Page 59 of Secret Redemption

Chapter Twenty-Two

Zack looked at the cold black sludge that passed for coffee, as he waited for Drew and Angel to bring Elliot Henderson in. They had sent word that they had picked him up as he drove into a particularly seedy part of town. Looking at his watch, Zack figured they probably had ten more minutes to wait.

Looking over, his eyes skimmed over Ava who had curled up on the sofa in his office. She hadn’t had much sleep the last few days, what with worry over her mother and Riley being poorly. Her hair was over her face, and she slept on her side, knees up and hands in prayer position under her cheek.

She looked young and so innocent as her long eyelashes fanned her face. She had changed from the stunning green gown, she had worn earlier and was now in pale blue, skinny jeans, and a soft white hoodie.

The gleam from the engagement ring he had put on her finger earlier seemed even more vibrant against the plain clothes. A grin curved his lips as he thought how she had handled the situation earlier, causing a distraction and allowing them to get a tracker on Hamilton and Henderson.

Ava would have made a wonderful operative, and a pretty good actress had she wanted to. Although he doubted there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do if she put her mind to it.

His lip curled in distaste as his thoughts turned to Hamilton. The man had command of the best army in the world, and that was what scared the hell out of him. They needed to watch his every move and find out exactly how deep his involvement went.

Throwing back the dregs of the coffee, he grimaced at the cold, bitter taste and walked to the half-bath just beside his office. Splashing cold water on his face, he looked in the mirror and saw exhaustion on his face.

Zack needed to get this done so he could have some downtime with his family. Maybe take them away, have a nice beach holiday, do nothing but relaxing and building sandcastles with his son, while Ava sunbathed in that white bikini she used to have.

A commotion outside the door pulled him out of his oh so pleasant thoughts. Opening the door, he saw Ava was awake.

“Hey,” she said looking up sleepily and smiling. She rubbed her eyes and stretched causing the top to rise, exposing her flat midriff. Just the sight of that made his blood heat for her.

He looked up and realised he had been caught looking, he grinned unrepentantly as she stood.

“I’m going to use the bathroom, and then I’ll join you in the observation room,” she said as she walked closer, stopping as she reached him.

His hands automatically went to her hips, and he gently pulled her into his body. “You Okay, Green Eyes? Did you get hold of Celeste?”

“Yeah. She was happy to stay over, and Liam had arrived and was settled in. Riley was fine and slept through. She checked him every hour, in person, even though she had the camera. Um, anything else to report?” she said looking thoughtful as she put her finger on her mouth.

Zack slapped her ass lightly. “Don’t be a brat,” he admonished.

“Sorry. But no, nothing else to report. Did the move go okay?”

Zack nodded, “Yeah, mostly. Colin had a bit of a funny turn, but the doc gave him the okay after checking him over and deciding it was his angina, being brought on by the stress of moving.”

“Poor Colin.”

“Okay let’s get this done so we can go home,” Zack said dropping a kiss on her upturned mouth before leaving and heading towards the observation room, Drew and Kanan joining him as he did.

“He suitably scared?” Zack asked Drew.

“Oh yeah,” the young man answered with a snide smile.

“You take the lead on this K. Drew, I want you to sit and keep your mouth shut. Watch and learn and look terrifying. The size of you is probably enough to put the fear of god in that little weasel.”

“Sure boss,” Drew replied and Kanan just nodded.

Zack entered the room as Kanan and Drew walked into the interview room. Roz and Angel walked in behind him, and he turned.

“You done with us for tonight?” Roz asked tartly.

“Can I ask one more favour before you finish?” he asked knowing he was pushing his luck.

Roz crossed her arms and glared at him. Roz had the ability to peel paint with that look. “You do know that my girls and I don’t work for Fortis, don’t you?” she said.

Zack crossed his arms as he went up against Roz. “Yes, Roz, I know that, but you offered your help and agreed that I, and Fortis, would run point on this. If you don’t want to help then leave. Eidolon can do it.” Zack knew that by mentioning Eidolon, her competitive streak would kick in.

“Ha, Eidolon! Those boys don’t know their dicks from a dildo. If you want this done properly, then you need the best, and Zenobi is the best.”