Chapter Eighteen
Damien
I can hardly believe what I'm hearing.
“This is the proof that we need that his death was murder, not a suicide. I'm calling in the FBI to do an investigation that might actually get somewhere. I'm sorry you've been through this and that no one believed you.”
“You did. Zoe did.” It's almost over, all of this. “Thank you.”
“Don't thank me. Zoe is the one that did this.” Connor sounds hopeful, and that tells me justice might still be possible.
We say our goodbyes and I hang up the phone, feeling a surge of emotion. I want to call Zoe and tell her everything and thank her again as I swivel slightly in my office chair.
But before I can call her, Felicity walks through the door. I want to tell her to get out, but I see the look on her face, her red rimmed eyes, and I can tell that she's been crying. I want to ask her what she did as panic rises in me.
“Damien, please listen to me,” she says. “I’m sorry, I love you, and I messed up.”
“Messed up how?” I ask, my heart thumping uncomfortably hard.
“I screwed up, I wasn’t thinking clearly, but I just love you and want you to be with me.” She’s rambling and I’m losing patience by the second.
“What did you do?” I ask a little more forcefully than I intended and she bursts into tears.
“I sent Zoe to Club Red, and Cameron just sent me a picture of them in the green room.” I suddenly realize that her crying is false, and I know exactly what she's trying to do. She's trying to make me feel like Zoe isn't in my corner on my side and that she's cheating on me with Cameron.
I leap to my feet and head for the door, but she follows.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think she’d cheat on you, especially not with him,” she wails.
There's no time to waste. I will have to deal with her later. I know exactly what happens in the green room. That's the room where anything goes, and Zoe is in danger and likely doesn't even know it.
“Why would you do that?” I ask as she falls into step beside me. If she's going to tag along, I might as well get some answers.
“I was jealous, okay?” she says, sounding defensive all of a sudden and lending weight to my thoughts that the crying is all fake. “You two just look so happy, so in love, and I’ve loved you for years, Damien. You should have given me a chance. I deserve you; she doesn't.”
“You're delusional,” I say as the elevator takes me down to the parking garage. “If she gets hurt because of you...” I shut my mouth, not wanting to threaten her.
But her eyes widen as she realizes the implications... and how much she misjudged this situation. She really thought she could send Zoe, my girlfriend, to Club Red and tell me that Zoe was cheating, and I would just go along with it and decide to be with her instead? Delusional.
“I honestly didn't know that Cameron would be there or that he would do anything to her. If I'd known, I wouldn't have sent her.” She sounds absolutely terrified now. Good.
The surge of anger and fear rushing through me makes me shake with fury. Zoe is in danger. It's all because of Felicity.
“I'm coming with you,” she says.
“No, you're not. You're going home,” I say as the elevator doors slide open. She doesn't step off the elevator with me, but I hear her speak.
“Are you firing me?”
I turn around and spread my arms wide as I walk backward toward my car. “I don't know. I'll deal with you later.” With that, I turn around and jog toward my car.
I swear I can physically feel the seconds ticking by as I drive toward Club Red. I've heard horror stories of the things that happen in the green room. Internally, I prepare myself for what I might find when I finally catch up to Zoe.
I also have to talk myself down from wanting to murder Cameron. If he has so much as hurt a hair on her head, I'll be going to jail today. I drive like a madman, fully expecting to get pulled over, but no cops seem to notice me.
I pull into the parking lot and park right next to Zoe's car, then get out and rush for the door. The bouncer nods his head at me as I rush inside. The club is dark and loud, filled with music and smoke and people's bodies writhing, moaning, and cries of pleasure. I don't care about any of it, I just need to find Zoe.
I push through to the next room, then the next, opening the door to the green room. I see Zoe looking terrified and helpless, trying to push Cameron away but unable to escape his grasp. He has a wicked smile on his face as he pulls her closer. He doesn't see me coming.
I feel a rush of relief, but it's short lived as I stalk across the room and grab Cameron's shoulder. He lets her go and turns to face me, a look of horror flashing in his eyes the second before my fist smashes into his nose.
In an instant, the look on his face changes. At first, he had looked smug and satisfied, like he owned her, Then, he'd looked terrified. And now, he looks broken. Or his nose does, anyway.
“Are you okay?” I ask Zoe. She nods her head and I grab her hand, ready to guide her out of this place.
“Come on,” I say, “we're getting out of here.”
She nods and follows me without hesitation. We weave our way through the crowd of people, and I notice she’s looking down, unable to look at the people around us and the sexual acts they’re doing. I find myself hoping against hope that nothing actually happened to her.
At the exit, I guide her to my car and she stops, pulling her hand out of mine. “My car,” she says, gesturing.
“I'll send someone over to get it, it’s okay.” I take her hand and lead her to the passenger side of my car. Opening the door for her, I help her into her seat. In her state of shock, I pull the seat belt out and lean across her, clipping the buckle into place.
As I begin to pull back, our gazes meet and the slight space between us makes my heart thump. She reaches up and skims my jaw with the tip of her finger, then presses her lips to mine. I kiss her back, then remember where we are and what just happened.
“I want to keep kissing you, but we should go,” I whisper.
She nods. With that, I pull back, close her door, and head around the car to the driver’s side. When I'm behind the wheel I pull the car out and don't stop driving until we're far, far away from Club Red.
We're safe now, but I worry we're not okay.
I park the car and turn to Zoe, watching twin tears slide down her cheeks to gather at the point of her chin.
“I'm sorry that I went there,” she whispers. “I'm sorry for not trusting you. I should have known Felicity was lying to me and I should never have gone to that club.”
I’m floored by her words.
Does she think I'm mad at her for going to Club Red? “It's not your fault,” I say, stunned. “Felicity is the one who should be sorry. She put you in danger and betrayed us both.”
My heart aches as I say the words.
“I know, but...” she says, trailing off.
“But nothing,” I say. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to apologize for.”I reach out and cup her face in my hands as she turns to look at me. Everything in me whispers that now is the time.
I need to say the words. I need to be honest with her. I need her to know exactly how I feel and why this matters so much to me.
“Zoe, I love you.”
Her mouth pops open and her eyes dart back and forth between mine.
“Say that again,” she whispers, and I chuckle.
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you?”
“Are you asking me if you love me?” She sounds dangerously offended.
“I'm not asking you, because I know that I love you, Zoe. I'm sorry I didn't say it before, but I worried it was too soon, and I didn’t want to scare you away because this,” I gesture at the space between us before taking her face in my hands again, “means too much to me.”
She exhales. “Well, that's awkward, because that's the exact reason I didn't tell you that I love you.”
“Say it again.”
Her lips curve into a smile. “I love you, Damien, with all my heart.
“So, what do we do now?” she asks. “Besides you saying it again.”
“I love you. And I’m not sure. Go on vacation?”
She turns to me with a smile. “I already told you, Damien, the goal is to build a life we don't need to run from. Besides, didn’t we just get back from a vacation? Remember? We met on a cruise.”
Her humor has joy bubbling in my chest. This woman makes me so happy even my body doesn't know how to react. I’ve never been this overwhelmed before. “Oh, I'm not running away. I’m taking you somewhere so I can focus on you and nothing else,” I say.
She lifts her eyebrows. “Why?”
I know exactly what she's trying to do - trying to make me tell her I love her again - and I oblige. “Because I love you.”
She leans in close. “One more time,” she whispers, her lips a fraction of an inch from mine, and I feel her sweet breath on my chin.
“I love you.” Before I can even finish saying the words, she presses her lips to mine.