didn’t do anything wrong!” The words burst from her lips, the need to defend herself as strong as it always had been.
“I’m not saying you did. What I meant was, why would you turn to me?”
“You were there.”
He waited. Then said, “And?”
Zoe shrugged. It wasn’t the connection. There was one, but that wasn’t it. She hadn’t known before she got in the car that being in here with Jude Brauer would feel so...safe.
“You have to talk, Zoe. You have to tell me something so I know how to help you.”
“What about getting back to work? That’s the excuse you gave Mrs. McAffrey.”
“It wasn’t an excuse. I am working—it’s why I was at the Laundromat. To talk with Moose.”
Her arm on the duffel bag tightened on a reflex. Jude’s glance went to it, not missing a single thing. Why couldn’t she have been better at this cloak-and-dagger, superspy stuff?
Zoe sighed. “That’s why I can’t talk to the cops. They’ll think I had something to do with Moose’s business.” Technically, they wouldn’t be wrong. No, she wasn’t a regular customer. She didn’t know, or want to know, who his usual customers were. But she had hired his services. If Jude wanted to question her about Moose, she wouldn’t have anything to tell him. She hadn’t transacted anything with Moose before he died. The introduction had been conducted through a third party, and today was only the second time she’d even seen the man.
Jude studied her. Great. He probably thought she was a criminal. “How did that shooter know you?”
Zoe measured her words. “I’ve seen him before, several times over the past three weeks. Usually just out the corner of my eye, or on the street. Today was the closest he’s come, and look at what happened.”
She’d always been able to slip away, and yet it seemed like he’d known exactly where she would be today. Had Moose, or the man who’d introduced her to him, sold her out? No, Moose had come out and confronted the man with a shotgun. The man who made the introductions had been killed in a drive-by the week before.
Zoe rubbed her hands down her face. That random “accident” suddenly didn’t seem so random. Had this whole thing been a setup?
Jude didn’t let up. “He didn’t hurt you. Does he have other plans for you?”
She lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t know.”
That was the truth—ish. Zoe did know why the man wanted her, she didn’t know what he was going to do with her.
Jude sighed, then started up the car.
“Are you taking me to the police, or turning me into your people?” She’d come so close to actually getting herself and her son and sister out of this. Instead, this was the end of the line. Unless she could somehow convince Jude she hadn’t done anything to warrant being turned in.
Could she talk about it? That night had been so harrowing she didn’t even know if she could say it out loud.
“I’m not taking you in,” he said in a tight voice. Trying to convince himself?
Zoe glanced out the window, relieved he wasn’t pushing her. If she asked, would he drive her where she wanted to go? There was only one way to find out. “Take the next exit.” Zoe needed to hold her son. “Please.” Her voice sounded small even to her own ears.
He took the exit. He could drop her a few streets over from the house her sister had rented with cash, and he would never know where she was headed. So long as he didn’t follow her. She’d have to be careful.
Jude said, “I really want to take you back to the office. You have no idea how badly I want to do that.”
Zoe nodded, whether he saw it or not. She knew he’d locked the rear doors of the SUV while she’d been laugh-crying. She hadn’t been oblivious.
“Maybe you should.” It was tempting. So tempting. “But you should know, the last time I talked to the police I was followed home that same day. I never heard from the officer again, and I didn’t want to call him if he was the one who betrayed me. After that, I went to my local church. I guess I figured at least God would be on a minister’s side.” She shook her head. What a mess. “No one can help me, Jude.”
“Maybe I can.”
“I can’t trust you with what I know. As much as I want to, I can’t tell you what I saw—” She slapped a hand over her own mouth to stop the flow of words.
“Why get in my SUV if you don’t want my help?”
“I don’t even know what I want.” Maybe that was a lie, maybe she wanted the connection of someone else in the world—apart from her son and her sister—knowing she was here and that she needed help. Just knowing.
Jude frowned, but headed in the direction she indicated. Ten minutes later he pulled into the neighborhood behind the one where the house was located. She could cross the park behind this street and cut through to the street behind.
“What is...”
She glanced over and saw him peer through the passenger window to a cloud of smoke. Zoe cracked the door and a waft of burning wood hit her nostrils.
“Fire.”
Zoe practically dived out of the car and set off running down the street. Jude got out and locked the car, then chased after her as she ran down an alley between two houses.
He pursued her toward the fire. Her house? Did she know if there were people inside?
At the end of the alley, he stumbled off the sidewalk onto grass. The fence gave way to an open space. Trees and a playground. Jude had spent many Friday nights hanging out at parks just like this as a rebellious teen, pushing back against his father, a pastor. He’d excelled at doing what everyone said was wrong and had the scars to prove it.
Zoe tore across the park like everything she loved, or cared about, was in danger. Was she married? She had no ring, but some people didn’t wear one. She could have a husband or boyfriend at home, though in his opinion no man worth anything sent a woman into a dangerous situation alone. And that was exactly what she’d done. Zoe had walked into—and out of—that Laundromat by herself.
Jude didn’t know whether to be impressed or exasperated by her.
He followed Zoe until the source of the smoke was in view, a tiny square house whose peeling paint was now melting from the siding. She raced down the sidewalk, and he knew what she was going to do. It would be so tempting to go inside and try to save whoever she had left behind. To play the part of hero, instead of waiting for the fire department. But it was too dangerous—the fire was too advanced.
He pumped his arms and legs and caught up to her just as she was about to cross the grass. Jude grabbed her. Before she could wriggle out of his grip, he wrapped his arms around her.
