Being Zolt (24 page)

“Fine.” I twisted a strand of my hair, and Zolt stilled my hand with his.

“She reminds you of your mother, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah,” I croaked out and swallowed the lump in my throat. Most of the time, I could get through the day without missing her, Chris, and even my father. Today it hit me hard, though, and my normal survival tactics failed me.

Zolt kissed my hair and for a quick moment, I gave myself over to his comfort. But the moment quickly faded when the door opened and the nurse escorted Delaney in.

“Irelyn! What are you doing here?” Delaney turned and watched the door close, then turned back to us. Her almond-shaped, brown eyes—very much like my own—widened with surprise. “Dr. Wilson?”

“Delaney, dear, you know I’ve been worried about you. Yesterday, I received a call from Irelyn Hamil.”

“Okay, but I don’t understand. Marcus will not be happy about this.” She nervously pulled on the jacket of her black track suit. She looked drawn and thinner than she had two weeks ago when I’d last seen her. Gone was her ebony hair and intense blue eyes.

Holy shit!
I thought.
We really do look like each other.
Though blonde, her hair had been cut into a cute pixie style; the resemblance came close to unnerving me.

“Sit, Delaney. Let’s talk.” Dr. Wilson ushered her to a chair and poured her a glass of water.

“This is about Kenna, isn’t it?” Delaney said, taking the glass and gripping it so tightly her knuckles turned white.

“It is, but it is also about you. I didn’t forget what you said in the note you slipped me that day.” I kept my intonation calm and reassuring.

“Before I could get her home and tended to the night of the AZ Cardinals’ Gala, Irelyn made me promise we’d help you,” Zolt said. He, too, had adopted the same calm tone. I was glad T-bone had decided not to come. We didn’t want to scare her more than we already were, and T was one intimidating dude.

“But your help will come at a price. Everything in my world comes at a price.” Delaney stared at her water, and then her brown eyes found mine. “I understand now why Marcus has been more focused on you and Zolt. I can’t believe you’re married. I mean, I’m glad you are, but in doing so you’ve made an even greater enemy of Marcus. I’ll do what I can, but he’s ruthless, and he hates being bested.”

I moved my chair so I faced Delaney. Then, I drew in a breath and asked my questions without preamble. “Do you love Marcus, Delaney?”

Her head snapped up, and she almost dropped her water.

Dr. Wilson took the glass from her trembling hand and set it on her desk.

“I don’t know how to answer that. If I say yes, you’ll think I’m a monster just like him. I’m not.” Tears glistened in her eyes, and she blinked several times.

“No, Delaney,” I said and took her hand. “Neither Zolt nor I will think you’re a monster. What I do think is you’re a woman stuck in a situation she doesn’t know how to get out of. I understand how that feels. Before Zolt, I felt trapped by Marcus, too. In fact, if Zolt hadn’t moved back, I’d probably still be with him. So I understand, and we can help you, but we need your help in return.”

Zolt leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his thighs with his fingers interlaced.

“We’re on the verge of ending Marcus’s reign in this town—we have the necessary evidence. But if we do it before we get Kenna back, I’m afraid we’ll never get her back.”

“You’re right to be concerned,” Delaney said. “Marcus has a plan in place that if anything should happen to him, Kenna and several other women will be executed. No questions asked. I’ve done my best to help them, but now I’m out of time. Honestly, I’m terrified of what Marcus will do after I’m gone.”

I looked over at Dr. Wilson then back to Delaney, who brushed a tear from her eye.

“The treatments are no longer working,” she continued. “My body has quit responding, and I’ve decided to stop all treatments. I haven’t told Marcus yet. He’ll freak out, and I don’t want to be responsible for the hurt he’ll dish out to the women he has captive.”

Zolt and I glanced at each other and he took my hand. My heart broke for Delaney. I decided there and then that I’d do whatever I could to help her.

“Come with us, Delaney. Let us take care of you. Help us and we’ll make sure Marcus pays for everything he’s done. I give you my word.”

“As I said, I’m willing to help, but honestly, I don’t have much influence over Marcus.”

“I think you do,” Zolt said and straightened in his chair. “It’s no coincidence my wife looks like the woman who once carried his child.”

“You know about that?” Delaney covered her mouth with her hand and she closed her eyes. Then, she opened them and said, “That was so long ago. We were incredibly young and our lives were miserable. It’s not his fault, you know; Marcus is a product of his upbringing. His father, my stepfather, was an evil, demented man. Marcus did his best to protect me, especially after my mother’s death. When George Xavier discovered our secret, he attacked me, kicking me in the stomach until Marcus pulled him off me and bashed his head in with the leg of a chair George had thrown at Marcus. I’ll never forget that day.” She touched the scar on her face. “He gave me this scar.”

“Anyway, we ran, leaving the evil, old man to die in the puddle of his own blood. Unfortunately, it was too late for our baby; I ended up in the hospital where I miscarried. Marcus wanted us to get married, but we were both underage and the state wouldn’t allow it. In fact, we were both sent to live in different homes, and for a while, I was in a mental institution.” She sighed and stared off into the distance.

“We tried to stay in touch, but eventually life sent us in opposite directions. When we reconnected, he wasn’t the boy I’d loved. He’d turned into an even more terrifying version of his father. I hid from him in Europe, but he found me earlier this year. When I relented and came back, I thought if I just loved him enough, my Marcus would come back to me. I did things I’m not proud of—terrible things. But I tried to protect the women he used.” She sniffed and her gaze drifted off into the distance then returned.

“My Marcus died the day we were separated; I know that now. My absence from his life turned him into the monster he is now, and for that, I’m sorry.”

“Delaney,” I said, squeezing her hand. “That is not your fault. Marcus had choices, and he made the wrong ones. I’m sorry about the abuse he suffered as a child, but that doesn’t excuse what he’s done. Please, don’t take on his sins as your own. They don’t belong to you.”

“Maybe.” She removed her hand from mine. She sat back in her chair, and her eyes hardened with resolve. “And maybe if I would have tried harder, stayed in his life and worked through my fear, maybe, just maybe, my Marcus would still be here.”

Zolt and I looked at each other, his expression as bleak as the one I surely donned.

“I’m glad you two found your way back to each other. I hated what he’d done to you, Irelyn. I don’t understand his need to have you, and I’ll admit I’ve been jealous of you on more than one occasion. But I hated those awful images he exposed you to. I tried to talk him out of his plan to capture you.” Delaney drew in a quaking breath. “I was there the night Marcus murdered your brother. Chris tried to protect me from one of Marcus’s fits of rage. Your brother and I cared about each other, and I warned him to get away from him. But Chris stayed to protect you.”

“I know,” I said and took a breath. “Delaney, Marcus used to call out your name when we had sex. I didn’t question it because I didn’t care. But now I see it for what it is. Marcus is a sick fuck, Delaney. He’s a murderer, a rapist, and God knows what else. But for all of that, he cares about you. It’s so unfair given everything that we have to ask for this favor; I wish it could be otherwise. Here’s the thing: if we don’t ban together to stop him, sweet girls like Kenna will continue to pay a very steep price. Please, say you’ll help us; we won’t succeed without you.”

Delaney stood, pulled down her jacket and kicked up her chin. “I’ll help you. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure Marcus doesn’t hurt anyone else.”

We settled Delaney in a safe house provided by T-bone and waited for her cell to ring. While we hung out, we made small talk and Delaney and Irelyn seemed to get on well. But even in the comfortable surroundings, a nervous edge dominated the room.

When Delaney’s phone rang, we all shut up. Even T-bone looked apprehensive, standing in the corner like a silent sentinel.

“Hi, Marcus. Sorry, but Delaney can’t come to the phone.” I put my hand in the pockets of my jeans and rocked back on my heels, willing myself to be calm—sound calm.

“Where the fuck is she, Zolt? Where’s Delaney?” I put the phone on hands-free so T-bone, Irelyn, and Delaney could hear Marcus’s rant.

“Delaney is here with Irelyn and me. Say hello, Delaney.”

“Hi Marcus,” she said with a shaking voice.

“Are you all right?” Marcus asked.

“She’s fine. For now,” I answered for Delaney. The threat was empty, of course; we’d never do anything to harm her, but Marcus didn’t know that.

“What do you want, Zolt?” I could tell by his tight voice that his teeth were clenched.

“Kenna Campbell. Return her to us safe and sound, and we’ll return Delaney to you in the same manner. Oh, and one other thing: leave Arizona, Marcus. Scottsdale no longer wants you here.”

“And if I don’t? What exactly do you think you can do to me, Hamil?” Marcus gritted out.

“For starters, Delaney will disappear and you’ll never see her again. And beyond that, well, let’s just say we have plans. Big plans.”

“You think you can manipulate me? I own this fucking town!” Marcus yelled and a crash sounded in the background.

Delaney jumped, and Irelyn put her arm around the frightened woman.

“Not anymore, Marcus. But it’s up to you. You’ve heard our terms.”

There was silence on the phone and then a relented sigh. “Fine. When and where?”

“The O’Shea ranch in two hours. I believe you’re familiar with it?”

“You know I am.”

“By yourself. No driver, no thugs, just you. And don’t try anything, Marcus. T-bone has his boys crawling all over it. You and your car will be searched before you’re allowed on the property.”

“Whatever.”

The line went dead. I let out a long breath and sat in the nearest chair. “Are you all right, Delaney?”

“Sure. Just nervous. Marcus won’t rollover without a fight. Don’t underestimate him.”

“We won’t,” Irelyn said and sat next to me. “We’re prepared. Thanks to my brother and his list, we know the sex club’s member’s names.”

“Is that how you found me?”

“Yes,” I answered. “Your name was on the list with a star by it. We figured you must be someone important.”

Delaney started pacing. “Won’t all the people who have been involved with Marcus—with his club and other illegal activities—won’t they be in as much trouble as he will be?”

“We’ve got him, Delaney. Marcus will be stripped of most everything and forced from the state--and possibly the country when all is said and done,” I said, placing one ankle over the other knee.

“How? I don’t understand,” Delaney asked as she continued her pacing. She looked extremely pale, and I worried she’d pass out from stress, from her illness, or from a combo of both.

“We have this, Delaney. This is what we do,” T-bone said, coming out of the corner.

“I’m sure you do, Mr. Stanley. It’s just that Marcus won’t ever give up. No matter what happens, he’ll never give up on me, ever. He’s always said that and I believe him.”

“He will now. The reason Marcus has been so powerful is that he has kept the membership secret. No one knew who else was in the club. They all wore masks when in the common area. But we’ve brought them all together and united them against Marcus. These aren’t just any men; these are men of considerable wealth and power on their own. Together, they can force him to yield by freezing his money, threatening to turn him into the Department of Justice, or any number of things. Some of them have extensive criminal connections that Marcus wouldn’t want turning on him. He’s done for, and I guarantee he won’t see this coming.”

“But he’ll be free?” Delaney asked. She stopped her pacing and played with the zipper of her jacket.

“I know what you’re thinking, Delaney,” Irelyn said, her voice quavering. “It has taken everything in me not to kill him myself. Because of Marcus, my family is gone. But I won’t stoop to his level; stripping him of his power and money will be torture enough. We have the means to make sure he never gets them back.”

Irelyn walked over to Delaney and took both of her hands in her own. “Marcus is done. He’ll be out of all our lives for good. In just a few hours, you’ll be free.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you; I do. I believe you all believe this will work.” Delaney stepped back from Irelyn and wrapped her arms around herself.

I found myself wanting to comfort her, but I didn’t know how. I ran my hands through my hair to relieve some of my frustration.

“I know Marcus in ways you all don’t. He’ll find a way; he always does. He swore to me only death would keep us apart.” She turned her gaze to me, and I saw the fear spark in her brown eyes.