Chapter Eight
The day seemed to stretch forever, and Zane was grateful when he finally stepped into his house. The second he entered, an enticing smell hit his nose, the scent of tangy red sauce permeating the air.
He picked up hints of garlic and basil, and his stomach rumbled in response. He couldn’t even remember the last thing he’d ate. As far as he could remember, that had been a protein bar several hours earlier.
He’d been too busy trying to check some files and do some other research. Eating just wasn’t high on the agenda, making him all the more grateful for the food he smelled.
Ellen popped her head around the corner of the kitchen and smiled. “Hope you’re hungry.”
Zane stepped into the kitchen and was surprised to spot a tray of lasagna sitting on the stove. He didn’t eat at home all that much, and he was pretty darn sure he didn’t have any lasagna sitting around. Honestly, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had lasagna.
Ellen picked up a kitchen towel and pulled a tray of bread out of the oven.
“Where did all this come from?” Zane said, his mouth watering already.
She shrugged. “I found some cash in my wallet and decided to order from a place nearby. Russo’s.”
Concern swallowed Zane’s hunger. He frowned. “That could have been dangerous. What if the delivery guy recognized you?”
Ellen crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. “You’re right. I’m sure the kid who delivered my food from the local Italian place is out to get me, and that all local Italian delivery places are deep in with the Russian mafia. I should have frisked him for an Uzi before getting my order.” She flicked her wrist at the lasagna. “Or they may have poisoned the food.”
Zane sighed loudly and held up his hands. “Okay, okay, I’m just saying you need to be cautious.” His stomach growled again. “Well, let’s just eat for now. I’m damn hungry.”
He walked into the kitchen and pulled out a couple plates as she placed the food on the table. When he walked back over, he found Ellen standing over the lasagna cutting it into steaming squares.
“You think I don’t get it,” she said quietly.
For a moment, he almost didn’t hear her words but stilled when she looked up to him.
“But I do get it,” she continued. “I was shot at yesterday. I saw a man getting a bullet to the head and had to run for my life. I really do get it. I’m the one they’re trying to kill, but I also get these guys are the mob, not some spy agency watching me with satellites.” She sighed. “But I’ll be more careful. I promise. I do appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”
Her small body trembled, and seeing that killed him inside. Zane placed the plates on the table and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He wanted to protect her, not make her feel more miserable than she must already feel having to hide away.
“I know,” he murmured against her soft hair. “And you’re right. We can’t jump at every shadow. Russo’s isn’t in with the Russians.” He let go of her and turned her to look up at him. “I just need to keep you safe,” he said. “It would kill me if anything…”
The words died on his lips. He couldn’t get into this. If he started down this road, there was no telling where he would draw the line. Not only was this the worst timing for anything like that, but more so he wasn’t sure there was ever a good time for it.
They’d lived different lives for five years now, and they were probably both better for it. Just because he was attracted to her didn’t mean he should be with her. He was in a dangerous line of work, and it wasn’t right to make Ellen deal with that kind of stress. And he just wasn’t the right man for a woman like her.
No. He needed to keep focus.
Zane shook himself from the path he was headed down. His heart thumped hard in his chest, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t dealt with before. Sometimes the best thing a man could do for the woman he loved was to sacrifice his own wants.
He motioned to the lasagna. “Maybe we should eat while it’s still warm.”
Ellen nodded and sat down in the chair next to her. Zane stepped to the other side of the table.
She placed a square of lasagna on his plate and then her own. Zane watched her as covertly as he could. He was drawn in by the way she blew on her food and tucked a strand of dark blond hair behind her ear. It curled around the lobe.
“Oh my God,” she groaned.
Zane clenched his fist as she moaned erotically around the bite of food.
“I didn’t expect much because it was pretty cheap, but this is so good.” Ellen glanced up from her plate to him. “Most I can get from my house is the crappy pizza place from around the corner serving the latest in cardboard-tasting bread and sauce.”
Zane gave a little smile, realizing she still lived in her mother’s house. He always liked that her mother’s house was just at the edge of town, close enough to get anywhere, but far enough that they didn’t have to deal with idiot people going door to door.
A siren blared outside. A police car raced down a nearby road. He glanced toward the front window.
“There are tradeoffs to living where I do,” he said with a chuckle.
Ellen nodded as she took another bite.
He couldn’t help but quietly watch as she ate the food. The way she licked her lips as her eyes rolled back into her head was wreaking havoc on his resolve not to say anything about his attraction.
“I called my sister,” she said between bites.
His lust died. His eyes shot to hers. “You did what?”
Ellen set down her fork. “I needed to know if she was okay.”
Zane ran a hand over his face. He spent all day trying to figure out just what the Russians knew about her, which turned out to be pretty much everything, and she was just strolling right up to the gate for them, practically wrapped in a bow.
“Did you tell her anything?”
Ellen shook her head, and he let out a sigh. It could have been worse, but it still wasn’t ideal.
“They have to know she’s your sister by now. We need to be careful,” he said. “As far as we know, they might be using her to get to you.”
Ellen shook her head. “Doubt it,” she said. “She was high as a kite and had to run to get fitted for a dress for some party.” She frowned. “They can just kill a man like it’s no big deal, and then have some big party a few nights later.” She shook her head. “I don’t see how she thinks any of this is right.”
Zane’s ears perked up. “Party?”
Ellen nodded. “They are having some big thing at the casino. I don’t know any of the details.”
Everything had been going the wrong way in this situation, but now he finally had a stroke of luck. The party might be the perfect opportunity for him to get in without being noticed. He’d planned on just going in as a customer, but this would be the better way.
Zane clenched his jaw. There was really only one way the situation would work out. He didn’t like it, but it was the best long-term move.
“We’re going to that party,” he said reluctantly.
Ellen’s eyes widened. “We’re what?”
Zane took a couple gulps of water to wash down the bad taste that had developed in his mouth.
She eyed him like he’d lost his damn mind. “You just gave me a big speech about being careful, and now you want me to go back there? Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“I’ll be with you.” Zane sighed. “Believe me, this is the last thing I want to do, but this all needs to stay between us,” he said. “Getting anyone else involved will be messy. And I’ll need you to point out any trouble and the people who shot at you. Plus, it might give you the chance to convince Zoe to leave.”
He could see his words being replayed in her head. Zane watched as her expression went from horrified to fearful and eventually settled on skeptical.
“You’re forgetting, they’ve seen me,” she said. “I know they got a good look at me.”
He shook his head. “In a dark parking lot with poor lighting,” he said. “You got the chance to watch them where they only had a few brief moments to see you.”
“If they know where I work and all that, I’m guessing they’ve seen things like my driver’s license picture or my Facebook.” She sighed.
She was still shaking her head in disbelief when he reached across the table to take her hand.
“Yeah, but I know someone who can fix that,” Zane said. “Someone who can make you look like a new person.”
He waited. This was risky. Zane knew it was, but at this moment they didn’t have shit to go on. If they could at least find out who the mobsters killed, that would be something. Nothing had come up in the news, and the missing persons reports didn’t seem to fit.
“I promise that I won’t let anything happen to you,” Zane said.
Ellen eventually squeezed his fingers. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s do this.”