Zeke glared at Star. “She was right there with you. She was held captive just like you. Why are you attacking her?”
Star laughed again. She flung her arm toward the woman who sat in silence on the couch, watching the exchange. “Do you see Monica? Monica, who is so scared she can barely move. Who was just starting to leave a room alone, and now she’s cowering again because Nina showed up. Nina, who was a sister to the bitch who held us all captive. Who got to choose the men she fucked instead of getting whatever drugged up scum paid for us. Who escaped and ended up with you in some cushy place with new clothes and a personal protector who thinks she’s some gift brought back from the dead.”
“She is a gift,” Zeke argued. “What you all went through was horrible. What Gwendolyn Lennox did to all of you was not okay. But none of it was Nina’s fault. She knew what would happen if she left.”
Star raised a brow. “Really? Because it looks to me like she’s fine. Not dead. How is it everyone else who tried to run ended up in the ground and she’s walking around the city free as a fucking bird? You really think you can trust her? Because from where I’m standing, she’s no different from her ‘sister.’ She’s going to turn on you. She’s going to show her true colors. Just wait.”
“You’re wrong.” Zeke knew it was anger and fear fueling Star. He also knew Nina had been through the same hell, and they were all dealing with it in their own way.
Star shrugged. “You can believe that, but I don’t. I know that whore. And I know what she’s capable of.” She turned to Samuel. “We need to get the fuck out of here. And if you let her near either of us again, you better believe we will disappear, and when we show up again, it’ll be with lawyers and a hell of a lawsuit for emotional trauma and reckless endangerment. Because that bitch is going to tell her sister where we are. And we’re all going to end up dead.”
“No, I won’t,” Nina murmured.
Star scowled at Nina. “I don’t believe it. I don’t believe you. Get us the hell out of here. Now. And don’t tell him where we are. I don’t trust him either.”
Samuel nodded and held his hands out to direct Zeke and Nina toward the door. Samuel walked outside with them. Zeke opened the door for Nina to get in the SUV, then walked around to the other side, where Samuel was waiting.
“Nina is not working with Gwendolyn still,” Zeke assured Samuel.
Samuel nodded. He was a man Zeke had a mountain of respect for. A former Delta, Samuel was smart and ruthless when he had to be. Zeke had never once doubted Samuel’s ability to do a job or his commitment to the team. He would die for any of them, but with a wife and grown daughter, Zeke hoped it never came to that.
“You wouldn’t have brought her here if you were worried. Unfortunately, we have a shitstorm brewing. She never really trusted Austin or me, and now she’s going to have an even harder time. I think we might need to turn these two over to another organization.”
Zeke sighed heavily. “You’re probably right. I’ll get in touch with Lorelei and Adam and see what the FBI can do.”
“Thanks.” Samuel turned to go back, but stopped before he got far. “Was she right about you and Nina?”
Zeke looked at the older man and nodded.
Samuel’s brows shot up. “Does the boss know about you two?”
Zeke shook his head. “No one knows. I’m not sure how she knew.”
“Probably because you were looking at Nina like you wanted to wrap her up and never let her go.”
Zeke exhaled a laugh. “Guess I’m not so good at hiding my feelings.”
Samuel shrugged one shoulder. “None of us are when it comes to love.”
“I guess that’s good to know.”
“You love her?”
Zeke glanced at Nina through the window. Her head was down, her face hidden behind her curtain of hair. Zeke nodded. “Have for years.”
“And you never told Mont?”
“No. She was seventeen… And there was no reason to when she was gone.”
“But she’s back.”
Zeke nodded. “I’m not going to let anything happen to her again.”
“Don’t hold on too tight. That doesn’t always work.”
“I let go before, and we all know what happened.”
“Yeah. She came back.”
