Brighter Than the Sun
“You keep saying that,” Zoe said with a shudder. “Like you’re all some religious cult that does crazy shit. Should I be worried that I’ll never be seen or heard from again?”
Rusty laughed. “Would that be a bad thing?”
“Touché. Now, uh, can we get to more important matters before we go to sleep?”
“Such as?” Rusty inquired.
“Like what do I wear tomorrow so I don’t look like a slob but I don’t look like I think it’s a date either.”
“It’s simple,” Rusty said gently. “You just be yourself, Zoe.”
• • •
“I need you to do me a favor,” Joe said quietly into the phone.
Donovan’s voice had an edge of concern when he replied.
“Name it.”
“Can you do some discreet checking up on Zoe? Just see if anything sticks out, doesn’t match up or seem right?”
He could almost hear Donovan’s frown through the phone.
“Any particular reason why?”
“Yeah. About a thousand shadows and secrets in her eyes and the fact that someone did a real number on her. She’s been hurt. Badly.”
Predictably, Donovan pounced on that. “What kind of hurt are we talking about here, Joe?”
“Rusty said her ex crushed her and I’d like to know more than the little she could tell me. Zoe hasn’t said much according to Rusty, but she wasn’t hurt in a way that makes a woman mad as hell and plotting to cut a man’s balls off. She’s scared to death, and that makes me uneasy. Especially when she’s staying with Ma and Dad for the next while. I’d just like to know her history, or whatever you can dig up on her.”
“Ever think about just asking her?” Donovan said dryly.
“If she’s not talking to Rusty then she sure as hell isn’t going to talk to me. Hell, I was lucky to get more than two words out of her today. She had a deer-in-headlights look when I approached her and spoke to her.”
There was a long silence. “What exactly is your interest here, Joe?”
“The safety of my family,” he snapped. “Which is exactly what your interest should be as well, or need I remind you that you have a wife and kids who depend on you to make damn sure nothing ever hurts them.”
It was a low blow and he knew it. Even before Donovan could respond, he quickly apologized.
“That was way out of line. I’m sorry, man. Look. Something just seems off. My gut’s nagging me and I’d feel a lot better if we knew exactly who and what Zoe is. It never hurts to be too careful.”
“I can agree with that,” Donovan conceded. “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll holler when I have any info.”
“Thanks,” Joe said quietly before disconnecting the call.
CHAPTER 8
THE next morning Joe pulled up to his parents’ house and hesitated before getting out of his truck. Jesus, was he nervous? Shaking his head, he threw open the door and strode to the front door only to have it open before he reached the handle. His mother stood in the doorway, a smile on her face.
He groaned inwardly then he took a step back. “A word, Ma?”
She frowned and then did as he requested and stepped out, closing the door behind her.
“Look, this isn’t what you think so don’t call the entire family and tell them I’ve met my doom. Zoe’s been hurt. Badly from what Rusty says, and she’s scared to death. The last thing she needs is for the entire family to descend and start pressuring her. I’m taking her out today to show her around, hopefully make her feel more at home and at ease with us. Nothing more.”
Marlene narrowed her eyes at him. “Anyone with two eyes can see that child has had a lot of hurt in her life, and I can’t believe you’d stand on my front porch and imply that I would add to it in any way.”
He immediately felt contrite and his shoulders slumped. “Look, Ma. I wasn’t trying to imply you would ever hurt anyone. You’re incapable of it. I just didn’t want you or anyone else to get the wrong idea and, as a result, make Zoe feel pressured or embarrassed. She obviously needs friends, support, and I’m offering her both.”
Marlene smiled then, her features softening. She cupped his cheek and then leaned up to kiss the other. “I never doubted for a minute that you would turn a blind eye to anyone in need. Now, Zoe is ready and I have a picnic basket packed for you both. Go and have some fun. Make that girl smile, and for God’s sake get her to relax so she doesn’t think we’re all overbearing ogres.”
Joe caught her in a hug, squeezing her against him. “Love you, Ma.”
“Love you too, baby. Now come on in so you and Zoe can hit the road.”
He followed her into the kitchen where Zoe and Rusty were sitting on bar stools, finishing up glasses of juice. Rusty broke into a big grin when he made his appearance. Zoe, however, froze, panic and fright firing in her eyes. She was wearing a simple T-shirt and a pair of low-slung jeans with strategically placed cutouts and holes that Rusty insisted were the style, though it bewildered him that people would pay so much money for a pair of torn-up jeans. Hell, he could do the same with a pair of jeans from Walmart and a pocketknife. But he’d learned from observing his sisters-in-law that women’s fashion trends were not only mysterious but apparently held sacred, with no two women’s preferences being the same. He didn’t even want to see what his brothers’ credit card bills looked like each month.