Page 62 of More Than Nothing
“So, the whole ‘Let’s give it another go’ thing is a crock of shit?”
“I was just testing the ground. It might have been worth calling time on it with Ben if you—”
He cut across her, his eyes flashing with danger. “How long have you been seeing him?”
Zena gave a sigh, straightening the watch on one narrow wrist. “Does that really matter?”
“Yes, it really does.”
She met his eyes with a level stare. “About six months or so.”
Roman hissed out a breath between clenched teeth. She was unbelievable.
“Let me get this straight. You were cheating on me before we split with one of the partners at your law firm. One of the married partners at your law firm, who is married to one of the other partners at your law firm?” Zena toyed with the handle of her coffee cup. “And you want me to either forget about this and take you back, or go along with it and pretend we’re still dating, so you can convince your married lover’s wife—one of the people who sign your fucking paycheck—that you’re not sleeping with her husband.”
“I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I don’t want to lose my job.” She remained completely unruffled.
Roman was reminded of Athena Dax and Elenie’s comment that her mother had no moral compass. On the surface, the two women couldn’t be more different but, studying Zena with incredulity, he found himself repulsed by the same trait in her.
“Goodbye, Zena.” Roman pushed back his chair and stood up.
“Wait—where are you going?”
He fixed her with a disbelieving stare.
“I knew you’d be like this!” She made a sound of frustrated annoyance. “Yes, there was a bit of an overlap in relationships. But it wasn’t working for us and we both knew it. Now I need your help, and you’ll want to give it to me.” Her look was challenging, no hint of an apology in her voice. “Sit down, Roman.”
He stood for a moment longer, gathering the fragments of his temper. Though the urge to walk out was strong, he sat back down. Two more minutes. He’d give her two more minutes.
“I’m a smart woman and it was blindingly obvious there were... undercurrents... last night.” Beneath the table, Roman’s fist clenched against his thigh. “You disappeared for a while toward the end of the evening. And I couldn’t help but notice the sparkly waitress was nowhere to be seen at that point either.” Zena’s tone dared him to take issue with her avoiding Elenie’s name. Roman’sface remained blank. “Want to tell me where you were?” He stayed silent while she studied him closely. “Well, you might have nothing to say but I’m sure Craig Perry would be keen to talk it over. I can find out if he’s the type to share.”
“Like your boss?” Roman bit out.
Zena’s eyes glittered. “There’s no need, is there? All I want from you is a little help with a tricky situation, in exchange for keeping my nose out of whatever you’ve got going on in this cultural backwater. And frankly, I’m not that bothered about finding out. But I will if I have to.”
“Even if it puts Elenie at risk?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Is it me putting her at risk, Roman? Or is it you? There’s a fine line between an ethical relationship and an improper one when you’re chief of police.”
Roman seethed, weighing up his options. “What do you want, Zena?”
“I told you. I have some work events coming up and I need you to accompany me to them.”
“How many events?”
“Let’s say three.”
Roman tapped his fingers on the side of his empty mug. “I’ll go to one with you.”
“Two and we have a deal.”
“Send me the details.”
Roman pushed to his feet. Stalking out of the café, he cursed himself for the signs he’d missed while they were dating.
Chapter 29
Elenie
