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congressman father. Whatever her goal, Katz had no compunction
about stepping over anyone or anything to get what she wanted.
She was young for her rank not much older than Zoe and as the
day progressed, Zoe suspected more than merit had placed her in
her current position. She d come too far and too fast for someone
so young.
Black suit changed to red. She lost the French twist and fluffed
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her shoulder-length blonde hair into bed-tousled waves. A fresh
layer of makeup defined sharp cheekbones and made her dark
brown eyes stand out. All of this while an officer drove them to the
studio. The final touch to Katz s new ensemble was three-inch red
stiletto heels that gave her the illusion of height. Zoe got that
message loud and clear Katz wouldn t be overshadowed by her
charge.
Somehow Zoe suspected Media Relations didn t have a clue
about the depth of Katz s ambition or that she d summarily
dismissed the protection detail assigned to Zoe. She d cited the
phalanx of reporters as protection enough. She also ignored Zoe s
concerns about having spied Xavier in the crowd. Never bothered
to look.
Each time Zoe thought she saw him, Xavier ducked away. It
scared the piss out of her. Everywhere they went, there he was.
The hospital was no exception. He lingered on the periphery of the
crowd, shooting her a smirk before fading into the growing
shadows.
His hands were deep in his jacket pockets, hinting at a weapon.
Shouting out wasn t an option. Zoe would be putting innocent
bystanders at risk. But Xavier was bolder now, ready to make a
move, and they d be headed to the funeral home for a condolence
call on Tolliver s family after they finished visiting DiCarlo here.
 There s one final stop I want to make. The staccato rap of
stilettos clicking on the floor bored a hole through Zoe s head. It
was a wonder there weren t gouges in the tile.  There s a Right To
Life meeting tonight. We ll go there. You lost a child, no thanks to
that man. Granted it was a miscarriage and his forcing you into an
abortion would carry more weight, but they ll run with it anyway.
Zoe s last straw.  Stop. She jerked to a standstill, forcing Katz
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and her Ken-doll assistant Josh Douglas to halt. Katz scowled. Josh
held his breath.
 What?
What now was implied. It snapped that last hold Zoe had on her
patience. She stepped into Katz s space, forcing the woman to look
up& because she sure as hell refused to back away.
 I m telling you I saw Xavier again. He was on the edge of the
crowd when we arrived. He smirked at me and ducked away. Zoe
poked her finger in Katz s face.  You do something now.
A long-suffering sigh followed.  Check it out. A head jerk
sent Josh on his way.  Could we move on? We re on a tight
schedule. She continued down the hall, expecting Zoe to follow.
 No, we re not. We re done. I m done. She dug her cell phone
from her purse as she started in the opposite direction.  I ll take
care of this myself. If you won t call for help, I will.
 Don t you dare!
Katz s heels clicked on the slick tile behind Zoe. A squeal
jerked Zoe around. Katz s eyes rounded in fear, arms windmilled.
Zoe grabbed for her and missed. Her head hit the floor and
bounced, then hit again. Like a bowling ball hurled down a lane.
Katz s eyes fluttered close; her body went limp.
Zoe knelt beside her.  Lieutenant Katz. Valerie. She patted
her cheek, felt for a pulse and found it strong and steady.
 What did you do? Josh skidded to the floor next to her.  Get
help! Go get help! I can t leave her. I just can t leave her.
Valerie& baby& wake up! He cradled her body, uncaring if he
caused her further injury. Tears poured down his cheeks.
Zoe hurried to the entrance, where she knew security and the
receptionist could alert the hospital of Katz s medical needs.
Within minutes, they whisked Katz to the emergency room.
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Josh was a blubbering mess, reporters swarmed ER, and Zoe was
on her own. She sneaked into the nearest family restroom and
called 9-1-1.
Relief trickled through her tense muscles afterward. Help was
on the way. Maybe even Frank.
Leaning against the door, she closed her eyes and tried to will
away those emotions. Not thinking about him today had been
impossible. She measured his every word and action, wondering if
any of it had been real or merely part of the game. Of course,
Alicia had seen the earlier news brief and had questions about
Frank. Zoe dodged them during their brief conversation, using
Katz s schedule as an excuse not to talk. She knew once she started
explaining Frank to Alicia, tears wouldn t be far behind. Her sister
could know she was a lovesick fool later when the world wasn t
watching. Zoe would deal with those insane feelings while Frank
was gone next week. With luck, they could put this all behind
them, overlook the sex, and return to the camaraderie they d
enjoyed once he got back.
A knock at the door shattered her privacy.
 I need you out here. Josh s voice shook.
Resigned to consoling him and having to face reporters on her
own, Zoe sighed and opened the door& into her worst nightmare.
Back to the wall, Xavier pressed the barrel of a .40 caliber
under Josh s chin. Sweat mingled with Josh s tears. Xavier
grinned. The crowd of personnel, reporters, and patients watched,
frozen in fear. Her purse plopped to the floor, the sound loud in the
eerie silence.
 Good hunt, chica. Xavier s he-he-he dredged up ancient
horror.  But I m tired of playin games.
Help was on the way. All Zoe had to do was stall him. Surely
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one of those reporters had a camera running. The situation would
be breaking news. She d appeal to Xavier s vanity& get him to
share his side of the story.
Zoe lifted her palms, slowly fanning the air.  You don t want
to do this, Xavier. It s not you. Not a gun. No, fists and knives
were his style. He got off on bruising, loved the way skin parted
under a razor sharp blade. He loved torture, physical and
emotional. A handgun ended the thrill too quickly, but he d content
himself on the emotional trauma a fully-loaded weapon wrought.
 Let the man go, Xavier. He s done nothing to you. We all
know it s me you want. You found me fair and square. I ll go [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]