Mine To Protect (Mine #6) (11 page)

Maybe Roy thought he was dead. Maybe the guy thought that both he and Cain had perished in the fire. That had probably been his plan. With both of them dead, who would be around to point the finger at Roy?

So the guy had left the scene, feeling all fucking confident. Confident enough that he’d been using his phone…

Your mistake. Your latest one, bastard.

Because one of Victor’s favors involved getting a track on that phone. As soon as Roy used it, the signal had been triangulated. They’d found the jerk.

He was at the little motel on the outskirts of Vegas, and he’d
better
have Zoe with him. She’d better be alive. She’d—

“Room s-seven,” the front desk clerk stuttered. “On the side of the motel, room seven—”

Victor was already running away. His gun was in his hand—a new gun, courtesy of the Vegas PD. His other weapon had been lost in the flames.

He rushed around the side of the building just as the door to room seven opened.

Wide green eyes stared at him in shock. Beautiful, unforgettable green eyes.
Zoe.

“Victor…” She didn’t make a sound, but he read his name on her lips.

And then…then she was jerked back. Her bound hands flew up into the air and the door slammed shut.

Oh, the hell,
no.

***

“You tricky little bitch…” Roy had thrown her across the room, sending her into a heap near the foot of the bed. “Thought you’d just walk right out the door?” His back was to said door as he closed in on her. “I knew I should have knocked your ass out again.”

She shook her head, tossing the hair out of her eyes. Then she smiled at him.

He stilled. “Why the hell are you doing that?”

“Because…”

The door burst open behind Roy and chunks of broken wood hurtled through the air.

“Victor got out of the fire,” she finished.

“
Get the hell away from her!”
Victor bellowed.

Roy spun around. He didn’t have a gun on him—the guy just had a towel wrapped around his hips. Water dripped down his body. He must have raced out of that shower when he’d heard the front door open. She’d known that sound had been too loud.

Cain ran in behind Victor, gasping. “So much for waiting on me…”

“Cain!” Roy staggered back a step. “You’re okay! Good! Oh, shit, man,
she
started the fire. She tried to kill us all! I think she must be working with her father. I had to tie her up, to restrain her, I was about to call in backup when—”

“I saw you.” Cain’s glare was cold. Deadly. “I saw you attempt to shoot Special Agent Monroe, and I saw you hit Zoe before you took her out of that building.”

Roy’s body stiffened.

“So save the excuses,” Cain blasted. “You’re under arrest.”

“I did it for Michelle!” Roy screamed. “If we want to ever see her again, we have to give that bastard what he wants—and that’s Zoe! Not like she matters anyway. She—”

Victor attacked. He literally flew at Roy, and they slammed into the nearest wall. Roy tried to block Victor’s blows, but that wasn’t happening. Victor hit him again and again, and the sickening thud of his fists connecting with Roy’s face had Zoe crying out.

“Stop, Victor! Stop!”

“
She matters.”

Cain had to drag Victor off the smaller guy. Roy fell into a heap on the floor.

“She matters,” Victor spat the words again, then he spun to face Zoe.

She stared at him a moment, seeing his rage. Such a hot, hard fury. His whole body was tense and danger emanated from him on waves. This wasn’t some good guy. The controlled agent she knew was nowhere to be seen, but she wasn’t afraid. Not of him.

Zoe lifted her bound hands toward him. “Victor, get me out of here.”

He strode toward her. Yanked at the rope that bound her hands. Jerked it hard.

Uniformed cops spilled into the little room. One of them cuffed Roy. Another handed Victor a knife. He sliced through the ropes that bound her wrists. Pinpricks shot through her fingers. She hadn’t even realized how tight the ropes were, not until then. Victor bent, then cut through the ropes that bound her feet. When the last rope broke, relief swept through her and she trembled.

Victor picked her up in his arms.

“No! I can walk!” Her tremble hadn’t been about weakness. It had just been about her being grateful to be free.

But Victor didn’t let her go. His hold tightened as he carried her out of that motel room. She looked back and saw a bruised and battered Roy—glaring after them. Glaring with the one eye that wasn’t already swollen shut. Cain was reading the guy his rights, appearing absolutely enraged and disgusted, but still doing things by-the-book.

The sunlight was too bright outside. The air too cold.

Victor walked her toward a dark SUV. He opened the passenger side door and eased her inside. Then he just…stood there, his shoulders hunched and his head lowered.

Hesitantly, her hand rose and touched his chest. “Victor?”

“I thought you were dead.” His voice was different. Colder. Raspier. “When I woke up, and the building was on fire and you weren’t there…I thought you were dead.”

“I was afraid
you
were dying in there,” she whispered back. “I tried to get you out. I’m so sorry…”

His head snapped up. “You’re sorry?”

Zoe nodded.

“You’re sorry?”

Once more, slowly, she nodded. “I wanted to get you out. If he hadn’t hit me with the gun, I would have—”

Victor backed away. He slammed the door shut. Paced. Paced some more. Tossed a glare her way.

Her hands twisted together. She rubbed at her bruised wrists.

Then he was marching around the SUV. Jumping inside the vehicle. He cranked it with a hard, angry twist of his hand. But then he stilled. “I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Zoe watched him.

“I
let you down. I was supposed to keep you safe. Instead, I lost you.”

“Victor…”

His head turned toward her, and the shield that was normally in place—the guard that stopped her from reading the emotions in his eyes—it was gone. Fury and pain and longing blazed at her. “I was scared.”

“Me, too.”

“I don’t get scared. I get pissed.
That’s
my way. But it was different with you. You’re different. You made me different.”

Was that good or bad? He made it sound bad.

“I couldn’t find you fast enough. Couldn’t get to you soon enough. And when I saw Roy…” He flexed his hands. “I wanted to rip him apart.”

She reached out and touched his right hand. Her fingers slid across the faint scars on his knuckles. “I’m okay.”

“
This
time. But what about next time? It has to stop.” He gave a grim shake of his head. “It has to fucking stop.” Then he shifted the vehicle and drove out of that lot with a squeal of tires.

She’s not dead. She’s safe. Zoe’s with me.

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. Victor made sure that he stepped out first. They were back in Drake’s hotel, back on what should have been a secure floor, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

The area was empty, so he caught Zoe’s hand and led her forward. She’d been silent during their trek back to the fancy hotel, a trek that had included a pit stop at the hospital so she could be checked out.

She’d glared during that process, muttering about just having bruises, but he’d wanted to be absolutely certain she was okay.

A concussion. The bastard gave her a concussion. And she’s got black bands of bruises around her wrists and ankles.

Victor unlocked the door. He just wanted to get her inside and pull her into his arms. And what was up with that? He was hardly the coddling type.

He opened the suite door and ushered her inside.

“
Slipping out at night, coming in long past dawn…This is hardly the way to keep a low profile…
” At that low, mocking voice, Victor’s body immediately went into battle mode. He pushed Zoe behind him and had his gun out in two seconds.

Drake raised his brows as he sat on the couch, not looking properly intimated. Did the guy just always get guns aimed at him? Was that why he was acting as if nothing new were happening at that moment?

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Victor demanded.

“It’s my hotel.” Drake kept lounging. “When you didn’t answer the door, I got worried. Let myself in. You know, with the master key I have and all that.”

Victor grunted.

“Going to lower the gun anytime soon?” Drake asked.

Zoe’s fingers feathered over his back. “Victor, you know he’s not a threat.”

No, not a threat. But a serious asshole. Victor lowered his gun. Zoe slipped around him.

The mocking smile that
had
been on Drake’s face vanished when he got a look at Zoe. “What in the hell happened?”

“That bad, huh?” Zoe muttered.

Victor put the gun back in its holster. “Drake, it’s really been one pisser of a night.”

Drake rose to his feet. “I’m getting that.” His head cocked as he studied Zoe with concern. “What I
don’t
get…is where did you two go? I thought you were planning to wait for my team to find Michelle—”

“Cancel that plan,” Victor directed. “Just forget about her.”

But Zoe stiffened. “No, no, we can’t do that.”

“Zoe.” What now? “The woman is an undercover cop. She went off the radar for a reason. She wasn’t who you thought. She was just—”

“Using me?” Zoe cut in with a sad smile. “I got that. Trust me, I got it. But Roy took me for a reason.”

“
Who the hell is Roy?”
Drake asked, looking confused.

For the moment, Victor ignored him. “Roy took you for a lot of reasons. Two million of them.”

Her cheeks reddened. “He said it wasn’t just about the money. He said he had a chance to get Michelle back. You heard him—he was going to trade me for her!”

Victor wrapped his hands around her shoulders. “He’s a cop who went bad. The guy got greedy, desperate for a big pay day. He isn’t some hero trying to save the woman he loves. He’s scum and you shouldn’t believe his lies.”

Her gaze searched his. “What if she is being held? What if her cover was blown?”

“No.” He tightened his hold on her. “Just stop, right there. We are done, got it? You’re done. You almost died.”

Drake whistled. “Heavy night.”

“You have no clue,” Victor snapped back. Then his voice softened as he told Zoe, “We came to Vegas. We looked for her. Now we have to do some serious damage control—and focus on
you.
”

Her lashes lowered.

“You should go…go take a hot bath and relax.” That would be good, right? She’d been through hell, so she’d want to relax. Get the blood and ash off her. She’d—

Her lashes lifted, and the rage he saw in her stare froze him.

“Is that what you think of me?” Her voice was soft. Tight. “That I’ll go all tra-la-la off and forget that Michelle exists? That she could be in danger right now?”

“She isn’t the friend you thought—”

“No, she’s not. She’s a cop who was working an angle.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “Just like you’re an agent who’s working one.”

Shock rolled through him.

“What? You think I didn’t know?” Bitterness was there, in her voice, on her face. “Come on, Victor, you have to be working an angle with me. No way you’ve been helping me out of the kindness of your heart. If I go by what the other agents have said, you don’t exactly have any kindness to offer.”

He should stop touching her. He should pull back. He should say…something.

“You aren’t denying it. But then, you don’t have to deny it. I knew all along that you were holding back. Using me. When we were in that plane, and you started talking to me about Luther, I realized you were holding back even then. It’s not just about getting
him
to cooperate, is it? It’s about getting
me
to work with you. With the FBI.”

“It…it isn’t like that.” Fuck, no, it wasn’t like that. So why couldn’t he explain it to her?

“Really?” But there wasn’t any hope in her eyes as she continued. “Here’s the thing…I knew you were working an angle. I still wanted you, though. I still fell for you. Got so caught up in you that I can barely think of my life without you.”

She’d done what?

“I am not Luther Bates. I get punished for his sins all the time, but I’m not him.” Her eyes gleamed at him. “So I can’t walk away when someone’s life is in danger. I can’t just turn my back on Michelle, no matter what she’s done. I will find a way to help her. And either I’ll do it with you at my side…” Her lips twisted as she shrugged. “Or I’ll do it on my own.”

She stepped back, pulling away from him. “Now, I’m going to take a shower because I’ve been in a fire, I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been held hostage in some really smelly motel room. I want to get clean, and I want to figure out what move I’ll be making next. Be sure of one thing though, I’m not just going to
relax.
So don’t say that crap to me again.”

Then she turned on her heel, kept her head up, and very gracefully walked out of the room. No storming. No stomping.

Pure fucking class.

The bathroom door shut behind her a few moments later. Victor was still standing there, staring after her, feeling as if he’d just been punched about a dozen times in the stomach—and by one fine fighter.

“That’s…one hell of a woman.” Drake’s admiration was more than obvious.

“Screw off.” He tossed a glare at the guy.

“I can see where she’d have you all tangled up. I mean…who doesn’t like a smart, sexy, strong woman? Only a dumbass, obviously.”

Victor narrowed his eyes on Drake.

Drake shrugged. “What? You know that’s my type. How else would I have ended up so addicted to Jasmine?”

Victor’s back teeth ground together.

“And I can see the signs,” Drake added with a knowing nod. “You are a sinking ship, buddy. Might as well admit you’re hooked on her.”

“Drake…” A warning edge had entered his voice.

“I am curious…” Now Drake cocked his head as he studied Victor. “When did she stop being a case for you? Or have you been lying to yourself all this time? Thinking that you were working her when really…” His words trailed away.

“Really—what? By all means, don’t stop there.”

Drake’s smile stretched. “When really, every second you were with her…that woman in there was stealing more and more of your heart.”

She wasn’t stealing it. I gave it to her.
And now he was totally fucked.

“What matters more?” Drake asked as he stalked closer to Victor. “Her or the case?”

“It’s not that easy,” Victor gritted out. “There are things that you don’t know.”

“Make it that easy. Because you don’t want to wind up like me, waking up one day and finding out that the woman you want most is gone.”

Guilt twisted in Victor’s stomach. He’d been responsible for that happening to Drake.
I was only trying to keep Jasmine safe.
“I’m not letting Zoe offer herself up in exchange for Michelle. I’m getting her out of Vegas. As soon as possible, I’m putting her on that jet of yours. I’ll find a safe place for her.”

That was all there was to it. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, risk her any longer.

***

Victor wasn’t going to help her find Michelle. Not anymore.

Zoe knew it, with utter certainty. She’d seen the look on his face. Victor was probably already making plans to pack up and fly them out of Vegas. No doubt, he was already picking out some small little town to put her in. A new hiding spot.

She was tired of hiding.

She slipped out of the shower, the steam rising all around her. Her body ached, her head throbbed, but Zoe was alive, so she figured…what’s the point in complaining?

She’d survived, again. Cheated death once more.

But she wasn’t sure Michelle would be so lucky.

Zoe grabbed the big, fluffy, white robe that hung on a gleaming, silver hook in the bathroom. She slipped it on, pausing for just a moment because the thing was ridiculously soft.

Very, very nice.

Then Zoe took a deep breath. She squared her shoulders. Time to face Victor. Time to tell him that, hell, no, she wasn’t running. It was her life, and if she wanted to help Michelle, she would. The last thing she needed was a cop’s death on her conscience. Zoe opened the bathroom door and marched down the hallway, though her march didn’t make much noise because of the thick carpeting.

When she left the hallway, she saw the man standing in front of the big window, gazing down at the city below. A tall man, with broad shoulders and…

Blond hair.

She staggered to a quick stop. “Where’s Victor?”

Drake turned toward her. “He said he needed to talk with a cop.”

“Without me?” Her voice rose. Anger did that, made her voice rise, made her feel all twitchy. “The jerk.”

“Actually…” Drake walked toward her. “I’m supposed to keep watch over you while he’s gone.”

A hotel owner was her bodyguard? “Yes, well, thanks, but no thanks.”

A hint of a smile curved his lips. “Don’t be so dismissive. I promise, I’ve got some skill sets that would surprise you.”

She wasn’t touching that one.

“Victor Monroe is an interesting man,” Drake mused.

“I think he can be a bit of an ass.” Why not be honest? “Considering he just dumped me here right after my abduction.”

“Definite ass.” Drake appeared all too happy to agree with her. “But…you know why he left you here.”

“Because he has an insane protection complex?”

“Because you matter to him.”

She tightened the belt on her robe. “You sound as if you understand him.”

“I’m probably as close to a…friend…as the guy has. But, believe me, we certainly didn’t start things out that way. When I first met him, I pretty much hated the guy on sight. Victor and his secrets…they can do so much damage.”

Zoe found herself inching closer to him. “Tell me…”

He lifted a brow.

“Tell me what he’s really like. Tell me just how much he’s jerking me around.” Because she was a mess and when it came to Victor, she couldn’t see clearly enough.

“He’s not jerking you around, that I know for certain.”

Her heart drummed faster.

“He’s gone to the police station
for you.
Because Victor wants to get you on a jet and fly you out of this town.”

She’d known that.

“But he also wants you happy. And finding out more about Michelle Lane, talking to some cop named Roy Duncan, well, Victor said he had to do it. For you.”

Her breath heaved out. “He should have taken me with him!”

“Vic said there was already one bad cop in the mix. With that two million dollar bounty on your head, he couldn’t risk others taking aim at you.” Drake rocked back on his heels. “I’ve been ordered to stay with you until he gets back. And he
will
be back. Hopefully with some answers for you.”

And she got to play the waiting game. Lovely. “That security team you sent out last night…did they discover anything?”

“Only that Michelle Lane disappeared from sight about a month after she started working at the Vine Casino.”

“The Vine? I don’t know that place.”

“It’s new. Started up by some corporation from back East. My men are digging up dirt on the place now.”

Everyone seemed to be doing something. Everyone but her.

“I’ve got new clothes coming up for you,” Drake said. “The delivery should be here any moment.”

New clothes would be better than just hanging around in the robe all day. “Thanks.” Zoe turned away from Drake.

“Don’t trust him.”

She stilled.

“I’m not supposed to say that, but I do
know
Victor. And even though the guy wants you, even though he seems to fucking need you, I’ve seen what he can do. The shit that happened to him when he was a kid messed him up. That need for justice that he has? I’d call it fanatical. And with your past…”

She looked back at him. “You mean my father.”

Drake nodded. “Victor has been working on your father’s case for a very long time. I know how much it means to him.”

It means more to him than I do.
She understood exactly what Drake was saying. And what he wasn’t.

“Watch yourself with him,” Drake added. “What you see…it’s just not always what he really feels.”

“Thanks for the warning.” She made sure to keep any sadness or pain out of her voice. “But I already knew that if it came down to a choice…me or the case…” Zoe laughed. “Well, I knew there wouldn’t be a choice, not for Victor.”

***

“Tell me what’s happening.” Victor slapped his hands down on Cain Blair’s desk and glowered at the guy. “I just got some bullshit story from your captain about no one having access to Roy Duncan. He said Internal Affairs was coming in to talk with the guy, and that no one else would have access until they were done.”

Cain looked up from his computer. A line of stubble coated the guy’s jaw.
Hell, I bet I have the same shit on mine.
He was running on pure adrenaline and rage, and Victor got that he was long past the point of any kind of control.