Page 13 of Fierce-Zander

“I’m not big on blood and guts,” Zander said. “Seen my fair share on the force.”

“You were a police officer?” she asked. She hadn’t been aware of that fact.

“I was,” he said. He held the door open for her and walked down the stairs next to her.

“Not your thing?” she asked.

“I don’t always like to follow the rules. I bet you’re a rule follower.”

She laughed. “Maybe. Not always. There are some I will never break or cross, but I will try to help my patients any way I can.” Maybe sometimes she went a little overboard or took risks, but she felt she had to reach them. Her parents never took risks or ventured out to fix or solve those issues. She wanted her clients to know they should work hard at things if they really wanted it and if it meant she had to be the one to push them, then so be it. She angled her head. “I’m not sure I see you breaking the law.”

“Not the law,” he said. “Though I wouldn’t admit it if I did. But the rules. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what you want to do with your life. I think I’m a blend of my parents and maybe I didn’t want to let them down, but staying on the force just wasn’t right for me.”

“You know I’m going to have to ask if your parents are in law enforcement too,” she said.

“My father is a recently retired captain. My mother is the DA. My sister Marley is an ADA.”

“I didn’t put DA Conway together with PI Conway,” she said.

“Conway is a common enough name,” he said. “But that’s my mom.”

“I could see where maybe you didn’t want to break too many rules and get caught.”

“Oh, I’ve been caught doing things I shouldn’t enough, but nothing I couldn’t get out of,” he said, smirking.

They’d reached the main lobby now and she turned to look into his dark eyes.

There were hidden secrets there for sure. Enough that her body felt some tingles.

“We might have all been there a time or two,” she said.

“I picture you as a do-gooder,” he said.

“That might have been used to describe me a time or two,” she said. “Not in a good way either.”

“I’m not trying to insult you,” he said.

He followed her to her car in the parking lot. It was dark out and she was positive he wasn’t parked near her, as there weren’t that many cars around.

“Are you walking me to my car for my protection?”

“I am,” he said. “My mother would have my head if I let a lady walk in a parking lot alone at night.”

Regan smiled but didn’t say a word until she got to her car. She turned. “Thank you for offering your protection.” She was trying to joke but deep down it felt nice and comforting he’d done that. Like five weighted blankets in front of a warm fire on a cold night.

“I’ve caught the tongue in cheek and I don’t care,” he said. “I can put my head on my pillow at night that you are pulling out of here safely.”

She nodded and climbed in, trying not to groan that her attempted joke might have come off snarky. He probably thought she was sarcastic and cold like her parents and she didn’t want that. She took a big deep breath, pulled away and saw him getting into a black SUV.

Yeah, Miles was right. Zander was sexy. But he was also chivalrous.

Not something she saw much of lately, and she could appreciate it.

4

GIVE IT A CHANCE

“Igot the picture,” Betsy all but screamed when she came into the office two days later.

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