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Words fail me, so all I do is nod.
Steven clears his throat. “Were you present when Chris Brooks was killed?”
Gray tightens his hold on my hand when my breath hitches. “Who’s Chris Brooks?” I ask, doing my best to sound aloof.
“Your sister’s riding trainer,” Tania says. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
I shake my head. “No, actually. I didn’t know his last name.” Trying to ignore the guilt I feel for getting Chris killed, and then for only caring about my stupid letter, I meet her gaze head on. “Why do you think I was there?”
When Gray squeezes my hand again, I know I did the right thing by asking them.
“We found a note signed as Zoe and a picture of you and Leslie,” Steven explains. “When our forensic team went over the scene, we also learned there were two different blood types on the floor. One matched Chris, but the other is stillunknown, which means we don’t have it in our database. Was it yours?”
I don’t mean to look at Gray, but I’m so far out of my element here that I need some guidance.
“Where have you been for the last three months?” Tania interjects, and this time she sounds genuinely curious. “You went from being with the Cruz Kings all the time to never being around. That doesn’t give the impression it was by choice.”
Without thinking, I say, “It wasn’t my fucking choice.” My throat is thick with emotions.
Nodding, she places both her hands on the table, pushing the images of my dad out of the way. “Steven was right,” she says, nodding toward her partner. “We aren’t here to play games, Zoe. The reason we came was because we have things to talk about.”
“What kinds of things?” Gray asks.
Steven answers, “The kind that can’t leave this room.”
Cain snorts and dramatically sing-songs, “da-da-da.”
“First, I need to know that you’re with the Kings willingly,” Tania says to me, ignoring Gray’s sputtering. “And that you trust them. Because if that’s not the case—”
I cut her off. “I trust them,” I say, willing her to hear the sincerity in my tone. The last thing I need is them thinking I’m lying. “And I’m here by choice.”
She nods, and with that small motion, her entire demeanor changes. Her posture is less stiff and her eyes exude a warmth I’ve never seen from her.
“Then let me tell you why we’re really here,” she says.
I chew nervously on my bottom lip, unsure what to expect from those words. But what I’m really focusing on is the change I just saw in her. It’s like she was wearing a mask I never even knew was there. It’s disconcerting.
“For years Steven and I have worked on one case after the other, all of which lead to the Reapers. The cases that come across our desks aren’t for the faint of heart, and most of them involve either human trafficking, drugs, violence, and, often, serious abuse of women.”
A coldness spreads throughout my bones as I listen to her basically outline most of the things I witnessed when I was with them. Memories I’d hoped I’d never have to think about again stir, and my heart feels like it stops beating for a second.
“But I don’t think I need to go into more detail, do I, Zoe?” she asks me, her tone brimming with concern.
Shaking my head, I manage to choke out, “No.”
Steven leans forward. “For years we’ve known that the Cruz Kings did what they could to battle the Reapers, and to keep the community safe. But it’s not enough.”
I feel Gray tense next to me, but his face remains a perfect mask of neutrality as he remains quiet.
“On one case, we got too close to the truth. At least that’s what we suspect,” Tania says. I’m surprised to see her eyes are glassy, and there’s a slight tremor in her voice. “I got a phone call from Rusty the day we asked for a warrant to search their clubhouse.”
My stomach tightens, knots forming as the foreboding lacing her tone spreads through me. “W-what did he want?” I ask even though I think I have a pretty good idea.
Steven clears his throat and moves closer to Tania. The way he places his hand on top of hers isn’t in the way a lover would. No, this is more like a friend trying to console her, and it seems to be working.
“He told me that if I didn’t drop the case, my niece would pay the price.”
I’m barely aware that Gray has moved until he slides a box of tissues across the table to the woman that’s gone from frost queen to openly crying in front of us.
