Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zarek didn’t ease into it.
He never did when he thought something was the right call.
“I talked to Michael,” he said, standing in the middle of my little living room like he was bracing for impact. “And he had an idea.”
My stomach dropped. Hard.
“What kind of idea?” I asked, already knowing I wasn’t going to like the answer.
He hesitated. “Zoe should take your place.”
The room went very still.
“No.”
He opened his mouth.
“No,” I repeated, sharper this time. “Absolutely not.”
“Chloe—”
“I am not letting my sister live in my apartment like bait while you walk into some underground death circus pretending everything’s fine.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s not like that.”
“Oh really?” I shot back. “Because from where I’m standing, it sounds exactly like that.”
“She can handle herself,” he said. “She’s trained. She’s armed. She’s—”
“She’s my sister,” I snapped. “And I am not outsourcing my part in all of this just because it scares the hell out of me.”
His eyes hit me like chips of ice, and he pointed at me. “So you admit it. This isn’t a cakewalk. You’re scared, because you know this is dangerous. You don’t want Zoe to do this because she could get hurt. That’s the absolute reason why we should come up with a different idea.”
Fuck! I hate it when he’s this smart.
“If you’re going to do something crazy/stupid/brave because it’s the right thing, then you can’t stop me from wanting to do the same thing.”
He opened his mouth.
I cut him off before he could say anything. “Which is why it has to be me, not Zoe.”
He didn’t argue.
Instead, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and hit a contact before I could stop him.
“Zarek,” I warned.
Too late.
“Simon,” he said into the phone. “Quick question.”
I crossed my arms so tightly my shoulders ached.
He didn’t put it on speaker, but I could still hear Simon’s voice as he responded to Zarek’s shitty plan.
Dammit. He’s liking the idea.
There was a pause.
Then Simon said something I couldn’t make out that made Zarek’s shoulders loosen and my belly tighten.
Zarek nodded. “That would be great.”
He ended the call and looked at me carefully.
“Simon thought it was brilliant.”
I could feel heat crawling up my spine, into my neck, behind my eyes.
Smoke wasn’t just coming out of my ears—I was pretty sure I was about to combust.
“I need air,” I said.
“Chloe—”
“I need air,” I repeated, grabbing my jacket.
I didn’t wait for permission.
The park was quiet.
Late morning in May had softened everything—trees heavy with new leaves, the smell of cut grass and honeysuckle.
The illusion of peace.
I sat on a swing and pushed off with one foot.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
My hands trembled as they wrapped around the chains.
I wasn’t angry.
Not really. I’d burned through my anger.
I was terrified.
Terrified that Zarek was walking into something that had already killed one man.
Terrified that loving him meant accepting that sometimes he’d choose danger for the right reasons—and those reasons didn’t make it hurt less.
Terrified that no matter how strong I was, I couldn’t shield him from everything.
I leaned my temple against the cold metal chain and breathed.
“I don’t want to lose you,” I whispered to no one.
That was the truth underneath everything.
When I finally stood, my legs felt steadier.
I headed back.
When I opened my apartment door, voices greeted me.
Zoe’s laugh.
Simon’s low murmur.
Zarek’s voice—tight, controlled.
They were all there.
Of course they were.
Zarek looked up the second he saw me. Relief flashed across his face.
“Okay,” he said gently. “Now that you’re back, I can explain to Zoe why she’s here.”
Zoe sat on the arm of the couch like she owned the place. “Hi,” she said cheerfully. “Don’t kill your husband. Yet.”
I walked into the small room, and leaned against the wall with the fake fireplace. “Okay, start explaining it to her.”
Zarek did.
Quick. Efficient. No dramatics.
He talked about the Memphis timeline. The need for visible leverage. The reality that they didn’t need to take me—just prove they could.
Zoe listened quietly.
Then she nodded.
“You’re absolutely right. I should definitely take Chloe’s place,” Zoe said.
I gave her a death glare. “Absolutely not.”
She met my gaze, unflinching.
“Chloe, admit it—this is my lane, not yours.”
“I don’t have to admit a thing.”
“Quit being stubborn,” she snapped. “You’re cutting your nose off to spite your face.”
“It’s my nose. He’s my husband. It’s my problem.”
I winced as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I turned to Zarek. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “You might not have, but it’s the truth. But here we are, and I want us to make all the smart moves we can from this point forward.”
I looked at him, then over at Zoe.
“Remember the cabin?” she asked softly.
The memory slammed into me.
Girls tied up. My friends. Zoe’s friends. A man who was going to kill all of us who were there.
A man I’d killed to survive.
“I wasn’t there,” Zoe continued. “I’d run off to make out with some idiot and didn’t even know what almost happened. But you were there, you took care of it. You saved lives that day. You were… You are… a hero.”
My throat tightened.
“Let me do this,” she begged softly. “Let me balance the scales just a little.”
The fight drained out of me in a rush.
Not gone.
But quieter.
Simon cleared his throat. “We won’t do this unless everyone’s on board.”
“I’m on board.” I whispered.
“Me, too.” Zoe’s tone was solemn.
Zarek nodded.
“Okay, I’m calling the team.” He started with Jase Drakos, and soon there were six others besides Jase on speaker. They’d pulled in Kai, Beau and Renzo. I relaxed a little. Just a little.
They laid it out—layers of protection, rotating surveillance, hard lines that couldn’t be crossed.
Zoe would never be alone.
Not for a second.
Finally, the plan clicked into place.
I hated it.
But I understood it.
We put it into place immediately. Simon said Trenda would bring Zoe everything she’d need in a backpack, including her two favorite guns.
I put on a hoodie and the largest pair of sunglasses I owned and left with Simon.
We agreed that in an hour, Zarek and Zoe would say goodbye at the door with a hug.
By that time the team would already be in place.
And it starts.
Simon drove me to Jasper Creek.
He dropped me off at the house and waited until I was inside.
The silence hit me like a wall.
I paced. Turned on the TV, went through damn near every channel we had, then turned it off. I paced some more, then stomped to the kitchen.
I cooked. Because it gave my brain something to focus on. Lemon chicken and roasted potatoes.
Zoe called.
“He just left,” she said. “Big goodbye at the door. Neighbors saw. I sold it. Tongue and everything.”
I snorted. That was my sister, she could always make me laugh.
I sighed. “You’re better at this.”
“I know,” she said, gently.
“I want calls twenty times a day. It’s not like I’m going to be doing anything.” That stopped me. “Shit, I should have brought some Bristol boards.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t have looked suspicious at all,” Zoe laughed.
Her laughter eased something inside of me.
“I only promise five calls a day.”
“Sold.”
When Zarek came home, the house smelled like food.
He paused in the doorway.
“How are you doing?” he asked quietly.
“Better,” I said. “Still scared. But… better.”
We ate in comfortable silence. When we were done, we washed dishes. Side by side.
At one point, he said, “I’m sorry for overriding you.”
I nodded. “If you had a twin brother who fought better than you, or even if he didn’t, I would’ve done the same thing.”
His lips tipped up. We stood there, close and comfortable. I was soaking in the sensation, never wanting it to end.
“Movie?” he asked. “Maybe there’s something new on cable that you’d like.”
I smiled slowly. “Or we could go to bed and see if there’s anything I’d like there.”
His answering grin told me everything.
And for tonight, that was enough.