Page 37 of Sweet and Salty

“Of course,” she says, and I start navigating the roads toward my club. “I can wait in the car if you have business you need to handle.”

I give her a casual side-eye as I pull into a spot right in front of my club. I park the car and turn to fully face her.

“I'm just going to check on things,” I say. “But even if I did have a full-fledged business meeting, there's no way in hell I'm leaving you waiting in this car. I've got nothing to hide and while you’re a delightful distraction, I can maintain both.” I hop out of the car, hurrying around to her side to open her door before she can.

“You are a man of many talents,” she says, taking my hand as I help her out of the car and lead her toward my club.

I grin down at her before sliding my key into the master lock, turning it and holding the door open for her, ushering her inside.

I close and lock the door behind us, and I'm flooded with the almost nostalgic scent that is exclusive to my club—a luxurious concoction that I paid handsomely for. The signature scent is a mixture of amber and wood and a few other ingredients that a local scent master created for me, and I make sure it’s pumped through the vents on a daily basis.

“I knew I remembered this smell,” Zoe says as she smiles and takes in the empty space. “It's close to what you wear, isn't it?”

I dip my head as I lead her toward the bar. “The same person who created the club scent also makes my cologne.”

“I love it,” she says. “This place looks wildly different with the lights on. I feel like I'm peeking behind the curtain.”

“Sort of unnerving, isn't it?” Caleb’s voice sounds before he rounds the corner, a case of whiskey in his hand as he heads behind the bar to shelve it. “You get used to it though,” he says after he sets the case on the ground. He extends his hand toward Zoe. “I'm Caleb,” he says as she takes his hand and politely shakes it. “And you are?”

“Zoe,” she says, smiling at him before glancing at me. “I'm a friend of Owen’s.”

Caleb smiles at me with an eyebrow raised. “Friend? I thought I was your only one.” When he catches Zoe looking at him confused, he shrugs. “This one's always been a little salty,” he says. “Not one for long conversations and insights to his soul. Took me two years to figure out what to get the guy for Christmas.”

Zoe raises her brows my way, a little shock fluttering across her features.

And I understand the surprise because I've never hesitated to tellheranything. Even before I knew who she was, our secret little texts were things I cherished.

“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble. He's not wrong. It does take me a long time to open up to people—call it the nature of my job, but I have trust issues. But when it came to Zoe? All bets were off.

“Catch me up,” I say, leaning against the bar.

Caleb debriefs me on the happenings of the club, more of the same he’s already texted to me in our weekly check-ins. He goes through the motions though, recanting stories of dramatic love triangles that led to fights in the late hours of the night while he stocks the shelves with liquor.

“And I haven’t had any more breakthroughs since last week,” he continues, flashing Zoe—who listens quietly while perched on a barstool, looking sexy as hell—an apologetic look. “I need more time. Or I need him to make a mistake,” he continues, referring to Spencer.

“You and me both,” I say, shaking my head.

“Can I ask you something, Zoe?” Caleb asks, hesitant.

“Of course,” she says.

“If it’s triggering to answer, you can ignore me,” he says, and I cock a brow at him. I trust Caleb, something earned from our time in the military together, but I won’t hesitate to push if he does anything to scare Zoe.

“I’m all right,” she says. “I want this to be over with as much as you two do.”

Caleb nods. “When you treated Spencer as a client, did he tell you his profession?” Zoe nods. “Was it in cybersecurity?”

“How did you know?”

“Hunch,” he says, flashing me a look. “He’s covering his tracks and making sure he’s not leaving a trail for us to follow. It’s…” His voice trails off, eyes on me again.

“It’s what?” Zoe asks.

“Unnerving,” I finish for Caleb. “He’s going to a lot of effort to not be found, which means he knows we’re looking for him, and…” I sigh. “It means he has plans.”

Zoe digests the information, the blows out a breath. “Well, I’m lucky to have you both on the case then, right?”

We both nod, and Caleb extends his hand toward her. “Can I see your phone?”

---