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He takes in a hard breath, letting it out slowly, he turns to me, mouthing the word, “sorry” as he swallows back his rage, letting me continue.
“You’re looking for someone who helped the guy. That’s who’s pictured here. The guy who abducted me has bigger hands. I know that’s not much, but I’m certain this isn’t him.”
“We can work with that. Thanks, Zoey. We’ll be in touch,” Detective Simmons says, rising from his chair, and for a split second I worry that Ethan is going to go after him.
“That’s it?” Ethan nearly shouts, pushing back from the table to stand. “That’s it? We come in here for five seconds.”
“Ethan,” I say, standing next to him, my fingers sliding into his. “The detective is doing the best he can. Please let him do his job.”
“We told Zoey before. It’s going to be like this. Things don’t move quickly in cases like this. We have to be certain on things or we could blow it. You don’t want this guy getting wind of what’s happening and skip town, do you?”
“No,” Ethan replies harshly, but I can feel him letting go of some of his anger.
“I promise you, we are doing everything we can. We will find him, Zoey.”
“Thank you, Detective Simmons.”
CHAPTER13
ETHAN
Alex wanders into the kitchen, letting out a long low whistle. “Well, check this out, we’re actually getting to see the Bat Cave,” he says, smiling as he comes over to clap hands with me, pulling me into a one-armed hug like we’re old friends.
Chuckling, I return the hug before pulling back. “Well, technically this would be the manor, right? The Bat Cave is hidden somewhere else,” I add with a wink.
Alex grins. “True, true,” he says as Zoey and Delaney walk into the kitchen. “So can we see the Bat Cave?”
I burst out laughing, shaking my head a little as I head over to the fridge and grab a couple of beers, holding one out to Alex, who takes it with a nod as I turn to Zoey and Delaney. “Beer or something else?”
“I’ll take a beer, thanks,” Delaney replies.
“Me too,” Zoey says, moving around to me. I hand her a beer before grabbing two more from the fridge for Delaney and me. We all clink bottles, a moment of silence falling in the kitchen as we each take a sip of beer.
“So, how are you feeling?” Delaney eventually asks.
Zoey smiles as I drop an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. I don’t think I’ve stopped reaching for her since she came back, my body not just craving the feel of her in my arms, but the physical reminder that she is here, and that she is okay too.
“I’m alright,” she says, exhaling. “I know it’s going to be a while, but hopefully with going back to work tomorrow, things will slowly get back to normal.”
Delaney raises a brow at her friend as she glances at me. “You’re going back to work?”
I chuckle, pressing my lips against Zoey’s temple. “See, it’s not just me,” I murmur, knowing that as much as I’d love to keep Zoey locked up here until the people who did this to her are caught, there’s not a chance in hell it’s going to happen.
And I get it too, even if the thought of her being out in the real world, where anything could happen, scares the shit out of me. It’s probably the first time I’ve actually been grateful she works for me, because at least this way I can be with her and keep an eye on her during the day.
Zoey smiles, gently elbowing me in the side. “Yeah, I’m going back to work. I have to, Del. I can’t stay holed up here forever. And it’s Friday, so it’s only one day. Easing into it.”
“I know,” Delaney says.
“Oh, come one, it wouldn’t be so bad to be holed up in here,” Alex teases, his eyes wide as he looks around.
Zoey laughs, resting her head on my shoulder as Delaney asks, “But I mean, aren’t you…you know, worried about…I don’t know, whoever did this?”
“Of course I am,” Zoey replies, glancing up at me. “We both are. But I’m not going to let that asshole stop me from living my life. I refuse to let him win.”
“Good,” Alex says with a nod. “And we’ll all be around,” he adds. “You know, keeping an eye out if you need anything or whatever.”
“I do know that,” Zoey says, smiling. “Thank you. But let’s not talk about what happened anymore, tonight is supposed to be fun.”
