Chapter 5
Coulomb's Law
Dean
Hera? She’s a fucking Hera? Kahl’s only child was his son, Brax. Brax died almost six years ago after his cancer had taken over. And Kahl’s wife died from childbirth complications when giving birth to Brax. It isn’t possible for The Sparrow to be his child. Is it?
“Brax was a little over a year younger than me.” Zoe explains. “My dad never mentioned me to anyone.”
“That’s a little convenient. Why should we believe you are Kahl Hera’s daughter?” I ask her, now standing over her.
“Ask me anything.” She shrugs.
“What cancer did Brax have?” I quizzed.
“Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was diagnosed at eleven years old and went into remission twice, but the cancer returned each time, becoming more aggressive and ultimately claiming his life at the young age of fourteen.” Zoe stands from her seat and meets me toe to toe.
“How about we not ask questions about my dead baby brother and get to the questions you really want answers to.” Her whispers are almost lethal, and too scary to be coming out of this tiny woman in front of me.
I keep my stance in front of her, regardless of the tiny bit of nervousness I feel being so close to her.
Her red hair vibrant from the sun peeking in from the window, and for the first time I catch a glimpse of a white streak in hair that frames her face perfectly and ends at her jaw.
Her emerald eyes have little specks of gold in them only to highlight the fire within them even more.
“How was Kahl Hera murdered?” I ask. None of the details ever went into the news circuit, so only six people in this world knew how he was killed. Me, my three brothers, Kahl himself, and the killer.
“I put a bullet in each of his knees, then each of his elbows. Then I took his favorite dagger that he liked to use on me, and I slowly carved his heart out. I still have his heart sitting in my freezer.” She tells the details of his gruesome murder so slowly and methodically that it sends shivers down my spine.
I look over at Teddy who looks like he’s about to come on himself and look back at the tiny woman in front of me.
“Holy shit,” Brandon says, breaking the tension as always. “You really did it.”
“Is this what love feels like?” Teddy sighs dramatically and holds his hands over his heart.
I finally step back and turn to face Max, who is gripping the table so tightly that I can hear the wood splintering beneath his palms. However, it isn’t anger that is fueling his aggression; it’s pleasure.
He’s pleased with her answer, elated at the fact that she admitted it.
Elated at the fact that she did it, and he caught her; trapped her.
The four long and agonizing years that were spent on tracking and caging this bird has finally, finally paid off.
Almost in sync all four of us men take a step back and lay hold of the beautiful but tragic devil that is now within our midst. Don’t get me wrong, Kahl was like a father to all of us-- more so for Max than the rest. But what she did also put Max in the position he is in now, a leader. The leader.
Judging by some of the things Zoe said, there is a very good chance that Kahl deserved it. Kahl was a very controlling man, and incredibly vile if you weren’t on his good side. I, myself, have been on his bad side once or twice.
The dagger that he liked to use on me.
I can’t begin to explain why I would even begin to care what has happened to this woman in front of me, but for some reason those words filled me with a fury I’d never felt.
“He hurt you?” The words tumble from my mouth angrier than I intended.
“I think that’s enough questions about my past. Now that I’ve proved who I was, tell me why I’m here. Why is it that you kidnapped me?” Zoe asks, taking her seat again and popping a grape in mouth.
Max mirrors her actions and leans into his chair at the head of the table, “I have a proposition for you.” A smile creeps at the corners of his mouth.
“Not interested. Can I go now?” She quickly responds.
“No. Hear us out first.” Max points at her to stay in her seat. “You’ve got talent, and I honestly admire the work you do. I’d like you to join our team.”
Zoe leans forward with an unreadable look on her face, “What’s in it for me? Like you said, I’m talented. I work well alone, clearly. So, I don’t need a team. Sounds like only you’d be benefiting from this.”
“That could be true, but you would be heavily compensated.” Max shrugs and gestures to our home.
Zoe looks as if she’s contemplating it, almost like she is actually considering it.
There is a look in her eyes that also shows that she’s calculating, plotting, planning something behind the scenes.
The way her eyebrows furrow and a little crease forms between them.
It’s like a canyon of deep thought and beauty rolled into one.
It’s a simple, small detail that men would go to war over just to keep it to themselves.
Brandon interrupts her train of thought and says, “You’ve become sloppy. You haven’t even been trying to cover your tracks since Archer and his Blood Eagle. And you left the door unlocked at Peter’s place.”
Brandon makes a valid point, but we keep our eyes trained on what Zoe, on the edge of our seats— literally, to hear what she has to say next.
Zoe cocks an eyebrow at Brandon, “You think that was an accident?” She makes a tsk sound with the click of her tongue, “Silly, silly boy.” She winks.
“You’re saying it was on purpose?” He asks. Zoe’s only response is a knowing look.
“Then why? Why’d you make yourself vulnerable like that?” Max questions.
“I knew you’d never find me unless I made my presence known. I was growing bored of the cat and mouse, because you just never caught up to me. And I was ready to see my father’s prized possessions.” She gestures to us scattered around the table, gawking at her.
This woman is a force—a driving force that should be feared, and yet all I want to do is get closer to her.
It infuriates me to feel this way towards her so quickly, I’ve never felt anything for a woman; other than what if felt like to come in them, of course.
I never let myself get close to anyone but my brothers, nobody else can be trusted.
Not even Zoe, and the magnificent woman she is.
I’ll need to distance myself and hopefully getting lost in another pussy will keep my mind off of her.
“So, let me get this straight,” Max starts.
“You let me see you at Archer's scene, and you have purposely left a door unlocked at a site of an unraveling scene, not to mention all the other things you have left behind at other scenes… all because you wanted to meet us? Why didn’t you just reach out?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” She says, in a mockingly innocent tone as if she isn’t speaking of gruesome hellish homicide scenes.
“Oh, so the pretty sparrow likes to be chased?” Teddy leans in over her chair, and to all of our surprise she doesn’t even flinch in his presence.
Ignoring Teddy, Zoe fixes her gaze and narrows her eyes back at Max, “Say I refuse. That I don’t want any compensation, and I’d like to continue the way I have for the last four years. What happens?”
This is when Max takes on a wicked smirk and leans across the table to match Zoe’s expression, “I’ll kill you.”
Zoe snorts, “You could try. But why? Why kill me?”
“You have taken lots of money out from under us, stealing those hits. Millions, just in the last year. I’ve killed for less.” Max shrugs.
As if finally sensing the serious tone in Max’s gaze, Zoe nods in understanding and sits back in her chair. There is a brief moment of silence and tension in the room as Zoe slowly drums her fingers on the table.
“And,” Max breaks the silence, “We aren’t the only ones that were hunting for you. You’ve gotten a lot of people ruffled and are willing to pay an unimaginable amount of money to have The Sparrow’s head mounted on their wall.”
The look in Zoe’s eye proves that she wasn’t aware of the others on the search for her. Like she was clueless to the wars that have started just to get her in their grasp. There is another long beat of silence, and that canyon forms between her eyebrows again, and she finally nods.
“Fine. I’m willing to join. But terms would need to be negotiated first.” She eats another grape.
“I would hope so. What do you have in mind?” Max asks.
“I’ll need at least 12 hours to think about it, but I do have two things right now.” She grins.
“Go on.”
“Don’t hire anymore people like Mikhail Sanders. He wasn’t like a small faucet leak; he was a goddamn busted pipe. He was weak and willingly spilt all the information when all I did was hold a knife to his throat.”
Max’s jaw tensed but he nodded, “And the second thing?”
“I need to return to my apartment to get my things. Clothes, toiletries, weapons, and so on.” Zoe said.
“You can’t leave until we’ve squared away a contract.
I can send for clothes and toiletries for the time being.
Once things are signed and negotiated then we can return you to your apartment to retrieve any weapons or sentimental items you may have.
But you will be staying here full time while you’re under contract—this is non-negotiable. ”
Zoe grits her teeth but eventually gives a single nod, “Fine.”
Smiles are shared across the room and relief flashes on Max’s face.
“Great. Now that business is squared away. I have one last question.” Zoe stands out of her chair pushing it back with her thighs. “Who the fuck knocked me out?”