17. Owen
CHAPTER 17
Owen
I t's the final day of Zoe’s conference, and even though there hasn’t been any unusual activity during the event, I'm still on high alert.
If I were a violent stalker, this certainly would be a perfect place to make a move due to the high crowds, but I'm hoping the guy isn't serious enough to track Zoe down here.
The uneasiness in my gut screams otherwise.
Ever since he tied up Gregory, threatening worse if she didn’t acknowledge him, I’ve had an unsettled feeling that’s grown stronger every single day.
There’s something in the air today, a charged sort of energy I can't shake. Of course, my nerves being on edge could have something to do with the words I'd blurted out last night, putting my heart on a silver fucking platter for Zoe to do with what she will.
I cringe at the thought, my emotions a bucket of conflict jumping from mortification to desire in one quick leap.
The sex we'd had right after I said those words certainly goes on my top ten list—Zoe holding every single numbered slot on it.
But I'm not an idiot, I know it's too fast.
Doesn’t mean I take it back. I can’t deny it, too fast or not, I'm in love with this girl.
Pretty sure I've been in love with her since the second she stepped into my life, even before I knew her name. Getting to know her, the way she views the world, how compassionate she is, how kind she is, and how much she wants to help people? It's only made me fall for her that much harder.
Physical chemistry aside, I'm in love with her mind, her heart.
But yeah, it's fucking fast, so maybe I should’ve kept it to myself.
It doesn't make it any less true.
I don't hold it against her for not saying it back. It's only been five months, and less than that of actually knowing each other's real names.
If it had been Caleb telling me this story, I'd call him idiot, but there's nothing I can do. My heart is hers if she wants it.
Not for the first time, I think about my contract job. Last night solidified things for me. Whether she wants to pursue something serious with me or not, I’m hanging up my contract work—the idea of being away from her for months, let alone a few days, at a time seems like an impossible mountain to climb, especially when I can easily remove that mountain.
Of course, I need to talk to her about it.
Need her to know my intentions, and that I’m not rushing or pushing her into anything. I don’t want her to take me quitting the contract work as a necessary requirement to start something serious with me, so clarification needs to happen.
Excitement helps take the edge off the nerves as I get settled in my seat at our designated table in the event room for the closing ceremony for the conference. Thankfully, there’s no sign of the asshole from last night.
Zoe has been practicing her speech for weeks, and I’m more than excited to watch her take the stage and hit everybody with the beautiful words she's been working on all this time.
She'll nail this speech, we'll share a dance or two, and then when we get back up to the hotel room, we'll talk. I obviously can't quit until I solve her case, and that brings me right back to the nerves I've been feeling all morning.
The person who is introducing Zoe addresses the crowd, telling jokes before talking about how amazing of a therapist Zoe is. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I discreetly retrieve it, recognizing the signature vibration assigned to Caleb.
Caleb: Finally got a lock on Spencer. He used his credit card to rent a car yesterday. I'm working on nailing down the location of the rental car now.
Me: Send it once you have it.
I text back quickly, heart pounding in my chest as I scan the crowd. Most of the faces are familiar, the same ones I’ve clocked the entire conference, but it doesn’t stop me from searching for him.
Zoe takes the stage, looking stunning in a red dress and the heels she kept on while I fucked her last night.
Her delicate fingers grip the podium as she scans the crowd, her eyes falling on me as she smiles before she starts her speech.
“Esteemed colleagues, I want to express my sincere and heartfelt gratitude for all of you in attendance. Over the last two days we’ve engaged in epic debates, dove deep into cutting-edge theories, and even shared a drink or two,” she says, and the crowd laughs as they raise their glasses of champagne or liquor toward her. “But beside all that, we've worked on a commonality between us, which is sharpening our skills and staying educated to better serve our patients and each other. That’s the goal I had in mind when this conference was nothing but a dream years ago, and as our fourth annual event comes to a close, I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be a part of such an amazing community. One that focuses on spreading awareness about the importance of mental health as well as constantly striving for further education as new information is discovered. As long as we focus on those aspects, we’ll be able to serve our communities in the best way possible. So, thank you, and I look forward to seeing each of you back here next year.”
The crowd erupts into applause, everyone standing to show their gratitude to Zoe for hosting such an incredible event, and I’m one of the people standing and grinning up at her like the love-struck man I am, wondering how the hell I’ve gotten so lucky for her to be looking at me the way she does?—
My phone buzzes again, and I quickly read the text.
It's a link to the rental car location. I click it and my blood runs cold.
Its location is pinging outside the hotel we're in.
I pocket my phone, scanning the crowd that’s now even harder to see through since everyone is standing and clapping.
My heartrate skyrockets, slipping into that adrenaline zone I know all too well. The one that has everything slowing down as my instincts sharpen.
An odd bit of movement to my right catches my eye, and my muscles tighten.
Spencer is here.
He’s moving through the crowd, bumping into people, his eyes on Zoe as he reaches into his jacket pocket?—
Fear trickles ice cold into my veins.
“Down!” I shout toward Zoe, but she can't hear me over the applause.
I start shoving through the throngs of people around me, trying to get ahead. There are too many people, so I climb onto the table next to me, jumping to the next one, and the next one, causing an outright scene as Zoe’s eyes lock on mine.
Terror shoots across her face as she scans the crowd, her eyes falling on Spencer who's almost made it to the stage. She stumbles back a few steps, and I jump to another table, then I’m on the stage.
I jump in front of Zoe just as I hear a loud crack break over the crowd, taking her down to the stage, hearing the panicked screams behind me as something sharp and hot sears my chest.
Knowing Zoe is secure, I roll to my back, retrieving my gun holstered to my ankle in a second flat.
Spencer’s eyes are wide and angry as he points his gun toward me, looking at Zoe pressed beneath me. He shifts?—
I squeeze the trigger.
Two rounds.
Clean shots, no citizens around.
Spencer goes down, the gun he holds sliding a few feet away from him as he hits the stage floor.
“Owen,” Zoe’s voice is drenched in panic and fear as I slump, the gun heavy in my hand. “Owen, no,” she says, rushing into my view, dropping to her knees at my side as her hands fly to my chest.
I look down. Everything still moves in slow motion. Blood pools on my chest.
“Someone help!” Zoe screams, tears rolling down her cheeks as she presses her hands against the bullet wound.
My head is heavy, my eyes drooping slightly as I look up at her. My hand shakes as I reach up to touch her cheek. “It's okay,” I say, although the words are hard to get out. My hands are starting to tingle, and my shirt is soaked with my blood. I'm military. I've dressed enough wounds to know this one's a real fucking doozy.
“It's okay,” I say again, the sounds of the panicked crowd muffling around me as my heart stutters in my chest. “You're safe,” I say. “That's all that matters.”
I try to keep my eyes open, but they're so damn heavy.
“No, Owen!” Zoe screams. “You stay with me! You stay with me!”
My eyes fall closed. I slip backward down a long black tunnel as I desperately try to stay for her.