Page 106 of Shattered Hearts

“I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

She’s a piece of work, this one. Icy down to her cold, shriveled heart.

“Zarah. She talked to you yesterday morning. I know she did, even though I asked her not to. After that, she hasn’t said one word to me. What did you say to her?”

Pop would be pissed if he knew I was here. He’d tell me I’m compromising a case, and maybe I am. Cluing Jerricka Solis in on how much she upsets me is only tipping my hand, and when you’re a PI, that’s not a good thing.

“I can’t tell you that. That’s between me and a client. If you want to know what we talked about, you need to ask her.”

“I would, but she’s not answering my calls.”

Today she’s wearing a navy blue sweater dress, and her hair is pinned up. She’s almost as tall as me in her leather high-heeled boots, but not quite. She’s expensive and rich, smug and arrogant, and I know without a shadow of a doubt she told Zarah to stop seeing me, and Zarah listened.

She smiles and tugs on an earring dangling from one of her earlobes. “You’re afraid you’re getting dumped. Will you miss her, or her money?”

“This has nothing to do with money.”

“Italwayshas to do with money, Mr. Davenport. You don’t travel in these circles, though I know who your mother and stepfather are. You should be used to the way things are done this far downtown. Be happy with your truck and move on.”

“Then you admit you talked to her.” I grit my teeth. How does she know about my truck?

She leans against her desk and crosses her arms. “I might have suggested a breakup to her, but why would you take that personally? She’s stunted, in practically every way possible. Why wouldn’t you want her to date other people, decide without a doubt you’re who she wants? Are you afraid she’s going to find someone else? Someone better? Someone more in her league? I never would have suspected the Maddoxes were into gutter rats. Leave her alone and crawl back into your filthy little hole.”

It’s her skill as a therapist that she cut to the quick so fast. It’s exactly what I’m afraid of. I’m afraid if I let her walk, she’ll never come back.

“What do you care? Why would you interfere?”

“One thing you seem to have forgotten is that I actually care about my patients. I’ve been seeing Zarah for months. I’m invested in her recovery, and quite simply, Mr. Davenport, I don’t think you’re good for her.” She pauses. “She tells me everything, you know. Every single thing. Every date, every sexual encounter. I know where you do it, and in what position. I know you like to go down on her, and I know she likes it. I know how big you are and that it hurts her. I know you fucked her yesterday without birth control. I know everything because she tells me everything. When I say I don’t think you’re good for her, it’s not a guess, it’s not something I’m saying because I want to listen to myself speak. I told her that because I truly believe it, and if you don’t like it, you can cram it up your ass. Zarah is my client, and all I care about is her wellbeing.”

I stumble backward, her words cutting me. I knew Zarah would share intimate details with her therapist, but cold dread slicks my skin as I listen to our lovemaking being twisted into crass, dirty acts that don’t contain an ounce of love. In fact, I hurt her, and she never said. She’d tell Jerricka, but she wouldn’t tell me.

“I think you pushed her into sex, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

I’m horrified. All those months of walking on thin ice, hoping to God I didn’t fuck up, only giving her what she asked for, what she wanted, what she could handle, and Jerricka’s practically accusing me of rape. “Is that what she told you?”

“She didn’t need to tell me that.”

Her face softens, but I don’t believe her sincerity.

“I’m not the bitch you think I am. I’m sympathetic, and I understand your position. But the fact is, she needs more, whether you want to admit it or not. Ashton Black stole the prime years of her life. She’s never going to get those back, Mr.Davenport. You know the saying, if you love someone, set them free, and if it’s meant to be, they’ll find their way back to you? That’s exactly what this situation is. Let her go. If it’s meant to be, she’ll find her way back to you. You’ll have to be patient enough to wait and see if she does. Now, I’m sorry, I do have a client this morning, and no, it’s not Zarah. You don’t have to worry about bumping into her on your way out the door.”

I lurch into the hallway, the soles of my heavy work boots catching against the soft carpeting. I kept my jacket on, and a clammy sweat covers my skin.

If that’s what Jerricka’s been filling Zarah’s head with, I’m not surprised she doesn’t want to see me anymore, and why wouldn’t she believe a therapist she’s known for the past year and a half over a guy she met barely four months ago. Everyone warned us we were going too fast. The first time she told me Jerricka suggested she date other people, I should have insisted on it. Then we wouldn’t be in this mess. It’s a refrain Jerricka hasn’t given up on, and Zarah’s listening to it.

Fuck.

I knew getting messed up with her would boil down to this. Only, I fell in love, now I’ll be in a world of hurt when she walks away.

Fuck it. If she’s going to tell me to fuck off, then I want to hear it. Today. Right now. I text her and say I want to meet because we have to talk, and she doesn’t text me back until after lunch. Pop and I work on a couple of cases, and I’m shaking with rage by the time she says she can meet me in the coffeeshop where I brought her to calm down after the paparazzi incident.

Sierra’s behind the counter, and she raises her eyebrows at me, tilting her head toward the other side of the café around the corner.

I jerk a shoulder. The place is empty and she’s going to hear everything whether I want her to or not.

Zarah’s sitting at our corner table, a large bowl of coffee sitting untouched in front of her. Without a coffee of my own, I drop into the chair in front of her. “Can you be quick? Baby’s in the truck.”

Tears fill her eyes, and I force myself not to cave, not to try to cuddle her to me. She might not let me, and the rebuff would hurt just as much as what she’s going to say.

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