Chapter 10 Ty #2
When I arrived at his store, I walked to the back and through a door with a black and white metal plate that read Stockroom.
His office was set up in a back corner behind several shelves of old computer monitors and various tech equipment.
He apparently wanted to stay well hidden, probably due to some of his tactics.
Sometimes what he did wasn’t exactly legal.
Zephyr was sitting behind his enormous desk and multiple screens with a headset over his ears. I waved to get his attention.
“Hey. That was fast.” He pulled the headset off and set it on the desk. “Take a seat.”
I slid a metal chair closer to his desk, took a seat, and leaned forward, wringing my hands. “I assume you have some news. What did you find out about Liza?”
“Well….” Zephyr began. “It’s what I didn’t find that’s more of the problem.”
Of course, we had a problem. It was that kind of day.
“What didn’t you find?”
Zephyr tapped a pen on the desk. “I didn’t find anything. At all. Whatsoever. There’s nothing on Liza anywhere.”
I didn’t get the sense that he was trying to gouge me for a pay rise, but how was it possible that he hadn’t found anything? Zephyr was the best hacker around. How could there be nothing?
I stared at him in disbelief.
He held up a hand. “I know, it’s shocking.
I’ve had subjects with very little information, but never with nothing.
Everybody leaves a trace somewhere, except this woman.
Anything prior to registering her company with the state doesn’t exist.” He sighed.
“This has never happened to me, not in all my years as a computer professional.”
“She was adopted, though.” I stood and rubbed my face. “Surely there would be records of that.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “There’s no record of Liza ever being in an orphanage or a foster home of any kind.
No birth certificate for a baby with her birthdate in the country that is unexplained, either by adoption, death, or parental custody.
I have no fucking clue how her parents got her, but I don’t think it was done legally. ”
“An illegal adoption? What the hell?” I paced Zephyr’s office, trying to make sense of what he was saying.
“The Mims did retain legal custody of Liza, but I have no idea where they got her. I did a search for missing persons, but nothing came up.”
“What does that mean?” I stopped pacing and faced him. “What exactly are you trying to tell me?”
Zephyr sighed. “I don’t believe Liza was kidnapped, but there’s definitely something fishy about how she ended up here in Presley Acres.”
“So, what now?” I had no idea why I was asking him. He’d done his part. I cracked my knuckles. “Is that it?”
“No.” Zephyr stood and walked around his desk. “I’ll keep digging. But I’ll be honest with you, Ty, I have a bad feeling that somebody wants to keep her past hidden. They might not be too happy with me digging into it.”
Nothing I could do about that. Now, more than before, I needed the information. We shook hands. “Let me know what you find. Send me a bill.”
I trudged to my car; my mind heavy with thoughts of Liza’s past. She was a mystery, and that didn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
How was I supposed to pursue a relationship with a woman whose past was a complete mystery? She might be mixed up in some nefarious conspiracy.
I drove straight to her house, resolved to wait on her porch until she got home.
The minutes ticked off, one into the next, and I checked my watch a thousand times, reminding myself how important this was.
I had to see her. A while later—one hell of a long while—she finally pulled into her driveway.
Liza got out of her car and stopped at the edge of the walk.
She met my gaze, her eyes narrowing to slits.
I held up my hand like it would do something to shift her anger into something else.
She walked the rest of the way to the porch, then stopped and stared wordlessly.
I didn’t blame her. I’d royally screwed up and deserved to bear the brunt of whatever she had to say.
But I needed to say something first. “Liza, I’m so sorry.”
She narrowed her eyes further, so narrow I thought they might have been closed. And then she looked away, refusing to meet my gaze.
“Liza.” I kept my voice soft, but still, she didn’t turn her head.
If she wasn’t going to look at me, I was determined for her to hear me out. “I can explain. I promise it wasn’t intentional. I would never stand you up that way.”
Liza lifted her gaze and studied my face a moment. Finally, she cleared her throat. “I have some leftover food in the backseat. Can you grab it and bring it inside?”
I sighed in relief. At least she wasn’t telling me to get the hell off her property.
After I grabbed the trays of food, I followed Liza into her small, yellow house.
“Have you eaten?” She toed off her shoes and tossed her keys onto a small table by the door. I was waiting for the anger, for the irritation and annoyance.
I shook my head. I hadn’t eaten all day.
“Come on.” She led me into her kitchen and pointed to a chair. “I’ll warm up some food.”
She moved gracefully from the cabinet to the oven, then over to the refrigerator. Every move was calculated for its efficiency, yet she did it all in a way that piqued my interest. I could’ve sat there and watched her forever without getting bored.
I wanted to know what was behind her walls. Who was the real Liza Mims, and why was there such a tight lid on all of her secrets? The questions only made me want to be closer to her, despite all the mystery surrounding her past.
“Here we go.” She placed a plate full of grilled chicken with a creamy sauce, asparagus spears flavored with garlic, and potatoes seasoned with onions and chives on the table, then handed me a fork. “Dig in.”
Liza sat across from me, and we ate in silence, though I found myself moaning because her food was so damn good.
Finally, Liza broke the silence. “Are you going to tell me what happened last night?”
I hesitated, unsure of whether I should share my family’s business or not.
Anyone knowing my father was ill was dangerous.
Liza was meant to be my mate, though, so it was probably best that she knew the truth.
“Right before our date, my mother called to tell me something had happened to my dad. When I got home, he’d been put on bed rest from an awful fall.
” I’d told her this much, so no reason not to go all in. “He’s not doing too well.”
Liza set her fork on the edge of her plate and blew out a breath. “I’m so sorry to hear about your dad. I understand how important family is.” She laid her hand over mine, sending a bolt of electricity zinging up my arm.
My shoulders relaxed. Against all odds, she’d forgiven me. “Thank you for understanding. My family needs me right now, and I have to be there for them.” I hoped that conveyed that I might not be as available as I’d planned. I didn’t want to say the words.
“It’s understandable.” Liza nodded. “Family is always first. There’s no reason you couldn’t have contacted me, though. A quick text would have sufficed.”
Damn. I should’ve known she wouldn’t let me off that easily.
Liza stared at her plate, poking at her leftover chicken.
“One of my clients shared something profound with me today. He said that communication is an important factor when you’re building something new with someone.
I get that something terrible happened to your father, but we won’t have anything if we can’t communicate from the start. ”
I mulled over her words. “You’re right. There’s no excuse. I should’ve contacted you immediately. I’m sorry.”
The smile she gave me made my heart swell.
“I don’t want you to ever feel like you’re not a priority for me. I’ll do better at communicating with you from this point forward.” I was as sincere as I’d ever been. I’d never wanted anything to work out more in my life than I wanted things to work out with Liza.
She studied me for a moment, staring so deeply into my eyes that I assumed she could see my soul. Then she stood and cleared the table.
It was awkward sitting in her kitchen, watching as she cleaned up the dinner mess. “Can I help?”
She nodded and stepped to the side, allowing me to help wash off the dirty dishes.
As I handed her a clean plate, our hands touched, and we both paused. She could feel the sensation, too, I was sure of it.
A moment later, a slight smirk spread across her lips. “Thank you for coming over and explaining yourself.”
I smiled back. “You’re welcome. Since you’ve officially forgiven me, will you allow me to make up for our botched date?”
Liza dried the plate, then put it in the cabinet. “Yes, I’ll give you another chance.”
I couldn’t contain my excitement as a grin spread across my face. “I promise I won’t mess it up this time.”
We finished cleaning up the kitchen and chatted about Liza’s catering business and my family’s business. Somehow, I managed to keep my hands off her, even though her scent was driving me wild. My wolf stirred, continuing to remind me that she was our mate. That we were meant to fuck.
Crude bastard.
I’d already fucked up with Liza multiple times. I couldn’t afford to make a move too quickly and scare her off. We needed to take it slow and steady, but my cock had a mind of its own. On more than one occasion, I had to adjust myself while Liza was turned away from me.
The power she held over me was terrifying. I ached for her. It wasn’t just her body I was interested in, though. She was intelligent, quick-witted, and kept me on my toes.
Even though my parents would’ve preferred me choosing Cecily, my mind was made up. I would focus all of my energy on Liza Mims and, hopefully, we would be mated. Based on Dad’s condition, I hoped it would happen sooner rather than later.
After a few hours had passed, it was time for me to head home. Liza walked me to the door, and when I turned around, she squeezed my hand, sending electrical shocks up and down my arm.
“Thank you again,” she whispered.
I jerked my hand back, afraid of what I might do if my skin remained in contact with hers a moment longer. “Thank you for the second chance.”
My mood had lifted, but Zephyr’s news sat in the back of my mind.
My gut and my parents’ reactions to her told me that the lack of information on Liza’s past had something to do with them.
Could Liza’s undocumented arrival in Presley Acres have something to do with them not wanting me to mate with her?