Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 539(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
And that same aftertaste in his mouth again the day before with Tanya in front of him had brought those emotions back just briefly, though one look at her and he knew that she truly didn’t have a scheming bone in her body.
Three days after Zane and Arla were married, she told him in the dark, “I wanted you the first time I saw you and I knew you’d be my husband some day. I was willing to do anything to make that happen.”
She said it with pride and in a way that Zane knew she fully expected him to feel happiness that Arla had been so certain of their future.
It didn’t have that effect on him. To him, it meant that she wanted him on looks alone. On something she’d measured when she first saw him. And it hadn’t appealed to him at all. Because lust was lust, but love was deeper. And there was a time when Zane would’ve said that deep love took time.
He now knew it didn’t have to take more than four days. Day four since meeting Tanya, though he’d had his eye on her for weeks before that through watching the live streams, and he was excited about the future because with how much he already felt, how much would he feel in another week? A month? Five years?
She was lit up with life, with vivaciousness. And she made him smile, made him laugh, made him ready to explore what his own ‘bucket list’ items were. First on that list for him was that he wanted to give her everything she wanted. And more.
And she had been nurturing when he’d told her of his issue with his brother. She brought him coffee, when he could easily get his own coffee. How she went out of her way that morning to even let Daylin off the hook by blowing him a kiss when it was clear the boy felt guilt about his part in the events of the day before. She gave Zane her touch and that was a balm to the frustration that had been leaking out of him since finding out Joran had been in his office, then in his home and left with the weapon.
Zane had another of them, at his office, in the showroom where all the examples of his products and technological inventions were.
Why had Joran come back for that when he had already emptied a warehouse filled with these things?
His eyes caught sight of something on the floor. He reached and lifted a scrap of paper and immediately recognized the script.
Z:
It’s been a minute, I guess. You know me best so you know I have reasons.
Apologies for the other day. I did not know this was your house until later. I need that weapon that was left here but am not ready to talk so had to come in when I saw you leave. I’ll be in touch as soon as it’s safe to do so. Please bring home the original from your company if you can. I couldn’t find it there. You need to have the means to protect her if things heat up. And they might.
Don’t track me down. I’d say don’t give me up to authorities but I already know you won’t. Pls tell father I’m sorry.
Trust?
J
Trust. With that word alone, Zane felt a massive and crushing weight disappear from his body. How had he forgotten about what that word meant between them?
The two brothers only ever had to utter that one word. The other words in the note would not have even been necessary. All Zane needed was that one to know that his brother needed him to have faith that he had issues to deal with and that they would be dealt with.
That Joran felt the need to try to explain, even as minimally as he did made Zane feel guilt for the way his mind had spun around and around the limited amount of information he had.
Zane’s father entered.
“He left a note.” Zane passed the note to his father.
And when Ollie Zenith Sr. read that note, Zane saw him visibly relax.
“If he needs our help, he’ll call us,” Zane’s father said.
And for the Zenith men, that was that. Joran was somehow involved with this rogue group and he had warned Zane to ensure he was armed.
“Can you stay here with Tanya while I run to the office quickly?”
“Of course. Retrieving the other weapon, I take it?”
“Correct. I was going to bring it home to have protection, but I need to hand a weapon in to Nova for his evidence.”
Ollie Sr. looked at his son. “I have one next door. You can give Nova that one.”
The Zenith men then exchanged meaningful looks that didn’t need words.
They were worried about Joran’s situation, his involvement in this rogue group. But Joran was alive. He was alive and would not be staying away permanently. For now, it was enough.