The moment the words escaped I regretted them. Zane didn’t deserve my attitude. He’d done everything he could for me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “That was uncool.”
“In case you missed it, Evette, I got broad shoulders. You need to get the poison out before it takes over. You bottling it up and letting it fester isn’t helping. You’re pissed and scared and you have every right to be. The two men who took you are in lock-up. Neither look as bad as Gabe but they’re not sitting pretty either. One you did in, the other Coop took care of. They can’t hurt you or Gabe.”
Zane had explained on the way to the hospital that when he and Cooper got to the cabin the man I’d hit in the back of the head was still out. And it was plain good timing that the second guy had been leaning over his bud when Cooper had snuck up behind him. Zane hadn’t gotten into specifics with me but I did get the impression that both Coop and Zane got some licks in before both men were cuffed and Coop called the police. Zane had taken to the woods to find Gabe and me. When we got back to the cabin, I didn’t see Cooper. Zane loaded Gabe in and we took off. It wasn’t until hours later when the police had shown up that I saw Coop for the first time. Seeing him had led to my second and final breakdown. As soon as Cooper wrapped his arms around me I broke into sobbing hysterics. Then he held my hand while I told the police everything I remembered.
Once I was done telling the story, I shut down.
No more crying.
No more sobbing.
I had to be strong for Gabe.
Zane also explained that two men were hired by a company called BZ Systems. They took us to find Delilah Watts, which was something I knew since that was the only question they asked—repeatedly. Further, Zane told me that Delilah was still missing but Kevin and Myles were looking for her.
“The threat’s not over,” I reminded Zane.
“It is for you.”
“How can you say that? Abrams is behind—”
“Trust me, Evette. It’s over for you. Completely and totally.”
“How can that be?”
“They wanted the intel, not you. We made it clear we had the intel and after Abrams learned what we knew and how much dirt we had, they decided it was in their best interest to back off. It’s over for you because they now understand you’re off-limits. One move near you and we release what we have to the public.”
All of that sounded good. I could see how Abrams wouldn’t want their dirty business aired in public but there were still loose ends.
“And Timor-Leste. They just get to go in and ruin more lives?”
“No, Evette. Part of the deal is they abandon the lease deals. Again, they saw the wisdom in not having government payoffs go public. But more, they don’t want Dr. Gates’ research in the hands of their competitors.” Zane stopped and let out one of his long exhales that told me he was digging deep to pull up the patience he needed to deal with me. “I know you wanted justice for Kalee. I understand the need to make someone pay for the harm they caused. But in this case, you’re gonna need to accept that Kalee’s home with her dad—with Phantom, and the family they’ll create is gonna hafta be enough. Kalee Solberg won. And every day she wins more.”
Zane was right. It was going to have to be enough. Phantom had pretty much told me the same thing. His focus had always been on Kalee, never on the rebels or revenge. He loved Kalee and she loved him back and that was enough for him. So, it would have to be enough for me.
Not only that but what I’d done had put myself in danger and ultimately almost cost Gabe his life. I was done playing amateur sleuth. I was not in the business of crime-solving, I was in the business of reporting. I needed to remember that.
“What about Delilah?”
A shadow darkened Zane’s crystal blue eyes and his jaw clenched. I didn’t like this new look. This new look made me nervous. They weren’t gonna help her.
“Delilah’s not your business.”
“Wrong,” I snapped and stood. “She’s absolutely my business.”
“She’s not and I’m gonna explain why, Evette. You see that man lying there? He’s one of