Billionaire Undaunted: The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Zane (8 page)

Blake and Marcus nodded in agreement, their expressions grim.

“Why?” Zane felt compelled to ask.

Tate shrugged. “You’ll figure it out when Ellie becomes all you can think about, an obsession that you can’t control. When you start worrying about her safety and whether or not she’s happy because you’re positive that you can’t live without her.”

“I’m already there,” he answered morosely, knowing his youngest brother had the most experience with relationships since he was the only married brother. “I don’t know much about what happened during her months in captivity. Sometimes I don’t even want to think about it because I’m afraid I’ll lose it. Hell, I even have nightmares about it sometimes, and I wasn’t even there. I’m pissed off as hell because she didn’t deserve what happened, and I can’t even kill James for hurting her because he’s already dead.”

“I’d feel the same way, bro,” Tate admitted. “When Lara sacrificed herself to a terrorist to save my life, I lost it when he touched her. I get it. But Lara didn’t go through what Ellie did. She didn’t spend months in captivity being treated like she wasn’t human. I’m not sure I could handle that without losing my mind. But she’s going to need to talk about it. She’s going to need to get through it before she can focus on a real relationship. I know this doesn’t help much, but just be there for her.”

“She needs time,” Blake stated bluntly. “Is she getting therapy?”

Zane nodded. “The same one that Chloe uses. Dr. Townson thinks Ellie has post-traumatic stress. Dammit! I don’t want her to have to be afraid anymore. It’s over.”

Marcus nodded. “PTSD makes sense. Zane, a person can’t go through a prolonged period of confinement like that without some damage to her psyche.”

“She’s handling it well. Really well,” Zane explained. “Better than most people would. But sometimes I can see the fear in her eyes, and it’s fucking killing me.” If someone put him in a lab, he was in his element. Outside of work, he was like a fish out of water. He didn’t know what to say or do to help Ellie heal.

“Then just keep being supportive,” Blake suggested. “Give her time.”

“Spoken like a guy who has never wanted a woman so desperately that he’d do anything to have her,” Tate mumbled. “If you want a real relationship with a woman who makes you crazy, things get complicated.”

Things were
beyond
complicated for Zane. And he wanted nothing more than to claim Ellie in the most elemental way possible. Yet, he also wanted her to feel safe. How in the hell did a man deal with those two conflicting emotions: rampant desire and protectiveness? In his mind, a guy either wanted to fuck a woman or he wanted to protect her—like he wanted to protect his younger sister, Chloe. For him, those two emotions had never co-existed before.

“I’ll deal with it,” Zane told his brothers, trying hard to sound a hell of a lot more confident about the situation than he really was.

Tate snorted as Zane gathered up his books to go pay for them. “That’s what I said when my dick got hard every time I looked at Lara.”

Zane made his way to the checkout, but his brothers trailed closely behind him. “Lara is the best thing that ever happened to you,” Zane answered gruffly, knowing he’d give anything to have what Tate had: a woman who loved him even with all of his faults.

Tate shrugged. “I’d never deny that.” His voice was unwavering. “But it can be hell before the honeymoon starts.”

Zane handed the cashier money, waving at her to keep the change as he gathered up the bags of books. Turning to leave and glaring at his brothers as he muscled his way in between them, he informed them, “There isn’t going to be a honeymoon. Christ! I just want to help her right now, okay? She went through hell and back. Ellie needs somebody right now.”

“Do you want me to take her in for a while?” Blake asked blandly. “I wouldn’t mind having her as my guest. I’ve always liked Ellie, and I have plenty of room at the ranch.”

“I wouldn’t mind helping either.” Marcus echoed his twin’s offer. “I’ll be around for the holidays.”

Zane saw red at the thought of Ellie being with any other man but him, even his brothers. They wouldn’t care about her the same way he did. “Hell, no. And if either of you offer, I’ll make you regret it,” he told them ominously before he made his way around them and promptly exited the bookstore without ever looking back.

The other three Colter brothers gave one another a questioning look.

“He really is screwed,” Tate said solemnly. “Shit! I want him to be happy, but he could be looking at a pretty bumpy road. Ellie’s confused. She isn’t going to know what she wants until she’s had some time and counseling.”

Blake nodded slowly. “Zane will give her time. He’ll do what’s best for Ellie.”

“Are the two of you blind? She’s perfect for him,” Marcus drawled. “She always has been. The timing just sucks.”

Tate looked at Marcus with surprise. “How do you know she’s the one for Zane?”

Marcus rolled his eyes. “Observation. The few times I’ve seen them together since Zane left Rocky Springs, it’s been pretty obvious. I’ve seen the way they look at each other. I don’t doubt that Ellie has genuine feelings for Zane. It’s not a bad case of hero worship. She’s always liked him. He’s always liked her. I’m surprised he’s never gone after her before. Maybe it was because she was Chloe’s best friend. I don’t think he realized just how much he wanted her until she disappeared.”

“What if you’re wrong?” Blake asked gruffly.

Marcus looked at both of his brothers for a moment before answering with a certainty that came out sounding very much like arrogance. “I’m never wrong.”

Tate and Blake watched as Marcus turned and walked toward the exit, his declaration still hanging in the air. The two of them just shook their heads and eventually followed behind him, neither one of them able to think of a single smartass thing to say.

Z
ane stowed his heavy load of books in the car before he crossed the street in search of Ellie. Not that he was ashamed of what he’d purchased, but it would probably bring up questions that he didn’t want to, and couldn’t, answer right now.

Gut instinct was driving him to learn about what Ellie had gone through, and he wanted to understand the trauma she’d experienced. He felt so damn hopeless when it came to comforting the beautiful woman who needed reassurance. Problem was, he’d never been a romantic type of guy, and he sure as hell had never had female friends who had been through what Ellie had experienced.

Maybe I should have called Chloe back home.

He shook his head as he walked to the clothing store, knowing his little sister was going to be pissed. But all in all…he agreed with Ellie. Chloe had her own issues to resolve and she deserved her time away. No doubt she
would
feel guilty about Ellie being in bad shape from the kidnapping. Zane knew that Blake had probably already told Gabe. Blake and Chloe’s husband had been best friends for a long time. Obviously, Gabe had felt it was better to wait until Chloe came home or Zane knew his little sister would already be back from her travels. There would have been no way to keep Chloe away from Rocky Springs if she knew that Ellie had been found alive.

Zane respected that Ellie wanted time before she saw Chloe. It really was her decision to make. He’d done enough underhanded things to force her to accept some help. He had to draw the line at directly going against her decision.

Moving a little faster, Zane shoved his hands in the pockets of his down jacket. It was after dark and it was damn cold, a light snow beginning to fall.

He stopped short as he saw Ellie in front of the clothing store, feeling like somebody had nailed him in the gut.

What. The. Hell?

Ellie looked terrified. A mobile camera crew and reporter were right in front of her, light blasting her in the face. She didn’t speak. Instead, she just kept shaking her head.

Zane could only see the back of the male reporter, but as his eyes scanned the street, he could see a van with the logo of a local television station.

As he stepped forward, his jaw clenched, he knew he was going to make it physically impossible for this particular reporter to bother Ellie anytime soon.

“Fuck!” he rasped, watching as Ellie pushed her way through the gathering crowd and bolted…straight toward him.

He caught her easily, stepping into her path so her body would come to a stop when she ran into him. Wrapping his arms around her, he kept her imprisoned in his hold.

“Zane,” she acknowledged tearfully. “I’m sorry. I can’t talk to them right now. I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to talk about what happened.” Her voice was panicked and frightened, a voice he’d never heard from her before.

“You don’t have to,” he crooned, stroking a hand over her head.

“Ms. Winters,” the low, male voice of the reporter said insistently. “Just a couple of questions.” The young reporter had made his way over to Ellie, the camera and light following.

“I can’t,” Ellie sobbed. “I can’t do it right now.”

Zane felt a rage start to rise, an emotion he’d never experienced before with so much intensity. “Turn off the goddamn camera,” he informed the television crew. “No interviews.” His voice was more of a growl as he spoke, his instinct to protect Ellie from anything that upset her impossible for him to ignore.

Eying the reporter angrily, Zane demanded, “Leave. Take your ass back to Denver or I’ll make sure you can’t ever do an interview again. Ellie has been through enough.”
Jesus, he hated these bloodsuckers.
Reporters just kept digging until their victim practically bled out from the wounds.

“It’s not like we’re on your property,” the reporter replied snidely. “We’re totally within our rights to report the news.”

Zane lost his temper. “You’re not fucking reporting news. You’re upsetting a victim, a woman who has been through one hell of an ordeal for no reason, through no fault of her own. The perpetrator is dead. You just want this story to entertain the curious who want to know the details.” He stopped and took a long breath. “Just get the hell out of Rocky Springs and don’t come back.”

“You can’t make me leave,” the newsman responded.

“He appears to have his arms full. But if he can’t make you leave, I can,” a baritone drawled from behind Zane.

It was Marcus. Although Blake and Marcus sounded very similar, the smooth assurance was all Zane’s eldest brother.

“Want me to hold him?” Blake questioned.

“I’ll help,” Tate offered angrily. “Shit! I thought I’d covered your trail so well that nobody would find her. I’m sorry, Ellie.”

Zane desperately wanted to stay so he could slam the insistent reporter against a wall somewhere and shut him up, but Ellie was shivering in his arms. “Let’s get you to the car.” Turning, he put an arm protectively around Ellie and urged her toward his SUV parked down the street.

“We’ll handle this,” Marcus said stoically as Zane and Ellie passed him.

Zane nodded at him. “I know. Thanks.” His brothers would make sure the media left town, no matter what it took to make that happen.

Ellie lifted her fingers to swipe away her tears aggressively. “I’m sorry. It was silly of me to get so upset over a reporter.”

“It’s not silly,” Zane retorted. “If you’re not ready, you don’t have to talk about it. If you’re never ready, you never have to say anything about it.”

Ellie had met with the police, and she’d given a statement. But with the guilty party dead, they’d taken her brief explanation without the details and closed the case. Zane had been relieved even though he knew someday she’d have to chase away her demons by talking about it.

Maybe she’ll talk to Chloe.

Zane stared down at her profile as they walked, noting that she looked exhausted. As they arrived at his vehicle, he felt guilty for not taking the bags she held. In his thirst for blood flowing from the reporter who had accosted Ellie, he hadn’t noticed them. Not that it looked like she bought much. She only had two small bags.

“I’ll take those. Jump in.” He took her packages and opened the door for her before he went to the cargo area and stored her stuff.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, he closed the door and started the car so it would warm up.

Ellie was trying to brush the snow out of her hair with her cold fingers.

“I hope you bought some more winter stuff,” he grumbled as he pulled away from the curb, not even bothering to look behind him. Zane had faith that his brothers would handle the reporter situation.

“I have some winter things in my belongings. I just haven’t sorted everything out yet,” she said hesitantly, obviously still emotional. “I have the stuff you got me, but I didn’t think I’d be outside for long.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for the emotional scene.”

“Those people scared you?” Zane asked, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel, pissed off at anybody who caused Ellie to get upset.

“Not scared really,” Ellie said with a sigh. “I just don’t really want to reveal my humiliation to the entire world. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to do that.”

Ellie felt shame, and that nearly pushed Zane over the edge. “It wasn’t your fault. None of it was your fault.”

“But that doesn’t make it less humiliating,” Ellie countered.

As he turned a corner to head back toward his house, he mumbled a curse before answering. James had been a psychopath, and he still remembered her briefly telling him how he’d made her beg for food and water. “Don’t even feel ashamed,” he said gruffly. “James was the sociopath and you were his victim. It takes a lot of courage to survive what you did, Ell.”

“I let him toy with me. I let him mess with my head,” Ellie answered sadly. “I knew what he was doing, and I gave him exactly what he wanted.”

“What choice did you have?” Zane snapped back at her.

She didn’t answer, and the long, drawn-out silence made him realize she’d had no choice. All of her freedom, respect, and dignity had been sucked out of her by a crazy asshole who liked to torment women.

He was relieved when she finally answered quietly, “None. Not a single choice. It was either die or stay alive. The survivor in me refused to give up.”

“Thank fuck,” Zane said huskily. “I would have been pretty irritated if I had shown up at the cabin and you were already dead.”

Ellie laughed, a sound that hit Zane solidly right in the chest. He hadn’t heard Ellie laugh in a long time. If his black sense of humor made her smile, he’d gladly stop trying to be politically correct.

“I’m glad I didn’t disappoint you,” Ellie shot back with a snort.

Zane smiled just a little as they entered Colter land and he moved toward his home. “I’m sorry I let a reporter have the opportunity to talk to you. I’m supposed to be keeping you safe.”

“You do. And it wasn’t your fault,” Ellie argued. “Zane, you can’t protect me from the world forever, no matter how much I appreciate that you try.”

“The hell I can’t,” he shot back at her. He’d slipped up, let his brothers disrupt his visual on where she was. From now on, she’d stay safe.

“I fear it, too,” Ellie said softly.

“What?” Zane questioned, wanting to know whatever the hell she feared so he could make it go away.

Silence stretched on as Zane drove across Colter property, the darkness of the night preventing him from seeing Ellie’s expression.

Finally, he urged, “Talk to me, Ellie. What are you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid it will happen again,” she admitted in a rush. “I know the chances of being kidnapped again, especially since James is dead, are almost nonexistent. Rationally, I understand that. But I can’t stop the anxiety I feel when someone approaches me, even in a non-threatening way. If it’s somebody I don’t recognize as a friend, I have a knee-jerk reaction to run. Until recently, I seemed to have the same reaction even if it was a friend—just not as strong as when it’s a stranger.” She took a deep, tremulous breath and continued. “I know it doesn’t make any sense. I knew that guy was a reporter. But when he got in my face and wanted me to talk about my experience, it was like it was going to happen all over again.”

Zane’s frustration with the reporter returned. “He was a pushy asshole, Ell. And you have every right to be cautious. Hell, I think you’re incredibly brave just to go out of the house again.”

“I want to. I can’t live in fear, Zane,” Ellie insisted. “I want to feel normal again. This is my town. This is where I grew up. Nothing traumatic has ever happened to me here before…” Her voice trailed off, sounding like she was afraid to mention the only devastating event she’d ever experienced in Rocky Springs.

Zane reached out in the dark, searching for contact with Ellie, hating the fact that she was essentially suffering alone. He didn’t know the first thing about how to deal with her fear…or his own agitation about her safety.

Their hands connected, and his heart sank as she flinched away from him for an instant, but then she reached out and curled her fingers around his trustingly. Zane felt an aching tenderness in his chest as Ellie tightened her grip, letting him know without words that she trusted him, that her initial reaction was just a momentary, instinctive thing.

After a few minutes of silence, Ellie asked, “Why didn’t you tell me that you took care of my apartment? You lied to me when you told me it was already rented.”

He told her the truth because she deserved it. “I wanted your place to be waiting for you. I wanted your life to be as normal as possible when you got back. I didn’t know I’d find you nearly dead. When you started refusing to come home to recover with me, I gave up your place so you had to be with me. I know it was a shitty thing to do, and I’m sorry I lied. But I’m not sorry that you’re with me where you belong. Right now, I
need
you to be with me as much as you need someone to be with you so you’re safe and not alone.”
Christ! He was downright desperate to watch her every single moment.

“Why?”

“Because I need the reassurance that you’re fucking really alive and getting better,” he told her reluctantly. “This whole thing—your disappearance, the long search, the endless days of wondering where you were and what the hell had happened to you, wondering if you were dead or alive—it all scared the hell out of me, and even though I know you’re alive, the fear hasn’t gone away.” Zane was starting to wonder whether it ever would.

She was quiet for a moment before she finally answered, “I think you’re right. I think right now I do need to be with you. Tonight proved that to me. Until I can conquer all my demons, I need you to slay them for me. I know what you did was out of fear, and Lord knows I understand that. But please don’t ever lie to me, or try to manipulate me again.”

That moment was pivotal for Zane. It was the instant that he knew that he was utterly and completely screwed. “I won’t.” He cared about her way too much not to try to keep that promise.