Page 19 of Carlos: Trilogy: Part Two

Carlos shrugged her statement off. “It’s my job.”

“It’s more than that,” she said as he held the door to the diner open for her. Having been at her desk all morning organizing, she realized how much she needed to pee as they entered the diner. “Grab us a seat?” she asked. “I’ll be right back.

He nodded once. “Iced tea with lemon?”

“Please.”

She headed towards the bathroom. After taking care of business, Zoe exited the stall and headed towards the sink to wash her hands.

Zoe jumped when she saw a man was standing against the counter, arms crossed casually over his broad chest.

Her shoulders sagged. “What’s with you and ladies’ rooms?”

Owen smiled down at her. “It is good to see you, Zoe.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I’m so sorry about Conner, Owen.” Though it had been just over a year since his death, this was the first time she’d seen Owen since the night he’d rescued her at the courthouse to pass along her condolences.

“He died protecting those he cared about. It was the way he would have wanted to go.”

Zoe wasn’t sure what comfort that truly was. The end result was still the same. His twin had still died. Though his face was emotionless, Zoe saw the concealed pain in Owen’s eyes.

“Why are you here?” she asked him.

“Jack sent me to check on you. He hadn’t realized WiseWave620 was among the club Conner had sent you to until a couple of days ago.”

Zoe blinked. “Who is among what now?”

“The club’s hacker, Keys. That’s his handle.”

“Why is it concerning that Keys is here?”

“Not concerning,” he corrected. He moved out of the way so she could start washing her hands. “Actually, pretty damn convenient. I’m glad he was able to set you up with a better identity than we were.”

“He said yours was solid too.” She reached over for the paper towels.

Owen studied her for a minute. “How are you and the sheriff doing? The two of you seem pretty cozy walking arm in arm down the street.”

Zoe’s cheeks heated. Carlos was making it known to all that he was dating her, that she was Jenna’s niece, and that she was his new secretary. In a way, it was admirable. He wasn’t trying to hide her like she was some dirty little secret. “We’re doing really well.”

“And he treats you good?”

Recalling the number of orgasms Carlos had given her the night before, she had to bite back a smile as she confirmed, “Very well.”

“Good.”

“Was that all?” she asked, a bit confused. “You came here just to ask me how I’m doing? There has to be more, Owen. You wouldn’t risk showing your face in this town otherwise.”

He shrugged. “I’m looking for someone who was rumored to have been in the area. Figured as long as I was here I’d stop in to check on you.” With a slight shrug of his shoulders, Owen added, “Conner made me promise to keep an eye on you if anything ever happened to him.”

That sounded exactly like something Conner would say to his twin.

Owen reached forward and chucked her under her chin. “Keep your head up, Zoe. You’re finally coming out of your shell. I can’t wait to see you fly.”

That said, Owen left the ladies’ room. Zoe stared after him for a moment before following. She didn’t see him anywhere in the diner and wondered if he could have already exited.

“Everything okay?” Carlos asked as she sat down in the booth opposite him.

Zoe nodded. “I just had the strangest conversation I think I’ve ever had in a ladies’ room, which is actually saying something…”

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