Page 42 of Jericho

"Welcome home," she says, giving Jericho a bigger smile before turning her gaze to me. "Hi, Aspen. I'm Zara."

I shake her hand, realizing that mine is empty now. Nolan released it when the door opened.

I swallow as I do my best to give her a smile, feeling like we did something wrong.

"Come inside. I know it's probably too late for coffee and freshly baked cinnamon rolls, but I made them anyway."

Ever the gentleman, Nolan pauses as I climb the steps so I can enter the home first, following Zara through a massive open area to the kitchen on the far side.

Zara explains so many things.

It's not that I expected him to jump into my arms. There's too much between us now for that to be possible, but him shutting me down so quickly makes sense now.

Zara flits around the kitchen, grabbing plates and coffee cups as I take a seat at the breakfast nook.

She seems completely normal. Why would Nolan even consider a physical trip down memory lane with me when he has this woman? I don't even compare, and the reality of that is like a slap to the face. I come from dirt and blood, crime and evil.

She seems like she has always stood in the light, shadows never managing to get their claws on her. She's clean and proper, literally, everything I'm not.

"Thank you," I tell her when she hands me a plate with a massive cinnamon roll on it. I pass it to Nolan because reflexestake over and with Damien, I've never been allowed to be served first. "Nolan?"

"Nolan?" the woman asks as if the word has never slipped past her lips before.

She hands me another plated sweet roll, but I'mfreaking out a little inside, wondering if he has given her a different name. Would he bring me here while he's working another undercover case? Has he been lying to her as well?

"That suits you," Zara says with a wide smile.

"Wait," I say, my eyes darting between the two of them. "Aren't you two—"

Her head tips back, laughter bubbling out of her as if she's completely carefree and uncaring of who witnesses it.

I look over at Nolan who seems less than impressed about all of this, his lips a flat line, irritation boiling in his eyes as he watches her response to my speculation.

The other guy who was at the cabin in Massachusetts walks into the room, his eyes darting to land on everyone in it.

"What's so funny?" he asks, incapable of keeping the growl out of his voice.

I stiffen. This guy scares the living shit out of me.

"She thought Jericho and I were together," Zara explains as she opens her arms.

The mean-looking man goes right to her as if he's powerless to resist that spot right beside her.

"Why would she think that?" the man snaps, all his attention on Nolan.

For some reason, the way the man seems ready to rip Nolan's head off for my confusion of the situation makeslaughter bubble out of my throat. I don't know that I've ever witnessed a more territorial interaction before in my life.

"Settle down, Hemlock," Nolan says.

Hemlock's chest seems to swell as if he's readying himself for battle, and I begin to feel bad for Nolan. Before I can explain that it was all my mistake, Zara presses her hand to his chest, and it seems to be the only thing he needs in life. His eyes cut down to hers, and the way that man looks at her leaves me breathless from across the room. She is his entire world. I have to look away because although they're just simply looking at each other, I feel like I'm intruding on an intimate moment.

I pinch off a piece of the cinnamon roll and pop it into my mouth. I can tell by the sweetness on my tongue that it's delicious, but what if Eli hasn't had anything to eat today?

"You need your energy," Nolan says, closer now than he was before. "Eat."

I look over and notice his is gone. I swear the man licked the plate clean.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble," I whisper, but the other couple in the room aren't paying us any mind currently. They're too wrapped up in each other to concern themselves with the outside world.

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