Chapter Ten
Mike held her hand tight as they entered the closest department store. Too tight. His demeanor had totally switched to serious work mode the moment they left the hotel room. He was all business. And he was stressed.
Was she in any more danger than yesterday? She didn’t think so. She suspected his mood was due to how he felt about her today.
Not that he hadn’t made it clear he adored her yesterday, but something between them had shifted, and now nothing would ever be the same.
She felt it too. A change in the air.
She felt freer, while at the same time no longer her own person. They were connected in a way that bound them together without papers or permission or judges or ministers. They had forged a bond that joined them on its own. And it scared her to death. She wasn’t sure she was ready for anything as serious as what was unspoken between them, especially since there were still unanswered questions between them. Mike was holding something back, something important, something about why he’d let her go all those years ago.
Should she pressure him into telling her? So far, he’d seemed reluctant. Or hesitant. Or…scared. To be honest, she was a bit afraid to hear his answer too. Maybe that was what kept her from pressing the issue.
They were moving through the store at warp speed.
“Mike.” She tried to get his attention, tugging on her hand.
He glanced down at her. “What?”
“You’re going too fast. I can’t keep up. We’re safe. No one’s following us. Slow down. I need you to let me go so I can grab some clothes.” She wanted a little privacy. No matter how much had transpired between them in the last twelve hours, she didn’t enjoy the idea of him watching her pick out panties, bras, and whatever other personal items she might grab.
“Not going to let you go, Zola.” He slowed his pace, but he still directed them toward the women’s department. “I want to get this done.” He glanced at her and then looked around.
Suddenly she realized he wasn’t simply worked up over the terrorist threat; he was jealous about other people seeing her in this dress. She jerked her hand free and narrowed her gaze when he spun around. “Stop.”
“Stop what?” He closed the distance between them until they were standing so close she had to glance back and forth to see both his eyes.
“Mike. I’m not naked. Yes, it’s not exactly what most people wear first thing in the morning to go shopping, but I’m covered. Get a grip. Let me shop. Go get what you need.”
He shook his head and leaned down to take her lips in a quick kiss, his hand snaking around to her back. Heck, she even had a coat on. No one would ever know her back was bare under the thick layer of warmth.
Her shoulders sagged as she determined she wasn’t going to win this battle. “Fine. Follow me. I’ll get what I need. And then I’ll go with you.”
“That was the plan.” At least he broke a half smile.
She rolled her eyes and led them deeper into the clothing section. She quickly grabbed jeans in her size, two shirts, and then decided to get a long sweater and a pair of leggings.
He lifted a brow, but didn’t say a word.
She headed for lingerie next, her hands shaking as she chose panties and a bra. She’d never bought anything incredibly sexy before. And she didn’t intend to start now. Silk. Lace. Functional. When she finished, she glanced up at him to suggest they move to the shoe department.
But his face made her change her mind. She blew out a long breath at the tight frown he held, dropped all four pairs of panties and the bra in the nearest bin, and started over.
What the hell was she doing? It took determination to make her way to a far sexier section where she picked out two skimpy bikini briefs and two thongs. The bra she grabbed had less material than lace and she prayed it would support her.
Mike looked far more pleased, and it unnerved her how he’d manipulated the entire thing without a word.
She scowled and marched them to the men’s section.
Fifteen minutes later, they were back in the SUV.
Zola was still laughing at the look on the clerk’s face when she told the woman she was going to change in the fitting room after the purchase.
Good thing the fitting rooms were for both sexes because the closest Mike was willing to go with permitting this plan was to stand outside hers while she changed and then swapping places. He took less than fifteen seconds and looked a bit pale and panicked when he opened the door.
His idea had been for them to get naked in the car. Right…
Back on the road, she pleaded with him to stop for coffee and won. Not that it was difficult.
“We had two cups before we left the hotel.”
“And I want another one,” she argued.
He turned left at the next light, and five minutes later, she was sipping a third cup of coffee and munching on a muffin.
“Have you spoken to your father?” he asked.
She lifted a brow, licking a crumb from her lip. “When would I have done that without your knowledge? I haven’t even gone to the bathroom alone.”
He shot her a glance. “That’s an exaggeration. I left you in the bathroom before we checked out.”
“Uh-huh. After washing me with your own hands and then drying me off.”
“Hey,” he shot back. “The idea to shower at the same time was yours.” He grabbed her hand and held it in his lap. “I was just trying to speed up the process while I had the bar of soap already in my hands.” At least he lost the ability to continue to look so severe and started chuckling. For a moment she was worried he was dead serious.
“And the shampoo?” she teased.
“I squirted too much in my palm. No sense wasting it.”
She giggled silently and hid her expression behind her cup of coffee.
Mike’s phone rang, making her flinch.
He let go of her hand to connect the Bluetooth. “Dorsen speaking.”
“Mike.”
“Hey. Anything new to report?”
“Yeah. Ditch the car.”
“Fuck.”
“Yep. Do it now.”
“On it.” He disconnected, hit the gas, and sped off at the next exit.
Zola stiffened and set her nearly empty cup in a cup holder. She held on to the dash with one hand and the door with her other. The car? How was the car compromised? “What are you going to do?”
“Not sure yet. Thinking.”
She left him alone. It may have been twelve years since she spent any time with him, but assuming he hadn’t had a total personality switch, he needed her to be quiet so he could concentrate. He’d been that way every time they studied. He wasn’t the watch-TV-while-eating-a-snack-while-making-out-with-his-girlfriend sort of studier.
And apparently that hadn’t changed.
He tapped the steering wheel rapidly with his fingers while he turned several times. Finally, he pulled into a busy section of whatever town they were in and scanned the entire area, dipping his head to see better. His gaze shot back and forth multiple times until he sat upright and pulled into a small parking garage.
He circled the bottom floor and continued upward until they were somewhere near the top. Slowing to a crawl, he eased down the aisles until he finally pulled into a spot between an extended van and a wall.
“What’s the plan?” she asked confused.
“We leave this car here. Take our belongings, and go find a new one.”
Right. That sounded so simple. Except not.
Mike grabbed their shopping bags and his backpack as Zola rounded the car. She tried to take something from him, but he shifted the bags to one hand and took her hand with his free one without a word. “Let’s go.”
She was glad for the comfortable clothes because she had to walk fast to keep up with his pace.
His brow remained furrowed while they made their way down the stairs and out of the garage.
When they stepped into the light of day, cool air hit her in the face. She gathered her coat tighter around her and leaned closer to Mike in attempt to calm him. It didn’t work. He was still stiff.
“Where are we?”
“Suffolk. And thank goodness because it will be easy to rent a car here.”
“What are you going to do about the rental car? The one we just left I mean.”
“Someone will come pick it up and handle it later.”
She decided to stop asking questions and let him concentrate. Luckily they rounded a corner to a populated area, and Mike flagged down a taxi. Ten minutes later they were at the counter asking for a rental car.
Zola let Mike handle things, keeping her mouth shut, and doing no more than lifting an eyebrow when he pulled out an ID, credit card, and insurance with another identity. She didn’t change her face, comment, question, or break a smile until they were inside the newer car buckling their seat belts. “You just happen to have another identity on you?” She laughed as they pulled out of the spot.
Mike finally smiled too. “Always.”
“And you also carry a lot of cash I noticed.”
He glanced at her as he turned onto the main street. “I didn’t take on the job of protecting you unprepared.”
“Now I see why you carry that pack around. What else is in that bag of yours?”
“You’ve seen most of it. I never travel without cash, weapons, and identification.”
“You think whoever is tracking us can trace us through the rental car or credit cards.” It wasn’t a question. She shuddered at the realization that someone had already.
“I know they can.” He entered the highway, his gaze darting all around. And then he set a hand on hers and squeezed. “Don’t worry. We’re not being followed, and no one has any information about the identity I just used.”
She nodded, still feeling nervous, but beginning to realize Mike could and would keep her safe at all costs. Not just because of how he felt about her, but because he was that good at his job. Rocking that boat right now was not a good idea.
She needed to call her father. If he heard about this, he would be worried. But calling him while Mike was white-knuckling the steering wheel in fear for her life was also a bad idea. Not now. Later.
She wasn’t sure if her dad even realized who was keeping her safe. What would he say when he found out it was Mike Dorsen? She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the hassle of facing the inquisition yet. She hadn’t been in the mood for two days. How long could she hide?
Half of her feared her dad still wouldn’t approve of Mike, and she was too tired to deal with what that would mean to her right now. She would have to put her foot down and tell him to back off. Her relationships, with Mike or anyone, were none of his business. He needed to understand that the reason she’d shut herself off from men altogether was because the best one she’d ever met had slipped through her fingers.
According to Richard Carver, Mike had never been good enough for her. He hadn’t come from money. He didn’t have parents. He wasn’t from the right side of the tracks. Never mind he was a good person who had everything going for him and managed to get through school and go on to become a Navy SEAL.
Maybe she should be pissed to hell that he’d had a hand in helping break up her relationship, but in the end, it had been Zola herself who sent that final detrimental email to Mike. She’d taken her father’s advice, yes, but he didn’t type the words. She did.
Perhaps she’d ruined the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she had to live with that. But at the time, it had seemed logical. After all, Mike hadn’t answered any email she sent. She’d been worried and angry and hurt and stressed, and the reality was that if she had it to do over again, she might take her father up on the same advice.
No. She couldn’t blame her father. But she sure didn’t want to make that call to tell him Mike was back in her life and she hoped it could be more than a fling.
It would help if Mike would provide her with more information about his role in their breakup. Why had he ghosted her? And why did he accept her lie without a fight? So many questions, none of which had anything to do with the advice her father gave her.
Would her father see him differently now? Or would it still matter that Mike didn’t have a prestigious family background suitable for Richard Carver’s daughter?
Mike took her hand again and squeezed it between them. “You want to use my phone while we drive?” Could he read her mind?
She squeezed his fingers back. “No. Not in the car. I’ll do it later, when we stop.” Do you want to fill in some of the holes in our story before I call my dad? She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the headrest, unable to verbalize that question. Maybe a part of her didn’t want to hear the answer. She racked her brain trying to think what he was holding back. Had he found someone else as soon as he’d moved to Berkeley and moved on that fast?
This entire thing was absurd. She’d been with Mike two nights. Not even forty-eight hours, and already she felt drawn to him. Like no time had passed, in a way. Though that wasn’t the point.
Her mind wandered back to her father.
It didn’t really matter whether or not things with Mike worked out in the long run. What mattered was that it was her choice. Her life.
Why was she dragging her feet?
If Richard Carver couldn’t accept that his daughter had every right to enter into a relationship with anyone she pleased, then she needed to know that. She was a grown woman who would make her own choices, and no way in hell was she going to permit his interference at the age of thirty.
After putting her thoughts aside, she focused on Mike. “Tell me everything about yourself. Everything you’ve done for twelve years.”
He flashed her a smile. “We covered most of it.”
She shook her head. “Not even close. I want to know you better.”
And so began a long aimless drive north that ended with Zola so enamored with the man next to her, it was indeed like no time had passed between them. Most of that time, he held her hand against his thigh or sometimes rubbed it across his cheek. She wasn’t sure he was even aware of the intimacy.
They took turns asking questions and listening. They discussed everything that had happened between their breakup and now, though she intentionally avoided asking him any more questions about why he’d ended their relationship. Not in the car. Not while he was driving. When would it seem appropriate to insist he talk about it?
They also went back over the case files for the three people she had helped convict in the last several years. Though the paperwork had been left behind and they didn’t have a computer, she knew every detail and learned he had an incredible memory also.
Mike touched base several times during the day with his contact at the CIA, updating him often of their whereabouts. As they approached the outskirts of a small town, she grew silent, staring out the window and pondering what she wanted to say to her father. She couldn’t stall any longer. As soon as they got a hotel room, she would need to call him.
It was late afternoon when Mike pulled into a spot outside a moderately priced hotel and got them a room. She had been concentrating on touching base with her father for a while without saying much to Mike. Perhaps she was overthinking things and he wouldn’t even remember Mike that well. But Zola didn’t believe that. She felt confident her father would not be pleased to find out she was with Mike. Not just with Mike, but with Mike.
He must have read her mind again because as soon as they were settled in the room, he handed her his phone. “Call him.”
She nodded, her fingers shaking as she took the cell.
“I’ll wait in the hallway so you’ll have some privacy,” Mike said, turning toward the door.
“No. Stay. This affects you too. There can’t be more secrets between us.” She stared at him, wondering if he might want to clear up any secrets before she made the call.
He lowered himself into the room’s only chair instead while she settled on the edge of the bed and dialed.
“Hello?” her father answered on the first ring.
“Dad, it’s me.”
“Zola. Thank God. I’ve been worried. They told me you’re in good hands and safe, but I worried anyway.”
She didn’t want to waste time beating around the bush. “I’m with Mike Dorsen.”
He sucked in a quick breath. “Dorsen? How?”
She felt a certain level of snarkiness creep up her spine. “Contrary to your beliefs about Mike when I was in high school, he actually made something of himself. He was with the Navy SEALs for a while in fact. And the government contracted him to keep me alive.” She knew these first words were antagonistic, but she didn’t care.
Her father sighed. “I see. Are you okay? Are you safe?”
“I’m sure I’ll be safe no matter where I am as long as Mike is with me. He’s quite capable of protecting me.” Her voice was higher than usual, and she knew she wasn’t hiding her stress. She stared at the floor to keep from watching Mike’s expression.
Her father drew in a slow breath. “You sound pissed. I suppose he told you about the money. Why are you so mad at me? I would think you’d be at least as angry with him.”
Money? Zola felt like she’d been punched in the gut. She didn’t move or breathe. The blood drained from her face.
So this was the secret Mike had been holding back. Her father paid him to stay away from her? What the fuck? She started shaking.
It all fell into place. The emails. The lack of answers. Mike had taken blackmail money from her own father in exchange for leaving her alone.
Her father couldn’t see her reaction and he continued to speak, rambling about the money he’d sent Mike and how he thought it would help Mike get through school and get a head start in life. His words started to blur in her mind. What the hell was going on? Her face heated. She felt faint. She couldn’t lift her gaze to look at Mike. Her head was tipped toward the floor and heavy.
Still he kept speaking. “I wanted you to feel like you had the upper hand by sending him that email telling him you had moved on and found someone else. It was wrong of me to interfere. Please forgive me. If you can forgive Mike, surely you can forgive me too. I’m your father. You’re my only daughter. And I love you more than my own life.”
Her brain scrambled as his words tossed around in her head, making no sense. She had no intention of telling her father this was the first she’d heard of any money. That was between her and Mike.
Her boyfriend took a payoff from her father? And he didn’t tell her?
Her heart beat wildly, and she didn’t want to give either of them the satisfaction of knowing what she felt. She had made this call to let her father know Mike was back in her life. She’d dragged her feet like a baby because she hadn’t wanted to face her father’s reaction. She’d worried her father would think she was foolish to let Mike back in after the way he’d summarily dropped her all those years ago. And all the while, she’d been worrying about the wrong things.
Her father obviously assumed Mike had told her about the money.
And Mike? He’d let her make this call without telling her he’d taken money to break up with her. He’d known this might happen.
She wanted to slap him. She wanted to scream. How could he do this to her? She couldn’t face him. Or her dad. Instead, she managed to find the strength to push herself off the bed and mutter a goodbye, not caring that she was cutting her father off mid-conversation. And then she strode into the bathroom and shut the door silently behind her without glancing at Mike.
She had no choice but to stay in the hotel with him. He was her protection for the near future. Perhaps she could request someone else tomorrow, but it was late tonight. For the time being she needed to pull herself together and think.