CHAPTER NINETEEN
Vienna stroked her cat’s soft white fur as she sat in the dark on top of her bed. Princess purred her approval of Vienna’s attention. The Persian had always demanded to be number one in the household, and when Vienna wasn’t giving her the devotion she felt she deserved, she turned up her little snub nose in pure disdain. Sometimes she would turn her back on Vienna and refuse to associate with her in retaliation.
“My ankle is very sore, Princess,” she told the cat, massaging the small, round-tipped ears. “I’m not certain I’ll be doing much dancing at Stella’s wedding.”
For the hundredth time she looked at the clock on her nightstand. She tried not to worry about Zale and Rainier, but it was impossible given that she knew Larsen was trained in survival. Most likely he’d received that training from the military.
“I should have just told him. I don’t know why I didn’t. You would have advised me to just come clean, wouldn’t you, Princess? Because you’re so wise.”
The cat tilted her head and looked lovingly at Vienna with her soft, wide gaze, purring her answer and tucking in closer.
“Larsen could be every bit as good in the woods as Zale,” she said aloud to the cat. “We don’t know. Maybe he was trained just like Rainier and Zale. I should have insisted on staying instead of letting them load me onto a helicopter with Shabina.”
The cat suddenly mewled a protest and leapt off her just as a voice came from the doorway. “Larsen wasn’t nearly as good as he thought he was.”
Vienna’s heart jumped and then began to pound. Zale stood framed in the doorway looking even better than she remembered. His shoulders were wide, and he looked as if he took up the entire doorframe. He had a way of filling the room with his presence. Just knowing he was alive made her feel weak.
“I was worried about you, Zale.”
“I’m sorry, Snowflake. I don’t want you to be afraid for me. I know what I’m doing when I go after someone. You aren’t going to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. I’m cleaning this mess up.”
That told her exactly nothing about the way he felt about her. She knew she loved him and that she’d much rather live alone waiting for him to return to her than be without him. But she wasn’t certain of his feelings. Had he just been doing his job? She didn’t think he would ever lie just to get a woman in bed. He wouldn’t have to—certainly not her. Eventually, she would have been seduced by him and he had to know that. There was no need to tell her he wanted to be with her permanently.
He came all the way into the room, tossed a duffel bag into the corner and sat on the edge of her bed, bending down to take off his boots. “When we’re given orders, Vienna, we have to follow them. This assignment convinced me I really did want to get out. You’re so damn smart, and I kept giving you as many clues as possible, skating very close to getting myself in trouble, but you trusted me so much it didn’t occur to you that I could be misleading you.”
She swallowed the sudden lump blocking her throat. “Misleading me?”
He turned his head slightly, his dark brown eyes meeting her gaze unflinchingly. His thick dark hair fell across his forehead, giving him more of an untamed look. Normally, the short sides gave him the appearance of a very groomed man. She could see the unruly waves now that he was bent over and the longer hair on the top was revealed. She had spent so many nights with her fingers buried in his hair and the memories welled up.
“Yeah, baby, misleading you. I couldn’t tell you Rainier and I were there specifically to protect you from any threats. Elliot forbade us to talk to you about him being your father, or a possible inheritance, later, when he learned of it. Almost from the beginning, Elliot was certain it was Wallin having the agents killed, but he didn’t know the reason. And then you were invited to the tournament. Eventually, the terms of the bet were uncovered and then it all made sense. Elliot inherited his father’s shares in the hotel and casino. If Wallin could draw him out, he could be killed. Then you would inherit. If you died before Elliot, all to the good.”
She pressed her lips together and continued to watch him remove his boots and socks. He crossed the room and placed his boots beside his duffel bag before turning back to face her. She could see lines of strain on his usually expressionless features.
“I’m going to be as straight and direct with you as possible, Vienna. I’m not willing to give you up, so we’re talking this out once and for all. That will be the end of it. I mean what I say. I know you’re in love with me. I absolutely know that or I wouldn’t be acting like you have no choice here. Obviously, you do.”
She blinked up at him, a little shocked. “Don’t you think it should be easier than this? I’m not trying to throw up roadblocks, and I’m not denying my feelings for you, but at the beginning of a relationship, shouldn’t it be easier?”
“It is whatever it is,” Zale said, coming to sit on the edge of the bed again. His palm slid gently over her bruised and swollen ankle. “Difficult, easy, it doesn’t matter, Vienna, because we’re supposed to be together. You scared the crap out of me, going after Larsen. I had his entire history right in front of me and he was someone pretty damn scary when he served. The thought of you going after him was enough to take ten years or more off my life.”
She plucked at the comforter with nervous fingers. “I had to make certain Raine was able to be put on the helicopter. That meant keeping pressure on him so he couldn’t lie up in a tree somewhere and shoot anyone trying to help her.”
“I’m going to admit I admire you for your choice, but I didn’t like it. And I want you to agree with me that from this time forward, you’ll leave going after killers to me.”
She studied his tough features from under her lashes. A few clouds drifted in front of the moon, throwing shadows across his face. “I can safely say chasing after Larsen terrified me. I don’t see that I’ll be taking that up as a career. I’ve crossed it off my list.”
“This gambling in tournaments seems a risky business as well,” he added.
“I prefer to play online. Having my picture plastered everywhere was disconcerting.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Snowflake. Really? Having people see your picture was the one thing you didn’t like about playing in that tournament? How about Wallin deliberately inviting you to set you up to be murdered? That might be a reason to stay away from those tournaments.”
She pretended to contemplate. “I doubt anyone else wants to kill me because I’m Blom’s daughter, although Blom might. He didn’t seem too excited that I might find out. In any case, Wallin really wanted to play against me. I think in some way he felt if he won, it would vindicate his loss against Liam Gram.”
“Blom doesn’t want you dead, Vienna. I’m sorry he’s not the ideal father.”
She shrugged. “I’ve gone all these years without a father, Zale. I know there are some people who really want and need to know their birth father and mother, but I feel as if I had a wonderful childhood with Mitzi. She’s my mother and she’ll always be my mother. She was my father when I needed it as well. I’m old enough now that I understand some people just aren’t born to be parents. He’s got his life and I have mine. I don’t need anyone to make me happy. I am happy.”
His dark eyes moved over her face. “I don’t have anyone in my life and haven’t for a long time, not since Sophia Vizzini took me in. We may have had a strange relationship, but she was all I had—until I found you. I want you in my life, Vienna. I might not need you in it in order to live, but I’d end up like Rainier—waiting for a bullet to end my misery.”