CHAPTER TWENTY
Zoe sat next to her father’s hospital bed, holding his hand and watching him as he slept, so grateful that he was going to be okay.
Nearly twenty-four hours had passed since he’d been shot, and luckily, Sheila had horrible aim. The bullet had gone clean through his left shoulder, missing his heart and any other vital organs. And other than being severely dehydrated because of a lack of fluids while he’d been held hostage, he was in fairly decent condition. A week or two of rest and TLC and he’d be as good as new and back at work.
Yesterday, after Zoe’s father had been shot, Sean had driven her to the nearest hospital while Nathan had taken care of Sheila. As soon as Sean pulled up to the emergency circular drive, the doctors had taken one look at Grant and wheeled him immediately into surgery. Sean had stayed with Zoe until Jessica arrived and the surgeon came out to tell them that Zoe’s father would be fine and was in recovery. Then Sean left to return to Vegas to deal with the police and federal agents who wanted to question him and Nathan about what had transpired with Sheila.
Zoe hadn’t heard from Sean since.
She’d called her mother in New York to let her know what had happened to Grant. Collette, who’d been in the middle of a spa treatment, had told Zoe that she was glad he was okay, but if he wasn’t dying, then she saw no need to fly all the way to Vegas when she still had a few days left of her vacation to enjoy. Never mind that Zoe herself might have needed the emotional support. But thinking only of herself was par for the course for Collette, and Zoe would have been more shocked if her mother had insisted on being there for her daughter.
Zoe sighed and rubbed her fingers along her forehead, her own exhaustion catching up to her. She’d been by her father’s side since he’d gotten out of surgery the day before. She’d slept in the chair by his bed and only left to walk the halls to stretch her legs or to get a cup of coffee. She’d been in the room earlier that morning when two detectives arrived to take her and her father’s statements, and after they’d left she and her father had had an open and honest discussion about Grant’s past.
The most important thing she’d taken away from that conversation was her father’s genuine remorse. There was no doubt in Zoe’s mind that her father harbored a ton of regret for testifying against Casey O’Brien and for his part in sending Casey to prison. Knowing that he was paying for a crime they’d both committed had been the catalyst for Grant to start his life over, to be a better man and earn a legitimate living, while the guilt he carried with him was his personal penance. Her father was proof that people could, and did, change for the better.
Just as Zoe knew that Sean had changed for the better. But there wasn’t anything left she could say or do that could convince him of his own self-worth. That he deserved to be happy and loved—by her.
Emotionally and physically drained, she lay her head on the mattress by her father’s hand and closed her eyes. She desperately needed a shower and a few good hours of sleep in her own bed. As soon as her father woke up again she’d let him know she was heading home for a while but would be back early tomorrow morning.
A soft knock on the open door brought her head back up, and she glanced over, expecting to see a nurse. Instead, Sean stood there, looking as gorgeous—and as distant—as ever. But despite the fact that he clearly held himself aloof and remote, Zoe couldn’t stop the racing of her pulse or the warm curl of awareness settling deep in the pit of her belly.
“Hey,” he said softly, keeping his voice low because of her sleeping father. “I wanted to come by and give you an update on the case. Would you like to go get a cup of coffee in the cafeteria?”
Of course it was all about business for him. “Sure.”
She stood, quietly crossed the room, and once they were in the corridor he spoke again. “How is your father doing?”
“Fairly well, actually. His doctor said it was a clean shot and he’ll be as good as new in a few weeks.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Though this was Grant they were talking about, Sean seemed sincere.
As he and Zoe walked side by side, he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and glanced at her, his sexy blue eyes filled with concern. “And how about you? Are you okay? Getting hit with a hundred thousand volts of electricity is enough to knock the strongest of men on their ass.”
“Good to know I wasn’t just being a wuss,” she said, and laughed. “My muscles are definitely sore, but the doctor assured me there won’t be any lasting effects. It’s definitely not something I want to repeat anytime soon, that’s for sure. I don’t know how my father endured so many shock treatments without giving Sheila what she wanted.”
They reached the cafeteria, and Sean poured each of them a generous amount of coffee into two disposable paper cups.
“Your father was determined not to give in to Sheila’s demands,” Sean said as he and Zoe each added cream and sugar to their coffee. “He didn’t want to take the fall for something he didn’t do, and he probably knew that she’d kill him once he gave her the password.”
Believing that was true, Zoe was so glad she, Nathan, and Sean had found her father when they had. “What happened to Sheila?”
After Sean paid for his and Zoe’s drinks, they found a vacant table away from everyone else and he sat across from her. “Both Sheila and Ray were taken into custody. Between all the incriminating evidence on her hard drive and their own personal confessions, they’ll both be spending a considerable amount of time in prison.”
“Good.” It was nothing less than they both deserved, Zoe thought.
Sean took a drink of his coffee and continued. “Your father will also be absolved of any involvement in the embezzlement.” Sean held her gaze, his expression contrite. “I’m sorry I was so adamant about his guilt.”
The last thing Zoe wanted was for Sean to carry that burden around with him, along with all the other anguish he carried on those broad shoulders of his.
Reaching across the table, she placed her hand over his and saw that reciprocating attraction between them darken his eyes. “Considering my father’s past, it’s understandable that he’d be suspect. And for what it’s worth, my father genuinely regrets everything that happened with your father. He told me that if he had the chance to do it all over again, he would share the blame and accept whatever punishment was handed to him.”
Very gently, Sean pulled his hand from under hers, as if her touching him was too difficult for him to endure. “Thanks for telling me that. It’s worth a lot,” he said, his tone husky.
She knew he meant it and she was glad that she could give him that bit of closure and hoped maybe someday he could forgive her father for what he’d done to Casey O’Brien.
“Two detectives from Las Vegas Metro came this morning to talk to both of us,” she said, changing the subject to something less personal. “My father told them he started to realize there was something seriously wrong with the company accounts a few weeks ago. He’d been getting calls from contractors that checks were bouncing and investors like Davenport were contacting him to let them know that they were concerned about the fact that the Meridian project was shut down for lack of funds.” Her father had specifically mentioned the man who’d started the ball rolling in The Reliance Group’s attempt to find her father.
“How did he end up with Sheila?” Sean asked.
“He went into the office one morning before anyone else was scheduled to arrive and searched through Sheila’s computer. He came across an unfamiliar file, followed the links, and eventually came across a dummy account under Sheila’s name with millions of dollars in it.”
“How did he get the original password?” Sean asked curiously, and took another long drink of his coffee.
“First he tried all the logical things, like her birth date, her middle name, her license number, and other personal information. But it wasn’t until he came across the e-mails between her and Ray with the nickname Bunny that he gave the word a try and he was able to get into the account.”
“And that’s when he changed it to Cupcake,” Sean said wryly.
She laughed and absently swirled her coffee in her cup. “Yeah. He wanted to lock Sheila out of the account until he figured out what was going on. But she came in early, saw him at her computer, and realized that he’d probably discovered what she’d done.”
“Then what?” Sean asked.
“He confronted her and threatened to call the police, and she panicked and pulled a gun from her purse. She took him to her trailer in Pahrump and figured she’d hold him there until he gave her the new code to access the account again.”
“That makes sense, and now I see why Ray believed they’d run off together and double-crossed him.”
Zoe nodded. “Sheila wanted the money for herself, and as soon as she could get the new password and transfer all that money into an offshore account she planned on leaving the country. And, well, you know how it all ends.”
A ghost of a smile touched Sean’s lips. “That we do.”
A beeping sound pierced the air, and Sean checked his cell phone for the text that had come through. Then he glanced back up at Zoe. “Looks like Caleb needs me back at the office.”
Sean stood, and so did she. They tossed their cups into the trash, and she accompanied him to the entrance of the hospital, since it was on her way to her father’s room anyway. When she and Sean reached the automatic doors, he stopped and turned to face her.
“I guess I’ll see you around at the Onyx,” he said, his tone casual. “I’ll be back to bartending soon, and you’ll be working at your new boutique, so I’m sure our paths will cross.”
God, he made it sound like they were virtual strangers, and she hated it. But despite how hard he tried to remain impassive and composed, the caring in his eyes told her that he wasn’t immune to the emotions between them. He just refused to believe in what the two of them could have together.
In that moment, she decided that she wasn’t going to make it easy on him, wasn’t going to let him walk out of her life with the most important thing between them left unsaid, even if he might not like what he heard.
She drew a deep breath and held his gaze. “Before you go, there’s something I need to tell you.”
His expression turned cautious, as if he feared what she was about to divulge. “What’s that?”
“I love you,” she said. Like she’d never, ever, loved another man. “I. Love. You, Sean O’Brien.”
He stiffened, looking more agonized than elated. “Love isn’t enough.” His voice sounded as rough as sandpaper, telling her in not so many words he loved her, too.
“It’s enough for me.” And that’s all he needed to know. The rest was up to him.
When he didn’t reply, she turned and headed back down the hall to her father’s hospital room, hoping to God the heartbreak of losing Sean would ease in time.
*
If Sean believed that the emptiness consuming him without Zoe in his life would fade as the days went by, he was dead wrong. Over two weeks later, the gnawing ache in his gut was as strong as ever, overwhelmingly so. Letting Zoe walk away had affected every aspect of his life, dominating his thoughts and making him too much of a loner. Even spending time with the people he considered a second family couldn’t snap him out of the funk he was in.
He was usually the life of the party, laughing and joking with everyone, flirting with the girls, even. But today at Caleb’s, with the rest of The Reliance Group gathered for one of the weekend BBQs their boss liked to have on occasion, Sean just didn’t feel like joining in on the fun.
Hell, he probably shouldn’t have even come today. He wasn’t in the mood to be around anyone, and watching Nathan with his wife, Nicole, and seeing just how happy in love the two of them were was a painful reminder of Zoe and what Sean had walked away from.
He was so damned convinced she deserved better than the life of a con man’s wife. The same kind of lifestyle Zoe’s father had once embraced, yet she still loved and adored him unconditionally, Sean was now coming to realize.
He exhaled a deep, frustrated stream of breath and dragged his fingers through his already-mussed hair. His head and his heart were tugging him in two different directions, making it impossible for him to think straight. And everyone else’s good mood was seriously getting on his nerves.
Just when Sean decided to cut his visit short and head home early, Caleb strode determinedly across the yard, a bottle of beer in his hand, and sat across from Sean at the bench-style picnic table.
Without hesitation, Caleb spoke. “I think it’s about time you and I had a talk.”
Sean eyed his boss warily. In this casual setting, Caleb was far more relaxed than at work, his demeanor more that of a friend than a supervisor, but he was still as direct as ever. “About what?”
“This damn attitude of yours,” he said, not mincing words. “I’ve given you over two weeks to snap out of this pity party you’ve been having for yourself. Now, I’m going to flat-out tell you to get your shit together. If you care about Zoe, then find a way to make it work.”
Sean bristled in annoyance. “What makes you think I have feelings for Zoe?”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Caleb took a drink of his beer, and when Sean didn’t respond he continued. “I saw it whenever the two of you were together. So did Nathan. And Valerie…well, we all know that she sees things a lot more clearly than any of us ever do.”
Sean glanced across the yard and found Valerie standing by the patio, watching him in that unnerving way of hers. He switched his gaze back to Caleb. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about Zoe. She’s way too good for me, and I never should have let myself fall for her.”
“But you did fall for her, and she obviously saw something in you that made her do the same,” Caleb said, matter-of-fact. “But you’re only as worthy as you believe you are, and that’s a big part of your problem.”
Sean couldn’t disagree, and that wasn’t a good sign.
“I like to give people second chances to prove to themselves that they can be a better person,” Caleb continued. “You, especially, have always been extremely tough on yourself for the things you’ve done in the past. Right now you’re at a crossroad and you have a choice to make. Either you can let the past follow you around like a dark cloud hanging over your head or you can start fresh and new. But ultimately, you have to be the one to want to change. No one can do it for you.”
“I have changed,” Sean stated a bit defensively.
Caleb lifted a dark brow. “Not if the past still has the ability to affect your future. Stop carrying around all that excess guilt and go and do what you’ve been putting off for years.”
“And what’s that?” Sean asked, not sure he wanted to hear what Caleb had to say.
“Go and see your father and set things right,” Caleb said, his tone filled with compassion and understanding of the situation. “Put it all out there, then forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made and move on.”
Sean knew exactly what his boss meant and Caleb was right. It was time.
Leave it to Caleb to put things into perspective, Sean thought. He was so convinced that Zoe wouldn’t be able to love him completely, but in reality it was he who was having a difficult time coming to terms with his past and accepting that he was a changed man. One who would never, ever, do anything to deliberately hurt the people he cared about and loved.
Including Zoe.
Especially her.
Caleb stood, clearly done with his lecture. “Just keep in mind that life doesn’t have to be complicated unless you make it that way.”
Sean laughed. He had made his life complicated for way too long, and it was damned time he stopped and made everything right.
*
After a long seven-hour drive to the Nevada State Prison, Sean sat at a table in the minimum-security visitation area, waiting anxiously for a guard to escort his father into the room. Sean had a lot to discuss with his father today, things that should have been aired long ago, and was so ready to get everything out in the open between them.
As soon as Casey arrived and saw Sean, a huge grin transformed his features as he made his way to Sean’s table, and for a brief moment Sean experienced a stab of guilt that it had been far too long since he’d seen or talked to his father. Just as quickly, Sean released those regrets. Today was the beginning of a new relationship with his father, one built on honesty and mutual respect.
Sean greeted Casey with a firm handshake and a smile. “Hi, Dad.”
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Casey said as he slid into the seat opposite Sean. Casey wore standard inmate issue—a blue shirt and pants—and though his dark hair had some gray at the temples, he still looked the same to Sean. “That job of yours must be keeping you real busy.”
As always, his father’s tone was laced with understanding. Despite the long lengths of time in between Sean’s visits, Casey never made him feel bad for his absence, as if he knew how difficult it was for his son to see him in a prison setting. But for Sean, his reasons for keeping his distance were a lot deeper and more emotional than that.
“Work has been interesting,” Sean said, describing the past few weeks the only way he could, leaving out the mention of Zoe and Grant Russo—for now. Sean would get there, but he and Casey only had an hour of time and he didn’t want to waste it with surface talk. “I was hoping that you and I could talk. There’s some things I need to tell you.”
Worry darkened Casey’s blue eyes. “Sure. What’s on your mind, son?”
Sean exhaled a deep breath and jumped right in. “I never told you, but six years ago I served eight months at High Desert State Prison,” he said in a rush. “I should have told you when it happened, but I didn’t want you to know how stupid I’d been.”
Sean didn’t notice any shock from Casey when he learned his son had been incarcerated.
“What happened?” his father calmly asked.
Sean clasped his hands on the table in front of him and told his father about that last con and what had happened to the woman involved and how overwhelmed with shame Sean had been that he’d inadvertently hurt an innocent person for his own selfish reasons.
Once he was done, he waited for his father to express his disappointment, but it never came. Instead, oddly enough, Casey’s gaze turned compassionate. “You’re my son,” he said, his deep voice conveying how much he cared for Sean. “You learned what you knew from me. And after everything I’ve done, the last thing I’m going to do is judge you. Now it’s my turn to be honest. I knew about your time in High Desert.”
“You did?” Sean asked, shocked. “How?”
“An inmate from High Desert transferred here to Nevada State. He knew who you were, and when he found out my last name he asked if you were my son.”
Sean searched his father’s gaze. “Why didn’t you say something to me?”
“I figured when you were ready, you’d tell me yourself,” Casey said with a shrug, making it very clear that Sean’s time in prison wasn’t an issue for him. “Now tell me what changed that made you feel the need to tell me about your past. Did you meet someone special?”
Geez, were his feelings for Zoe stamped on his forehead for the entire world to see? “What makes you ask that?” Sean asked, curious to hear what his father had to say.
Casey smiled, the slight wrinkles around his eyes making an appearance. “Because there’s something different about you today. You used to come here with your guard up, and now it’s gone. I’m guessing it’s due to some woman’s influence. They have a way of softening a man’s hard edges.”
Sean laughed and shook his head. “Yes, I met a woman. Her name is Zoe Russo. And you know her father, Grant Russo.”
Casey’s dark brows rose high, his expression concerned. “Well, now, I’m sure there’s an interesting story to go along with that.”
“There is,” Sean said, and summarized the events of the past few weeks and the case Caleb had assigned to him that had brought Zoe into his life.
“The thing is, when I took the case, I wanted revenge for you,” Sean said once he was finished with his story. “I wanted to bring Grant down and make him pay for sending you to prison while he got off scot-free.”
“You don’t need to fight my battles, son,” Casey said, even as a ghost of a smile touched the corner of his mouth. “Grant was out to save himself, and given the chance, I would have done the same thing to save my own ass. That said, I’m glad to hear that Russo has changed for the better.”
Sean was so thrown by his father’s easy acceptance that he didn’t know what to say.
Casey flattened his hands on the table, his gaze softening as he stared at Sean. “Now that we’re getting things off our chests, I think it’s a good time to tell you how sorry I am.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because I should have been a better father to you,” Casey said, a wealth of emotion ringing in his voice. “When you were just a kid, I should have been there for you on a regular basis, and not just sporadically. And when your mother died and you came to live with me, I should have set a better example than teaching you the life of a con man. It was all I knew, but it wasn’t fair that I exposed you to that kind of lifestyle.”
It was clear to Sean that his father had lived with his own regrets and, just as Sean had done, spent a lot of his time in prison ruminating over those things he wished he’d done differently.
“It’s okay,” Sean said, wanting to ease his dad’s conscience.
“No, it wasn’t okay,” he replied, cutting himself no slack as a parent. “But I do believe it’s going to be okay from here on out. For both of us. I still have a few more years to serve before I’m out of this joint and then I’ll have the chance to start over. But right now, you need to live your life to the fullest. And don’t ever take the love of a good woman for granted like I did. I loved your mother, and I should have been a better man for her, too.”
Sean nodded, accepting his father’s apology.
“So, this Zoe, she doesn’t hold what happened with me and her father against you?” Casey asked curiously.
Sean shook his head. “No, she doesn’t. She’s an amazing woman, Dad.”
Just then, one of the guards announced that the visiting hour was over, and for the first time ever Sean wished he had more time to spend talking with his father. But Sean had only minutes to say good-bye, and instead of the handshake he usually shared with his dad, Sean pulled Casey into a hug. The gesture was so unexpected that it took him a moment to realize what Sean was doing and return the embrace.
When Casey pulled back, a hint of moisture glinted in his eyes. “Don’t wait so long in between visits the next time, okay?”
Sean smiled. “I won’t,” he promised.
“And bring Zoe with you sometime, so I can meet her myself.”
Sean knew his father would adore Zoe as much as he did. “I will, if she’ll have me.” Because even though he’d resolved things with his father, there was a whole lot more between himself and Zoe he’d left unsaid, and he had no idea where he stood with her.
But the one thing he did know for certain: He was prepared to fight for the woman he loved.