Silence enveloped them once more. Zara folded her arms, pulling her coat tighter around her. She couldn’t get warm, and it had nothing to do with winter hanging on for dear life.
“What did he tell you?” Ryker finally asked. The cautious way he phrased the question put Zara on alert.
She turned in her seat to face him, no longer caring how menacing this man was. “I assume you know full well why he wanted in my house, since you’re like a brother to him.”
Ryker’s silence told her everything she needed to know. She refused to discuss this further with a stranger—not only a stranger, but one who was devoted to Braden.
As they neared her house, Zara’s anger bubbled and intensified. Not only had Braden lied to her, he’d had a whole damn team of people in his corner. She hadn’t thought of this sooner, but no doubt his brother and sister knew, too. She’d been made a fool by the entire family.
Ryker pulled on to her street, rounded the truck into her drive and put the vehicle in Park. Just as she reached for the handle, he spoke up once again.
“I offered to break into your house while you were staying with Braden.” Ryker’s dark eyes met hers, holding her in place. “He refused because he didn’t want to betray you anymore.”
A lump formed in her throat. “I’m glad he feels guilty.”
“That wasn’t just guilt. You know exactly what he feels for you.”
Zara didn’t want to think about what Braden’s true feelings for her were because he had a warped way of showing them. Added to that, was she seriously sitting here having a heart-to-heart chat with a man who looked like an extra from a mafia movie?
Jerking on the handle, Zara stopped. She wanted to keep the upper hand, she wanted Braden to know she was in control of her life. What better way than to call him on his betrayal?
Zara glanced back to Ryker. The man’s intense gaze still locked on her.
“Come on in,” she invited. “You want to know if those coveted scrolls are here. I have no idea, but if they are, they’re technically mine since I own the house. But you’re more than welcome to come and look.”
“And if I find them?”
Zara shrugged. “Then it sounds like Braden and I will have some business to discuss.”
Ryker eyed her another minute, and she didn’t know if she was more afraid if he came inside or if he didn’t.
Nineteen
“The hell you say?”
There was no way Braden heard right.
“She invited me inside to look around,” Ryker repeated.
Braden sank down into his leather office chair and processed Zara’s shocking actions. Ryker remained standing on the other side of the desk, the man never ready to fully relax.
“I didn’t go,” Ryker added. “Whatever is going on between the two of you is something I want no part of, and it’s so much more than the scrolls at this point.”
Braden didn’t want to be part of this mess, either, but unfortunately he’d brought it all on himself and he was screwed.
“I’ll take care of this,” Braden promised. “You have more work to do. We have a piece in Versailles that needs to be acquired before the May auction, too. I have the specs here.”
Braden slid the folder across his desk. Without picking it up, Ryker flipped it open and started reading. Laney had done all the online investigating. She was a whiz at hacking without leaving even the slightest clue anyone had done so. She was invaluable to the family.
Braden knew Ryker would take things over from here, which was good because Braden had no energy to put into this project right now. His mind was on Zara and the fact she’d so easily invited Ryker into her home to search.
Was she playing a game? Mocking him? Was she seriously just going to let him search with no strings attached?
As much as Braden wanted to rush over and figure out what the hell she was thinking, he also wanted to give her space. He wouldn’t give her too much, but he wanted her to miss him, to realize that they were good together and his actions had been justified in the beginning.
Ryker tapped the folder on the desk. “I’ll take care of it. I’m heading to my apartment, if you need me for anything.”
Braden nodded and waited until Ryker had stepped out before he braced his elbows on his desk and rested his head in his palms. What the hell was he going to do? He’d messed this up. In the beginning, had he known he would’ve fallen for her, he would’ve confessed what he wanted. But he’d never known any other way than to take what he wanted and not worry about feelings or personal issues cropping up.
Braden cursed himself as he slammed his fists on to the glossy desktop. Just as he pushed away, his cell vibrated. Glancing at the screen, Braden didn’t recognize the number. He wasn’t in the mood to chat, but he never knew when it was a business call. For the O’Sheas, business always carried on, no matter what was going on in their private lives.
Braden grabbed the phone and slid his fingertip across the screen. “Hello.”
“What the hell did you do to Zara?”
Stunned by the rage-filled tone, it took Braden a minute to place the caller. “Why are you calling me, Shane?”
“I went by her house to check on her, and she’d been crying.”
Braden wasn’t stupid; he figured Zara had cried, but he wanted to give her space. Still, the thought of her alone in that big house, crying with no one to hold her, comfort her, other than the cat, gutted him.
No one, but the prick Shane.
“How the hell do you know I did anything?” Braden asked.
“Because I know you, O’Shea. And now that she’s done with you, I’m moving full-force into winning her back. Just thought you should know.”
That arrogant, egotistical tone slammed into him.
“You went to her house?” Braden jerked to his feet. Gripping the phone, he started for the door. “Stay away from what’s mine. You won’t be warned again.”
Braden disconnected the call and quickly shot off a text to Ryker. Yes, he was in the same house, but Braden wasn’t wasting any time. He wanted Shane dealt with right now, and while Braden would love being the one to do so himself, Braden had someone else who needed his attention even more.
* * *
Zara tugged on the old bed until it was beneath the window. She’d worked up a sweat, but finally her bedroom was rearranged. She needed it to be different, because every time she’d walked in here, she’d seen Braden. He consumed her entire home, and Zara was trying like hell to rid the house of memories. Unfortunately, they were permanently embedded into her mind, her heart.
She’d only been home an hour when her electricity kicked back on. Making good use of the time, she washed her sheets and comforter. There was no way she would’ve been able to crawl into bed surrounded by Braden’s masculine scent...and she was almost positive Jack had an accident.
She stared over at the chaise she’d pushed near the door. She truly had no idea where to put that now that she’d changed the bed.
Zara circled her room, stopping when her eyes zeroed in on a sock, a piece of cardboard and a small towel where her bed used to be. That kitten had started a stash.
Just the thought of the kitten, of how Braden hadn’t thought twice about rescuing it, had her eyes burning all over again. She’d experienced a wide variety of emotions in the past few hours. Anger, sorrow, fury and then emptiness.
All of that stemmed from Braden. She refused to even think of all the emotions she’d felt when Shane had stopped by. Unfortunately, he’d caught her during the sorrow stage.
Zara headed down to the first floor to check on the status of her sheets. They should be dry by now, and she needed to keep focused and stay busy. She didn’t want to contemplate how bored she would be once she ran out of things to do. Even work wasn’t appealing to her right now.
Just as she hit the bottom step, her doorbell rang. The last thing she wanted was a visitor, especially if Shane decided to come back. Now she’d hit her anger stage, and he’d be sorry if he decided he still couldn’t take no for an answer.
The stained-glass sidelights provided no clue as to who her visitor was. Zara checked the peephole in the old door and gritted her teeth. She didn’t want to get into this. She truly did not want to rehash all the good, bad and sexy with the man on the other side of the door.
But she knew Braden O’Shea well enough now to know he wasn’t going away without a fight. Well, if he wanted a fight, she was ready to give him one.
Jerking the door open, Zara blocked the entrance and stared at her unwelcome guest.
“Ready to search the house?” she asked sweetly.
With his hands shoved in his black wool coat, collar up around his stubbled jawline, Braden still looked sexy. Why did he have to be so damn perfect to look at?
“I don’t want to search your house,” he told her, his jaw clenched. “I want to talk, and if you don’t want me inside, I’m more than willing to stand on your porch. The choice is yours.”
She gripped the edge of the door. “I could slam this door in your face and not give you a second thought.”
“You could,” he agreed. “But you’re not a heartless woman, Zara. And no matter what you feel now, you also still have feelings for me. You’re not the type of person who can just turn those off.”