Heath paused. “Yeah. You meet somebody, have short-term sex, and move on. You avoid letting anybody but us in…because if not, you’d have a whole houseful of people you’d be protecting all the time. You can’t do halfway with people. I get it. I really do. But right now we have no time for any distractions, and investigating a casual, ah, friend can’t be a good idea.”
Was Heath a shrink all of a sudden? “It isn’t a good idea,” Ryker returned, knowing his brother was right. “But I can’t sleep until I make sure she’s safe. Then I’ll go back to distant and cold.”
“Right.” Heath eyed him as if studying a specimen on a slide. “It’s okay if you want more with her, you know,” he said quietly.
Ryker scoffed. “I don’t bring home broken-winged creatures, Heath. You do.” Which was one of the things he’d always admired in his brother. “Besides, Zara isn’t broken. She just might be in danger. I have to know.”
“All right,” Heath said, dropping it.
“Thanks,” Ryker said, knowing Heath had let up because Ryker needed him to. “Denver?”
Denver drew out a legal pad and started to jot down notes. “Another lover?”
“No. I asked her, and she said she wasn’t seeing anybody else.” Ryker stood.
Heath winced. “Women lie, brother. If your instincts are telling you something is up, then you’re probably right.”
Zara wasn’t a woman who lied, but if anybody could lie to him, it might be her. While he could usually tell if somebody was lying, when his feelings were involved, he lost the edge. “I’m sure she’s not seeing anyone, but if you find anything in her financials, let me know.”
“You asked for it,” Denver said, his gaze concerned.
“Fine. I’ll go contact the FBI and see if the luscious Special Agent Jackson is desperate enough to work with us yet.” Heath shook his head and then left the room, muttering about stubborn bastards all the way through the building.
Ryker headed for the doorway and then stopped. “Check Zara’s medical records, too. Anything out of the ordinary…any injuries that seem suspicious.” Had he missed something in the times they’d been together?
“Injuries?”
“Yeah. She had a bruise on her face and wouldn’t tell me where she got it.”
Denver shook his head. “Not good, brother.”
“Why not?” Ryker already knew why not, but if Denver wanted to weigh in, he needed to keep using complete sentences.
Denver rolled his eyes. “If she’s protecting some douche bag who hit her, then she’s seeing somebody else. Prepare yourself, because I can’t dig you out of the booze train again so soon.”
“She’s not.” Ryker slapped a hand against the sturdy doorjamb. Zara wasn’t a woman who lied or cheated. Yeah, he might have her on a pedestal, but if anybody belonged there, it was her. “Did you happen to order furniture for the apartments upstairs?”
“No. Order your own. I did the offices.” Denver turned back toward the computer screen, the words seeming to come easier with practice. “I’ll start investigating your woman after shoring up our defenses against our mystery hacker. He’s not getting back into our files.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“Ryker?” Denver asked.
Ryker lifted an eyebrow.
“I know you. While I’m digging up dirt behind her back, what’s your plan?”
Ryker headed out of the office. “I’ll be in her face.”
Chapter
5
Zara clipped in sexy black heels through the law firm hallways in the midafternoon, trying to move her hips to get the black G-string out of her butt. What had she been thinking, wearing it? Yeah, she’d wanted to prove that the underwear was for her and not just some pathetic attempt to be a femme fatale with Ryker.
Now she had floss up her ass, damn it.
A low whistle stopped her, and she turned around to see Brock Hurst, one of the junior attorneys, digging through a file cabinet. “Don’t sue me for harassment, but you look good.” He smiled, perfect teeth in a charming face.
Okay. So she might’ve worn a pin-striped pencil skirt with a shimmering red top in an effort to make herself feel better about the odd night with Ryker and the thoughts of whether or not they should break up. Feeling sexy should help. “Thanks.” She kept moving down the hall to her small office next to the two attorneys she assisted. Although, did casual affairs just break up? Probably not. They probably just ended.
She’d just settled into her chair and booted up her computer when a shadow crossed her doorway. She glanced up and her breathing hitched. “Ryker.”
He strode into the room and slid a fragrant pumpkin-spice latte across the desk, planting it right next to a picture of Grams Rollerblading the previous spring. “You missed breakfast and lunch, I believe.”
Her mouth watered, and not just from the coffee. Today he wore a deep green T-shirt that only enhanced his wild eyes, faded jeans, and those tough boots. “What are you doing here?” she asked, even though he had said he’d see her later. She’d thought it was just an expression.
He dropped into one of her two pin-striped guest chairs, overwhelming the room with the sense of male. “I figured we should talk.”