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it. A woman of her caliber with so much at risk?
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I don t buy it, she told him. That s a huge leap for someone
to make. What purpose would it serve her to destroy my house or
kill me?
Who knows. But they have evidence to support the arrest,
honey. He lifted his palm, then dropped it over the steering wheel.
Witnesses put her outside your house last night. Theo says she
went to the door, knocked, then waited in her car for over an hour.
Your neighbors say she didn t look happy. When she was
questioned, detectives found two empty gas cans in her trunk.
Motive? Yes, Zoe had decked her in self-defense and
reported her actions during their insane press day.
She saw you as a threat? Blamed you for her missteps? The
whack on her head scrambled her brain? He shrugged. I don t
know, but I suspect we ll find out.
Zoe twisted around to face him. What about Rico? Someone
needs to connect the dots for me, Frank, because this makes no
sense. I don t care what evidence your people think they have. It is
inconceivable that separate individuals would have it in for me. It
makes more sense that I have a deranged fan, which still doesn t
explain Rico. Has he come to yet?
She watched him process the information, then tap the
Bluetooth in his ear.
Hey, Theo, any word on Rico? Fingers flexed over the
steering wheel. Yeah, check on him and let me know. Zoe and I
aren t buying Valerie Katz for this. It doesn t fit an arsonist s
profile. The majority of arsonists are white, male. It s also out of
character. If Katz wanted to get even with Zoe for anything, she d
either go after her job or make a move on me.
Damn, she loved this man!
She brushed her fingers over his thigh when he disconnected
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the call. Thank you.
No need. You re one hundred percent correct. It s sloppy
police work born of desperation to find the person who s
threatening the city s heroine of the moment.
Zoe laughed, scattering those storm clouds hovering over her
life. They ll be making a movie of me soon.
Frank s eyes narrowed, his head cocked to one side. I wonder
who ll play me.
She damned the seat belt that kept her in place. I can t think of
one actor who can match your raw heroism and devastatingly
handsome features.
Wow! A wide grin split his face. You really know how to
pump up a guy s ego.
Among other things. She d dropped her voice to a husky
lure, watching his erection swell his jeans.
Let s hold that thought for later. He readjusted his package,
then grabbed her hand and drew her fingers to his lips for a kiss.
Much later, since we might not have that much privacy at this
safe house.
Since the police already have a presumed suspect in custody,
will they still authorize a safe house?
He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles as he stared into
growing traffic. Probably not. We ll hole up at a hotel if we have
to or, better yet, my house with the neighborhood watch on full
alert. Nothing s going to get past Hetty or Ira.
But then this person would know where Frank lived. Zoe
scoffed. That had already happened.
I want to go by my house, please. I need to see it for myself.
She braced herself for argument when Frank released her hand.
Arson investigators are still processing the scene. It should be
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well guarded. He nodded slowly. Yeah& we ll go there first.
Thank you. She added a smile as an afterthought, even if his
eyes were focused on the freeway and he couldn t see it. You
really are a first-class hero.
There was no smile back, not even a glimmer. Yeah, it s about
time. Lately, I sure as hell haven t felt like one. But that s okay.
I m gonna make up for that now.
There it was the elephant in the backseat. Is that what this is
about& your need to prove yourself?
No& yes& I don t know. He scrunched up his face. I
watched you dragged at gunpoint from the hospital and could do
nothing. I watched a madman try to run you down and could do
nothing. And I don t even want to think about what happened last
night.
Oh, Frank. Poor guy. I don t need you to be my hero.
Which was a full-fledged lie. I just need you to be the man
who
Spanks you?
* * *
Frank knew he d fucked up. He d known he was going to
before the words left his mouth, but he couldn t stop them. All he
could think about was how he d failed at protecting her and how
he d finally found a way to help her through this latest threat, a
way to be the hero he wanted to be for her. Only to hear her tell
him she didn t need him to be a hero. In fact, the only thing she d
asked of him at all was the one thing he refused to consider. He d
even caved on the issue of children without regret.
Realizing Zoe could have been home when the house was set
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ablaze made him realize he couldn t bear a world without her in it.
He desperately needed the hope of having a part of Zoe with him
always desperately needed her babies.
Oh, but he regretted throwing the last words out there. The
temperature in the truck cab dropped to below freezing.
Zoe& I didn t mean that.
Yeah, you did. No tears, just cold disdain. It scared him to
death. I trusted you with a sexual fantasy, and you threw it in my
face.
Just like Xavier. The unspoken words hovered in the air
between them. They didn t need to be said.
I m sorry. I& It won t happen again.
No, it won t. We re done.
He fought to keep the truck on the road while pain lanced his
heart. Zoe
Don t open your mouth and make it worse. I have no qualms
about leaving you on the side of the road with your luggage.
Now that pissed him off. A killer is after you and you want to
leave your only protection on the side of the road? That would
make you too stupid to live.
You& ass. Acid fell with the words. Dread crawled down
his spine. I have a black belt, I m an expert marksman, and I have
pepper spray and a kubaton a hand s grasp away at a moment s
notice. I don t need to be protected. I don t need you for anything.
In fact, if I feel like a little smack and tickle, I can smack and tickle
myself very nicely, thank you very much.
The images that conjured had him bone hard. He clutched the
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