AllFreeNovel
Share Us
By the time Bjorn returned, the order for Chinese food had been called in and Santee had turned off the computer so that Roque could turn on a cartoon movie. Though Zoe watched, she still felt as if there was a wall between her and the rest of the room.
Morgan remained by her side, but did not talk to her, except to ask if she liked her rice fried or steamed. She knew she answered, just could not recall what she had said. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered until they figured out the photographer’s name and she learned why he had ruined her career.
“Is she okay?” Roque asked, pulling Zoe’s attention from her darkening thoughts back to the room and the people Morgan called his chosen family.
“I’m fine,” she said softly.
“No, you’re not, and none of us appreciate being lied to,” Morgan said.
Before she could argue, a dong sounded.
“Food’s here,” Viking said as he went to answer the phone by the front door.
Morgan had a similar one by his door. He had explained that it was a direct line to the reception desk in the lobby. No one was allowed access to the penthouse floor without reception first checking with one of them first. If she ever needed anything and he was not around, she was to call downstairs and they would get her whatever she needed.
Over dinner, the men talked and made plans on how to approach the couple and the man they had hosted. The three women listened without comment, mainly because it seemed as if the men were speaking in some kind of shorthand where they finished one another’s sentences or answered before the question was fully asked.
It was only when they were discussing who would go and visit the couple and then their guest that Zoe spoke up.
“I’m going with you,” she said softly.
The three men turned to look at her and she took a breath and raised her chin a touch. “I’m going. I want to look this asshole in the face and ask him why he felt he could ruin my life.”
The three men shared a glance and then turned back to her. “All right, but you will stay beside me every second,” Morgan said.
“Fine.”
“I’m going to call Griffin and Tully and see if one of them can go with us,” Viking said, earning a nod from both Morgan and Bjorn.
“Eat, bunny. You’re going to need your strength,” Morgan said gently.
“Not hungry,” she responded softly.
Instead of arguing with her, Morgan took the fork from her hand and began to feed her, picking out bites of meat from her house-fried rice. She ate automatically without tasting the food. She felt so disconnected but ate until he decided she had eaten enough and went back to concentrating on his own dinner.
“Both Tully and Griffin will meet us downstairs in a half hour,” Viking said as he returned to the dining table.
“Why do they need to go with us?” Zoe asked, suddenly realizing that though the two security guards from the club were big, the three Towrisea partners were fit and looked like they could take on anyone who wanted to get physical.
“When they’re not working at Club N2, Tully is a private investigator and Griffin is a police officer. He can arrest the photographer, open an investigation, and bring charges against him.”
“Oh.”
Morgan brushed a kiss on her temple. “Don’t worry, bunny, we are going to do everything we can to stay within the law… until we can’t. In that case, we have a few other friends on the dark side of the law who we can call to make the asshole disappear.”
Zoe blinked at his implication while everyone else laughed.
Knowing it wasn’t the right time, but needing to tell Morgan what was in her heart, she leaned closer until her lips were next to his ear before whispering, “I love you.”
Morgan froze for a second before turning to look her in the eyes. “I love you, too, bunny. So much. Which is why, once we get this bump in the road taken care of, you and I are taking a vacation to a cabin in the woods I know of.”
“But I can’t just go away. I have to find a job. I have school loans and bills to pay.”
“Relax, sweetheart. We’ll talk about it while we’re on vacation, but I think I have the perfect job for you. In your career field, doing the work you love. But for now, we need to get ready to go. Tully and Griffin will be here soon.”
Morgan led the way down the hall, his stomach burning with fury. They had first stopped to see Jesse and Nina and after explaining what their guest had done, gotten his name and address. Rico Espinoza was a friend of Jesse’s from work, but he admitted he really didn’t know the man that well, other than they were both dominant men and liked to play at clubs. When Rico had asked him to sponsor him into Club N2, Jesse didn’t see a problem.
He now understood why all guests needed to be vetted by the management before they were allowed into the club.
