sounds perfect. How about Chinese?”
He was more of a Mexican taco kind of guy, but he was flexible. “Wang’s Chinese Buffet work for you?”
“Sure. Anything.”
She implied she’d eat whatever he ordered. From his phone, he looked at the menu and called something in. A return text stated the food would arrive in forty-five minutes. “There’ll be here in less than an hour.”
“That’s great. You look worried,” she said. “Was it bad news on the phone?”
Time to tell her.
Chapter Five
Zoey studied Pete’s face. Where he’d been in control a moment ago, his cheeks had suddenly paled, and he appeared conflicted.
“That was Thad,” Pete said.
Thad wasn’t a common name. “Thad Dalton?”
“Yes.”
Her stomach cramped. Why would Thad be calling her construction guy? They must be friends, but now wasn’t the time to figure out the exact connection. What was important was if something had happened since she left the hospital. “Is he still okay?”
“He told me about being shot.”
She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “Had I known you two were friends, I would have mentioned his name.”
Pete paced in front of her and stabbed a hand through his hair. “You couldn’t have known. Actually, we’re roommates.”
Thad had never mentioned Pete, but Thad’s cover was that he was married. “How about I get you something to drink?” Not only did she want to return the favor, she got the sense he didn’t plan on staying around to eat with her, and she wanted him to.
He looked to the side as if he didn’t know his next move. “Sure.”
She stood, and as she headed to the kitchen, he followed. “Beer or soda?”
“I’d love a beer. Thanks.” She handed him one from the fridge.
Then, as if it were totally natural, Pete slid onto one of the new high chairs that was positioned on opposite sides of the large center island. “It’s just that the damn fool drives me crazy,” Pete said. “He takes too many risks in my opinion.”
“All policemen seem to take risks, but it wasn’t like Thad asked the man who’d grabbed me to shoot him.” She slid onto a seat across from him. “What exactly did he say?”
“Thad told me that he took a bullet to the arm, and that you were the woman who’d been held hostage.”
“How did he sound?” She hoped Thad hadn’t had a relapse.
She had yet to wrap her head around the fact that they knew each other. What were the odds? Hell, probably pretty high. It was a fairly small town.
“Tired.”
“Did he talk about how he was feeling?”
“No.”
His one-word responses weren’t helpful. “Was he calling because he needed you to visit him in the hospital?” Thad was his friend. Pete should stop by.
“I’ll see him tomorrow.” A cute smile filled his face as he looked off to the side. “I’ll bug him so much, he’ll heal faster just so he can leave.”
Those two seemed to have a good bond. “Is there anything I can do?” If she kept busy, the elusive evil ether swirling in her brain might disappear.
“Do?” He pressed his lips together and slightly shook his head. “I can’t think of anything.” His cell rang again and he whipped it out of his pocket. Instead of the concern she expected, a bit of frustration flashed across his face. “It’s my former partner, Alex. Excuse me.” He slipped off his chair. He tapped the button and answered it, then walked into the living room.
He kept his voice too low for her to hear. Because her drink was in the living room, she retrieved another one from the fridge.
He returned a minute later. “Once again, I apologize.”
“No need. Do you have to leave or something?”
“No. Alex just needed some information. The drainage system on one of my projects wasn’t installed correctly. It’s an unexpected expense, and he wanted to know what I wanted him to do about it. I told him to fix it. Something like that can sink a project. Literally.” A quick smile appeared then disappeared.
“He’s at the office? I thought you said he was your former partner.”
“It’s a long story. And not very interesting.” He kicked back his beer.
“I’m a good listener.” She thought that would get another smile out of him, but maybe he didn’t know what she did for a living.
“You asked.” He glanced to the ceiling. “I don’t know where to start.”
She’d rather hear about him and Thad, but understanding his connection to Alex would be good, too. “How about when you met?”
“That’s easy. I met Alex when we were eight. His dad was my father’s gardener.” He studied her, perhaps to see if she’d react to the fact that his family was well off. She didn’t. “My father is a bit, ah, stuck up. You see, Dad’s a lawyer. A very successful lawyer. Hired help was beneath him.”
Ouch. The name registered. “You aren’t Russell Banks’s son are you?” Of Banks, Emery, Caldwell, and Pearson.
Now his face reddened for real. “The one and only. Just so you know, if you ever run into dear old Dad, my family calls me Parker instead of Pete.” He scrunched his nose. “But I go by my first name.”
She mentally said his name and almost giggled. “Peter Parker. You’re Spider—”
He held up his bottle. “I know. Trust me, I know. But Pete isn’t as ostentatious as Parker. If anyone other than my family calls me Parker or Spiderman, well, let’s just say he’ll be singing in the choir.”
She did enjoy his ability to laugh at himself. “Let’s go back to your father’s actions toward the help. Are you implying your dad was a bigot?”
“Totally. He won’t deny it either.”
That was a shame. Pete seemed to be the opposite. “How did that make you feel?” As soon as his brows rose, she spotted her mistake. “Sorry. I slipped into shrink mode, didn’t I?”
“You’re a psychologist?”
“Yes.” His foreman knew, but he must not have mentioned it to Pete.
“I’ll answer your question. I was pissed and disappointed. But being the eight-year-old brat that I was, I went out of my way to be friends with Alex.”
A rebel. Good for him for standing up for what was right. She suspected he got his principles from some adult figure. “I take it your mom approved?”
His eyes slightly widened. “You’re perceptive. Mom encouraged me to be with whomever I wanted.” He leaned back and cast his gaze to the side. The tension around his eyes disappeared for a moment. “She never judges anyone.”
“She sounds like a wonderful person.” Zoey meant it. “But I’d like to hear the rest of the story.”
“Alex and I became great friends. He worked really hard at soccer and eventually received a scholarship to Montana State. I joined him there. When we graduated, we both worked with a construction firm. I worked with the manager and Alex was an accountant part time and joined the crew when he was needed. After a few years, we both got
tired of answering to others, so we came back to Rock Hard and started our own firm. For a twenty-percent ownership in the company, Dad backed us. End of story.”
She doubted that was all. “I’m surprised your father would give money to you, seeing that Alex was involved.”
He shrugged. “Money is money. Maybe he gave up trying to separate us.”
Separate them? Interesting. “When did Alex’s status change to former?”
“Two years ago, his dad became ill. He needed a lot of money for the chemo, so I bought Alex out. His dad had moved from Rock Hard to Georgia to be with his family, so Alex went to stay with his parents.”
That couldn’t have been easy to buy out his partner. She wondered if his dad helped with the financial transaction, but it wasn’t her place to ask. “When did he come back?”
“Two weeks ago. His father had passed about a month before, and his mom moved in with her widowed sister.”
Before she was able to ask any more questions, the doorbell rang. She jumped up to pay, when a strong ache stabbed her eye, and she grabbed the counter.
Pete was by her side in a second. “You okay? Sit back down. I got this.”
It was her house. She should pay. Before she could even recall where she’d put her purse, Pete returned with the tantalizing food. She inhaled deeply, and despite being exhausted, the muscles in her neck loosened.
“Let me get my wallet.”
Pete placed the two large bags in front of her. “It’s on me. For starters, I promised I’d be done today. Would have, too, if my worker hadn’t gone AWOL.”
So, that was what happened. “It must be tough to have to rely on others to get the job done.”
“You got that right.”
She nodded to the food. “Then thank you. I’m actually happy you were here instead of your missing worker.” The hostage situation and Thad’s injury must have cut right through her filter. But it was the truth. Had she come home to an empty house and broken down, no telling how she’d have coped.