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“I want to be. I might not be the only great love of her life, but I really want to be one of them.”
“Is it serious, the four of you?”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
I’d gone there seeking Roe’s forgiveness but would be walking away with so much more, regardless of whether he ever said the magic words. His words, his protectiveness of Zali and wanting only what was best for her was helping me see my own future. I’d feared losing him, but I didn’t need to be scared because whatever happened between us, I knew I’d always have Zali, Flynn, and Tris. If I chose them. If I stopped this wishy-washy bullshit that I’d been pulling. All I had to do was step up and commit. Zali was right—they all deserved better than what I’d given them so far. So did I. I wouldn’t hurt them again.
That didn’t mean I didn’t want Roe’s friendship. It would gut me to lose him, but that great love he’d just spoken about—I already had it.
“It’s definitely serious, Roe. Zali’s not a fling for me. I’ve loved her for years. I’ve never taken the leap because of Flynn and Tris. But they’re together too. I don’t have to feel like I’m not giving enough of myself, because I can give them all of me now. We can be happy. We can give Zali the great love story you want for her.”
“How do you see that working?” he asked, shaking his head and holding his hands out in genuine confusion.
“Simple. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep all of them safe and happy,” I answered without hesitation.
Complete honesty and transparency.
I sucked in a breath and steeled myself. If I truly wanted to repair our friendship, I still needed to fill in some gaps.
“There’s more that you need to know,” I added, wincing at the dark look Roe sent my way as he waited impatiently for me to carefully choose my words. “No charges will be laid—Zali proved that it was all a misunderstanding—but last week I placed Zali under arrest—” I held up my hand when Roe opened his mouth to speak, imploring him to give me a chance to explain.
He exhaled slowly, his nostrils flaring as he stood and walked away, facing the river.
I continued, my words tumbling out, any semblance of a filter gone. “It wasn’t my choice, and I did everything I could to get them out of it, but Puglisi ordered their arrest. I wanted to be the one to do it so I could try to protect Zali.”
He whirled around, his eyes flashing and every muscle in his body vibrating. “Protect her, how?” he seethed through gritted teeth.
“I took the lead, interviewing them—”
“Was this before or after you got inside my daughter’s pants?”
“Roe—”
He pointed at me, his whole hand shaking as he turned red in the face. “Don’t you dare Roe me,” he snapped. “Answer the bloody question.”
“Before,” I said quietly, my gaze dropping to the floor like a scolded child. “After.” I huffed, frustration lacing my tone. “I kissed Zali, then I arrested her. Two other detectives arrested Flynn and Ryder.”
“Are you kidding me?” he asked, throwing his hands in the air. He shook his head and ground his teeth together. “What the hell were you thinking, Ezra?”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “I couldn’t go on. I needed to tell Zali, to finally let her know how I felt. I was going out of my mind, but I shouldn’t have kissed her like that, especially not then.”
“At least we’re in agreement there.” Roe slowly turned again and made his way back over to the windows to stare out over the rippling water. He scrubbed his hands over his face and groaned. “Help me understand where Tristan fits into this mess.”
“He was in his office. He called me wanting to talk just after I’d taken them into custody.” I cleared my throat, trying to swallow past the lump that rose when Roe gave me a death glare worthy of a horror movie.
“I gave Tris all the information I could, and he arranged representation. Zali already had her own counsel teed up, and between the information she gave us and the lawyers she hired for Flynn and Ryder doing their thing, all the charges were dropped.”
“Right,” he said, drawing out the vowel. “So first it’s Tristan breaking the rules, and now you.”
I nodded slowly. “I broke every rule there is.” Meeting his gaze, I added, “And I’d do it again if it meant keeping them safe.”
He cocked his head to the side, zeroing in on my comment. “That’s the second time you’ve said that. Are Zali, Flynn, and Ry in danger?”
He’d just asked the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. “Not from the police. Not anymore. Zali helped protect a lot of data; she just did it in a way that was… unconventional.”
He waved his hand as if dismissing that concern. As angry as he was, he knew I wouldn’t lie to him on that. He believed me when I said that the charges were dropped. “From whom, then? I know you hung around after you left that night—I saw you pull away after Zali left. You were tailing her, weren’t you?”
“I was guarding her,” I confirmed, trying to pick my words carefully. “A couple of threats have been made against Tris that are tied to the podcast. We aren’t sure who issued them, but Zali’s working on narrowing it down.” I paused, trying to sort through my thoughts to word the sledgehammer I was about to deliver with a modicum of tact. “The results of Zali’s research for the podcast are suggesting that one of Rosa’s staff may have been embezzling funds. They’re theorizing that Rosa became aware of it and acted to stop the theft. The threats reflect that Rosa’s and Ash’s deaths might not have been accidental.”
