Zane's Redemption
Page 96
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Deflated, he dropped his head. Ah, shit, they might as well kill him now.
“Do you care about her?”
“None of your fucking business!” What did Gabriel want? An outpouring of Zane’s heart? Not gonna happen!
“Well, then I guess you don’t want to know where she is.” Gabriel turned to leave.
Zane stepped forward. “You said they haven’t found her.”
Without looking back, Gabriel baited him further. “That’s right, Amaury and Samson haven’t found her. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know where she is.”
Zane jumped toward Gabriel, slammed his hand onto his boss’ shoulder and whirled him around. “Then where the fuck is she?”
A half smile played around Gabriel’s lips, and Zane had the urge to wipe it off him.
“So you do care.”
Zane released his grip and withdrew further back into his cell. “What do you care?”
“I care because I am torn between ripping you a new one and helping you. And right now, with your shitty attitude, I tend toward ripping you a new one. Can you get that into your thick skull?”
To underscore his statement, Gabriel made a fist and rapped his knuckles on Zane’s bald head.
Insulted, Zane snarled at him. “Don’t pretend you want to help me. You’re not any better than the rest of them!”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said!”
“Goddamn it! Talk if you want me to tell you where she is!”
Zane huffed. “Nobody believed her! Not Samson, none of you. She was telling the truth, damn it! Her father, that sick bastard, was trying to keep her a virgin beyond her twenty-first birthday. Hell, she was asking me to help her. I did. If that makes me a criminal in your eyes, so be it.”
“Eddie and Haven already confirmed that she was a virgin.”
Impatiently, Zane wiped a trickle of perspiration off his brow. “Then what do you want from me?”
“I want to know what happened in Tahoe.”
“We fucked. She left. End of story.” The rest was nobody’s business, not that he loved her and not that she was Müller’s daughter. He’d take on Franz Müller on his own as soon as he got out of this hellhole.
“Stubborn asshole!” Gabriel cursed. “If you don’t talk, I can’t help you.”
Zane crossed his arms over his chest.
“Fine. Be that way. But I’m warning you, Samson won’t show you any leniency.” He stormed to the door. “And for you, jerk, I stood up to Lewis not two hours ago. A waste of time and energy that was! I should have tossed you at his feet and let him rip you apart!”
He slammed the door shut before Zane could answer.
“He’s back? Her father is back?” He hammered his fists against the door, but Gabriel didn’t come back.
Müller was in San Francisco? And Gabriel had seen him? And Zane was locked up, unable to get to him. He cursed three ways to heaven. He’d never been so close to him, not in over six decades. All that separated him from this monster now was this damn door.
Then panic struck him. Gabriel knew where Portia was, even though he hadn’t said so. This could only mean that she was back. Back at home—with her father.
What would Müller do to her? There was no doubt that he would be able to smell that she’d been with a man. Zane’s scent on her, his blood inside her, was still too fresh. In a few days it would have been gone, but Müller had come back too early. He would know instantly, and while he wouldn’t know who’d touched his daughter, he would be furious. Knowing his vile temper, anything could happen.
Why hadn’t he considered this earlier? He’d been so blinded by the fact that Portia was his greatest enemy’s daughter that he’d overlooked the obvious: Müller hadn’t wanted her to lose her virginity, and now that he had to assume—and rightly so—that she had, he would be furious. Without a proper outlet, without Müller being able to lash out at the man who’d robbed his daughter of her virginity, he had only one person to direct his anger at: Portia.
“Let me out of here!” he screamed at the closed door and pounded his fists against it. “Gabriel! Get back here! Get me out! NOW!”
He screamed at the top of his lungs. Seconds passed, minutes followed. He was at the border of being hoarse when there was finally a sound at the other side. When the door opened, he burst through it, but both Samson and Amaury pushed him back inside the cell.
“Let me go! I have to get to her!”
“Do you care about her?”
“None of your fucking business!” What did Gabriel want? An outpouring of Zane’s heart? Not gonna happen!
“Well, then I guess you don’t want to know where she is.” Gabriel turned to leave.
Zane stepped forward. “You said they haven’t found her.”
Without looking back, Gabriel baited him further. “That’s right, Amaury and Samson haven’t found her. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know where she is.”
Zane jumped toward Gabriel, slammed his hand onto his boss’ shoulder and whirled him around. “Then where the fuck is she?”
A half smile played around Gabriel’s lips, and Zane had the urge to wipe it off him.
“So you do care.”
Zane released his grip and withdrew further back into his cell. “What do you care?”
“I care because I am torn between ripping you a new one and helping you. And right now, with your shitty attitude, I tend toward ripping you a new one. Can you get that into your thick skull?”
To underscore his statement, Gabriel made a fist and rapped his knuckles on Zane’s bald head.
Insulted, Zane snarled at him. “Don’t pretend you want to help me. You’re not any better than the rest of them!”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said!”
“Goddamn it! Talk if you want me to tell you where she is!”
Zane huffed. “Nobody believed her! Not Samson, none of you. She was telling the truth, damn it! Her father, that sick bastard, was trying to keep her a virgin beyond her twenty-first birthday. Hell, she was asking me to help her. I did. If that makes me a criminal in your eyes, so be it.”
“Eddie and Haven already confirmed that she was a virgin.”
Impatiently, Zane wiped a trickle of perspiration off his brow. “Then what do you want from me?”
“I want to know what happened in Tahoe.”
“We fucked. She left. End of story.” The rest was nobody’s business, not that he loved her and not that she was Müller’s daughter. He’d take on Franz Müller on his own as soon as he got out of this hellhole.
“Stubborn asshole!” Gabriel cursed. “If you don’t talk, I can’t help you.”
Zane crossed his arms over his chest.
“Fine. Be that way. But I’m warning you, Samson won’t show you any leniency.” He stormed to the door. “And for you, jerk, I stood up to Lewis not two hours ago. A waste of time and energy that was! I should have tossed you at his feet and let him rip you apart!”
He slammed the door shut before Zane could answer.
“He’s back? Her father is back?” He hammered his fists against the door, but Gabriel didn’t come back.
Müller was in San Francisco? And Gabriel had seen him? And Zane was locked up, unable to get to him. He cursed three ways to heaven. He’d never been so close to him, not in over six decades. All that separated him from this monster now was this damn door.
Then panic struck him. Gabriel knew where Portia was, even though he hadn’t said so. This could only mean that she was back. Back at home—with her father.
What would Müller do to her? There was no doubt that he would be able to smell that she’d been with a man. Zane’s scent on her, his blood inside her, was still too fresh. In a few days it would have been gone, but Müller had come back too early. He would know instantly, and while he wouldn’t know who’d touched his daughter, he would be furious. Knowing his vile temper, anything could happen.
Why hadn’t he considered this earlier? He’d been so blinded by the fact that Portia was his greatest enemy’s daughter that he’d overlooked the obvious: Müller hadn’t wanted her to lose her virginity, and now that he had to assume—and rightly so—that she had, he would be furious. Without a proper outlet, without Müller being able to lash out at the man who’d robbed his daughter of her virginity, he had only one person to direct his anger at: Portia.
“Let me out of here!” he screamed at the closed door and pounded his fists against it. “Gabriel! Get back here! Get me out! NOW!”
He screamed at the top of his lungs. Seconds passed, minutes followed. He was at the border of being hoarse when there was finally a sound at the other side. When the door opened, he burst through it, but both Samson and Amaury pushed him back inside the cell.
“Let me go! I have to get to her!”
