Page 17 of Shattered Hearts

She smiles faintly. “—fiancée, then I figured you would handle it.”

“I did. I will.”

“I know. I didn’t tell Zane and I don’t plan to, but Rourke was having an affair with Willow and he couldn’t hide his dislike for Zarah. He’s also Max’s dad, and Max decided to investigate Kagan’s and Lark’s deaths. I don’t like how his name keeps popping up.”

“I don’t either, but he’s married to my mom.”

“When Special Agent Banks found my parents, I thought I would have to choose between them and Zane. I was lucky and got to keep both. Who will you choose if you can’t? Come out to the house tonight. Invite Linc if you’d like. Zarah has told me more than once she likes him a lot, and it would be nice if she could see him. She’s been without her mom and dad for almost eight years. It might help.” Gathering her jacket and purse, she slides out of the booth. “Thanks, Bryn. Have a good evening.”

“You too, Stella. Stay safe out there.”

Stella adjusts her coat, pushes her purse strap up her shoulder, and meets my eyes. “I will. You do the same.”

I stare at the checks as she pushes out the door, letting in a gust of frozen air.

Thirty thousand dollars sitting on the table. Just laying there in Stella’s ultra-feminine script.

There’s no point in being bitter about it. I can try to lie to myself and say it’s not technically Zane’s money but his father’s—once you open the floodgates, how easy is it to keep it going?—but it doesn’t do any good.

I want to rip them up, but instead I should be thanking Stella for thinking about my time. If I’m going to be doing some legwork, it’s nice to know I’m getting paid somehow. Zarah’s kisses won’t pay the heating bill, even if they keep me warm.

Shrugging into my jacket, I stand uncertainly in front of the bar wondering if I should pay and tip our server.

Bryn senses my discomfort. “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Davenport. It’s all settled. Thank you for thinking about us, though. Have a nice evening.”

“Thanks, you too.”

I’m halfway to the office before I realize she knew my name.

I step into our tiny office, and whining, Baby pads over to me. I feel terrible I left her behind and drop to my haunches and give her neck a brisk rub. Normally, I bring her with me everywhere I go, using her service vest at indoor events where she wouldn’t otherwise be welcome. “Hey, sweetheart. Sorry about that. You wanna see Zarah?”

Her ears perk up, as well as Pop’s eyebrows. “Again? Becoming a regular habit.”

“A habit I’m in no hurry to break. Stella invited us both out. Said Zarah would like to see you.”

“I’d be all for it, but we have cases to follow up on. I understand you want to spend time with her, I really do, but...”

Dropping into a chair, I pry my wallet out of the back pocket of my jeans and slide the check Stella wrote out for him acrossthe desk. “We talked to Willow Black this morning, and I think Zarah’s more than my...girlfriend.” I stop there. I haven’t told anyone besides Stella I asked Zarah to marry me. I had no right to do it, except I wanted to ease Zarah’s mind about the future, try to convince her I’ll never leave, no matter what happens. “She’s a case. Something isn’t right, Pop.”

He fingers the check. “What does she want us to do?”

I tip my head back and sigh. “I don’t know. She doesn’t, either. All we know is Zarah’s not getting better. She was on the right track and now she’s not. I guess we want to know if she can, or if this is going to be something permanent.”

“That’s not exactly in our wheelhouse. We’re not doctors, or even malpractice lawyers. We’re hardly shrinks, though sometimes it feels like it. How are we supposed to figure out Zarah’s mental health progress? I know you love her, but there are some things people can’t change. Just because you want her to get better doesn’t mean she can.”

“I know all that, but I owe it to her to look.”

He holds up the check. “You get one, too?”

An embarrassed stain creeps up my neck. “Yeah. I didn’t want it, but if I want to dig around, I had no choice. I’d rather think of Stella and Zarah as clients than take the money Mom is always offering me.”

“After all these years she’s still trying to buy your time?”

“She sent me a check for Christmas and I ripped it up and threw it away. I don’t want Rourke’s money. Especially after what Willow told us.”

“Yeah?”

“She and Rourke were having an affair. That’s why Stella was able to escape. Willow couldn’t admit to being in a part of the building where she didn’t belong.”

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