Fatal Secrets - Desiree Holt Page 0,14
over this.”
Zoe finally decided it was easier to give in than to argue, at least for the moment. Also, it would be nice to have this all gone when she got back and her car nice and shiny, too.
“Okay, okay, okay.” She sighed. “Give me a chance to switch out the stuff in my suitcase, and I’ll be ready.”
“Good.” He grinned. “Sadie will be ecstatic. Go ahead and get ready while I give her a call.”
Zoe dragged her luggage into the bedroom and went through the process of dumping dirty clothes, filling it with clean ones, and checking all her other things. Took the quickest shower she’d had in a long time, brushed her hair, and pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. She twisted her hair into a neater ponytail, swiped on some lip gloss, and she was ready.
Hank was disconnecting his call when she walked back into the living room.
“Sadie is thrilled to death, like I knew she would be. Now, give me your keys. I’ve made arrangements”
“My keys? Arrangements?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “My cousin will be here soon.”
“Your cousin?” She knew she sounded like a parrot, but what the hell?
Hank nodded. “He was already on his way to Eagle Rock, driving up from New Mexico. Former SEAL, just out of the service. Looking for a place to find himself again. I’m hoping to coax him into Brotherhood Protectors.”
“So you hired him to be my keeper? Before you even knew about this stuff?”
“No, damn it.” Hank huffed his frustration. “I just called him now to see how close he was. Haven’t heard from him in a few days. Luckily, he’d been in Helena. Left there this morning. And now that I see what’s going on, you really do need a keeper, and he’s perfect for the job.”
“How so?”
“He’s at loose ends. Recently got a medical discharge from the SEALs and can’t figure out what to do with himself. Still pissed off that he’s a civilian through no choice of his own. I’m trying to convince him to join Brotherhood Protectors. That’s why I asked him to come to Eagle Rock. I think it would help him give structure to his life and a new purpose. I figured if I got him out here, I’d have a better shot at it.”
“What’s he been doing?” She was curious about the man Hank was willing to give her keys to. She wondered what injuries brought on the medical discharge. For a moment her thoughts flew back to Sean and the multiple scars on his body. Were they from his last mission as a SEAL? No wonder he carried an air of bitterness.
“Nothing. That’s the problem. The military was his home and his life for a long time, like everyone in Protectors, and he can’t seem to find his footing. I called him after I talked to Sadie. He was already on his way to Eagle Rock and he has to pass right by here. In fact he was right at the exit on I-90. I had him put your address in his GPS. He should be here shortly. I just had one stop I wanted him to make first.”
“Oh.” She gave a ladylike snort. “Hmm. So I’m supposed to be the guinea pig? The test case to see if he passes?”
“Zoe. I would not trust your safety to just anyone. Plus, it has to be someone with balls, if you don’t mind my saying so. Someone you can’t push around. The first thing I’m having him do is clean up all this shit. Now, give me your keys.”
Zoe wasn’t sure how happy she was about some stranger poking around in her apartment. But he was Hank’s cousin, so he was trustworthy, right?
“Fine.” She handed her keys to Hank, biting back any other response. “I’m going to fill my travel mug with coffee before we leave. Want some?”
Hank shook his head. “No, I’m good. You go on and fix what you want.”
Her mind was a mess of thoughts as she rinsed her mug, fixed her coffee from the single server, and even grabbed a bagel since she hadn’t eaten yet today. She tried to focus on the information she’d gathered over the past three days, but images of Sean and last night kept flashing through her mind. And that made every pulse in her body, especially the one between her thighs, ramp up like bass drums, and her nipples harden into tight peaks. Great. Just what she needed.
At a faint rap on her front