A Real Bad Boy(21)

Moving here was supposed to make things easier. I was never good at  easy. I barely knew how to function without some kind of struggle. "What  am I going to do?"

She got up from her chair and walked around the table, pulling me up  into a hug. "You'll figure it all out. It's not the end of the world,  sweetie."

I cried into her shoulder and knew what I needed to do.

I needed to tell Zach.





Zach



"Are we done here? It's been a week, you've been by twice. There hasn't  been a threat since." I looked at the officer and crossed my arms. He'd  been asking questions for two hours. The same questions we'd already  answered several times.

"I think so. We just want to go over every possible lead." He closed his notebook and looked at us both.

"I'll show you to the door," I said as I walked him away. Leo had been  busy with work the past few days, too busy to think about any of this.

But they would find nothing. Hell, we'd had men trying to figure out who  was after Leo and come up shorthanded. Probably a mercenary squad with  someone who was as skilled as Glitch in covering tracks.

"Have a good day, officer."

The man left and I turned back towards Leo.

"What's our next move, boss?" I asked. I needed to know what he wanted so that I could make the right choices.                       
       
           



       

"I've got an invite here for tomorrow night. Another poker game, but  this time at Tommy's place. He wants to meet to talk about the attack  here. He says he's worried about it. I'm guessing he wants to dig his  claws in. Wants to really scare me off."

"So you suspect him?"

"It makes the most sense. He has a lot of motive, and opportunity."

It was a two-year-old cold case, and I could tell that it was eating at  Leo. The time limit was almost up. All his leads were virtually  exhausted. If he was going to find his fiancée's killer, he was going to  have to do it soon.

"Do you have Glitch working on anything?" He said his name awkwardly,  like he had peanut butter sticking to the roof of his mouth.

"He's digging up similar cases. Looking through the details. Your  fiancée's murder is two years old, but there are murders that are less  than two months old. Anything from them could lead to him."

"A fucking serial killer and no one has even put it in the damn paper," Leo said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Maybe you should take some time off from this, boss." I warned. "You need to clear your head. We are working on it."

Leo nodded. "I have a lot of shit to deal with at work. Keep checking on  leads. I'll meet with Tommy tomorrow night." He checked his watch.

"You got the team on me, yeah?"

I nodded. I'd been doing extra personal detail since the attack, but I needed some sleep.

"All right. Go home, I'll go to work. See you tomorrow night," he said as he waved me away.

Home. That sounded perfect. What I really wanted, though, was Willow's  warm body against mine as I kissed her neck and whispered into her ear.  She'd been avoiding me lately. I wasn't an idiot, but I wasn't sure why.

It was another thing I was just too damn tired to fuck around with, but I wanted her. And I wanted her now.

My phone vibrated on my hip and I grabbed it, answering it. "What do you need?"

"You to get your head out of your ass and pay attention to your woman."  Ruby was on the other end of the line, already angry with me yelling.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" I asked as I headed to my car.

"I'm talking about Willow. Do you have any idea what's been going on in  her life? Do you have a single clue about the shit she is dealing with?"  I hated it when she got this way. I wasn't going to hear the end of it  until I played her stupid game.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean her fucking ex is in town and harassing the shit out of her."

"What?" I asked, the urgency of the situation pushing adrenaline through my system. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"He's been by to see her. Been bothering her. She didn't want to tell  anyone. Hell, I practically had to pry it out from her. I didn't want to  tell you, but I know that if I don't, no one will. She's scared, Zach.  Overwhelmed. She needs you."

I slid into my car and stuck the key into the ignition, revving the engine before pulling out of there.

I had a woman to go see.





Willow



I jumped as soon as I heard the knock on my door. I didn't know who it  was but my mind had already created the scenario. I could see Elijah  standing there with empty suitcases, demanding that I pack and go home  with him.

But he wasn't my home. This was my home. This cute little house with all  the trimmings to make it a warm and cozy place. This was where I wanted  to be.

I had to find a way to stand up to him. To tell him in no uncertain  terms that I would never go with him. Even if the result was painful.

Or I could just pretend I wasn't home and ignore him. Dammit, I was a  smart, educated woman. I shouldn't have to worry about this. I should  have the strength to do the smart thing. I should just call the cops on  his ass.

But deep down I knew that wouldn't do anything. He was the son of a  powerful man, and even trying it would likely get me hurt. It was why  I'd never done it in all the years we'd been together. He'd warned me  that it would never work, and I believed him. I saw the way people bent  to his will, the way they did exactly what he wanted.

He didn't just have money, he had power. Power I couldn't deny.

I crept to the door as quietly as I possibly could, looking through the peephole. I let out a breath as soon as I saw Zach.

Opening the door, I smiled. "Hey, you."

That smile faded as soon as I saw his face. He was pissed.

"What's going on, Willow? Are you okay?" Zach pressed into the room and looked around it before facing me. "Answer me."                       
       
           



       

"I'm fine. What's going on?" I asked as I looked at him.

"You tell me," he said as he crossed his arms and set his jaw. He knew something.

"Ruby talked to you, didn't she?" I was pissed that she'd let my secret out, but I knew that was the risk of telling her.

"How could you not tell me about Elijah, Willow?" he asked.

A part of me exhaled. If she'd said a word about me being pregnant, he  would've probably exploded by now. She promised me she wouldn't say  anything about the pregnancy. But she made no such promise about Elijah.

Fuck. I deserved it. I was putting my own safety at risk.

"I didn't want to worry you. Hell, I didn't want to admit it to myself."  I knew what I'd done was an act of betrayal. I just hoped I could  explain well enough that he would forgive me.

That he would still want me.

I knew he thought I didn't trust him enough to tell him what was going  on. Hell, I didn't even trust myself enough to admit what was happening.  "I'm sorry, Zach. I never meant to-"

"You don't think I should know these things. Don't you know that I can  help? Willow, that's what I am here for. I've spent my entire life  cleaning up bloody messes. This would be one more. God knows, it is what  I do best." There was an air of anger and regret in his voice that made  me think twice about his words. Just what would he do? Just what was he  trained to do?

"I don't want you to do anything you'd regret. I don't want you to hurt  anyone. Or get hurt," I said. I almost told him because I couldn't raise  a baby without a father but I held back. I wasn't ready to tell him  that today. Hell, I was afraid it would be too much for him to take.

"Bullshit. You come to me every time, Willow. You tell me every time."  He grabbed me and pulled me to him, his arms rock hard as he pressed me  against his body. There was no way I could out maneuver him, no way I  could get out of this hold.

He had me in his grips, and the last thing I wanted him to do was let me go.

"Does who I am bother you?" he asked as he looked down into my eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a soldier. I was a mercenary. I'll always be, in a way. I'm on the  edge of violence, Willow. All the time. Is that why you were afraid to  tell me?" His voice was deep and brusque, but I swore I heard  vulnerability in it.

"I was afraid of the reality, Zach. Not you. You are the one thing that  makes me brave. I think about you, all that you have done, all that you  have accomplished, and I feel like I can do it too." I reached a hand up  to caress his face, and he leaned into it.

I knew that he'd forgiven me.

"Baby, you have no idea how much you scared me. How much the thought of  him around you made me want to tear his throat out." He kissed my neck  and pulled me closer until I was flat against him. The feel of his body  against mine sent me into overdrive.