Page 4 of Deceit & Desire

I bit my lip, shaking with silent laughter as we followed him out.

Zoe swatted my arm and hissed at me through gritted teeth. “Are you nuts? Stop antagonizing the cop.”

“Don’t tell me a big, bad junior executive like you let an off-duty deputy rattle your cage.”

Zoe glared at me, her gorgeous green eyes blazing with indignation. “It’s not just him that has me rattled. It’s the suits, and dad being sick, and mostly you.”

“Aw, come on honey. I haven’t even started rattling your cage yet, not really.” I pulled the truck keys out of my pocket and hit the un-lock button.

Zoe rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe that stunt you just pulled?—”

“Quit your whining. That stunt I just pulled worked like a charm. He can’t get away from us fast enough.” I gave her a gentle elbow to the ribs, and she shoved me hard enough I almost stumbled out in front of a passing car.

I snapped a hand out and grabbed the tailgate of the truck we were walking past to right myself.

Seems about right. She’s always been the type to bring a nuke to a knife fight.

“Shit, Roman, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” Zoe reached out and laid her trembling hand on my forearm, her brow bunched with what looked to be genuine concern.

Her fingers might as well have been a red-hot brand. I snatched my arm away from her comforting touch. “Save it, Zoe. You never mean to hurt anybody. It’s just a natural-born talent, I guess.”

All the color drained out of her cheeks and tears pooled in her eyes, leaving me with a pounding heart and the bitter taste of regret on my tongue.

I sighed and glared down at my boots, hands-on-hips. “Fuck. Now I’m the one who’s sorry. No matter what you did, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Zoe turned away, swiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand. Her gaze roamed over the surrounding vehicles, searching the top deck of the parking garage for a truck with the Twisted Creek Ranch logo emblazoned on the side. When she spoke, her voice was tight and brittle and rough, like she’d swallowed shards of glass. “It’s the truth, whether I like it or not. You shouldn’t have to apologize for being honest with me just to spare my ego.”

I shook my head and strode past her, leading the way through the rows of cars once again, toward the truck with the horse trailer still hitched behind it, parked sideways across a few spots on the far side of the deck. “It’s not about sparing your ego, Zoe. Your father is sick, and besides that, you haven’t even been home for a half hour yet and the shit is already hitting the fan. I should be man enough not to let my temper get the better of me, especially at a time like this.”

“You’re allowed to have feelings, Roman.” Zoe tugged on my arm, pulling me to a stop just as I hit the unlock button on the truck’s key fob and reached to open the door.

“That’s not what you told me before you left Blackwell, but it’s nice to see you taking other people’s feelings into consideration for a change.” I couldn’t resist the dig, even though I knew it might undermine my plans.

Zoe winced and bit her lip like she was punishing it for daring to tremble and expose any vulnerability in her. “Can we just forget about the things I said before I left Blackwell, please?”

I heaved a sigh and shook my head. “Maybe you can, but I can’t, Zoe. The things you said the day you left cut deep... probably deeper than you intended, but that’s always the way with you.”

I tugged the drivers-side door of the truck open and jerked my chin at Zoe, signaling for her to climb in. I tossed her bags in the back seat of the extended cab as she walked around the front of the truck and climbed into the passenger side. She was so quiet after my outburst; I was sure the conversation was probably over, so I cranked the truck.

Zoe cleared her throat, her fists clenched tight in her lap as she stared out the passenger window, hiding her face from me as she spoke. “I know I was unnecessarily cruel, and I should have apologized long before now, but I am truly sorry for the pain I’ve caused you. Don’t think for a second that I didn’t hate myself the second I said it, but that is just a drop in the ocean of things I’ve hated myself for since the summer I left Blackwell.”

A knot deep in my chest loosened just the slightest bit. “Apology accepted… and appreciated. Just promise me one thing, will you?”

Zoe turned to face me, then, her eyes as guarded as ever. “Promise you what?”

I squeezed the steering wheel and sucked in a deep breath, not meeting her gaze. “Promise me you won’t regret apologizing to me the second I bring you up to speed on everything we’re up against here.”

Zoe shook her head and offered me a sad smile. “I’m not in the business of making promises I can’t keep, Roman… not anymore.”

“Fair enough.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out how I was going to approach the disaster facing us.

The silence in the truck threatened to suffocate us both as I pulled away from where I’d been parked and followed the painted arrows and signs, aiming for the parking garage’s exit.

“We’re finally alone in the truck. Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on here, or what?” Zoe crossed her arms and arched a brow at me.

I bit my lip and sighed, keeping my gaze on our downward-spiraling path out of the parking garage. “How do you want it, Zoe?”

Zoe lifted her chin and sat up a little straighter, squaring her shoulders. “Give it to me straight. No fluff. No bullshit. Just the facts.”

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