Page 4 of Secret Redemption

“What happened?” Zack asked, taking in Liam’s black eye.

“I walked out to go after Drew, and he clocked me on the noggin. Knocked me clean out.”

Zack looked at Daniel. “Take him to the medical room and get some ice on the cut on his head.”

Grinning at Liam’s grousing, Daniel followed the cockney from the room.

Zack was gonna bloody kill Zin when he got hold of him, and at that precise moment, he wasn’t sure if that was a literal or figurative threat.

Celeste sniffed louder, and Zack remembered the woman in his arms.

“I’ll get you some water,” said Ava, and Zack looked at her imploringly and frowned. The slight tip of her sensual mouth was the only sign that she found his predicament amusing. She knew he didn’t do situations like this, the minx. Zack watched her saunter away in her tight pencil skirt, and the need to make her his filled him again.

He felt Celeste sniffle against his shirt and Samson nuzzled her arm. She lifted away and laughed at him. “I’m sorry, I’m making you uncomfortable, and to be honest, I could do with some space.”

Zack released her and put some space between them. “Feel better now?” Celeste nodded, looking relieved.

Ava returned to where they were sitting and handed Celeste a glass of water. She took it, and Zack watched as she drank half of it in one go.

“I think you should tell my brother to come home” she announced calmly and Zack froze, his body going rigid. She dipped her head and then looked back up at him. “You should probably know that I have a gift, although you could call it more of a curse,” she snorted angrily.

Zack leaned back, every muscle in his body going tight.

Ava looked at Zack worriedly, before focusing back on Celeste. “Sweetie, what are you talking about?”

Celeste stroked her hand over Samson’s head. “I have a brother. You’ve met him,” she said with her eyes still firmly on Zack.

Zack dropped his head and swore, “Fuck! When did you find out?”

Celeste smiled sadly. “When I was fifteen,” she said, shocking the shit out of Zack.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because he was trying to keep me safe, and although we’d never met, I knew he loved me.”

Zack was about to ask how she knew that when Dane and Nate came back in. Both wore expressions of annoyance and confusion as they strode straight towards them.

“We lost him,” Dane stated. He looked as shocked as the rest of them.

Zack nodded, he wasn’t surprised by that. Zin was the best ghost they’d had, and up until that moment it had been an asset, but now, was a nightmare. They now had to find one of the most dangerous men alive, who until thirty minutes ago, had been a colleague and friend.

“Okay. Dane put in a call to Lucy and Sly. Tell them to get their asses back home. Also, put in a call to General Drake and warn him. It seemed as if Zin was talking to Ava and I wouldn’t put it past him to go after her family.” Lucy Bennett and Jace “Sly” Ward, were engaged and had gone away for a few days. Only Lucy and Ava ever called him Jace though. Lucy was a computer expert as well as a deadly operative, and Sly was ex-military like most of the team. They would need both their areas of expertise to help find Zin.

Dane’s face went stormy, and Zack understood why after everything his family had lost lately. “What makes you think he’d do that?”

“It’s what I would do. The family is the weak link.”

Dane nodded and went to make the call.

“Nate, make sure all the women are covered. I do not want Zin going after them.”

“On it,” Nate replied, and turned away.

Zack turned his attention back to Celeste and assessed her with a look. How the fuck did she know about Kanan, or was she just hedging?

“Celeste, I think we need to talk, and I think maybe you have some explaining to do.” Zack knew he did too, but he sure as shit wasn’t going to admit that now. Celeste nodded, and he stood. “Go take a minute to freshen up and then we will all sit down and discuss what the fuck just happened.”

“Okay,” she murmured and walked to the door, Samson as ever by her side. As far as Zack was concerned that dog was getting a big fat juicy steak as soon as he could arrange it.

He watched as Ava followed her friend. She looked back as she went through the door and gave him a strange look which he struggled to interpret. He didn’t understand women at all. They spent half their time confusing you and the other half making you want to take them to bed and live out every fantasy you’d had since you were a teenage boy.