Night After Night (25 page)

Not knowing was driving her nuts. Making her anxious and antsy. But she wouldn’t break her word to Caleb, even if it was killing her to just sit there and do nothing.

A few minutes later Sheila came running out of the trailer. Slamming the door shut behind her, she dug into her purse and retrieved her keys and what appeared to be a gun. Her eyes were wild and wide and distraught as she headed toward her Camry.

Zoe gripped the backseat, attempting to watch Sheila while remaining out of the other woman’s sight.

As soon as Sheila realized that Nathan’s vehicle parked so close behind hers prevented any kind of easy escape, her expression grew furious…and then she started toward his car.

Before Zoe could think or formulate a plan, Sheila came up to the passenger window and pointed her gun at Zoe.

A malicious smile lifted the corners of Sheila’s mouth. “Get out of the car,” she ordered.

Since Sheila was holding a deadly weapon, Zoe knew it would be stupid to refuse. Slowly, she unlocked the door, opened it, and stepped out.

“Move over there,” Sheila demanded, indicating the open area in front of the house with a jerk of her gun.

Not wanting to agitate the other woman further, Zoe did as she was told, which left her facing the trailer with her father’s secretary right behind her. “What’s going on, Sheila?” Even though she was quaking inside, Zoe’s voice was surprisingly steady. “Why are you doing this?”

“You wouldn’t be in this position if your goddamn father would just give me what I want, and what is
mine
!” Sheila said angrily.

Zoe had no idea what the woman was talking about. The information that Ray had given Caleb indicated that Zoe’s father and Sheila had double-crossed Ray, that they’d taken the money and left him high and dry. So why was Sheila so enraged with Zoe’s father? And where
was
her dad?

The door to the trailer flung open and hit the outside of the fabricated house with a loud bang. Sean filled the doorway, and as soon as he saw the scene outside and realized the danger she was in his entire body went rigid. Despite the initial flicker of worry she saw in his eyes, his features hardened into a grim mask of determination.

“Whatever’s going on here, leave Zoe out of it,” Sean said in a level tone.

“Are you kidding me?” Sheila laughed, the crazy, maniacal sound making Zoe shiver deep inside. “Grant’s precious daughter is the only leverage I’ve got left. Her life for the pass code he refuses to give to me sounds like a fair exchange, don’t you think? Now tell that other guy you’re with that I want Grant out here
now,
or else Zoe is going to take a bullet straight to her heart for her father.”

Zoe felt the barrel of Sheila’s gun nudge the middle of her back, and said heart leapt in response. Sean must have seen her terror, because he didn’t waste another second in following through on Sheila’s request.

“Nathan, we’ve got a situation out in the yard,” Sean said, loud enough that the other man would hear him. “And I need you and Grant out here right now.”

“Nicely done,” Sheila said, a sarcastic edge to her voice. “Now why don’t you come out here and join us and stand right there. Don’t make any sudden moves or try to be a hero, because you won’t like the consequences.”

Right there
was a good ten feet away from where Zoe stood, too far away for Sean to do anything to diffuse the situation. She saw the helpless look in his eyes and could feel his frustration that Sheila had managed to get the upper hand.

A moment later Nathan and another man Zoe barely recognized as her father came out of the trailer. She gasped in shock at her father’s appearance. Along with red, raw marks on his chest and stomach, he had a swollen and bloodied lip, and his clothes looked wrinkled, unwashed, and torn. Her father stumbled beside Nathan, so weak and unstable that Nathan had to hold on to his arm to keep Grant upright and on his feet.

“Oh my God, Dad!” Zoe wanted to go to him in the worst way, but the muzzle of the gun grazing her back kept her from making any sudden moves.

Grant squinted against the bright sun. “Zoe?” he rasped. “What are you doing here?”

Before she could answer, Sheila spoke. “Gun on the ground,” she said to Nathan. “And move over there, closer to your buddy.”

Nathan hesitated, but obviously realizing that Zoe’s life was ultimately in jeopardy, he reluctantly relinquished his weapon. Setting the gun on the dirt, he then guided Grant over to Sean, so that the three of them were standing together and too far away from Zoe to help her in any way.

Zoe couldn’t stop staring at her father, stunned by the realization that Sheila had been holding him
captive
in her isolated trailer all this time. The man Zoe knew and loved looked like a shell of himself, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine the horrors he’d been through—all because Sheila wanted some kind of code from him.

“What have you done to my father?” Zoe spat at the woman.

“What have
I
done to
him
?” Sheila responded incredulously. “Your father is making
my
life hell. I should have been out of the country by now with millions of dollars, living the kind of life I’ve always dreamed about and deserve, but he refuses to give me a simple little code that I need.”

“So you can finally get your hands on the millions of dollars you and Ray embezzled from Russo’s company accounts?” Nathan said, playing the same game with Sheila as Caleb had with Ray. “He’s a little pissed off that you double-crossed him, you know.”

“He was nothing more than a means to an end, and he got too damn clingy for my liking. That money belongs to
me,
” Sheila said, her temper flaring. “I’ve planned this for years, ever since I realized that my boss had an interesting past as
Elliott Cooke,
a man who knew his way around Ponzi schemes and investment fraud. I realized what a perfect patsy he’d provide for my plan. And once the authorities discovered the missing money, he’d be the main suspect.”

Sheila’s idea
had
worked, because everyone had believed that Grant was the guilty party. Zoe couldn’t help but feel relief that her father was completely innocent, but she never would have imagined that Sheila was so sick and twisted as to use Zoe’s father to cover her own crimes.

“But the money is still sitting in an account,” Sheila ranted, her voice rising along with her anger. “And I can’t retrieve it because your father discovered what I was doing before I could transfer the funds into an offshore account, and changed the password.”

Grant narrowed his gaze at Sheila. “I’m not about to let you get away with this.”

“Are you willing to bet your daughter’s life on that?” Sheila asked, her tone far too smug. “No, I didn’t think so. In fact, you’d do anything for your darling daughter, wouldn’t you?” Sheila’s voice dripped with disgust as she glanced back at Zoe. “That’s all he talked about while he was here, how much you meant to him and how he didn’t want you to be disappointed to find out the kind of man he really
is.
That’s why he wouldn’t give me the code, because he refused to take the blame for something he didn’t do. Wasn’t that fucking noble of him?”

“I’m not that man anymore,” Grant said gruffly, seemingly still having a bit of fight left in him, despite his lack of physical strength.

Much to Zoe’s dismay, she felt her throat tighten with emotion. “I know, Dad,” she said, wanting to be sure he realized that his past didn’t matter to her. That she loved him, regardless.

Regret filled her father’s gaze. “I’m so sorry, Zoe. I never wanted you to find out about everything, or have it taint you in any way.”

She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from giving in to the tears burning the backs of her eyes. “You’re a good man, Dad. You made mistakes, but you changed, and that’s all I care about.”

She shifted her gaze to Sean, because her words were meant for him, too. But while his body was tense because of the standoff, his expression was unreadable.

“This is all so sweet and touching,” Sheila snapped impatiently, “but there’s only one thing I’m interested in. Give. Me. The code. The
real
one this time.”

“It’s over, Sheila,” Nathan said, a calm voice of reason. “We have a confession from Ray, along with evidence on your hard drive. I’m sure the Feds are already involved and it’s just a matter of time before you’re arrested for fraud. Don’t make things any worse than they already are.”

“It’s not over until I say it’s over!” she screamed hysterically.

Still holding her gun on Zoe, Sheila dug into her purse with her free hand and withdrew a long, black rectangular device. Only when she pressed the metal prongs against Zoe’s torso did she realize, too late, that the implement was a stun gun.

Zoe barely registered a loud crackling, popping sound before her entire body seized up and the air was sucked from her lungs. Shafts of white-hot electrical currents zapped her nerve endings, causing her muscles to convulse and intense pain to radiate through her. She felt as though she were being electrocuted by a live wire, and when Sheila finally pulled the device away Zoe could only moan and drop to the ground on her hands and knees, barely able to hold herself up even that much.

“Zoe, no!” her father shouted, his voice hoarse with anguish and worry.

Zoe couldn’t even lift her heavy head to acknowledge her dad, to let him know that despite the excruciating pain, she was okay. Her muscles continued to twitch, her heart raced, and she struggled to breathe through the burning sensation licking along her skin.

“Jesus Christ!” Zoe heard Sean yell, his voice sounding as though it were far, far away. “You’re a fucking lunatic!”

“Stay back!” Sheila screamed, letting Zoe know with that command that the men had tried to come to her aid. “That was to let you know how serious I am. I have no qualms about killing her, so give me the fucking code.
Now!
”

“
Cupcake,
” Zoe’s father said without hesitation. “The password is
cupcake
!”

Cupcake.
The nickname Zoe’s father had given her when she’d been a little girl. If the situation weren’t so dire, she would have smiled at the sweet sentiment.

“
Finally,
” Sheila muttered irritably.

Fighting the nausea rolling through her, Zoe forced her head up and pried her eyes open. After a few blinks, her gaze focused in on the three men still standing too far away. Nathan’s expression was grim, her father was watching her, unable to conceal his fear, and Sean’s gaze blazed with fury. Sheila, her attention on the men, stood to the right of where Zoe was still crouched.

Sheila waved her gun at Nathan. “Now hand over the keys to the car that’s blocking mine so I can get the hell out of here.”

Nathan reached into his front pocket and in her general direction tossed the ring of keys, which landed in the dirt a few feet from Zoe. Sheila stepped in front of Zoe to pick them up.

“Do you really think you’re going to get away with this?” Nathan asked.

“Of course I am.” Sheila laughed, the demented sound making Zoe’s skin crawl. “Especially since I don’t plan on leaving any witnesses behind,” she said, and fired off a shot at Grant before anyone could stop her.

Zoe watched in horror as her father fell to the ground in a heap, then Sheila trained her gun on Sean. Refusing to let Sheila get away with murder along with her other crimes, Zoe gathered every last bit of strength she possessed and lunged at Sheila’s legs. With her muscles still spasming, agility wasn’t on Zoe’s side, and she clipped the back of Sheila’s knees with her shoulder, but it was enough to knock the other woman off balance.

Another shot rang out somewhere in the air as she flailed and tried to steady herself, and Sean seized the opportunity to take down Sheila in a full body tackle while Nathan went for his gun. Knowing that the men had Sheila under control, Zoe crawled across the dirt to her father, who lay unmoving on the ground.

Oh, God.
She knelt beside him. There was so much blood on his chest she didn’t know where he’d been wounded. Cupping his face in her hands, she gently caressed the pads of her thumbs across his pale cheeks. “Dad,” she croaked, unable to stop the tears that spilled over her lashes.

He looked up at her and smiled. “Cupcake,” he whispered, and then he closed his eyes and his body went lax.

“We need to get him to a hospital right away,” she said in a panic, the thought of losing her father unbearable to her. “Hang on, Dad,” she told him, even though he was passed out cold. “You’re going to be okay.”

Even as she said the words, she prayed they were true.

Zoe sat next to her father’s hospital bed, holding his hand and watching him as he slept, so grateful that he was going to be okay.

Nearly twenty-four hours had passed since he’d been shot, and luckily, Sheila had horrible aim. The bullet had gone clean through his left shoulder, missing his heart and any other vital organs. And other than being severely dehydrated because of lack of fluids while he’d been held hostage, he was in fairly decent condition. A week or two of rest and TLC and he’d be as good as new and back at work.

Yesterday, after Zoe’s father had been shot, Sean had driven her to the nearest hospital while Nathan had taken care of Sheila. As soon as Sean pulled up to the emergency circular drive, the doctors had taken one look at Grant and wheeled him immediately into surgery. Sean had stayed with Zoe until Jessica arrived and the surgeon came out to tell them that Zoe’s father would be fine and was in recovery. Then Sean left to return to Vegas to deal with the police and federal agents who wanted to question him and Nathan about what had transpired with Sheila.

Zoe hadn’t heard from Sean since.

She’d called her mother in New York to let her know what had happened to Grant. Collette, who’d been in the middle of a spa treatment, had told Zoe that she was glad he was okay, but if he wasn’t dying, then she saw no need to fly all the way to Vegas when she still had a few days left of her vacation to enjoy. Never mind that Zoe herself might have needed the emotional support. But thinking only of herself was par for the course for Collette, and Zoe would have been more shocked if her mother had insisted on being there for her daughter.

Zoe sighed and rubbed her fingers along her forehead, her own exhaustion catching up to her. She’d been by her father’s side since he’d gotten out of surgery the day before. She’d slept in the chair by his bed and only left to walk the halls to stretch her legs or to get a cup of coffee. She’d been in the room earlier that morning when two detectives arrived to take her and her father’s statements, and after they’d left she and her father had had an open and honest discussion about Grant’s past.

The most important thing she’d taken away from that conversation was her father’s genuine remorse. There was no doubt in Zoe’s mind that her father harbored a ton of regret for testifying against Casey O’Brien and for his part in sending Casey to prison. Knowing that he was paying for a crime they’d both committed had been the catalyst for Grant to start his life over, to be a better man and earn a legitimate living, while the guilt he carried with him was his personal penance. Her father was proof that people could, and did, change for the better.

Just as Zoe knew that Sean had changed for the better. But there wasn’t anything left she could say or do that could convince him of his own self-worth. That he deserved to be happy and loved—by her.

Emotionally and physically drained, she laid her head on the mattress by her father’s hand and closed her eyes. She desperately needed a shower and a few good hours of sleep in her own bed. As soon as her father woke up again she’d let him know she was heading home for a while but would be back early tomorrow morning.

A soft knock on the open door brought her head back up, and she glanced over, expecting to see a nurse. Instead, Sean stood there, looking as gorgeous—and as distant—as ever. But despite the fact that he clearly held himself aloof and remote, Zoe couldn’t stop the racing of her pulse or the warm curl of awareness settling deep in the pit of her belly.

“Hey,” he said softly, keeping his voice low because of her sleeping father. “I wanted to come by and give you an update on the case. Would you like to go get a cup of coffee in the cafeteria?”

Of course it was all about business for him. “Sure.”

She stood, quietly crossed the room, and once they were in the corridor he spoke again. “How is your father doing?”

“Fairly well, actually. His doctor said it was a clean shot and he’ll be as good as new in a few weeks.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Though this was Grant they were talking about, Sean seemed sincere.

As he and Zoe walked side by side, he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and glanced at her, his sexy blue eyes filled with concern. “And how about you? Are you okay? Getting hit with a hundred thousand volts of electricity is enough to knock the strongest of men on their asses.”

“Good to know I wasn’t just being a wuss,” she said, and laughed. “My muscles are definitely sore, but the doctor assured me there won’t be any lasting effects. It’s definitely not something I want to repeat anytime soon, that’s for sure. I don’t know how my father endured so many shock treatments without giving Sheila what she wanted.”

They reached the cafeteria, and Sean poured each of them a generous amount of coffee into two disposable paper cups.

“Your father was determined not to give in to Sheila’s demands,” Sean said as he and Zoe each added cream and sugar to their coffee. “He didn’t want to take the fall for something he didn’t do, and he probably knew that she’d kill him once he gave her the password.”

Believing that was true, Zoe was so glad she, Nathan, and Sean had found her father when they had. “What happened to Sheila?”

After Sean paid for his and Zoe’s drinks, they found a vacant table away from everyone else and he sat across from her. “Both Sheila and Ray were taken into custody. Between all the incriminating evidence on her hard drive and their own personal confessions, they’ll both be spending a considerable amount of time in prison.”

“Good.” It was nothing less than they both deserved, Zoe thought.

Sean took a drink of his coffee and continued. “Your father will also be absolved of any involvement in the embezzlement.” Sean held her gaze, his expression contrite. “I’m sorry I was so adamant about his guilt.”

The last thing Zoe wanted was for Sean to carry that burden around with him, along with all the other anguish he carried on those broad shoulders of his.

Reaching across the table, she placed her hand over his and saw that reciprocating attraction between them darken his eyes. “Considering my father’s past, it’s understandable that he’d be suspect. And for what it’s worth, my father genuinely regrets everything that happened with your father. He told me that if he had the chance to do it all over again, he would share the blame and accept whatever punishment was handed to him.”

Very gently, Sean pulled his hand from under hers, as if her touching him was too difficult for him to endure. “Thanks for telling me that. It’s worth a lot,” he said, his tone husky.

She knew he meant it and she was glad that she could give him that bit of closure and hoped maybe someday he could forgive her father for what he’d done to Casey O’Brien.

“Two detectives from Las Vegas Metro came this morning to talk to both of us,” she said, changing the subject to something less personal. “My father told them he started to realize there was something seriously wrong with the company accounts a few weeks ago. He’d been getting calls from contractors that checks were bouncing and investors like Davenport were contacting him to let them know that they were concerned about the fact that the Meridian project was shut down for lack of funds.” Her father had specifically mentioned the man who’d started the ball rolling in The Reliance Group’s attempt to find her father.

“How did he end up with Sheila?” Sean asked.

“He went into the office one morning before anyone else was scheduled to arrive and searched through Sheila’s computer. He came across an unfamiliar file, followed the links, and eventually came across a dummy account under Sheila’s name with
millions
of dollars in it.”

“How did he get the original password?” Sean asked curiously, and took another long drink of his coffee.

“First he tried all the logical things, like her birth date, her middle name, her license number, and other personal information. But it wasn’t until he came across the e-mails between her and Ray with the nickname Bunny that he gave the word a try and he was able to get into the account.”

“And that’s when he changed it to
Cupcake,
” Sean said wryly.

She laughed and absently swirled her coffee in her cup. “Yeah. He wanted to lock Sheila out of the account until he figured out what was going on. But she came in early, saw him at her computer, and realized that he’d probably discovered what she’d done.”

“Then what?” Sean asked.

“He confronted her and threatened to call the police, and she panicked and pulled a gun from her purse. She took him to her trailer in Pahrump and figured she’d hold him there until he gave her the new code to access the account again.”

“That makes sense, and now I see why Ray believed they’d run off together and double-crossed him.”

Zoe nodded. “Sheila wanted the money for herself, and as soon as she could get the new password and transfer all that money into an offshore account she planned on leaving the country. And, well, you know how it all ends.”

A ghost of a smile touched Sean’s lips. “That we do.”

A beeping sound pierced the air, and Sean checked his cell phone for the text that had come through. Then he glanced back up at Zoe. “Looks like Caleb needs me back at the office.”

Sean stood, and so did she. They tossed their cups into the trash, and she accompanied him to the entrance of the hospital, since it was on her way to her father’s room anyway. When she and Sean reached the automatic doors, he stopped and turned to face her.

“I guess I’ll see you around at the Onyx,” he said, his tone casual. “I’ll be back to bartending soon, and you’ll be working at your new boutique, so I’m sure our paths will cross.”

God, he made it sound like they were virtual strangers, and she hated it. But despite how hard he tried to remain impassive and composed, the caring in his eyes told her that he wasn’t immune to the emotions between them. He just refused to believe in what the two of them could have together.

In that moment, she decided that she wasn’t going to make it easy on him, wasn’t going to let him walk out of her life with the most important thing between them left unsaid, even if he might not like what he heard.

She drew a deep breath and held his gaze. “Before you go, there’s something I need to tell you.”

His expression turned cautious, as if he feared what she was about to divulge. “What’s that?”

“I love you,” she said. Like she’d never, ever, loved another man. “I. Love.
You,
Sean O’Brien.”

He stiffened, looking more agonized than elated. “Love isn’t enough.” His voice sounded as rough as sandpaper, telling her in not so many words he loved her, too.

“It’s enough for me.” And that’s all he needed to know. The rest was up to him.

When he didn’t reply, she turned and headed back down the hall to her father’s hospital room, hoping to God the heartbreak of losing Sean would ease in time.

If Sean believed that the emptiness consuming him without Zoe in his life would fade as the days went by, he was dead wrong. Over two weeks later, the gnawing ache in his gut was as strong as ever, overwhelmingly so. Letting Zoe walk away had affected every aspect of his life, dominating his thoughts and making him too much of a loner. Even spending time with the people he considered a second family couldn’t snap him out of the funk he was in.

He was usually the life of the party, laughing and joking with everyone, flirting with the girls, even. But today at Caleb’s, with the rest of The Reliance Group gathered for one of the weekend BBQs their boss liked to have on occasion, Sean just didn’t feel like joining in on the fun.

Hell, he probably shouldn’t have even come today. He wasn’t in the mood to be around anyone, and watching Nathan with his wife, Nicole, and seeing just how happy in love the two of them were was a painful reminder of Zoe and what Sean had walked away from.

He was so damned convinced she deserved better than the life of a con man’s wife. The same kind of lifestyle Zoe’s father had once embraced, yet she still loved and adored him unconditionally, Sean was now coming to realize.

He exhaled a deep, frustrated stream of breath and dragged his fingers through his already-mussed hair. His head and his heart were tugging him in two different directions, making it impossible for him to think straight. And everyone else’s good mood was seriously getting on his nerves.

Just when Sean decided to cut his visit short and head home early, Caleb strode determinedly across the yard, a bottle of beer in his hand, and sat across from Sean at the bench-style picnic table.

Without hesitation, Caleb spoke. “I think it’s about time you and I had a talk.”

Sean eyed his boss warily. In this casual setting, Caleb was far more relaxed than at work, his demeanor more that of a friend than a supervisor, but he was still as direct as ever. “About what?”

“This damn attitude of yours,” he said, not mincing words. “I’ve given you over two weeks to snap out of this pity party you’ve been having for yourself. Now, I’m going to flat-out tell you to get your shit together. If you care about Zoe, then find a way to make it work.”

Sean bristled in annoyance. “What makes you think I have feelings for Zoe?”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Caleb took a drink of his beer, and when Sean didn’t respond he continued. “I saw it whenever the two of you were together. So did Nathan. And Valerie…well, we all know that she sees things a lot more clearly than any of us ever do.”

Sean glanced across the yard and found Valerie standing by the patio, watching him in that unnerving way of hers. He switched his gaze back to Caleb. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about Zoe. She’s way too good for me, and I never should have let myself fall for her.”

“But you did fall for her, and she obviously saw something in you that made her do the same,” Caleb said, matter-of-fact. “But you’re only as worthy as you believe you are, and that’s a big part of your problem.”

Sean couldn’t disagree, and that wasn’t a good sign.

“I like to give people second chances to prove to themselves that they can be a better person,” Caleb continued. “You, especially, have always been extremely tough on yourself for the things you’ve done in the past. Right now you’re at a crossroad and you have a choice to make. Either you can let the past follow you around like a dark cloud hanging over your head or you can start fresh and new. But ultimately,
you
have to be the one to want to change. No one can do it for you.”