“Not entirely, but he did give me a very firm shake of the head. And those eyes. He’s one bad dude. I don’t know who sent him after you, Tessa. But my guess is whoever they are should watch their back. If he ever breathes free air again, he’ll be going after them. I have no doubt.”
“Do you need us at the station tonight?” The last place Zane wanted to be was the police station, but he trusted that Morris was fond enough of Tessa not to ask unless it was necessary.
“Nah. Captain kind of wanted Tess to come in, try to rattle Loth. But I told him it could wait.”
“You think he’ll live through the night?” Tessa asked the question Zane was thinking.
“Honestly? I give him fifty-fifty odds. I don’t think he took any meds, and I think if he had, he would have requested medical assistance. This man is stone cold, but I don’t get the sense that he’s ready to end his life. So the next question is, what could our mystery person have done to him that he isn’t aware of? It could be nothing, but our boy is sweating right now. We put him in isolation for his own protection. He had no complaints.”
The sound of a chair creaking came through the phone. “I’m going to attempt to get a few hours of shut-eye. If this waste of oxygen does something stupid or goes to his eternal reward, I’ll get a call, and you can be sure I’ll be rousing you from your slumber.”
“Something to look forward to.” Tessa reached for the phone. “Thanks for the call, Daniel.”
“We’ve got your back, Tess. Sleep the sleep of the righteous.”
The phone disconnected. “Daniel?” Zane asked. “I’ve never heard anyone call him by his first name.”
Tessa gave him a “whatever” look. “He likes me.”
Zane did not doubt that for a second.
“And he’s sweet.”
“I’m sorry? Daniel Morris? The guy on the phone?”
Tessa’s expression was a hair too close to dreamy for Zane’s comfort level. She was his. There was no way she was interested in Morris. But—
“He has a crush on a dispatcher. It’s adorable. The dispatcher bought Ivy’s old house, and now Ivy’s determined to get her and Morris together. Faith thinks she’s cracked. But I think Ivy might manage it. It would be like the grumpy cat falling in love with a golden retriever puppy, but...” Tessa frowned at him. “Were you... jealous?”
“No. But he seemed too familiar with you. He called you Tess.”
“Lots of people call me Tess.”
Tessa held his gaze. He didn’t know what she saw, but whatever it was had her pinching her lips together and doing a poor job of stifling laughter. After a few seconds, she gave up and laughed full-out. “Zane! Really?”
“I was an only child. I never learned to share. And as previously discussed, I sometimes behave badly.”
“I have a sister. I got tired of sharing a long time ago. And I would eviscerate anyone who tried to get between us.”
Zane sat up straighter. “Well, that escalated quickly.”
“I’m playing for keeps.” The words were soft. “Just so we’re clear.”
“That’s the only way I know to play.”
“Good.” She dropped her head and studied her hands. “Is thisgoing to be weird? I’m not sure how to be with you right now. If this was yesterday, I wouldn’t be sitting this close to you. I’d be at one end of the sofa and you’d be at the other end, probably pelting me with popcorn.”
“We’ll find our way, Princess. Tell me if something is strange. If it’s too much, too fast, too anything, we’ll back way off.”
Her expression was pensive as she stood. “I should go to bed.”
He watched her walk to her room, pause at the door, then turn to face him. “I’m going to leave the door open.” A minute later, he heard the covers being pulled back, a pillow being fluffed, and the unmistakable click of a round being chambered.
That was his princess.
22
WHEN TESSA WOKEon Wednesday morning, her first thought was that she must have dreamed the events of the previous evening. Had she really been attacked in her own home? Based on the soreness in her muscles, the answer was a definite yes.
