scratch. I have some antibiotic cream and Band-Aids.” She looked at the window and her concern shifted. “Are they gone?”
“I think so.” He continued to stare at her arm. “But I believe you need to be checked by a doctor.”
“And I believe I’m fine. It’s only going to take one Band-Aid and not even the biggest one in the pack.”
“LeAnn,” he said.
“My name’s Zoe,” she countered.
“I know. LeAnn’s a nurse, and she can look at it and tell us if you need to be seen by a doctor.”
Before she could argue, he pulled out his phone and dialed. “Is LeAnn with you guys?”
Pause.
“Good.” Tyler kept it brief and told the barest of details. Address, bullets, her being shot, needing to be checked. “Tell her I’ll kiss her for it.”
Who was LeAnn? His wife?
Her gaze darted to his left hand. No ring.
He continued, “Yeah. I heard him drive off. See you in about twenty.” He hung up and looked at her. “I know that hurts.”
“I can hardly feel it.” And it wasn’t as big of a lie as it had been earlier. The scratch had stopped burning like hell and was now only burning like purgatory. Not that she knew a heck of a lot about purgatory; she’d been raised Baptist. Then again, she’d also been raised to believe she was the daughter of Mildred and Ralph Adams. The thought that they had lied to her rang another painful bell inside her heart.
She took a deep breath. “I guess he really meant it, huh?”
“Who meant what?” he asked.
She grimaced. “I got another phone call. They said I had to leave or I’d die. Not that I’m dead… yet.” This was so not a good day.
His brows tightened. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me this before?”
She wasn’t fond of being scolded. “Between finding you pointing a gun at me, to”—she motioned to the book on the table—“seeing the picture, then being shot at, it sort of slipped my mind.”
There was also the whole God-he-looks-sexy-without-his-shirt issue, but she decided to let that one go unsaid.Because it wasn’t going to be an issue. He had LeAnn. And she had a list of reasons not to let herself consider getting involved with the opposite sex.
“It shouldn’t have slipped your mind,” he growled.
“Live and learn,” she said.
“Or die and wish you had,” he snapped. “What else did he say?”
“That pretty much covers it.” She frowned.
He frowned back at her. “I need to go outside and check to see if anyone saw anything. Then we’re going to go see LeAnn. Are you okay for a few minutes alone?”
“I’m fine.” She stood up to show him she meant it. Alone wasn’t a problem. She’d been alone for a long time. Well, not completely alone. She had Lucky. Glancing back, she saw the cat standing in the bedroom doorway, hesitant to come out. Then she glanced again at the windows, and her pulse started to race a little faster. She could have been killed. “I’m good,” she lied.
“We’ll leave in a few minutes. Get anything you might need for a few days. Austin will be here in about ten minutes, and we’ll call the cops to come out and do a report.”
She barely heard anything he said past… “A few days?”
“You can’t stay here,” he said. “Unless you want whoever did this to come back and finish what he started.”
“But…”
“I have a place you can stay. A safe house,” he added rather quickly. Too quickly.
What was he not telling her? The need to be logical battled with her need to just give in to the fear swelling in her chest. “Is it covered in the cost of your regular services? Or is it extra? Because I’m definitely going with the basic, low-budget PI package here.”
“It’s included.”
Her gaze went to the shot-up windows; fear fluttered in her stomach like birds needing to escape, and she decided not to argue. “Okay, but I have a cat.”
“The cat can come.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll just be outside, so don’t panic.”
“I’m not
“I think so.” He continued to stare at her arm. “But I believe you need to be checked by a doctor.”
“And I believe I’m fine. It’s only going to take one Band-Aid and not even the biggest one in the pack.”
“LeAnn,” he said.
“My name’s Zoe,” she countered.
“I know. LeAnn’s a nurse, and she can look at it and tell us if you need to be seen by a doctor.”
Before she could argue, he pulled out his phone and dialed. “Is LeAnn with you guys?”
Pause.
“Good.” Tyler kept it brief and told the barest of details. Address, bullets, her being shot, needing to be checked. “Tell her I’ll kiss her for it.”
Who was LeAnn? His wife?
Her gaze darted to his left hand. No ring.
He continued, “Yeah. I heard him drive off. See you in about twenty.” He hung up and looked at her. “I know that hurts.”
“I can hardly feel it.” And it wasn’t as big of a lie as it had been earlier. The scratch had stopped burning like hell and was now only burning like purgatory. Not that she knew a heck of a lot about purgatory; she’d been raised Baptist. Then again, she’d also been raised to believe she was the daughter of Mildred and Ralph Adams. The thought that they had lied to her rang another painful bell inside her heart.
She took a deep breath. “I guess he really meant it, huh?”
“Who meant what?” he asked.
She grimaced. “I got another phone call. They said I had to leave or I’d die. Not that I’m dead… yet.” This was so not a good day.
His brows tightened. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me this before?”
She wasn’t fond of being scolded. “Between finding you pointing a gun at me, to”—she motioned to the book on the table—“seeing the picture, then being shot at, it sort of slipped my mind.”
There was also the whole God-he-looks-sexy-without-his-shirt issue, but she decided to let that one go unsaid.Because it wasn’t going to be an issue. He had LeAnn. And she had a list of reasons not to let herself consider getting involved with the opposite sex.
“It shouldn’t have slipped your mind,” he growled.
“Live and learn,” she said.
“Or die and wish you had,” he snapped. “What else did he say?”
“That pretty much covers it.” She frowned.
He frowned back at her. “I need to go outside and check to see if anyone saw anything. Then we’re going to go see LeAnn. Are you okay for a few minutes alone?”
“I’m fine.” She stood up to show him she meant it. Alone wasn’t a problem. She’d been alone for a long time. Well, not completely alone. She had Lucky. Glancing back, she saw the cat standing in the bedroom doorway, hesitant to come out. Then she glanced again at the windows, and her pulse started to race a little faster. She could have been killed. “I’m good,” she lied.
“We’ll leave in a few minutes. Get anything you might need for a few days. Austin will be here in about ten minutes, and we’ll call the cops to come out and do a report.”
She barely heard anything he said past… “A few days?”
“You can’t stay here,” he said. “Unless you want whoever did this to come back and finish what he started.”
“But…”
“I have a place you can stay. A safe house,” he added rather quickly. Too quickly.
What was he not telling her? The need to be logical battled with her need to just give in to the fear swelling in her chest. “Is it covered in the cost of your regular services? Or is it extra? Because I’m definitely going with the basic, low-budget PI package here.”
“It’s included.”
Her gaze went to the shot-up windows; fear fluttered in her stomach like birds needing to escape, and she decided not to argue. “Okay, but I have a cat.”
“The cat can come.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll just be outside, so don’t panic.”
“I’m not
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