Summer Lovin (7 page)

Over the long, lonely weekend, Ryan watched three rental movies in his Atlantic City hotel room. First thing Monday morning, he took Zoe's advice and booked a room closer to Ocean Isle, closer to Sam. And closer to Zoe. Once he got settled, he decided that although the place wasn't five-star, it more than suited his needs. He checked in at his office and after speaking to his secretary, he was certain his partners were handling everything in his absence.

It was time he turned his attention to the here and now.

And now it was time to visit the Costas clan.

M
ONDAY MORNING
, Zoe left the house bright and early at 7:00 a.m. to meet with Quinn, Connor and a friend of hers who used to work with the Secret Service, but who was now a promoter with GSC Music Company. GSC needed bodyguards and security specialists for their talent performing in the area and Zoe, Quinn and Connor needed clients.

Although the hour was early for a business meeting, Zoe's friend had to be at a rehearsal this morning. Zoe was also only too happy to avoid dealing with her family on her birthday. Normally she loved birthdays, and aging didn't bother her much, but thirty was a milestone and she didn't want to hear the family grumbling about how Ari had managed to marry while Zoe was still single.

She sneaked out of the house and reached the office, which was freshly painted in a bright yellow, much to Connor and Quinn's frustration. To appease them, she'd promised masculine accessories, even if they had to be purchased secondhand, which was all they could afford.

The discussions between the parties took place around the only furniture they owned, a conference table left by the original tenant and bridge chairs donated by her family. Nobody seemed to mind as they drank coffee and hammered out an agreement, easily reached since everyone involved had an interest in working together. By 9:00 a.m., they'd decided on the preliminaries for a contract and Zoe, Quinn and Connor had officially retained their first client.

Zoe arrived home, pulling up to the house to find a police car out front. She bolted inside, her fear overwhelming. In the kitchen, her mother paced the floors, muttering in Greek. Her father stood speaking to two uniformed officers, while Aunt Dee and Uncle John, who lived across the street, had joined them still wearing their pajamas. The room was in a shambles, and Sam was nowhere to be seen.

Zoe glanced around. Finally her gaze settled on the half-open door of the pantry. A quick glance told her Sam sat huddled inside, no doubt with her new pet. The poor kid probably feared the cops would take Ima away for the same reason they'd had to find a new home for Spank the monkey. At a glance, the pig's cage looked like a puppy crate, so there were no worries there.

She winked at Sam, then stood beside her father. “What happened?”

“Someone broke in here and—how do you say—they trashed the place,” her father said.

Now that she knew everyone she loved was fine, her heart rate slowed and she took in the damage for the first time. The kitchen drawers were in disarray, things had been pulled out and strewn everywhere. “What other rooms were touched?”

“Sam's room and the whole downstairs. I was sleeping in my bed so he didn't touch the master bedroom.”

“And it happened this morning?”

“It was sometime after you left for work and your mother went for her daily walk,” her father said.

“Without his hearing aids, he doesn't hear anything,” Elena paused her pacing long enough to chime in.

Nicholas shot her a scowl. He hated any reference to the devices even though they made a huge difference in his hearing.

“Where was Sam during all this?” Zoe asked.

“She was asleep, too,” her mother said too quickly, her gaze darting away, a sure sign she was lying.

Elena was protecting Sam.
Had the young girl heard or seen something?
Zoe wondered.

“Has anyone called Quinn?” Zoe wouldn't bring Sam and Ima out now in front of the police, but as soon as Quinn arrived, they'd sort things out.

“Detective Donovan is on his way,” the youngest officer assured Zoe.

“And we've gotten statements from Mr. and Mrs. Costas,” the other uniformed man said. “At first glance nothing seems to be missing, but let us know if you realize differently. In the meantime, we've dusted for prints and will keep you posted if anything comes up.”

“Thank you,” Elena said.

“And Detective Donovan will talk to the girl?” He glanced down at his notepad. “Samantha.”

Elena nodded. “Not that I see why,” she muttered.

By not insisting they speak to Sam now, the officers were obviously extending a courtesy to Quinn, an ex-detective, and Zoe was grateful they didn't insist and traumatize her in the process.

“Who is this?” the second officer, one who couldn't be older than his early twenties, asked, pointing to Zoe.

Nicholas wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “This is our daughter, Zoe.”

“She lives here?”

Zoe nodded. “I do.”

“I'm going to need to know where you were this morning and if anyone can vouch for your whereabouts.”

“That's enough,” her father bellowed.

“Of all the outrageous things!” Elena said, also clearly affronted.

“They're just doing their jobs,” Zoe reassured her parents. “Relax.” Zoe supplied the officer with all the pertinent information and after they spoke with Aunt Dee and Uncle John, who hadn't seen or heard a thing, they took off.

Zoe sighed. “It's okay, Sam. You can come out now.”

“The cops are gone?” Her voice sounded muffled.

Zoe pulled the pantry door open wide and Sam stepped out, the pig in her arms.

“Yes, they're gone, but that isn't the question. Why would you hide from the police?”

Elena pulled Sam into her arms. “My poor baby.” She squeezed the girl tight so her face was smashed into her chest.

“I mmmbrrsffft.”

“What?” Elena asked.

“She probably said something like, she can't breathe.” Zoe released her mother's grip and Sam ducked out from under her.

“Exactly.” Sam gulped in a breath of air. “I didn't want them to tell me I have to give Ima away like we did with Spank.”

Zoe nodded. “I thought so. Don't worry. The laws about pigs are more lenient around here. Now tell me what you heard and saw and don't leave out a thing.”

Sam rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms. “I got up and was coming out of the bathroom when I heard a noise in my room. I knew Elena was taking her morning meditative walk, and you said you had an early appointment.”

“How'd you know it wasn't Dad?”

Sam rolled her eyes. “He was snoring and the sound shook the walls.”

Zoe tried not to laugh. “I see. What happened next?”

“I peeked into my room and saw a guy snooping around.” She shuddered, then began to skulk around giving them an exaggerated, charadelike description. “He opened the drawers, tossed things around, and then he started coming toward the door so I ducked back into the bathroom. I hid in the tub like this.” She crouched down, hands over her head like in an emergency drill. “So if he looked in, he wouldn't see me.”

Like most of the Costases' relatives, Sam had a knack for the dramatic and despite her fear, which was evident in her wide eyes, she was still milking her moment now.

“Looks like the kid's got a future career as a spy.” Quinn walked into the room. A complete air of authority surrounded him as all eyes looked his way, and Sam beamed at what she took as a compliment.

Quinn forced a smile and though Zoe could read the concern on his face, she admired his self-restraint in not shaking Sam to get the facts out of her faster.

“Keep talking, squirt,” Quinn said.

“Quit calling me that. Anyway, I finally heard him going down the stairs. I hung out at the top and watched him toss the kitchen and family room next. I was going to wake Nicholas up, but I got scared. I was too afraid to move because I might make noise. Then all of a sudden, Ima squealed from her crate in the kitchen and I guess he got nervous and thought someone might come down to check the pig and find him there. He left out the back door to the kitchen.” She finished out of breath.

The door between the kitchen and family room banged open wide and Ryan Baldwin, the “social worker,” strode inside. “What the hell happened? The police were driving away as I pulled up and this place looks like a tornado hit it.”

Zoe let out a groan. As an admiring female, she couldn't stop staring at him after two days of drought, but as a member of a family who didn't need to give him any ammunition to take Sam from this home, she wished he'd stayed away.

“We wuz robbed!” Sam jumped up and down, her fear giving way to an obvious adrenaline rush now that the danger was over.

“Not robbed,” Zoe was quick to assure Ryan. “Nothing was taken.”

“Which means whoever broke in here was looking for something.” Quinn, the ex-cop, said, his focus on Sam.

Zoe swallowed hard. “I suppose that's a possibility.” She forced herself to focus on what she'd been thinking before Ryan's arrival, and glanced at Sam. “When did you hide in the pantry?”

“Elena came home and started yelling, Nicholas came running, and they were trying to figure out what happened. Next thing I know the police are banging on the door and all I could think of was saving the bacon. So I grabbed Ima and ducked back into the pantry. Smart hiding place if I do say so myself.”

Ryan began to pace. “Am I to understand Sam was here when someone broke in?”

Zoe stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out that the intruder had been in Sam's bedroom. “I'll explain everything in a few minutes. I promise. Let's just let Quinn get a few more facts from Sam first, okay?”

He gritted his teeth. “Okay.”

“Did you see the guy's face?” Quinn asked her.

“For a second. He was real ugly and he had dark hair.”

“Tall or short?”

“Medium.”

Quinn shook his head, probably at the vague description. “How'd he get in? What did the cops find? Picked or jimmied lock?”

“Nothing. He just walked right in since I left the door open when I went out for a walk.” Elena stepped forward. In black leggings that ended below her knees and an oversize white tank top, and with her hair in a ponytail, she looked younger than her years. But when she dropped her head in shame, she aged before Zoe's eyes. “Quinn, I'm sorry. I know you put in a security system and that Medici lock.”

“Medeco.”

Elena nodded. “The point is, I was trusting. And I'm sorry. I never meant to put anyone at risk. Especially Samantha.”

Zoe realized the moment it dawned on her mother that Ryan,
the social worker,
was here witnessing her admission. She lifted her head and met Ryan's gaze head-on. Then she dropped to her knees and somehow shuffled her way over to where Ryan stood, concern etched all over his handsome face.

Elena grabbed his hand. “It was a lapse. A stupid one. One that'll never happen again, so please don't report us. Don't snitch. Don't take Samantha away,” she wailed.

Over her mother's bent head, Zoe met Ryan's gaze. He was upset and he feared for Sam, but still she could see him biting back a grin because despite the seriousness of the moment, her mother's theatrics were way over the top. Zoe was just surprised Ryan realized it, too.

Ryan forced himself to stay calm. He focused on Elena's dramatics as he tried to regain the ability to breathe. He'd driven up to the house to find the police leaving. He'd walked in to see the place in shambles, obviously ransacked. And Sam was regaling the family with tales of what she'd seen.

His fear for Sam and Zoe had receded as soon as he'd seen them standing in the kitchen, unhurt. But his stomach churned as he'd listened to the end of Sam's story and now witnessed the unorthodox way the family handled the crisis. They were upset, yes, but the break-in seemed more a cause for drama than concern.

Even Sam seemed to revel in her role in the escapade.

“Mama, I'm going to take Ryan for breakfast and explain everything.” Zoe placed an arm around her mother's shoulder and helped her rise to her feet.

“You go to Paradeisos, yes?” Elena asked. “Aunt Kassie will take good care of you.”

“Okay. You take care of Dad and Sam, okay?”

Elena nodded. “You're a good girl, Zoe.” She kissed her daughter's cheek and whispered something in her ear.

“I love you.” Zoe hugged her mother tight.

Watching the interaction, a lump of emotion swelled in Ryan's chest and he wondered if his sister would still be alive had she experienced even one tenth of the love so freely given in this family. No judgments were made, no life-altering repercussions came as a result of bad behavior. Quite simply, this family was as foreign to Ryan as any distant country or culture.

Zoe walked up beside him. “Let's go.”

He shot a glance Sam's way. “Are you okay?” he asked the young girl in the calm, steady voice expected of a foster-care worker. Inside, Ryan struggled with his emotions and was frustrated by his inability to express them.

“I'm cool.” But she held tightly onto Ima and, despite her outward bravado, he sensed she wasn't as fearless as she wanted him to believe.