Unbridled and Untethered [The Double Rider Men's Club 10] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

“All I know is she tried to save me when I was hurt.”

“How well acquainted with her are you?”

“Not very.” Zeke chose his next words carefully. “I didn’t even know her name until the day of the robbery.”

“Is that so?” Rollins made a notation in his notebook. “My understanding is that she was pretty broken up about your injuries. EMTs almost had to physically restrain her to get you loaded into the ambulance.” He stared at Zeke as if again waiting for his awestruck reaction.

Zeke smiled lightly. “Well, we went through something very profound together. It isn’t every day a person is involved in a bank robbery where people are endangered to this degree. We were threatened by guns and even more violence.”

“Threatened?”

“The robber I beat up in the vault wanted to rape her. I stopped him. She probably felt gratitude and then wanted to protect me.”

“So you two didn’t know each other before the robbery.”

Zeke wavered. “I’d seen her once before but hadn’t met her.”

Rollins lifted his notebook and pen as if to make further notes. “Where did you see her?”

“What possible difference does that make?” He wasn’t going to bring the DRMC into this. Beyond the fact that Clay would frown on it, Zeke didn’t trust this detective with the information.

He shrugged and looked put out. “Why is it such a big secret?”

Zeke’s head hurt trying to dodge the detective’s obvious slant against Emma Rae. He didn’t want to answer any more questions until he knew not only more of what had happened but what Emma Rae had already told them. He put a hand to his forehead and rubbed.

“I’m very tired, Detective. Can we finish this up later?” Zeke dropped his head back on the hospital bed pillow and closed his eyes. It was very difficult to keep his eyes shut and simply hope the detective would go away. Luckily, the burly doctor returned seconds later and interrupted them to complete Zeke’s transfer out of the ICU.

“I still have quite a few questions left. So I’ll catch up with you again very soon, Mr. Traynor,” Detective Rollins said with a malicious smile.

“I’ll look forward to it.”
Lie. Lie. Lie.

Twenty minutes later Zeke was installed in a semiprivate room, but no one occupied the other bed in the small space. He was grateful for the solitude. The detective had at least told him that Emma Rae hadn’t gotten hurt. But the shot of unease lodged in his belly over her safety likely wouldn’t fade until he saw her with his own eyes. He also worried about the detective being after Emma Rae for something in her past. He was ready to defend her to the end. She hadn’t done anything wrong in the bank.

He called his memory back further to before the third gunman had come to the vault. His thoughts went all the way back to the kiss they shared right before pandemonium broke loose and changed everything.

The kiss had been spectacular from his point of view. He’d wanted that kiss since the second he’d seen her hidden behind Clay in the DRMC’s security office. The surprise of seeing her in the bank teller line only made him want to kiss her more. He hadn’t even known her name but had wanted a long, slow, deep taste of her lips to quell his curiosity after the mere glimpse he’d gotten at Clay’s security fortress. Seeing her again in the bank’s lobby only intensified his desire to kiss her

The best part of his memory had to do with the fact that she’d instigated that kiss in the vault. While it was true that he’d helped keep that paunchy reprobate from violating her, he wouldn’t have demanded a kiss for his action. However, he’d wanted a taste of her more than he wanted his next lungful of air. But he wouldn’t have taken it. Couldn’t have pressed her for it.

Clay had told him she was wary of men and had a bad history. If she’d had to shoot her way free of someone, he didn’t blame her reluctance. But he was so glad she’d trusted him enough to let go and gift him with that exquisite lip-lock.

Perhaps he looked longingly enough into her eyes that she was mesmerized into action. Her lips pressed solidly to his after her arms encircled his neck. The kiss was filled with exuberant enthusiasm. He’d never wanted it to end.

The third gunman he’d remembered but hoped was already gone from the bank suddenly showed up, ruined the moment, and then shot him in the chest to boot.
Bastard
.

Zeke turned toward the noise of a squeaky cart approaching from down the hallway.

Directly on the heels of that disturbance came the
whoosh
sound of the room’s door opening, and signaled he was about to have company. He hoped it wasn’t Detective Rollins back with more foolish questions.

His body tightened as if putting up a shield and preparing for a blow. He lifted a wary gaze to the door and this new guest.

There she was, like a vision called straight from his dreams. Emma Rae. Framed in the doorway of his room for only a second, she walked forward with a beautiful smile on her face. His internal shields slid away like water escaping down the side of a mountain. Gratitude, desire, hope, and happiness all vied for equal attention in his soul.

“It’s you,” he said quietly, thankful he sounded so calm when he was anything but.

“Yes.” She grinned. “It’s me.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m not at all hurt.” She strolled quickly up to his bedside. “I’m so grateful that
you’re
okay.” She bent forward and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “Do
you
hurt?”

He took full advantage of her closeness. “Not anymore now that I know you’re safe.” He slid his free hand into her hair and pulled her to his lips for a kiss. “I was so worried about you when I first woke,” he murmured before pressing his mouth to hers.

The kiss was entirely too quick, but she tasted like nectar from the gods.

She pulled back. “I managed to get into your room last night, but they kicked me out pretty quickly.”

Emma Rae pushed her lips to his once more. They kissed very sweetly for a few moments before another familiar voice intruded from behind her. “I hear you’ve been hell on wheels since you woke up, Zeke. One little gunshot wound and you’re impossible to deal with.”

* * * *

Luke followed Emma Rae into the hospital room and watched with supreme interest as she greeted Zeke with an eager kiss and then another. The space around his heart warmed suddenly. They looked perfect together. He couldn’t believe it. She
was
their one. The woman he didn’t believe existed for them. Zeke had found her. Luke was ready to make a commitment.

He’d barely slept the night before so he could watch
her
slumber. She’d had a bad dream in the night and called out inarticulately until he snuggled up behind her. She calmed the moment he put his hands on her and whispered nonsensical, soothing words in her ear.

It was probably foolish to be so enamored of her in such a short time, but he didn’t worry about it. The men in their unusual club always insisted that when they met the perfect girl they knew it almost immediately. They’d been right.

Zeke had apparently been frantic to find out if she was okay the moment he woke up. And it was obvious by their current reunion that his best friend was in love. Zeke looked away from Emma Rae and smiled. “You know how it works, Luke. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Although in this case it’s better. The loud, wounded patient gets the girl.”

Luke walked closer and put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Yeah? Well, so does his friend.” Zeke’s expression was priceless. His grin would have lit the vast sky in the middle of a full solar eclipse.

“Looks like I don’t have to make introductions.”

She eyed first Zeke and then Luke before responding, “We’ve become very closely acquainted while waiting for you to wake up.”

Zeke’s grin widened. “I see.”

“Do you? Because this is very strange for me.” Emma Rae’s candor was refreshing. She’d been so worried all the way here that Zeke would be upset about what they’d done the night before.

“She’s afraid you’re going to be troubled about the time we spent together last night.”

Zeke took one of her hands between his palms. “If you tell me the two of you slept together all through the night, you’ll make me the happiest I’ve ever been. That’s the truth.”

She sighed and looked up at him. Her gaze was filled with such uncertainty. Zeke told her exactly what he’d expected, but she still didn’t quite believe it. Time for some proof.

Luke bent down and quickly kissed her mouth. She didn’t resist. She kissed him back, even placing her fingertips on his face. Their kiss lasted for several seconds. When he finally pulled away, Emma Rae’s cheeks were pink.

Zeke reached for her and kissed her, too. “Your blush makes me crazy. I want to strip you naked and do wild things to you. But sincerely, I’m so grateful you found each other.”

Emma Rae looked over her shoulder as if to ensure they were still alone. “I’m grateful that you’re alive. Seriously, when you went down, I thought you were done.”

“The detective working the case told me that you had to be physically restrained from coming in the ambulance with me.”

“Which detective?” she asked. Her serious demeanor didn’t much surprise him. They’d probably grilled her over the incident.

“Rollins,” Zeke said with a bit of attitude attached. The two of them shared a meaningful look.

Luke’s expression darkened. “What’s going on?”

He shrugged and said to Emma Rae, “Tell me what happened after I went down.”

“I fired that gun three more times at the third gunman, and it got me in trouble.”

“He deserved it. What kind of trouble are you in?” Luke asked. They’d never spent much time talking either last night or this morning. Last night because of all the amazing sexual goings-on and this morning because of the early phone call about Zeke waking up and Emma Rae leaving to go home and change clothes.

“Doesn’t matter. Clay found a lawyer for me. I believe I’ll be okay, but it brings up my sordid past. Something I’ll need to confide to you both one of these days. But not today.”

“Is Zachary Barrett your lawyer, by any chance?” Zeke asked.

She nodded. “He is. And he’s awesome.”

Luke brushed a hand down her hair and rested it on her back. “I hate that you even need a lawyer given what happened to you, but Zachary is the best.”

“He must be a club member.”

They both nodded. Luke wanted more information on her past. Not for the gossip, but because he didn’t want her to suffer a moment more of anguish or pain over whatever had happened.

“And you both own the ranch I visited last night, right? But you”—she pointed at Zeke—“are a member of the US Treasury Department.”

“Right.” Zeke looked like he’d suddenly perked up during the conversation even though he had to be tired and weary from his recent injuries.

Her brows furrowed. “That’s so surprising.”

“Why?”

She crossed her arms. “My vision of a member of the Treasury department has more to do with analyzing data, meaning a desk job. It doesn’t really jive with the impressive fighting skills I saw you display in the bank vault. What’s up with that?”

Zeke grinned. “Well the reason for that is simple.
Officially
I’m assigned to the Treasury Department, but I also spend time as needed in a multi-agency task force. It’s mostly field work so I gathered quite a few skills there during the training.”

“I see.” Emma Rae got a funny glint in her eyes, and asked, “So…do you have a service weapon?”

“Maybe. Why? Does that turn you on? Men with guns?”

She shook her head. “Not exactly. But can you shoot it? Are you a really good shot?”

“Yes I can shoot it, but I try not to.” Zeke glanced at Luke. “And the truth is, Luke’s a better shot with both a rifle and a pistol.”

Her blue-green gaze focused on his eyes. Her eyebrows lifted in question. “Misspent youth?” she asked with a laugh.

“Something like that,” he replied.

“Excellent. Will one of you do me a huge favor?”

“Anything,” they said at the same time.

“Will one of you please teach me how to shoot a gun?”

Clay swiveled around in his desk chair and pondered recent events. Luke had called to tell him that Zeke was awake, talking, and on the road to recovery. They were both worried about Emma Rae and the local cop’s fixation on her past. Clay told him he’d look into things and not to worry.

He’d dug up quite a few interesting bits of information regarding Emma Rae’s past difficulties with the law. In fact, he’d looked them over briefly over a year ago when he hired her. Clay worried that she wasn’t quite out of the woods with the local cops. And it bothered him. Perhaps he should look into the detective’s motives more deeply. He made a mental note to ask around.

She had Zachary as her lawyer now, therefore if any trouble arose, Clay would be informed immediately to lend assistance as needed. However, he thought about a more permanent solution. Why had the police detective been so hard on her? Did he have a connection to Emma Rae? If so, it was obviously one she didn’t know about.