Chapter 8
8
Zeke’s leg bounced all the way through breakfast with Montgomery and Nina. Where was the line? What did he have to share with his best friend? Did he have to share?
Zeke never told Montgomery he was in love with Nina. She was seventeen when she went missing. It wasn’t okay for him to want her, so he locked all those feelings up and stuffed them in a box deep inside. A box he never opened.
But the lid was off, and Zeke wasn’t sure how long he could keep his feelings from his friend.
“I’m going to shower, if we have time for that?” Nina said, looking at Montgomery with a question on her face.
Montgomery chuckled and nodded. He wasn’t giving her any indication of where they were going or what they were doing. Which meant Zeke didn’t know either.
“We have no schedule. Take your time,” Montgomery told Nina.
Nina sighed like she couldn’t believe she had to put up with him, but the light in her eyes said she was happy to be there. Happy to have Mont’s insufferable ass right there. “Fine, don’t tell me anything.”
Mont chuckled and reached for her, pulling her in for a tight hug.
Zeke wanted to leave. He was such an asshole. Mont had missed twelve years with Nina, and instead of giving them space and time alone, Zeke was always there.
Montgomery released Nina, and both men watched as she ascended the stairs. When the bedroom door closed, Montgomery let out a long sigh.
“You okay?” Zeke asked.
Montgomery turned to him and nodded. “She said she didn’t want to sleep alone last night. That the day took a lot out of her.”
Zeke nodded. It was the truth, but there was so much more that he should confess.
“Thank you,” Mont breathed. “Thank you for being here for her. For all of this. For letting her invade your space and take over your life.”
Gene’s meow called out the lie, but Zeke ignored the brat and kept his gaze on Mont’s. “I’d do anything for her.”
Montgomery nodded. “I know. And I appreciate it.”
Zeke nodded, knowing that was the best he could hope for at the moment. He wanted to tell Mont everything, to confess that he was wrapped up in Nina when Mont let himself in, but he wasn’t sure how it would go. He wasn’t sure Mont would be okay with it.
Because Zeke wasn’t sure if he was. Nina deserved better than him. She deserved the world. A nice guy who would love her and treat her like the precious doll she was. Zeke was rough. He filled his skin with tattoos and filled his bed with women he never wanted to see again. He wasn’t built for permanence.
Because he never had Nina.
He knew that was the truth, but he also knew he wasn’t a good bet. If he’d had a sister, he wouldn’t want her with someone like him.
But Zeke wasn’t strong enough to deny himself of a taste of Nina.
“You got any ideas for today?” Montgomery asked as they cleaned up the kitchen.
Zeke snorted. “I thought you had a plan.”
Mont laughed. “Nope. Just wanted to spend time with her. Figured it might be good for her to get out of here.”
“Think she’s ready for that? Think it’s safe?”
Montgomery shook his head, running a hand over his head. “I don’t know, man. I don’t want her to be afraid of everything, but is she ready? You’re spending more time with her than I am. What do you think?”
Zeke thought about the stories Nina had told the day before. About being held captive. About the things Gwendolyn Lennox did to her and the others.
Zeke ached to keep her hidden. To lock her up in his bedroom and forget the outside world for a year or two. To keep her sated and safe. But that made him no better than Gwendolyn. Locking her up and throwing away the key was the same thing Nina had been through. He couldn’t do it.
“I don’t know if she’ll ever be ready,” Zeke answered honestly.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Mont sounded defeated, like he’d already failed Nina.
They both did. They stopped looking for her. They accepted the reports from the police that she was gone. They listened to the statistics. They assumed she was dead.
They were wrong, but she paid the price for their faith in the people who should have found her. No one knew where Nina went that night. They had no leads.
Which Zeke wondered now if it was intentional. Gwendolyn had cops in her pocket for years. Her and her father before her. Why had they never assumed someone was pulling the strings and keeping Nina’s whereabouts a secret?
“Maybe we should just stay here,” Montgomery said. His sigh was one of sadness and regret.
“No. I have an idea.”
“What is it?” Montgomery asked.
“Carousel park.”
A smile lifted Montgomery’s lips into a smile Zeke hadn’t seen in years. Childhood memories and joy flicked across Mont’s face, his nod a solid agreement. “That’s perfect. She always loved carousels. How did you remember that?”
“I remember everything about her,” Zeke said honestly.
Montgomery looked at him, but the door opened upstairs and both men watched Nina return to the living room.
Zeke’s mouth went dry when he saw her. She wore another of the outfits he bought her the day before. Jean shorts ended at mid-thigh and hugged her thick legs. Smooth, creamy skin led to bright pink socks he ached to pull off her feet inch-by-inch.
Zeke let his gaze travel back up her legs and over her shorts to a pink top that matched the socks and draped around her curves in loose, flowing fabric that did nothing to calm his raging desire.
“Cute,” Mont said, reaching for her and pulling her against his side.
Zeke could only grunt. He shifted once the two of them walked past him, hoping Montgomery didn’t notice the erection Zeke was sure he’d have all damn day.
Fuck.
Nina peppered them with questions about where they were going while Zeke drove. He needed space between him and Nina, and told Mont to sit with her.
It didn’t help. Her scent filled his SUV, blending with his own. She’d used the same shampoo as him, and every whiff of his own scent made him think of her. Of how it would smell differently on her when he pressed his nose to her neck. How it would taste when he kissed her skin.
He cleared his throat and reminded himself they were going to a family place. A place where he’d scare all the kids with his tattoos and gruff appearance, but would scare the parents if he was walking around with a hard-on pointing at their kids.
By the time they made the forty-five minute drive to Olcott, Zeke had himself under control. He parked a few blocks from the Olcott Beach Carousel Park, close to the shores of Lake Ontario.
Nina got out of the SUV and looked around. “Where are we?”
Montgomery chuckled. “His idea.” He jerked his head toward Zeke. “Carousel Park.”
Nina’s mouth dropped open in a surprised O, and her eyes filled with tears.
“We don’t have to,” Zeke hurried to say. “We can go somewhere else.”
Nina threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Zeke closed his eyes and held her. He still expected her to be gone when he opened his eyes, but she wasn’t. She was real. And she was there. “You’re welcome.”
Montgomery smiled as he watched them.
When Zeke caught Mont, he eased back from Nina and smiled at her. “Do you want to go ride?”
“Yes,” Nina said, taking a hand from each man. She tugged them to her sides, then looped her hands over each one’s elbow.
The three of them walked down the sidewalk as one, taking their time as they followed families toward the park. The soft music reached them, and Nina squeezed her hands on both their elbows.
Nina gasped when she saw the building, windows thrown open, that housed the vintage carousel. She tugged both of them forward, urging them to move faster.
Zeke couldn’t help his smile at her delight. She was like a kid again, enjoying something that should have been a simple pleasure. Something everyone should have been able to enjoy whenever they wanted.
Montgomery handed over a dollar to cover their rides, getting a quarter back. The three of them found their way onto the carousel. Nina debated between a black horse with a wide open mouth and a pink mane and a beige horse with a lowered head and a brown mane.
“We’ll take another ride,” Montgomery told her, allowing her to pick the black horse before the ride started.
Montgomery rode the horse next to Nina, and Zeke sat on a sled behind them. He stared at brother and sister, hoping they had many more good memories ahead of them.
The ride ended and Nina swung her leg to get off the horse, nearly stepping off the edge of the carousel. Zeke was right there to catch her, saving her from a twisted ankle or worse.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking her over closely.
Nina nodded. “Always my hero.”
Zeke righted her, setting her away from him with a tight smile. He was no one’s hero. He’d failed more times than he could count, especially when it came to Nina.
Zeke led the way off the carousel, his skin feeling too tight and his neck tensing with every step he took. Twelve years of failing her couldn’t be erased with one save. It couldn’t ever be erased. And he needed to remember that.
Montgomery and Nina raced to get back in line for another ride, and Zeke followed, knowing he wouldn’t leave them alone. He and Montgomery were both checking the crowd constantly, watching for any potential threat.
Zeke doubted Gwendolyn Lennox would be dumb enough to show her face, but he knew she wasn’t operating alone. She had an army. One who would do anything for her. Including take Nina out surrounded by families and kids, if that was what Gwendolyn ordered.
Their second ride around the carousel was less eventful, with Nina not losing her balance. After, they walked around the park, watching the kids and families play and laugh and enjoy the day.
“I was really hoping I’d have some nieces or nephews to meet,” Nina said to Montgomery. “You never had anyone?”
Montgomery shook his head. His eyes were shaded by his glasses, hiding the truth from Nina. A truth Zeke knew as well as his own. Montgomery never forgave himself for letting Nina disappear. He never thought he was worthy of happiness when his sister didn’t get to have hers.
“Never found the right one.”
“You and Berkeley?—”
“No,” Montgomery said before Nina could finish her question. “There’s nothing going on.”
Nina looked up at her brother with a look that said she didn’t believe him.
Zeke wondered what he missed. Berkeley was amazing, but she was their office manager. She kept everything together and going. Montgomery never said anything about her that didn’t have to do with work.
But Nina saw something that made her ask. Maybe it was because she was the only woman Nina saw Montgomery around. That had to be it.
“There’s no one else. Never has been. I was in the military, then I started Rose Protection Agency, and I never slowed down to think about having a family or anything.” Montgomery’s words were ones Zeke had told himself for years, but there was something underneath, something Zeke felt but had never been able to name.
Nina. For Zeke, it was loving Nina. But it was there for Montgomery, too.
“Maybe one day,” Nina said.
“Always the optimist,” Montgomery replied.
“I have to be. I had to be. Otherwise, I never would have survived.” Nina’s words were a reminder of why they were there. Why they were reliving childhood memories and happier times.
“How about the beach?” Zeke asked before he could stop himself.
“Beach?” Nina asked, turning delighted eyes to him.
Zeke nodded. “There’s one at the end of the street. If you’re up for it.”
Nina’s eyes brightened even more. “Yes. I haven’t been to a beach in forever.”
“Let’s go,” Montgomery said.
Nina hurried ahead of them when she saw the sand at the bottom of the stairs. Montgomery raced to keep up with her, and Zeke realized the error of his suggestion.
They were exposed. Anyone on a boat would have a clear shot at them. And being at the bottom of the stairs meant someone could get the high ground on them.
Zeke watched behind them as they moved closer to the sand. His anxiety and anticipation ramped up, all thoughts focused on keeping Nina safe at all costs.
Montgomery’s head swung side-to-side as he followed Nina out onto the sand. But Nina was oblivious to it all. She threw her arms up, letting the warm breeze dance over her skin and lift the edges of her loose top, exposing a far-too-tantalizing strip of creamy skin that Zeke wanted to taste. She spun in a circle, laughing like she’d never been so happy in her life, and regret punched Zeke in the gut.
She should have had this all along.
Zeke stared at her and fell more in love with her every second she enjoyed something so simple as fresh air on her face. Her laughter tugged at a part of him that was so lost and forgotten he felt tears fill his eyes.
She was back. She was okay. She was beaten and broken and would never be the same, but she was alive. She was strong. So much stronger than he’d ever given her credit for. She would find her way forward.
And Zeke was honored to be there for it.
Gwendolyn Lennox snarled at the video on her phone. Nina was alive. She was happy. The bitch got away and had the fucking nerve to act like everything was fine.
Gwendolyn threw the phone across the room and watched it smash against the wall. The screen flickered, then went dark, the view of Nina disappearing.
“What do you want us to do?” Fernando asked.
Gwendolyn looked at the man she trusted as much as any other. It was a risk to trust him, but she had no choice. Nina took more from her than the fucking agent who survived. “I don’t know.”
Fernando’s look of surprise was quickly erased, but Gwendolyn saw it cross his face.
“You don’t agree?”
Fernando shook his head. “I’m not used to you not knowing.”
Gwendolyn stared at the broken phone. It had been years since she debated her actions. Since the last time she lived in the house where she was currently staying. The only house the FBI didn’t raid after Nina’s escape and confession.
She told them everything. The houses where they would stay. The women Gwendolyn had in her possession. The way they would move product around and who was involved that shouldn’t have been, according to the law.
Two nights and two raids on the company. First the agent, then her sister. Gwendolyn’s organization was crumbling around her, and it was all because of Nina Rose.
Death was too good for the sister who betrayed Gwendolyn. Especially death by one of her people. This was personal. And Gwendolyn didn’t hand off personal tasks.
“She needs to die,” Fernando said.
“I know,” Gwendolyn snapped. “But I want to see the life fade from her eyes. After I take what matters most to her.”
Fernando’s grin was one of approval. But Gwendolyn didn’t need approval. She’d fought her way to the top, taking what she wanted on her way up.
Being back where she started was a stark reminder of what she’d done to get to the top. Gwendolyn didn’t like hiding out. She wasn’t ashamed. She wouldn’t hide for long. Revenge would be hers.
No one ever thought she was good enough. Weak and useless were the words thrown at her as a teenager. But she proved her father wrong when she drew a knife across his throat.
After telling him his chosen heir was dead. By her hand.
Gwendolyn was not afraid to do the dirty work. It was required if she was going to prove what she could do. It was what put her on top of the family business. What allowed her to claim her rightful place.
You were never good enough.
Gwendolyn screamed, reacting to her father’s voice as though he were actually there instead of a ghost who taunted her.
Fernando’s gun was out and scanning the room instantly, carefully avoiding Gwendolyn. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Nothing,” Gwendolyn growled. “Put that away before you kill me.”
Fernando looked around the room once more before holstering his gun. “We know where she is. Do you want us to get her?”
Gwendolyn shook her head. “No. I want her to get comfortable. To think I’m going to let her live. Keep operating as best we can.”
“People are scared. The FBI is breathing down our necks.”
Gwendolyn glared at him, getting in his face.
He didn’t back down or flinch, which was why she let him live.
“The FBI will forget all about us soon enough. We operate as though they’re not there. And if someone gets caught, they know what to do.”
Fernando nodded. “Everyone knows. They won’t get caught.”
“Good. Bring me another phone.”
Fernando nodded again. “Of course. Is there anything else you need?”
Gwendolyn looked around the room. “A new bed. And another security check.”
“On it.”
Fernando left, and Gwendolyn looked around the room again. She would rise again. With or without Nina by her side.