Saving Zola (Sleeper SEALs Book 4) Page 11

  He circled the bottom floor and continued upward until they were somewhere near the top. Slowing to a crawl, he eased down the aisles until he finally pulled into a spot between an extended van and a wall.

  “What’s the plan?” she asked confused.

  “We leave this car here. Take our belongings, and go find a new one.”

  Right. That sounded so simple. Except not.

  Mike grabbed their shopping bags and his backpack as Zola rounded the car. She tried to take something from him, but he shifted the bags to one hand and took her hand with his free one without a word. “Let’s go.”

  She was glad for the comfortable clothes because she had to walk fast to keep up with his pace.

  His brow remained furrowed while they made their way down the stairs and out of the garage.

  When they stepped into the light of day, cool air hit her in the face. She gathered her coat tighter around her and leaned closer to Mike in attempt to calm him. It didn’t work. He was still stiff.

  “Where are we?”

  “Suffolk. And thank goodness because it will be easy to rent a car here.”

  “What are you going to do about the rental car? The one we just left I mean.”

  “Someone will come pick it up and handle it later.”

  She decided to stop asking questions and let him concentrate. Luckily they rounded a corner to a populated area, and Mike flagged down a taxi. Ten minutes later they were at the counter asking for a rental car.

  Zola let Mike handle things, keeping her mouth shut, and doing no more than lifting an eyebrow when he pulled out an ID, credit card, and insurance with another identity. She didn’t change her face, comment, question, or break a smile until they were inside the newer car buckling their seat belts. “You just happen to have another identity on you?” She laughed as they pulled out of the spot.

  Mike finally smiled too. “Always.”

  “And you also carry a lot of cash I noticed.”

  He glanced at her as he turned onto the main street. “I didn’t take on the job of protecting you unprepared.”

  “Now I see why you carry that pack around. What else is in that bag of yours?”

  “You’ve seen most of it. I never travel without cash, weapons, and identification.”

  “You think whoever is tracking us can trace us through the rental car or credit cards.” It wasn’t a question. She shuddered at the realization that someone had already.

  “I know they can.” He entered the highway, his gaze darting all around. And then he set a hand on hers and squeezed. “Don’t worry. We’re not being followed, and no one has any information about the identity I just used.”

  She nodded, still feeling nervous, but beginning to realize Mike could and would keep her safe at all costs. Not just because of how he felt about her, but because he was that good at his job. Rocking that boat right now was not a good idea.

  She needed to call her father. If he heard about this, he would be worried. But calling him while Mike was white-knuckling the steering wheel in fear for her life was also a bad idea. Not now. Later.

  She wasn’t sure if her dad even realized who was keeping her safe. What would he say when he found out it was Mike Dorsen? She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the hassle of facing the inquisition yet. She hadn’t been in the mood for two days. How long could she hide?

  Half of her feared her dad still wouldn’t approve of Mike, and she was too tired to deal with what that would mean to her right now. She would have to put her foot down and tell him to back off. Her relationships, with Mike or anyone, were none of his business. He needed to understand that the reason she’d shut herself off from men altogether was because the best one she’d ever met had slipped through her fingers.

  According to Richard Carver, Mike had never been good enough for her. He hadn’t come from money. He didn’t have parents. He wasn’t from the right side of the tracks. Never mind he was a good person who had everything going for him and managed to get through school and go on to become a Navy SEAL.

  Maybe she should be pissed to hell that he’d had a hand in helping break up her relationship, but in the end, it had been Zola herself who sent that final detrimental email to Mike. She’d taken her father’s advice, yes, but he didn’t type the words. She did.

  Perhaps she’d ruined the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she had to live with that. But at the time, it had seemed logical. After all, Mike hadn’t answered any email she sent. She’d been worried and angry and hurt and stressed, and the reality was that if she had it to do over again, she might take her father up on the same advice.

  No. She couldn’t blame her father. But she sure didn’t want to make that call to tell him Mike was back in her life and she hoped it could be more than a fling.

  It would help if Mike would provide her with more information about his role in their breakup. Why had he ghosted her? And why did he accept her lie without a fight? So many questions, none of which had anything to do with the advice her father gave her.

  Would her father see him differently now? Or would it still matter that Mike didn’t have a prestigious family background suitable for Richard Carver’s daughter?

  Mike took her hand again and squeezed it between them. “You want to use my phone while we drive?” Could he read her mind?

  She squeezed his fingers back. “No. Not in the car. I’ll do it later, when we stop.” Do you want to fill in some of the holes in our story before I call my dad? She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the headrest, unable to verbalize that question. Maybe a part of her didn’t want to hear the answer. She racked her brain trying to think what he was holding back. Had he found someone else as soon as he’d moved to Berkeley and moved on that fast?

  This entire thing was absurd. She’d been with Mike two nights. Not even forty-eight hours, and already she felt drawn to him. Like no time had passed, in a way. Though that wasn’t the point.

  Her mind wandered back to her father.

  It didn’t really matter whether or not things with Mike worked out in the long run. What mattered was that it was her choice. Her life.

  Why was she dragging her feet?

  If Richard Carver couldn’t accept that his daughter had every right to enter into a relationship with anyone she pleased, then she needed to know that. She was a grown woman who would make her own choices, and no way in hell was she going to permit his interference at the age of thirty.

  After putting her thoughts aside, she focused on Mike. “Tell me everything about yourself. Everything you’ve done for twelve years.”

  He flashed her a smile. “We covered most of it.”

  She shook her head. “Not even close. I want to know you better.”

  And so began a long aimless drive north that ended with Zola so enamored with the man next to her, it was indeed like no time had passed between them. Most of that time, he held her hand against his thigh or sometimes rubbed it across his cheek. She wasn’t sure he was even aware of the intimacy.

  They took turns asking questions and listening. They discussed everything that had happened between their breakup and now, though she intentionally avoided asking him any more questions about why he’d ended their relationship. Not in the car. Not while he was driving. When would it seem appropriate to insist he talk about it?

  They also went back over the case files for the three people she had helped convict in the last several years. Though the paperwork had been left behind and they didn’t have a computer, she knew every detail and learned he had an incredible memory also.

  Mike touched base several times during the day with his contact at the CIA, updating him often of their whereabouts. As they approached the outskirts of a small town, she grew silent, staring out the window and pondering what she wanted to say to her father. She couldn’t stall any longer. As soon as they got a hotel room, she would need to call him.

  It was late afternoon when Mike pulled into a spot outside a moderately priced
hotel and got them a room. She had been concentrating on touching base with her father for a while without saying much to Mike. Perhaps she was overthinking things and he wouldn’t even remember Mike that well. But Zola didn’t believe that. She felt confident her father would not be pleased to find out she was with Mike. Not just with Mike, but with Mike.

  He must have read her mind again because as soon as they were settled in the room, he handed her his phone. “Call him.”

  She nodded, her fingers shaking as she took the cell.

  “I’ll wait in the hallway so you’ll have some privacy,” Mike said, turning toward the door.

  “No. Stay. This affects you too. There can’t be more secrets between us.” She stared at him, wondering if he might want to clear up any secrets before she made the call.

  He lowered himself into the room’s only chair instead while she settled on the edge of the bed and dialed.

  “Hello?” her father answered on the first ring.

  “Dad, it’s me.”

  “Zola. Thank God. I’ve been worried. They told me you’re in good hands and safe, but I worried anyway.”

  She didn’t want to waste time beating around the bush. “I’m with Mike Dorsen.”

  He sucked in a quick breath. “Dorsen? How?”

  She felt a certain level of snarkiness creep up her spine. “Contrary to your beliefs about Mike when I was in high school, he actually made something of himself. He was with the Navy SEALs for a while in fact. And the government contracted him to keep me alive.” She knew these first words were antagonistic, but she didn’t care.

  Her father sighed. “I see. Are you okay? Are you safe?”

  “I’m sure I’ll be safe no matter where I am as long as Mike is with me. He’s quite capable of protecting me.” Her voice was higher than usual, and she knew she wasn’t hiding her stress. She stared at the floor to keep from watching Mike’s expression.

  Her father drew in a slow breath. “You sound pissed. I suppose he told you about the money. Why are you so mad at me? I would think you’d be at least as angry with him.”

  Money? Zola felt like she’d been punched in the gut. She didn’t move or breathe. The blood drained from her face.

  So this was the secret Mike had been holding back. Her father paid him to stay away from her? What the fuck? She started shaking.

  It all fell into place. The emails. The lack of answers. Mike had taken blackmail money from her own father in exchange for leaving her alone.

  Her father couldn’t see her reaction and he continued to speak, rambling about the money he’d sent Mike and how he thought it would help Mike get through school and get a head start in life. His words started to blur in her mind. What the hell was going on? Her face heated. She felt faint. She couldn’t lift her gaze to look at Mike. Her head was tipped toward the floor and heavy.

  Still he kept speaking. “I wanted you to feel like you had the upper hand by sending him that email telling him you had moved on and found someone else. It was wrong of me to interfere. Please forgive me. If you can forgive Mike, surely you can forgive me too. I’m your father. You’re my only daughter. And I love you more than my own life.”

  Her brain scrambled as his words tossed around in her head, making no sense. She had no intention of telling her father this was the first she’d heard of any money. That was between her and Mike.

  Her boyfriend took a payoff from her father? And he didn’t tell her?

  Her heart beat wildly, and she didn’t want to give either of them the satisfaction of knowing what she felt. She had made this call to let her father know Mike was back in her life. She’d dragged her feet like a baby because she hadn’t wanted to face her father’s reaction. She’d worried her father would think she was foolish to let Mike back in after the way he’d summarily dropped her all those years ago. And all the while, she’d been worrying about the wrong things.

  Her father obviously assumed Mike had told her about the money.

  And Mike? He’d let her make this call without telling her he’d taken money to break up with her. He’d known this might happen.

  She wanted to slap him. She wanted to scream. How could he do this to her? She couldn’t face him. Or her dad. Instead, she managed to find the strength to push herself off the bed and mutter a goodbye, not caring that she was cutting her father off mid-conversation. And then she strode into the bathroom and shut the door silently behind her without glancing at Mike.

  She had no choice but to stay in the hotel with him. He was her protection for the near future. Perhaps she could request someone else tomorrow, but it was late tonight. For the time being she needed to pull herself together and think.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mike’s heart stopped beating as the only woman he’d ever loved walked out of the room. He’d been at war with himself all day over the decision not to tell her about the check.

  Part of him had hoped Richard wouldn’t mention that detail yet, though in the long run the truth would have come out. Eventually Mike would have told her himself. The tenuous thin string holding Zola to him for the last few days eventually had to break. There was no way to avoid it.

  Perhaps it was inexcusable of him to allow her to fall for him all over again without telling her about that fucking check. He’d acted cowardly for two reasons. One, he’d been desperate to reconnect with her if only for a few days. And two, he was afraid about her safety as soon as this cat was out of the bag. His greatest fear was that she would tell him to go to hell, leaving her without the protection he truly didn’t want to entrust to someone else.

  He’d known the instant her father mentioned the money without hearing a word of his end of the conversation. She had stiffened and frozen. He’d wanted to go to her but had forced himself to remain in his seat. He would have to face the music. He allowed this train to derail all by himself, and he deserved everything Zola dished out.

  Except that was not how it went down.

  His heart pounded. She’d left the room so abruptly without saying a word. The last thing he expected was for her to shut down and calmly leave the room. It would have been better if she screamed at him, threw things, demanded an explanation. This silence was far more difficult to endure.

  He would give this to her. She deserved some time to process before he tried to explain himself. For what it was worth. He reminded himself that no matter what happened between him and Zola, he needed to keep her safe. That was his top priority.

  He closed his eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath. You deserve this. Keep her safe. The shower came on.

  He needed to think. Stay alert in the face of this new crisis.

  As he opened his phone to call Lambert, he hefted the backpack onto the bed and unzipped it.

  It was time to let Lambert in on the saga.

  “Dorsen. What’s the latest?”

  “We stopped at a hotel for the night. Zola just spoke to her father.”

  “Good. She used the secure phone?”

  “Yes. But, Greg, there’s something you need to know.”

  “What?” His voice sounded higher in pitch.

  “I know Zola.”

  “What are you talking about? What do you mean you know her?”

  “I guess I should say, I knew her. In high school. We dated.”

  “Fuck.” Lambert’s voice rose. “And you didn’t think to tell me this before?”

  “I thought it. I intentionally didn’t do it.”

  “Fuck,” he repeated. “You telling me you’re too invested to keep this woman safe?”

  “No. I’m telling you I knew her. She’ll be safe with me.” He spoke in a deeper voice, enunciating his words, making it clear he would not be removed from this job.

  Lambert groaned. “Don’t make me regret this. It will be super fucking messy if this goes bad. For the entire country.”

  “I’m clear on that. We’re holed up for the night in an out-of-the-way hotel. Safe.”

  Lambert sighed heavil
y. “Call me in the morning so I know you’re still not dead.”

  “Of course.” He ended the call, tossed the phone on the bed, and opened the backpack.

  * * *

  Zola was furious. She needed to calm down and think.

  She stood under the hot water for so long her fingers were wrinkly. When she finally flipped it off and grabbed a towel, she was exhausted. Her adrenaline rush was gone, leaving her depleted, but no less angry.

  Her dad had sent Mike money to pay him to leave her alone? That was unimaginable. But far more unimaginable was Mike accepting the cash and doing her father’s bidding.

  She was pissed as fuck at the situation, but the emotion she felt for Mike after further reflection was sadness. He’d let her down. He’d taken a bribe from her own father. She’d thought he loved her. What stung the most was finding out that there existed a dollar amount that would be enough to give her up. At eighteen she wouldn’t have believed that any amount of money in the world would have turned Mike away from her. Apparently she was wrong.

  Tears ran down her face. She couldn’t stop them, and she was grateful for the noise of the fan in the ceiling that blocked any sounds she couldn’t stifle. How much money had he accepted in exchange for walking away from her? It didn’t matter. Did she really want to know what she was worth? Even ten million dollars was not enough.

  She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together as she combed through her tangled curls. Her face was red and splotchy. Not a shocker. She splashed cold water on her cheeks and applied some moisturizer.

  There was no way to hide her emotions or the fact that she’d been crying. And why bother? The man on the other side of the door had taken money as a bribe from her father to stop seeing her. She wasn’t sure who to kill first. The weight of the situation left her feeling very lonely.

  She couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever though. She also needed clothes. Tucking the towel tight around her, she opened the door.