BYRON RECEIVED DOMINIC’S report on the fire investigation two days later. The official investigation said it was an electrical fire. Something he hadn’t believed considering Zoe’s home was less than ten years old and had no prior electrical issues. After Zoe mentioned her neighbor’s claim to have seen someone around the house, he’d been anxious to find out what was on her security cameras. Initially, the cameras hadn’t caught any unusual activity, but after Dominic had the file reviewed, they discovered the file had been hacked and tampered with. If there had been someone in Zoe’s home before, the proof had been erased.
He had to tell her. He’d spoken to Wesley after the accident. The car that hit them had done so deliberately. He hadn’t wanted to tell Zoe it wasn’t a random hit and run so he wouldn’t scare her. He wasn’t sure if the intent was to hurt him or to hurt Lilah. Things were heating up and whomever was behind this was increasing the intensity of their attacks. He couldn’t leave Zoe in the dark.
He left the campaign office and went to the estate. He’d texted Zoe earlier and asked if she wanted to go to lunch, but she’d had lunch with Elaina. Now she’d be at home waiting on Lilah to get there.
He went straight to the pool house and knocked on the door. Byron glanced around at the bay windows and the door. It was time for her to move into the main house. The pool house was secure and protected on the grounds, but she and Lilah would be safer if they were closer to the family. Zoe liked her independence and the privacy of the pool house, but her safety was more important than privacy.
Zoe opened the door and blinked against the bright sunlight. Her hair was parted asymmetrical down the middle with two large flat twists that connected to a curly ponytail at the back. Her short-sleeved red button-up blouse opened just above her cleavage and dark patterned pants hugged her hips. After she’d blinked a few times and her eyes adjusted to the light, she grinned. Byron almost forgot what he was about to say, the brightness of her smile stunning him.
He wished he could tamper back his response. He’d said he loved her. She hadn’t said the same. He hadn’t said it again. Just because she looked at him with affection in her eyes didn’t mean he could make assumptions about how she felt. He’d done that before, but damn if her smile didn’t make him want to forget the past and just go with the emotions swirling through him.
“I didn’t expect you until later tonight,” she said, stepping back. “Come in.”
Byron entered and pushed the door closed behind him. She immediately came into his arms. His mouth covered hers and he breathed her in. This was easy between them. He liked the way her curves cradled him, the sweet taste of her lips and the way her fingers curled around the lapel of his suit and pulled him closer as if she needed him just as much as he needed her.
“How is your shoulder?” she asked after pulling back.
He rolled his shoulder, which was still stiff and sore after the accident. “It’s better.”
Her brows drew together. “You frowned when you said that. It’s still bothering you, isn’t it?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “I’m not here to talk about my shoulder.”
She grinned and kissed him again. “Then what are you here for?” Her hips shifted forward. “Lilah won’t be here for another hour.”
His dick stiffened. He wasn’t there for that, either. Yet, his body didn’t want to focus on the bad news he’d come with. His body said lift her up, take her to the bedroom and make damn good use of one of the rare moments they had alone together.
Zoe grinned against his mouth. Her hand lowered to cup the growing hardness between them. “Never mind. I think I figured it out.”
Byron groaned and gently pulled her hand way. His body screamed for more attention. His head tried very hard to silence the scream. “Not that, either. I need to talk to you.”
Zoe pulled back and met his eyes. Slowly, the sexy smile on her face faded away. She took a step back and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Let’s sit down.”
“That bad, huh?” She shook her head and went to the couch. “Let me guess. Your dad found out Elaina is trying to purchase his company and now he hates me?”
Byron blinked and tried to process what she said. “Wait...she’s going through with it?” After Zoe’s inspection neither of them had mentioned the purchase again. He’d assumed the plan was off the table.
Zoe’s eyes widened. “Oh, crap! That’s not it?”
Byron pinched the bridge of his nose and settled next to her on the couch. “I actually hoped she’d change her mind.”
“No, she can really turn things around if she does everything she says she will. I’m sorry. Now that she’s getting closer to making the deal, I’m worried Grant’s going to find out and kick me out. Plus, earlier today she was upset. I thought maybe she’d told your dad.”
Byron ran a hand over his chin. “No.” He sighed. Could nothing be easy with his damn family? He couldn’t deal with that right now. “You know what? That’s their fight. We’ve got bigger things to worry about than my dad and Elaina.”
“Are you sure? Once the word gets out don’t you think it’ll look bad on your campaign?”
Just the idea of another media scandal he’d have to navigate made his right eye twitch. The only good thing is they could easily handle Elaina buying their dad’s company as a planned transfer. Elaina’s latest whim was nothing compared to having to face the person who’d doctored the security video at Zoe’s home, and possibly rammed head-on into his car.
“My campaign is about to take a backseat to another problem,” Byron said.
“What could possibly happen now?”
Byron met her eyes. “I don’t think your house fire was an accident.”
Zoe stared at him for several long seconds before her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? We got the fire investigation. It was bad wiring.”
“I wanted to be sure, so I asked Dominic and Jeanette to do a separate investigation. Dominic had the surveillance video around your home checked. It looks like someone tampered with the video. He wasn’t sure why someone would delete the footage of that day and replace it with old footage. Unless...”
“Are you saying someone set my house on fire?” Zoe stood up and paced back and forth.
“I can’t say for sure.”
Zoe glanced around the pool house. Her gaze guarded and suspicious. “And you didn’t think to tell me? Byron, why would you keep this a secret?”
“I wanted to be sure.” Faced with the hurt on her face he wished he would have said something sooner.
“Even if you wanted to be sure you should have told me you were suspicious. I thought Lilah and I were safe.”
“You are. I’m keeping you safe.”
She slashed a hand through the air. “No, you’re keeping me in the dark.”
Byron stood and placed his hands on her arms. She stiffened and his stomach twisted. She hadn’t reacted negatively to his touch in weeks. “I didn’t want to worry you. I just found out today and that’s why I’m here telling you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
Byron sighed. “The emails...they haven’t stopped.”
Zoe stretched her arms until his hands fell away. She took three deep breaths and turned away. When she faced him she opened her mouth a few times as if trying to find the right words. “What do you mean? You said they weren’t linked to anything? I haven’t gotten any more.”
Byron ran his hands over his pants and braced himself for her reaction. “That’s because Dominic set it up so any emails from that address would go to another account.”
“Are you kidding me?” Zoe exclaimed. “You broke into my email?”
“We redirected them.” She turned away and pressed a hand to her forehead. Byron kept talking. Hoping she’d understand. “Dominic needed more time to try and track down where they were coming from.”
She spun and pointed an accusing finger. “You told me they were coming from some spammer farm location.”
“I didn’t want you to be afraid.”
She stepped forward. “I’ve been afraid my entire life. I’ve always lived in fear.” Her voice shook. “I was afraid my dad would come home and fight my mom. I was afraid Kendell would slap me because I spent too long at a volunteer event with you. I was afraid he’d find out about Lilah and come back. My life is fear.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Which is why I wanted you to feel safe.”
Zoe jerked out of his touch. “No, you wanted to leave me unprotected. You created a false sense of security, so I’d go along with things and be your perfect political partner.”
Byron staggered back. Her words as much of a shock as a slap to the face. “That’s not true. All I care about is your and Lilah’s safety.”
“No, you don’t. Lilah and I were safe before. I handled things.”
“Your house was set on fire. What if the two of you were in there? I have the resources to track down the threat.”
She crossed her arms. “Have you?” Her voice was an accusation.
“Not yet, but we’re close.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “What did I say. We’re unprotected. I let my guard down because I thought I could trust you. I believed you would keep us safe, but you haven’t done that.”
He’d done everything in his power to try and protect her. How could she not understand that? “I’m telling you now so we can figure out what to do. First, you need to move into the main house.”
“I’m not moving into the house. We’re leaving.” Zoe walked past him to the bedroom.
“Have you lost your mind? You can’t leave.”
She whirled on him. “Yes, we can and we are. I’ll go someplace new. We’ll start over. We did it once, we can do it again.”
“Your face and Lilah’s face are all over the news. You can’t hide anymore. People will know you. You have to stay here. You have to rely on me.” As soon as the words left his mouth he knew they were the absolute wrong thing to say. She didn’t want to rely on him or anyone else.
Her eyes widened. Zoe shook her head. She backed up several paces. “No.”
Byron wanted to rush to her and pull her into his arms. Instead, he held up his hands. He tried to keep his voice calm. “Zoe, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s going to be okay. I know this is a lot, but we can get through this. I can help you.”
Her gaze focused on him. “Oh, my God,” she said as if coming to a realization. She let out a shaky laugh. “I can’t believe it. I tried so hard to stand on my own, but I’m right back in the same situation. I trusted you, and instead you kept me in the dark and controlled things so I’d have to rely on you. We can’t hide. Everyone knows Lilah as yours. If I run, you’d send Dominic to find me. I’m trapped.”
Byron watched the trust she’d had in him seep out of her eyes. He felt like he was falling into a hole. One he’d dug and couldn’t escape from. “You’re not trapped. We’ll figure this out together.”
She shook her head. Tears filled her eyes. “I said I wouldn’t be here again, but I walked right into this. I’m so stupid.” Her hands clenched into fists.
“You’re not stupid.” He couldn’t help it. He went to her and placed his hands on her forearms. Her flinch broke his heart. “Zoe, I love you. I only wanted to help.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. She pulled away and wrapped her arms around her chest. “I’ve heard that before. I’d say you don’t love me, but isn’t this what love is? Control. You have all the control over my life, my daughter, and if I try to escape, you’ll just pull me back.”
Escape? The word tore into his heart. No, this wasn’t how things were to go. He wasn’t trying to control her. He wasn’t trying to force her into anything. He’d thought he was making things better. He’d thought he was protecting her.
“Zoe, I was only trying to protect you.”
“I never wanted protection. I only wanted a partner.” Her sharp words were like a razorblade across his heart.
“Zoe.” He reached for her.
She jerked back and hastily wiped the tears from her face. Her eyes were cold as they met his. “Promise me you’ll make sure Lilah gets extra protection.”
“Of course, but Zoe let’s talk some more. I need you to understand.”
“No more talking. Right now the important thing is making sure Lilah stays safe. We’ll move into the main house today. Will you please include me in any updates on the investigation?” Her voice was weak, defeated.
“Absolutely, we’ll work together.”
She shook her head. “No, we won’t. You’ll find out what’s happening, come up with a plan and tell me what to do. You always wanted to be like your father. Apparently, you’re just like him.” With that she turned, went into the bedroom and slammed the door.