Jack yawned, turned down the tunnel, and stopped at the yellow line. Fluorescents lit the dingy underground parking and a four-foot graying poster listed the outrageous hourly prices. His brother, Jase, parked behind him a minute later.

The elderly garage attendant, Sam, gave a big toothless grin and shuffled over. “Welcome home, Mr. Fialko. Will you need help with your bags?”

“Yes, and call my driver.  I’ll be back down in fifteen minutes.” Jack stretched the cramp in his leg.

“Sure.” Sam nodded. “Detective O’Brien is waiting in the lobby.”

“Thank you.” Jack handed Sam his keys with a twenty.

In the backseat, Erina bounced up and down, waiting for him to release the child locks. She hopped down in a flash and ran to Jase who gave her a stick of gum.

Jack opened Zoe’s door. She smiled seductively and waited for him to help her down. He obliged and let her body slowly slide the length of his. He gave her waist a tight squeeze.

“That's me. Number Eight-Fifty.” He pointed to his co-op.

Jase came up behind them, his phone in his hand. “The lawyers are all pitching a hissy-fit about moving our money into the Caymans. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Someone more powerful than me is out there. Clan law hasn't changed. If I die, winner takes all.”

“That kind of shit won’t hold up in court,” Jase said tightly.

“If you don’t abide, all the clans will rise up. We’d do the same. We’ve talked about this for years.”

“I never thought it would happen.” Jase frowned and his eyebrows furrowed. “Fuck, you're my brother. I don't want to lose you.”

A doorman held the door open. Zoe’s eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. Jack couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t wait to spoil her rotten. Give her everything she’d ever desired.

“I don't want to lose me either. I’m just taking precautions. Most everything you can buy back legally when I’m gone. It’s the charity money I worry most about.” Jack slapped his younger brother on the back. “C’mon. There’s O’Brien.”

Detective O’Brien sat in one of six overstuffed chairs in the lobby. He rose with the grace of a cat. “There’s my favorite student.”

Jack braced for the solid pat on the back that would’ve sent most men sliding to the wall. When it came, he laughed. He gave an almost equal one back.

“It’s great to see you, Liam. Meet my mate, Zoe, and you know my brother, Jase.” Jack gave a small nod to the girl. “And this is Erina.”

Despite O’Brien’s dark, good looks and sensual demeanor, he held himself with a sense of detachment. But when his gaze landed on the girl, his blue eyes softened, and he gave her a genuine smile.

After signing them in at the desk, Jack walked them to the elevator, and pressed eight. He said to Zoe, “Liam is my martial arts instructor. Has been for years. He’s also JTTF.”

“JTTF?”

“Joint terrorism task force. New York’s finest working harmoniously with the FBI.” O’Brien winked.

“Hey, you wouldn’t by any chance know Nanobyte? She just got hired by the FBI in New York.”

“Who doesn’t? She worked my last case with me. I swear the woman’s brain is half-computer.”

“She’s my best friend.” Zoe’s face lit up.   

“Can’t wait to compare notes.” O’Brien’s light blue eyes watched her with amused fascination.

Jack felt a twinge in his chest.  He put a possessive arm around his mate and O’Brien laughed at the obvious move. Good thing the elevator door opened so Jack wouldn't have to eat the words he almost uttered. He unlocked the door that led into the foyer and let everyone in.

“You live here?” Zoe held Erina’s hand and put her nose to his latest acquisition, an Arizona landscape of the rising sun over desert cactus, and gave an appreciative smile.

His insides melted. She liked his favorite painting. That bode well for the rest of his apartment. He led them into the living room.

“Go ahead and sit. I’ll ask Joan to make us a quick snack before we head out.”

“You have a cook?” Her eyes widened, then her mouth curved down in a frown. “How many servants do you have?”

“Employees, not servants.” His brother laughed. “And he’s got a pilot, a personal assistant, and if you count all the companies he owns, including this building, he probably has–”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jack said, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes as she took it all in.

Zoe groaned and mumbled something under her breath. Jack said nothing. She was here with him and that’s all that mattered.

* * *

Zoe had never seen anything like Jack’s apartment, except maybe in the movies. Her whole flat would fit into the foyer alone. How the hell was she going to fit into a life like this? Jack held out his hand and escorted her into the kitchen.

One wall held floor to ceiling windows and a balcony. From the eighteenth floor, she could see the entrance to Central Park.

Jack was saying something about the Wi-Fi password but it was too hard to focus. She couldn’t shut out how friggin’ loaded the guy was. It was one thing to read about it online, and quite another to walk into your new mate’s home worth millions.

“Are you okay” Jack watched her, his head tilted slightly, a frown on his handsome face.

“Sorry. I’m a bit overwhelmed.”

He pulled her to his chest and whispered into her ear, “Angel, it’ll be alright. We’re together in this.”

“Okay.” Zoe nodded, but she couldn’t shake the anxiety.

“We’re heading out now,” Jack said, releasing her, then scooped a cookie from the plate on the island and handed it to Erina. The girl’s face lit up. “O’Brien found a safe house for the girl. I’m going to get her settled, and take care of a few things. Joan will be here if you need anything.”

Zoe glanced at the middle-aged woman who stood beside the stove stirring the contents of a large pot. She wondered if the woman knew about Jack’s family and what he was–what she was.

Jack slid his fingers along her chin and brushed his lips softly against hers. Little zings of electricity pulsed through her, and he gave her the half-dimpled smile that sent shivers down the length of her body.

“I’ll be back soon.” His voice held the promise of what his gaze suggested, and her knees went a little weak.

Would she ever get use to the power he had over her body?

After they left, she sat down at the kitchen table. She linked to the internet and tried to get lost in her work. Usually the constant world of variables and conditionals gave her comfort. But she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering. Jack in the ocean. Jack kissing her. Jack in her bed, touching her. Argh!

Joan didn’t seem to notice her discomfort. She went about her business, cutting onions, veggies, and sausage, then left them to simmer on the stove. She puttered about the apartment, humming.

Around noon, the older woman placed a Cobb salad on the table beside her laptop. “You need to eat.”

“How long have you worked for Jack?” Zoe pushed her work aside, muttered a thank you, and picked up the fork. She would never get use to someone serving her.

“I use to change his diapers.” Joan's eyes went misty and soft. “My family has taken care of his clan for generations. He’s good man.”

  Zoe nodded and looked down at her salad. “What was he like as a child?”

“Much like he is today. Handsome. Stubborn. Arrogant. Caring. Always looking out for the less fortunate.”

 “I read online that he gives away millions.”

“Oh, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He facilitates with governments. Uses his influence to make sure his money goes where it’s intended. He visits all those places, too. Here let me show you.”

Joan reached for Zoe’s laptop and brought up a webpage with Jack’s face all over it.

They hadn’t been apart for so long since the mating. She couldn’t believe how much she missed him. She perused page after page full of pictures. Jack in China looking for earthquake survivors, Jack in Haiti, Jack with a smiling child after ‘spina bifida’ surgery. When did he find time for all that?

“If he had his way, this website wouldn’t exist.” Joan peered up over her reading glasses sounding as proud as any mother. “His publicists insist so they can continue to increase awareness for their causes.”

“I don’t think I know him at all.” She gave a weary breath. “He never said anything about what he does for a living. When you’re down at the shore, it’s like the real world doesn’t even exist. But here…”

“Love can blossom in unexpected places.” Joan gave her a sympathetic smile and patted Zoe’s hand.

“Maybe,” Zoe murmured, but even as she said it, she wasn’t convinced.

Love wasn’t something Jack was willing to give.