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“If you’re worried that I’ll shirk my duties, don’t be. I’m a consummate businessman.”
“That’s not what I’ll need you for, my friend. Your brawn and hacking skills are worth every penny my brother pays you.” He lifted his head, locking eyes with mine.
While I wanted to argue with the man and his logic, I sensed he had a reason for what he was saying that had more to do with his distrust of someone else inside the Thibodeaux Empire. There were always possibilities that someone was bought off,blackmail used to get them to turn coat, but it had been a long time since that had occurred. And with the business going almost one hundred percent legit, the timing was strange.
Except for Zoe’s return, which I continued coming back to. Was there any possibility this had more to do with her than any one of us realized? I couldn’t ignore the possibility. Maybe I could find out if she’d been in the middle of a situation with my computer skills.
Hacking had started as nothing more than a pastime, a way to garner information when I was in my twenties. I’d become damn good at it, able to slide under the radar of almost any organization’s security system, no matter how strong they believed them to be. That included the military, the CIA, and the DEA. It didn’t matter. However, lately, the pastime hadn’t been necessary.
“Understood,” I told him, not ready to raise an alarm about Zoe in particular. He was as concerned as I’d ever seen him, more so than when he’d been forced to go head-to-head with Alturo to save Delaney’s life.
He headed off, returning to where Delaney was sitting on one of the uncomfortable couches. Another quick glance in Zoe’s direction and I realized she’d disappeared. What the fuck? She’d been given strict instructions to always keep her ass in this room unless she had an armed escort. And I was her fucking bodyguard.
I moved toward the corridor, glancing one direction then the other, noticing her long dark hair swinging behind her as she headed to God knows where. I started jogging, shoving my way past too many people for this time of the morning. There was a sudden emergency, a team racing alongside a man on a gurney,forcing everyone to the side. It was shit like this that assassins took advantage of.
They’d been on an important mission, one they’d paid damn well to accomplish. At least two, maybe more of them had gotten away, and they’d die instead of going back to the person who hired them emptyhanded. That’s how heads rolled and blood was spilled. I pitched my body against a nurse’s station, completely losing sight of her. The moment the doctors and nurses had passed, I took off running, constantly scanning the bleak corridor.
I skidded past another waiting area, something catching my eye. Stopping short, I backed up, taking a breath of relief seeing Zoe standing in front of a vending machine. Anger attempted to crowd out the swell of every other emotion. I took four long strides and wrapped my hand around her arm, shoving her against the wall beside the bank of machines.
“What part about not leaving the main waiting room did you not understand?” I tried to keep my voice down, but I was exasperated, loathing the fact control had been stripped away.
Her face pinched and she jerked her arm away. “I wanted a soda. Okay? That’s all. This is a hospital, for God’s sake.”
When she tried to skirt around me, I planted both hands on either side of her. “You need to start listening to me.”
“I am. Nothing is going to happen in here.” She searched my eyes, shocked I’d suggest something so ridiculous in her mind. How the hell was I supposed to get through to her? Maybe being in New York hadn’t done her any good after all.
“Did your father ever tell you about the time I took a bullet for him?”
“Only that you didn’t hesitate in doing so. Why are you asking me that?”
“No, I didn’t, because it was my job then as it is to keep you safe now. Arman knew the score. He was trained to handle the danger. That didn’t mean the bastards who’d attempted to end his life to remove him from the pecking order of the family hadn’t tried again. It was in this very hospital. I’d gotten out of surgery, and he made the fucking mistake of taking a walk by himself. He almost died that day and would have if his instinct hadn’t kicked in at the last minute.”
Her mouth was twisted in both frustration and a new appreciation of fear. In my mind that was a good thing. “I didn’t know.”
“No, you didn’t. And do you want to know the lengths the person took to try and end his life?” I asked.
“Even if I don’t, I’m certain you’re going to tell me.”
“Yeah, I am, Zoe. The man slaughtered a doctor, dragging his body into a storage room. Then he took the man’s identity. Thank God, your father’s instinct was spot on. You don’t have those instincts.”
“How can you be so certain?” She lifted her chin, her rebelliousness returning.
“Because your father did everything in his power to keep you away from the nightmare that reared its ugly head from time to time. In my mind, that was a mistake.” Her scent was once again wafting into my nostrils, making it impossible to think clearly.
“You’re wrong about me, Maddox. I’m stronger than you think. I understand who and what my father is, what you are.”
“Do you? Do you really?” I waited to see if she’d answer, continuing when she kept her glare and nothing more. “It’s not about being strong, Zoe. It’s about being wiser than your years, being forced to grow through the worst experiences. No one wishes that on you or any other child within the Thibodeaux family.”
“So that’s all I am to you, a child? My father’s daughter?” She was acting even more defiant than before, as if the danger and bloodshed that had just occurred hadn’t happened.
“Right now, you’re acting like a child.”
“It’s funny, Maddox. That’s not what you said a few hours ago. I was all woman, capable of suiting your needs. Were you just faking it, using my body to get your rocks off?”
The haughty expression she wore was irritating but not nearly as much as the longing ripping through my soul. I leaned further in until our faces weren’t far apart, our lips almost touching. God, I wanted the woman even now. What the hell did that say about me? She tried to crowd against the wall, slamming her hands against my chest. What we’d shared had to be shoved into a black hole or her life would be placed more at risk.
I refused to allow that.
