Chapter 22
22
Zeke couldn’t bring himself to talk to her. He was furious. How could she protect the woman who ruined her life? Who kept her captive and sold her to anyone who wanted a piece of her?
Not only that, but she lied to him. It wasn’t the part that should be most significant, but it hurt. She pulled back because she was lying, because she knew keeping the truth from him was bad, but she still did it.
Yeah, maybe Gwendolyn wasn’t there. But maybe she was.
And someone died because Nina didn’t share her suspicion right away.
Zeke texted Montgomery they were coming in and to get the FBI there, so Mont met them at the SUV and got Nina inside. Zeke hung back, needing space from Nina. He needed space from all of it. From loving her and protecting her and hoping she would want him.
He felt like a fool. And he needed space from that, too.
“You okay?” Samuel asked, sidling up to Zeke as he watched Nina and Lorelei talk in Mont’s office.
Zeke shook his head. “No. What’s going on around here?”
“Picked up a new case. Getting ready to head out and meet with the client.”
“Need some help?”
Samuel’s brows went high. He rocked back on his heels. “I thought you were protecting Nina.”
Zeke shook his head. “I’m available.”
“Everything good?”
“No.”
“Need to talk about it?”
“No. When do we need to go?”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Zeke pulled out his phone. “Let me tell Mont I’m going with you, then we can get out of here.”
Samuel nodded and kept his mouth shut.
Zeke appreciated that last part.
He sent a quick text to Montgomery that he needed to talk. Zeke watched through the glass as Mont read the text and looked out to where Zeke was.
Mont nodded, then turned to Nina and Lorelei. A second later, he walked out of his office. “What’s going on?”
“I’m going to tag along with Samuel to meet the new client.”
“What about Nina?” Mont asked.
Zeke shook his head. “I think it’s best if she stays with you.”
Mont narrowed his eyes at Zeke.
Zeke didn’t flinch. He expected an inquisition. He didn’t expect an agreement.
“Okay. Done. Be careful out there.”
Zeke nodded, then followed Samuel to the door, not looking back to see if Nina watched him leave.
“Are you okay?” Lorelei asked.
Nina dragged her gaze from Zeke’s retreating back and shook her head. “No.”
“Do you need a break?”
“No. Let’s continue.”
“Okay.” Lorelei turned back to her notes. “This house you lived in, you moved out when you were eighteen?”
Nina nodded. “Nineteen. When I left home, I went to Club Curves where Beth worked, where I’d met Gwendolyn. I told the bartender I was looking for Gwendolyn, and someone called her for me. She came and got me and took me to that house.”
“And she lived there with you?”
Nina nodded again. “Yeah. For almost two years.”
Monty came back into his office, letting the door close behind him. He didn’t say a word, just stood there like he was doing before.
“Where did Zeke go?” Nina asked.
“He’s helping Samuel with another case,” Monty said. He didn’t meet Nina’s gaze.
“Is he coming back?”
Monty shook his head slowly, as though he didn’t want to answer the question.
“Why not? Where am I going to stay?”
“With me.” Monty finally looked at her. His eyes held all his love. His pain and his hope, too. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Nina swallowed roughly. She never wanted to hurt her brother. When she called Zeke, she thought Monty was gone. When she learned he was there, she still wanted to stay with Zeke. She felt safe with Zeke. She knew Monty would protect her, but Zeke was different. She could crawl on his lap and not feel weird about it. And when he admitted how much he wanted her, she knew going to him was the best choice. She was able to heal in ways she never would have if it weren’t for Zeke.
But he was leaving her.
“I think I have enough,” Lorelei said, moving toward the door. “I’ll keep you posted on what we find.”
“When do you think you’ll be able to check out the house?” Nina asked.
“We can’t sit on this, so we’ll do everything possible to get over there today.”
Nina nodded.
“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Monty said. He ushered Lorelei to the door and left with her, leaving Nina alone.
She curled up on the couch and tried not to cry. She didn’t blame Zeke for being angry, but she thought he would be there. He promised to keep her safe.
And she promised not to lie to him.
Nina held her stomach and let the pain of losing him fill her. She’d been through it before. She would survive.
“Are you okay?” Monty asked when he walked back into the office.
“No.”
Monty was quiet for a minute. “I need to take care of a few things. Frannie said you could stay with her while I’m unavailable.”
Nina shook her head and sat up. “I hate being a burden.”
Monty sat next to her. He took her hands and squeezed them. “You are not a burden. You never have been. I had some meetings lined up today and didn’t realize Zeke would be unavailable. I don’t want you alone. That doesn’t mean you’re a burden. I would feel the same about any client, too.”
Nina nodded, trying to get past the hurt. If Monty didn’t know Zeke was going to be unavailable, then he didn’t send Zeke on whatever job he was on. Zeke chose to leave. He chose to leave her.
Monty led her out of the office and into his SUV. Nina stared out the window at the passing city, thinking how different things were just a few hours earlier. She went to see the Falls. She laughed with her brother. She didn’t worry about someone trying to kill her.
And one dead body changed all of that.
Monty parked in front of Shelter in the Storm. Before he could walk around to Nina’s side of the SUV, Frannie was walking out.
“Hello!” she said warmly, wrapping Nina in a hug. “I’m so happy you’re going to spend the day here.”
Nina made a noise she hoped Frannie took as agreement. She liked Frannie, but being there was not her first choice.
“I’ll be back around dinner, if that’s okay,” Monty said.
Frannie nodded. “Of course. We’ll see you then.”
Nina hugged her brother and felt like the child in the middle of divorced parents, being passed between them like she couldn’t take care of herself.
She supposed she couldn’t. She didn’t know how to defend herself. She didn’t know how to stop Gwendolyn. She didn’t know anything.
Frannie ushered Nina inside and led her to the living room.
Nina sat on the couch and grabbed a pillow, holding it over her stomach and hugging it tight.
“How is Zeke? I’m guessing he’s busy chasing down something for you to need a place to stay for the day,” Frannie said. Her smile was bright and happy, like she was sharing a secret.
“I don’t know.”
Frannie’s smile faded. “What do you mean? You two have been attached at the hip since you came back. I thought you were together.”
Nina shook her head. “It was a fling. Temporary. Casual, I guess. It’s over now.”
Frannie drew back in shock. “Wow, I never thought you’d turn him down. The way you two looked at each other, I thought you loved him as much as he loves you.”
“He doesn’t love me. He’s the one that left.”
Frannie laughed. “Oh, honey, you don’t believe that, do you?”
“Um, yeah. He walked out. Didn’t even tell me he was leaving.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. He’s in love with you. Hands down, head over heels, totally gone.”
Nina shook her head. “No. No, he loves me, but it’s not like that. I’m like his sister.”
Frannie choked. “Sorry, but no brother should look at his sister the way that man looks at you.”
“Not like a real sister. He just… He loves me because he’s known me forever. But it’s not romantic love. It’s comfortable, familiar.”
“Is that how you feel about him?”
Nina picked at her nail. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about him.”
“It might matter to him. Because you can tell yourself he doesn’t love you, but you’re wrong.”
“You don’t even know us.”
Frannie laughed. “Nina, I’ve watched people come through those doors for years. A lot of years. I’ve seen what love really looks like. I’ve seen a lot of the manipulation and danger that comes with control and possession, but I’ve seen love, too. I’ve watched Stacey and Wray find their way back to each other. I was there as Jessica and Braden admitted they weren’t just friends. I saw Karli and Cade fall in love. Mackenzie and Holden knew each other long before I met them, but when she finally let him in, he was all in. Raina and Adam were the same, but she knew he was one of the good ones from day one. Edie and Pryce were the hardest ones because she had so much pain and he didn’t trust very easily, but their love is solid. Dawn and Gage almost didn’t survive, but their love held them together. And Lorelei and Vinnie? Those two went through the worst of it with her memory loss, but he was there every step of the way for her. All those couples know what love is. They know it’s not sticking around for the good times, but being there for the bad ones, too.”
“Then that proves I’m right because as soon as things went bad, Zeke took off.”
Frannie shook her head. “I don’t believe that. I think maybe he’s hurting for some reason. He doesn’t trust that you feel the same way he does, and he needs a break. To protect his heart after a month of loving you and thinking he’s going to lose you.”
“I thought of another place Gwendolyn could be, and I didn’t tell him.”
Frannie sucked in a sharp breath. “And the body…”
Nina nodded. “Joyce.”
“So he feels betrayed.”
“It wasn’t about him.”
“No, honey, it’s about you. He’s terrified of losing you for good. There’s a threat out there, a very real one, and you didn’t share information that could have stopped Gwennie. He might be mad, but I think it’s more likely he’s scared and doesn’t know how to handle that. Men like him, men who are so capable and strong, they fall hard. And when they do, the woman they love is everything to them. Give him time. He’ll come back to you soon. He won’t be able to stay away, even if he knows it’ll destroy him to be near you when you don’t feel the same way he does.”
Nina sucked in a breath. Tears dripped down her cheeks.
“Unless you do feel the same,” Frannie said.
Nina nodded.
Frannie smiled. “I think maybe you should tell him. The next time you see him. Because he needs to know, and right now, he doesn’t.”
Nina inhaled a full breath, finding it impossible to not smile. Zeke loved her. And she loved him. Everything would be okay.
As the day wore on, Nina tried to convince herself everything would be over soon. Lorelei would find Gwendolyn, Zeke would come back, and Nina would be able to move on with her life.
But the longer all of that took, the less she believed it would happen. When Monty showed up just before dinner, the look on his face said none of it had happened yet.
“Any news from Lorelei?” Nina asked when Monty led her outside to his SUV.
Monty hung his head. “They can’t get a team together to check out the house until tomorrow.”
“I thought they were going to go there today.”
Monty nodded. “That’s what she said, but I guess plans changed when she got back to their office. They don’t want to risk tipping Gwendolyn off if they drive by. She could run. So they decided to wait until they had time to plan a full scale operation.”
“And they’re just going to risk her getting away?”
“Unfortunately, yeah.”
“No. They can’t. What if she kills someone else?”
“It’s on them if she does. You did what you needed to do and told them as soon as you remembered the house. None of this is on you.”
“But I didn’t,” Nina admitted. “I thought about the house last night, and I didn’t say anything. Even this morning, I didn’t know if I wanted to tell them.”
“What? Why would you do that? She held you against your will. She used you. She profited from the horrible things you went through.”
“Yeah, and she was there for me at a time when I didn’t feel like anyone else was,” Nina confessed. “I’m not saying that to make you feel bad, Monty, I’m not, but I left because I knew I was stopping you from living your life. You wanted to go. You chose the military. If Dad moved back in with me, you wouldn’t have left. You would have given up your spot and your career would have been over before it started. Gwendolyn was there for me when I knew I had to leave. She was good to me the first few months.”
“And then she sold your body and took all the money and threatened to kill you if you left.” Monty’s growl was low and dangerous. His anger was a living thing in the SUV with them. “I will never forgive myself for not sticking around and finding you. For not seeing how scared you were and what you were willing to do before you left. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that monster make you feel like you owe her something. You were her possession for twelve years. It might not have been as horrible that first year, but if she really cared, she would have let you call me. She would have given you the freedom to leave the house. She would have let you have a connection to me and promised to care for you when I was gone. She hid you. She lied, and she kept you from seeing anyone.”
Shock had Nina sucking in a breath. She hadn’t thought of her first year with Gwendolyn that way, but Monty was right. It could have been better. It could have been normal. But Gwendolyn didn’t allow it. She told Nina to stay inside where no one could see her because it wasn’t safe. She said Nina would be arrested or sent to a foster home if the police found her.
Nina believed all of it. She trusted what Gwendolyn said. She let it happen.
Monty pulled into his driveway and turned off the SUV. Nina realized she’d never been into his side of the townhouse. Zeke’s side was dark, his garage closed. She stared at it for a minute, wishing she could go back to Zeke.
“All my stuff is there,” Nina said, pointing to Zeke’s place.
“Uh, no. I met up with Zeke earlier. He packed everything for you and we put it in my house.” Monty was uncomfortable with the admission.
“Oh.” She swallowed through the pain. Frannie was wrong. Zeke didn’t love her.
Nina followed Monty into the townhouse that was a mirror of Zeke’s. Monty disarmed the alarm and turned on lights. He moved through the space, showing her where things were.
His home was comfortable but masculine. It felt like a bachelor pad, whereas Zeke’s felt like a home. Like her home.
She had to stop. It wasn’t her home. It never was, and it never would be.
Monty made them a quick dinner, then settled on his black couch with the remote. His TV was massive, taking up the entire wall. His furniture was arranged differently from Zeke’s, focusing everything on the TV.
Nina sat next to her brother and wondered what Zeke was doing. She hoped he was safe. She hoped Gwendolyn didn’t find him.
Her breath caught with the fear that the next body would be Zeke’s. Nina couldn’t let it happen. She couldn’t sit there and wait it out and hope Gwendolyn didn’t find Zeke. Or Monty. Or anyone she cared about.
“I need to go see her,” she breathed.
“See who?” Monty asked.
“Gwendolyn.”
“No. No. Hell no. Why would you even think that?”
“Because this doesn’t end until I do. I know she’s there. I can feel it. But she won’t be for long. She’ll have an escape plan. If the FBI get there before I do, people will die.”
“She’ll kill you, Nina.”
Nina surged to her feet. “I need to do it, anyway. I need to go.”
“Then I’m going with you,” Monty said, standing with her.
“No. I can’t have her hurt you.”
“I’m not going to sit here and watch TV while you go off and face her alone. I’m going. If you’re going, I’m going.”
Nina wanted to tell him no, but she knew there was no way he’d let her leave alone. If she was honest, it made her feel better to know he would be there with her. She would protect him. Trade herself for him if it came down to that.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked.
Monty shook his head. “No. But I’m doing it anyway. I’m not going to risk you sneaking out and going without me.”
“Let’s go.”
Monty nodded and followed her to the door.
Zeke’s house was still dark when they walked outside. A part of Nina wanted to see him before she left, but it wouldn’t change anything.
Monty drove the city streets like he knew exactly where he was going. Nina assumed he did as they drew closer to the house she’d once called home.
Monty parked a block away, tucking his SUV among dozens of other vehicles where it wouldn’t be noticed right away. He made a move to open his door, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“I love you, big brother. I know I haven’t shown it in the best way, but I do. I love you so much, and I need you to do one thing for me.”
“Anything, as long as it’s not staying put.”
Nina breathed a laugh. “No, I know you won’t do that.”
“Okay, then what it is?”
“I need you to tell Zeke I love him.”
“No. Don’t do that. You’re going to tell him yourself.”
Nina shook her head. “I don’t know if I’ll have the chance to.”
“You can’t walk into that house thinking you’ll never walk out, Nina.”
“I know what she’s capable of, Monty. I know how she operates. And I know my odds are not great. So, please, promise me you’ll tell Zeke I love him. I’m in love with him. I wish things could have been different, but I have to do this.”
“Fuck, Nina.”
“Please promise me you’ll tell him.”
Monty nodded and dragged her in for a hug. He held her tight for several moments, then kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go stop this bitch so you can have that happy ending you deserve.”
Nina smiled. “Let’s do it.”