Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“You’re out of your mind,” she said, the words rushing out.
Zeke knew he was pushing. And he didn’t care. He moved closer, boxing her in until her back pressed against the refrigerator.
“I don’t think so, baby. And it’s time for both of us to stop running and face the facts. We both failed each other.”
The last three years had haunted him. The mistakes they’d both made.
The angry words and demands. And when it came down to it, the biggest issue was that they were both too stubborn and had too much pride.
When she’d told him she was done with undercover work and that she wanted them both to move to a different area of law enforcement since it had become too dangerous, his ego had immediately reared its head.
Somewhere deep down he knew she’d been right. That getting back in the game was something he might not come out the winner of. And that was the thing—he’d wanted to win at everything—the argument, the job—and his own stubbornness had made them both losers.
The realization of what they both had to gain just by giving in a little made the tension creep from his shoulders. His body was still on high alert—how could it not be with her standing there looking flushed and angry and beautiful?
Her face was scrubbed clean, but she had a natural beauty that had no need of makeup.
Her hair was pinned up in a messy knot and strands had come loose so it framed her face.
The clothes she’d put on weren’t meant to entice.
Just lounge pants and a long-sleeve T-shirt, but he could see the rapid rise and fall of her breathing and he wanted nothing more than to pull her close and never let go.
“You always did have an oversized ego,” she said, but there was less heat in her voice now. More resignation. More sadness.
“I know.” He reached up and cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing across her cheekbones. “And my pride cost us three years. Three years I can’t get back. Three years of waking up alone and wishing things had been different.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Zeke—”
“I meant what I said, Mia. I’m done. One more month and this operation is over. And then I’m taking that job in Riverton. Normal hours. Weekends off. A life where I don’t have to lie about who I am or what I do.” He rested his forehead against hers. “A life with you. If you’ll have me.”
“You hurt me,” she whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek. “When I woke up in that hospital bed and all you could talk about was the job—”
“I was terrified,” he interrupted, his voice raw.
“For six weeks I watched you lying there, not knowing if you’d ever wake up.
Not knowing if the last words between us would be angry ones shouted in the heat of an argument.
” His hands moved to her shoulders, holding her gently.
“I know I handled it wrong. I should’ve told you how scared I was.
How much I needed you. Instead I deflected by talking about work because that was easier than admitting I’d almost lost the most important thing in my life. ”
She looked up at him, searching his face for any sign of deception. But all she saw was honesty—raw and unguarded in a way Zeke rarely allowed himself to be.
“One month,” she said finally. “You’ve got one month to prove you mean it. That you’re really done. That I’m not just convenient while you’re working this case.”
“You were never convenient, Mia. You were always everything.” He pulled her into his arms, and she let herself melt against him, breathing in the familiar scent of him—soap and leather and something uniquely Zeke.
They stood there for a long moment, just holding each other. And then she pulled back and looked up at him, her decision made.
“Stay,” she said softly. “Not on the couch. With me.”
His eyes darkened. “Mia, if I stay—”
“I know what I’m asking.” She took his hand and led him toward the bedroom. “Three years is a long time. And I’m tired of being angry. Tired of being alone. I don’t know if we can make this work. But I know I want to try.”
He followed her, his heart pounding, hardly daring to believe this was real. That she was giving him another chance. That maybe, just maybe, they could find their way back to each other.
When they reached the bedroom, he pulled her close once more, kissing her with a tenderness that spoke of promises and second chances.
And as they sank down onto the bed together, giving in to the pull that had always existed between them, Mia sent up a silent prayer that this time would be different.
That this time, love would be enough.
* * *
The shrill scream of the alarm coming from her phone jerked her out of a deep sleep. Three loud raps at the door followed soon after.
“What the—” Zeke asked, rolling out of bed in a fluid motion and grabbing his duty weapon.
“That’s the alert for my shop alarm system,” she said, turning off the phone.
Mia grabbed the gun she had in her nightstand and moved in a crouched motion to the chair in the corner where a gray pair of sweats were folded. She dressed quickly, but Zeke had already pulled on his jeans and was heading to the front door.
“Wait,” she hissed. “It’s my house.”
“It’s Blaze,” Zeke said. “I looked through the blinds in the bedroom.” He moved to the side and let her answer the door.
“My shop?” she said to Blaze, by way of greeting.
Blaze nodded. “There’s been an attempted break-in. I don’t know how bad or if they breached the inside. I was just on my way into the office this morning when the alarm company called through. The deputy on duty called me and I figured it was faster to stop here first.”
She could smell the soap from Blaze’s morning shower and his black hair was still damp at the tips.
He was tall—taller than most men—broad through the shoulders and chest, and even in the early morning darkness she could see the tattoos visible beneath his rolled-up uniform sleeves.
He was dressed for work—a chambray button-down shirt with the Laurel Valley Sheriff’s Office logo embroidered over the pocket and a pair of jeans and boots.
His piercing blue eyes assessed her with the sharp intelligence of a good cop.
He wore a shoulder holster and his badge was pinned on the left side of his shirt.
Zeke stepped into view behind her.
“McBride,” Blaze said with a nod of acknowledgment. No surprise, no questions. Just the recognition of one cop to another.
Mia’s eyes narrowed. Of course Blaze would know Zeke was here. As sheriff, he’d have been briefed on any DEA operation in his jurisdiction. Which meant everyone had known what was going on except her.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Mia said tightly.
Mia headed back to the bedroom, her jaw set.
She heard the mumble of Zeke’s and Blaze’s words as they talked in low tones by the door, but she didn’t bother trying to listen.
Her mind was already racing ahead to her shop—what that small piece of land and the building that sat on it meant.
It was the symbol of her new life, of her independence. And now someone had violated that.
It didn’t go unnoticed that the breach and the appearance of Zeke had happened all in the same twenty-four-hour time period. That was something to think about later. Right now, she needed to see the damage for herself.
She looked at the clock and hadn’t realized it was just past five.
It was still dark outside and the air was bitter with the chill.
It wouldn’t be long before the first frost hit.
Clothes were easy—a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and her boots.
She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and topped it with a baseball cap.
And then she grabbed her holster from the hook she’d hung it from the night before and strapped it on.
She noticed that she and Zeke had fallen into a familiar routine.
They’d lived together for a couple of years on and off, depending on if she had to live with a family to give the illusion that she was a student.
They knew where to move and which order to do things in to be the most efficient so they could get where they needed to go.
By the time she grabbed her car keys and backpack, he was holding the front door open for her.
They were both cautious as they approached her 4x4, scanning the area for signs of a threat.
But all was clear and she got behind the wheel.
He always hated it when she drove. It was funny how those memories came back now, when she’d forgotten the little details of their relationship during their time apart.
“Anything you want to tell me before we get there?” Mia asked.
She navigated the quiet streets leading out of Laurel Valley, the town still sleeping in the pre-dawn darkness. Only Heavenly Delights Bakery showed signs of life—warm light glowing from the windows where Rose would already be pulling the first loaves from the oven.
Mia accelerated as she left downtown behind, climbing the hill that led out of Laurel Valley. Fiery fingers of the blazing morning sun crept over the landscape as she crested the hill and then began the descent down the other side.
Zeke went still and quiet beside her. She recognized the blank look on his face. It was the same one he’d always had whenever he was trying to keep something from her.
“Let’s just check it out and see if any damage was done,” he finally said. “Maybe it was someone looking for some fast cash.”
“This is my life, Zeke. Don’t try to mess with me. And don’t try to feed me lines about you retiring from undercover work. All of a sudden three years seems like an eternity. I don’t know you anymore. And there’s no reason to trust you.”
“You have every reason to trust me. I love you, and as soon as this job is over I’m done. I just need to gather some facts before I start talking about things that might not have anything to do with you and everything to do with keeping other people alive.”