Zero: A protective hero romantic suspense, page 26
Still standing in the doorway, he nods and taps his fingers against the doorframe. “Hey, Morgan, you never did say what you thought about staying in Destin and me staying here with you.”
My head pokes through the hole of the shirt I’m sliding on and I stare at him. He looks a little unsure like I’m deliberately avoiding his question.
“Sorry. I meant to get back to that. I want to be wherever you are. I don’t owe Shug anything but I want to give my two-week notice.” If only to say goodbye to the customers I liked and spend more time with Lorna and Todd. “Then I’m no longer tied to anything. We don’t have to stay in Destin.”
“Okay, so we can figure it out together.” He pulls me to him and kisses the top of my head.
A week passes since Hazel’s death and during that time, Randy Poole is arrested in Alabama. Leo’s intel about the ATM withdrawal in Mobile led the police to Randy and his eventual arrest.
He’s behind bars and facing a murder charge among other things. While no trial date is set and it might not be for some time, I will testify and do whatever it takes to make sure Randy serves the maximum sentence.
Grace and I spoke for hours when I got the news. In some ways, that night and the shooting felt like it had just happened, and in other ways, it felt like an end. We promised to keep in touch, and Grace intends to be by my side during the trial.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was no longer alone. She knows about Zero—how could I not mention him?—but it didn’t feel right to gush about my happiness. Not now, not yet.
Leo picks me up at the end of my shift at the Emerald Lounge where I have one more week left to go. Shug wasn’t happy when I quit and called him out on his bluster about having no job if I left for New York, but he didn’t make too much fuss.
Lorna and Todd were a different story. Both were upset that I’m not only leaving the Lounge, but also Destin, yet Lorna was surprisingly thrilled that I’ll be with Zero. Despite her initial wariness about him, she’s come around since he saved me from Hazel, and she can tell he’s good for me. I’m moving on.
I will miss them, but it’s time to move on.
During the ride to his place, a strange musing springs to mind, and at first, I’m too stunned for words by what it might mean, if it is true.
“Does the name Joelle mean anything to you?”
Leo tenses and slowly takes his eyes off the road to look at me. “Ah, yeah. It’s the name of a girl who was held captive with us.”
“You mean Joelle was with you, Tommie, and Hazel?”
While he hasn’t said much about his time in captivity, his captor didn’t always sell those he had taken. He kept some, like Tommie and Hazel, for ongoing financial gain. Sex for money like a pimp where all the clients were masked and only known by name.
He nods and turns back to stare out the windshield. “Why do you ask?”
I hadn’t mentioned the weird guy outside of the restaurant during my statement or to Leo. The night I was found and Hazel shot, the FBI asked mainly about the events after I walked in on Hazel in our hotel room. And truthfully, I hadn’t thought about it in any great detail since that night, wanting not to dwell on it.
“It may be nothing…” I pause to wet my lips, and the car swings into the parking lot where Elvis is waiting for us.
The Lamborghini was returned days ago and Andiamo is on its way back to Kauai. All that’s left is the truck, and Elvis takes care of it overnight instead of using the secured lot.
The boy’s too ashamed to admit he doesn’t have a place to stay, and while I want to offer him my place, at least while I have it, Leo thinks it’ll only embarrass Elvis. The good news is, Leo’s offered him a job at HC, and Elvis will come with us when we leave.
Leo parks the truck and ignores Elvis standing outside his car window. “Morgan, go on.”
I briefly tell him about my strange encounter with the man outside the restaurant and how he had mistaken me for Joelle, then how Hazel mentioned she’d arranged the entire thing.
“And he definitely called you Joelle?” He unbuckles his seat belt.
“Yes. Where’s Joelle now?”
“She’s dead. Killed by a client.”
My stomach churns. For one fleeting moment, during the chaos with Hazel, I’d wondered why the man had called me that name, then his ominous promise, and how it all connected.
“Do you know who killed her?”
The muscle in his jaw ticks and he’s as rigid as a board. “Boris.”
Elvis taps impatiently on the window and Leo turns to open his door. “Hold on a second.”
The young man peers over Leo’s shoulder, and two sets of expectant eyes stare at me. I hope my hunch is right. “I think I met Boris.”
“What?” Leo’s eyes widen, disbelieving.
“I don’t know how to explain it. His last words were ‘see you soon’ and by using Joelle, it’s as if he was projecting his plans for me.” I shudder and Leo growls. “You said how he liked to play games.”
“Fuck, it’s possible.” He springs from the truck and is at my side in a flash. “And Hazel said something about Boris wanting you for himself though she didn’t want him to have you.”
“Yes.” I step out of the vehicle. “Didn’t she say Boris made her do it?”
He nods, pacing, deep in thought, and Elvis watches us, both confused and engrossed.
“Hazel knew Boris from before this new ring.” Leo pulls out his phone, and I figure he’s itching to call Wexler or more likely, Griffin.
This is a solid lead on Boris’s identity and a wide grin coasts along my features, happy that something good may come from the run-in with that man.
Leo calls them both and recounts our conversation and the details outside the restaurant.
Once back at his place, he pulls up the hotel security camera logs and finds the footage from outside the restaurant. The hotel surrendered all recordings of that night once the FBI provided a warrant for the ongoing investigation.
“That’s him.” I point to the screen and the string bean of a man talking to me.
Then he calls in a few favors with an international government agency to run the man’s face through facial recognition software. While the FBI will do the same, Leo doesn’t want to wait for them to weed through the red tape. Even at that, it’s many hours before they get a hit.
A name.
Sadly it shocks me to read Boris’s brief biography—of course that isn’t his real name. He’s a wealthy man, a father and husband, and lives in Europe. While Leo waits for the FBI to catch up, and now with a name and face, he digs for more evidence that will link him to the Boris handle and bury him for good.
I’m in awe of him and his drive to end this monster. Leo may be his own harshest critic, punishing himself for surviving, but there’s so much more to him. No one is ever simply good or bad.
Yes, he isn’t your typical man. His past is dark and dangerous and he’s done some bad things. Things I’ll never know nor would I want to, but in my heart of hearts, I know he did them for the right reasons. He’s resilient and stronger than he thinks, facing difficult, unimaginable choices and situations that most people wouldn’t survive.
And yes, he’s flawed, and sometimes too gruff, arrogant, and downright rude, but above all, he’s mine.
31
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
ZERO
Darkness and silence dominate the house. It’s well past ten in the evening, and I’m finally home, but I’m surprised to find the house dark. Morgan’s probably sleeping.
I try to ignore the pinch of disappointment in my chest to not have her beaming back at me right now and my arms around her.
She knew I was getting in tonight, but she has been busy with the rollout of Hazel’s Hope, which is officially opening next month in six states. Over the past few months, she has traveled all over the place.
Toronto to visit with her family and to learn from Paige about running a not-for-profit, Los Angeles to see Grace and scout a location and staff for the office that will be there, Texas and Florida for the same. And in addition to all that, she spends the rest of her time between Hawaii and New York to stay with me. She must be exhausted.
I trudge through the house on the hunt for her, and through the open windows, the familiar scents of fresh greens, tropical fruits and flowers, salt water, and warm sand fill my lungs. It’s been months since I’ve last been here in Kauai, and while I’ve missed it, it’s not as much as I’ve missed Morgan.
She isn’t in her home office, and before heading for the bedroom, I venture into the game room where I find her sleeping in one of the two gaming chairs. Her head lolls to one side, and the abandoned game of Halo is frozen on the giant flat TV screen.
Years ago, when I bought this land and designed my dream home, I included a fully immersive rec room with lifelike game features, much like the plastic machine gun mounted in front of the chair she slumbers in. She’s still gripping the gun.
I chuckle softly, torn between waking her and watching her sleep. Her auburn hair is piled high on her head in a messy bun, cheeks pink, lips slightly parted.
She murmurs and loosens her grasp on the gun. Her hand falls to her side, and the gun brings me back to how we first met so many months ago. The shooting range. She hasn’t been to a range or held a real gun since then, and I hope she’s more at peace.
Who knew this is where we’d be now? Months later, living together, building a life together. Although I wish we were in the same state more often than not.
I gently caress her cheek, silky soft, and she stirs as her eyes blink open. Her sleepiness melts away the longer she stares at me, her smile growing massive.
Glowing amber eyes fix on me and she reaches for me. “I missed you.”
She slides a hand around my neck and pulls me down to her.
“Missed you more.” I press my lips to hers.
She tastes like home, so fucking good.
I watch her get up from the chair and tug her to me for a harder and longer kiss. Her mewls of pleasure slide down my throat as I part her lips with my tongue. God, how I’ve missed her. Missed us.
She pulls back but stays close and intertwines our fingers as she leads me to the bedroom. “Sorry, I tried to stay awake.”
Yawning and stretching, she loosens the tie on the top of her head and her hair falls onto her back.
“It’s okay. I’m glad to be home.” I release my hand to unbutton my shirt and pause at the doorway to our room, just so glad to be here.
“What’s wrong?” She pauses at the edge of the bed to glance at me over her shoulder.
“Nothing. I’m happy.”
She beams and spins on her heel to face me. In the process, the tablet on the bed catches her eye and she grabs it.
“Is this your doing?” Her tone gives nothing away though the arch of her brow is a challenge.
Tablet in hand, she slips in front of me, preventing me from walking into the bathroom. On the screen is an article from a news outlet in Destin, and I read the first few lines, not needing to continue.
“A local drug dealer supplying meth, heroin, and prescription drugs to several Northwest Florida counties was arrested at the Emerald Lounge in Destin, says the Okaloosa County sheriff’s office.”
My gaze looks to her. “What about it?”
She moves out of my way but follows me into the bathroom. “Did you read it all?”
“Don’t have to.” I continue to undress.
Morgan places the device on the counter, eyes tracking every piece of clothing I remove. “It’s Mickey. They arrested him, and an investigation’s underway for Shug and the Lounge.”
“Uh-huh.” I open the shower door and turn on the tap to get the water warm. “Morgan, what are you asking? You can’t be torn up about Mickey getting what he deserves.”
“No. I’m not.” She licks her lips, eyes roving my naked body. “Did you tip off the authorities?”
“What do you think?” I step into the warm spray and leave the shower door open.
She can’t be surprised that I didn’t leave Mickey alone. The asshole is a drug dealer, and while he never supplied Morgan, thank fuck, he’s done so to many other people. I couldn’t let him continue to ruin lives.
She watches me from the other side of the glass. Her desire is undeniable, and my dick hardens the longer she stares. But she doesn’t make a move to undress.
I stick my head out of the doorway, our faces only inches apart, and smirk. “Are you going to get in here or not?”
Rolling her eyes, she takes off her clothes, and any concern or talk of Mickey or Shug or Destin is forgotten.
Later, once showered and in bed, she snuggles into my side and releases a contented sigh. “How long are you here for?”
I’m not surprised by her question, but surprised at how long it took her to ask. Our connection is as strong as ever, strongest when we’re near one another, but these past months, with me working in Manhattan, have been hard. And if she isn’t with me, when I’m working, I can only visit for a day or two at a time.
It isn’t the work that keeps me away—that’s all virtual and can be done anywhere. It’s the team I’m building, the new division within HC that Griffin and I are leading.
I need to be there to hire and train, get to know our people. All things I usually hate but also understand are a necessary evil if we are to be the best team we can be. To be successful.
And it didn’t help that I delayed all that when I first started working at HC. While I doubted Boris would come after Morgan, I wasn’t about to take any chances and no matter what, the sick bastard had to be stopped.
Fortunately, Griffin agreed and we made capturing Boris our main priority, even before building our team, and we weren’t alone. The FBI and other global law enforcement agencies were equally driven to shut down his operation.
Through our collective efforts, Boris was captured in record time and is in prison for the rest of his miserable life.
Then I grudgingly focused on the hiring, and if not for Morgan and our connection, I don’t know if I’d have made it. This longing, the intense need to be near her, wherever she is, is new and exciting but at times debilitating.
And not something I can say to anyone.
Griffin and Tommie would rib me senseless if only they knew how much I missed Morgan. Although, sometimes, the way Tommie looks at me…I wouldn’t be surprised if she knows.
“So, there’s something I have to tell you.” I’m an asshole, drawing this out, but I can’t resist.
She stiffens and looks up at me. “What? You’re only here for the night?”
The disappointment and melancholy in her gaze nearly kills me, and I can’t see this prank through to the end. Fuck it.
“No. I’m here for as long as you’ll have me.”
She pounces and presses her body into me. “What do you mean?”
“Our team is solid. Good. I don’t have to be in New York all the time. I’ll have to visit a few times a year, but I can now work wherever I want. Wherever you are.”
Squealing, she wraps her arms around my neck, squeezing so hard that she nearly steals all the air from my lungs.
“Yes.” She kisses me and pulls back, beaming.
This woman. She brings me a profound sense of happiness. A sense of peace and home and love I never imagined I’d deserve, let alone ever have.
“Marry me?”
She braces and her brows knit together for a moment. The shocked expression on her face mirrors mine. I hadn’t planned this, but I’ve no regrets.
“Excuse me? Did I hear you right?” Her smile is small, tone light and a little shaky, but I haven’t completely freaked her out.
“I want you more than anything in this world. I want this life with you. I’ve never been happy—not until you—and I promise to make you happy every day of your life. Morgan Rothwell, will you marry me?”
Her smile widens and her face glows. “Yes. Always, yes.”
Thank you for reading Zero! This concludes The Scarred Hearts series, but it isn’t the end for some of these characters who’ll you’ll see in future books.
My next release in the 6ix Loves series is coming in March 23, 2023!
Fall in love with billionaire, Walker Drummond, and sassy, aspiring business woman, Eden Carpenter, in this all new, steamy fish out of water standalone romance. Grab Stealing the Billionaire!
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ALSO BY S.M. WEST
6ix Loves Series
All can be read as standalones
Trusting the Ex
Scoring the Player
Promising the Billionaire
Stealing the Billionaire
Trojan Series
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Clutch
Reverb
Smash
Rush
Scarred Hearts Series
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Prophet
Kit
Nomad
Griffin
Zero
Standalones
Made to Love
Resisting the Best Friend’s Sister
New York Knights Series
Reckless Night
Fallen Night
Captive Night
Relentless Night
Broken Night
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA TODAY bestselling author, S.M. West writes sexy, angsty stories about brave hearts and wild love, including, more times than not, heart-pumping twists and turns. Apart from her infinite love of books, she’s a self-professed wine, chocolate, and travel junkie. When not writing or hanging with her family, she’s usually talking to her characters (in her head) or planning her next adventure.
