Knowing Vera (Romantic Suspense, Family Drama) (Chance for Love) Read online

  “That was lovely, the dance.” My voice trails. You …

  “You’re what’s lovely,” he says, in a voice guaranteed to melt my heart and make me yearn. “The more I know about you, the more I like you.”

  I can’t get over how much he’s changed. I was immune to his put-on charm, his star athlete’s persona, but this? If this is the real Zach … I’m toast. I won’t ever want to let this gem go.

  The moment gets awkward since I haven’t responded. Zach moves my hand to his knee, the one that ends with the stump. “Does this bother you?”

  “Of course not.” I see the doubt in his expression. “I wish it didn’t happen to you. It makes me sad, but from now on, I’ll treat you like any other man. No telling you what you can or can’t do, no cutting you any slack and no more nursing, okay?”

  “That’s what I want.” A sexy smile slides over his face. “But you can play nurse anytime.”

  I wet my lips and shift uncomfortably. Is he going to make out with me or are we still talking? If he’ll quit looking at me like he wants to devour a particularly delectable morsel, maybe I can actually think.

  “So, what do we do now?” I wish I didn’t sound so suggestive. His closeness is tempting, but we’re redefining our relationship.

  He tilts my face toward him. “I want you to consider being more than friends with me.”

  How can I agree when things are so unsettled?

  “Depends on what it means.” My heart’s doing jumping jacks urging me to accept. I press a hand on his chest. “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I can’t sleep with you anymore. I thought about what you said, about how empty it is. I’m going away soon. At least when the agency places me.”

  “Right by me. Let’s enjoy the time we have. I already know you’re dynamite in bed. We Aussies do everything upside down and backwards, anyway.” He tickles the side of my temple. “Now I want to know what’s in that head of yours.”

  A strange sensation of elation and dread mix in my chest. I feel like I’m a tiny girl hiding in the corner and a spotlight is shining on me. I swallow, unable to bear the earnest gaze of his starry blue eyes. “I don’t even know myself sometimes. I’m really not that interesting.”

  “You’d be surprised.” He takes my hand. “Want to go out tonight?”

  “Sure, er … I need to freshen up.” I grab my purse and step toward his bathroom, needing to escape the frightening closeness. Zach smirks right before I close the door. I have no idea what he’s up to or where he wants to go, but I’ll let him take the lead.

  My stomach’s getting those jumpy butterflies again, as if I were crushing on him. What if we fall in love? Can I let it happen? I’m definitely getting ahead of myself, so I stuff my lipstick and mascara into my purse and check my cell phone. No messages, neither from Owen or the placement services.

  When I exit the bathroom, Zach is in the living room clad in tight jeans and a pair of hand-tooled cowboy boots. A black t-shirt clings to his muscular chest. He walks toward me, as lithe and natural as a sleek jaguar. His eyes prowl up and down my body, and a crooked grin brightens his face.

  My fingers tingle and desire tugs at my lower abdomen, reminding me how absolutely frickin’ hard it’s going to be to walk away from this magnificent man.

  Zach opens his arms and wraps me in a bear hug and before I can breathe, he twirls me around. I hang onto his shoulders as he backs me onto the kitchen counter, my feet still off the ground. He places his hands on both sides of my hips and stares into my eyes. “Let’s pretend this is our first date. What’s your name, beautiful?”

  I know I’m blushing and my pale skin doesn’t hide it. “I’m Vera, and you?”

  “Zach. What are you doing in my apartment?” He winks. “I don’t remember inviting you in. I don’t even know you.”

  “I was … ah, looking for a friend. I think I knocked on the wrong door.”

  He kisses my hand. “I’m glad you knocked on my door, and I’d love to be your friend.”

  I’m afraid I’m out of words. He’s pouring on the charm, but I have to get control of myself. After what my father did, I don’t deserve any happiness from Zach.

  “Friends it is.” I hop off the counter before my breathing gets too raspy and I feel too hot and tingly for my own good. Sex is off the table and that’s fine, really. I’m not sure I want to risk those bonding chemicals with my new awareness of how lovable Zach is and end up hoping for something more permanent.

  Taking my hand, Zach leads me to a black Audi Spyder convertible and opens the door with a flourish. I feel like a fairy tale princess in a magic carriage until he lowers the top and takes the turns like a slalom skier.

  I’m feeling woozy, but the cool wind alleviates some of the nausea. The torture ride is over when he parks in front of a Chuck E. Cheese’s. Seriously? We just had pizza.

  After the top resets, Zach comes around the car and opens my door. “You might want to leave your purse in the boot, er, trunk.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t think they have lockers in there, and we’re going to get hot and sweaty.”

  At a pizza arcade? With excited children milling around? Okay …

  I give him my purse, and he locks it up. We walk around the back of Chuck E. Cheese’s to the entrance of a metallic building made to look like the skin of a spaceship. Neon lights spelling “Titanic Laser Tag” flash across the marquee.

  “Have you played before?” Zach grins as we get out of the car.

  I swallow a gulp, wondering how Zach’s brand new prosthetic leg will fare. “No, I get dizzy in first person shooter games.”

  “You’ll be fine here, because you’re in the game.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. Will we be on the same team?” I bat my eyelashes, knowing that I’m flirting.

  “You bet.” He opens the door for me.

  The entrance foyer resembles a futuristic movie theater with a center console where tickets are sold. Since I’ve never played before, they send us to the briefing room where I learn about the targets, how to operate the laser gun, and safety rules.

  We put on our vests and tighten the straps. Zach adjusts mine so the shoulder targets are vertical, explaining it creates less of a target. “It’s a maze in there, so stick to the walls. Try to keep your shoulders and gun below the wall until you’re about to shoot. You’re lucky because you’re short.”

  I give him a playful push. I hate short jokes. “And what’s your tactic?”

  “I was on a championship team a few years back. You have to keep your torso and shoulders moving so you’re not such a steady target. If you walk straight, zap! You’re tagged and deactivated.” He twists his body and shoulders, crouching and turning to demonstrate.

  “Okay, got it.” I stifle my worry that he might damage his leg. Zach’s obviously showing off.

  The game master reiterates the no-running rule when the airlock opens with a puff of smoke and we file into the arena pounding with pulsating lights and loud electronic music. A mass of teenagers and preteens scramble every which direction.

  I follow Zach single-file through a rugged corridor and run into a group of teenage boys. Someone deactivates me, but Zach ducks behind a pylon and deactivates all of them. While my vest is dark, I scurry toward the base station, stepping around the boys, but they follow hot on my heels. My gun activates before theirs, and I quickly pump off a round of shots. They scatter behind another set of walls.

  Zach provides me cover, while I shoot the base station to gain points for our team. But when it’s his turn, the boys regroup and deactivate us.

  “No sense fighting them. Let’s go.” Zach shouts above the music and waves me toward the sniper’s nest where a guardian robot fires lasers at random.

  He covers me while I sneak around a wall, giving me enough time to reactivate. I pump lasers into the robot’s head and score.

  When I turn around, the teenage boys box me into a corner and shoot me ove
r and over again. I crane my neck for Zach.

  He’s busy fending off a group of adult men. He twists and turns, firing and dodging. I swallow more anxiety about his leg, but he deactivates the men and comes toward me.

  “Hey, guys.” Zach waves at the boys surrounding me. “Bet you can’t catch me.”

  He raises his arms, presenting his chest target. They activate and aim, but Zach crouches and spins. He stumbles and ducks behind the wall just in time. I follow to cover him.

  The boys chase him and I shoot them, scoring right when the game counts down.

  “Wasn’t that fun?” Zach helps me remove my vest. “You did great. Let’s get our scores.”

  Outside, the game master hands us our score sheets. Our team wins, and Zach has the highest score. I’m seventh overall out of twenty-six. Not bad for a noob.

  “How’d you get so many points?” I ask Zach, relieved that he doesn’t seem to be in pain.

  His smile is smug, and he nonchalantly wipes his hair back from his forehead. “I caught a bunch of people standing on top of a grid. They had no clue I was shooting them from below.”

  “So that’s where you went when I was surrounded, getting shot over and over again. Some hero you turned out to be.” I hip bump him and head toward the door.

  The night air is a cool contrast to the steamy arena. Zach catches me and takes my hand. We’re both sweaty, but I don’t mind as I lean closer to him.

  We stroll past the restaurants and walk across a highway bridge. He’s now limping slightly, so I slow my pace, but catch myself before pointing it out to him.

  The noise of the cars rushing below us sounds like surf pounding a beach. Shivering, I step back from the railing. We stop walking and Zach pulls me in his arms, strong and protective.

  I’m not sure what he’s trying to prove by leading me onto the bridge. It’s just an overpass, not the Golden Gate.

  He holds me tight and snuggly. My heart is still beating fast from the game, and now it accelerates for an altogether more primitive reason. I want so much to accept his affection. It feels so easy and right.

  But I can’t. Not when I flash back to the image of my father, one leg over the rail, looking at me, haunted and desperate. Was that how Zach’s mother looked right before she died? Murdered by a man she thought was her friend, or at least, her employee? And why? Why? What was his motive?

  Pain constricts my chest and I push out of Zach’s embrace. I can’t do this … pretend nothing had happened between them.

  “Are you okay?” Zach sweeps his hand toward the bay. “I wanted to show you the lights of the marina.”

  Blue and white spotlights twinkle among the sailboats. Their white masts glow, stark and upright, as they sway gently in the smooth water.

  “It’s beautiful.” I allow him to put his arm on my shoulder, but I’m too stiff to enjoy the closeness. “I had fun.”

  “What are you thinking about?” His voice is gentle.

  “The past.” I’m not ready to tell him the truth.

  “The past is over, gone.” He trails a finger through my hair. “All that matters is from here to forever.”

  Forever? This guy’s a mystery. He says all the right things, but what does he really want?

  We walk toward his car. Zach’s hands are bunched in his pockets, probably uncomfortable that I didn’t respond to his last remark. I have no clue which way I want this relationship to go. Somehow it’s easier to end it rather than worry and be on tether hooks, waiting for the ax to fall.

  Zach opens the trunk and gives me my purse. My cell phone lights with an incoming text message.

  It’s from Owen. “Tatay’s IP address is from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.”

  I fumble to lock the screen and instead drop the phone. Zach picks it up and glances at it.

  “Tatay?” His eyebrows rise. “Doesn’t that mean father in Tagalog?”

  Chapter 10

  Zach and I are still standing in the parking lot outside of Chuck E. Cheese’s. Headlights criss-cross as cars turn in and out of the lot. He gives my phone back. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have looked at your message.”

  I open and shut my mouth, my heart thudding like a dabakan drum. It’s not his fault I overreacted and dropped the phone. But … how does he know the meaning of Tatay? Has he figured out who my father was?

  I stare at the message display as if my father’s face would pop up and he’d call me, but that’s ridiculous. He’s dead. I saw him jump.

  Zach unlocks his car and opens the door for me. I shove the phone into my purse and slide into the passenger seat. The driver’s door opens and shuts, and Zach is next to me. “Is something wrong? Do you want to talk about it?”

  I look dumbly at him. Soon, my secret will be out. I’m frankly surprised his father hasn’t said anything. But then, why cause his only son more pain? Let him believe his mother died peacefully of a heart condition. Let him not have the gruesome dreams I have … a porcelain neck sliced open, blood splattering her white blouse. Her pale blue eyes, accusing sharp pinpoints. And the screams covering my ears. I grab my head to shake off the scene. No, no, no. I didn’t see anything, nothing.

  “Shh … it’s okay, Vera.” Zach gently places my head on his shoulder and caresses the back of my neck. A lump rises in my throat, almost choking my breath. I let him comfort me.

  “Who’s Tatay?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. Someone who’s leaving messages on my YouTube page.” I break from his embrace. “And how do you know Tatay means father?”

  He scratches the back of his head and shrugs. “Been learning a few words in Tagalog to impress you. I saw that post about Bing-Bing. Was it a pet?”

  A niggling chill skitters down my spine. If he’s been to my YouTube page, where else has he searched?

  “No, he was my stuffed bear. I took him everywhere, but I think he got too …” bloody … “er … well actually I don’t know what happened to him.”

  I peek at Zach, but he’s staring across the steering wheel, a faraway look in his eyes. “I had a dog named Bing-Bing. He was an Australian cattle dog, a bluish-black one.”

  “Is it a common dog name in Australia?”

  A grin leaps to his face. “You kidding? They go for manly names like Max, Buddy, and Digger. I got teased a lot. But even though Bing-Bing was a runt, he had heart and he stood up to anyone. My dad gave him to me after my mum died, when we moved back to Australia.”

  “Where did you use to live?” I know the answer, but I’m hoping he doesn’t connect the two Bing-Bings. He must have named his dog after my bear without remembering.

  “My dad says we lived in Napa Valley. My mum inherited one of the wineries from her first husband.” Zach wipes his hand across the foggy windshield.

  “First husband? What was his name? And the winery?” My heart speeds. Maybe one of his relatives had a motive.

  Zach cocks an eyebrow. “I don’t know, but I can ask my dad.”

  “Oh, never mind, I’m just shocked you used to live around here. You never mentioned it.” I’m digging myself deeper with my misleading implications, as if I don’t know whose son he is. In any case, I have new information for Owen to investigate.

  “Dad never talks about it. I don’t even know where my mum’s buried.”

  I gulp and wonder if he’s ever done an internet search for his mother’s name.

  Zach’s mouth presses into a thin line. He inhales through his nose and exhales. “I never understood why my dad buried her here instead of shipping her body to Australia. I should visit her grave, bring her flowers. She loved flowers. She grew orchids, prize-winning ones.”

  The car is getting too stuffy. I try not to gasp and fan myself. Images of white, purple and pink flowers, spotted red and yellow ones, flash through my mind. I remember their faces, like floppy-eared puppy dogs, their tongues lolling. The Golden Lady always threaded one in my hair, but Mama hated them, so I hid them under my bed until they dried out.

  Merciful
ly, Zach starts the car and turns on the defroster. He seems deep in thought as we drive back to his apartment. All the excitement from the laser game fades into a dull, impatient sense of dread. I need answers. Why am I getting postcards from Australia? Why now? And who is this fan of mine, Tatay?

  We arrive at Zach’s place, and he cuts the engine. I open the door and step out before he has a chance to get it for me. Cliff is sitting on the hood of my Toyota, texting.

  I stop in front of him. “What are you doing here? Is Louie all right?”

  Cliff’s head snaps up. “Louie’s doing good. He asked me to keep an eye on you. Said you were hanging out with undesirables.”

  Did he just call Zach undesirable? A sudden sense of hostility causes my teeth to grit. “If anyone’s undesirable, it’s you.”

  Zach joins us. “Everything okay here?”

  Cliff crinkles his nose. “Family business, which is none of yours. So get lost.”

  I tuck my hand around Zach’s elbow. “Zach’s my date. Just because you’re my uncle’s garbage disposal doesn’t make us family.”

  I don’t know why I enjoy verbal sparring with this dweeb. Maybe I’m jealous my uncle likes him so much, even though I should be happy he has someone to entertain him.

  Cliff chuckles and swings a set of printouts in front of my face. “Tickets to Australia, Melbourne. Me and you. We’re going to look for Tatay, your YouTube fan.”

  I jiggle out of Zach’s hold and drag Cliff aside. “Why are you involved? How do you know he’s in Australia.”

  “Your uncle saw the IP address logger on your website.”

  Could Tatay really be my father? Sweat prickles my forehead and the back of my neck. I cover my confusion by yawning and regarding Cliff out of the corner of my eye. Why would my uncle tell him? Unless he’s a relative.

  Now that I think about it, the punk could be part Asian. I always pegged him as Mediterranean, olive-skinned with dark-brown hair. But blue-green eyes? Unusual for a Pinoy.

  Cliff’s eyebrows dance. “Now’s our chance to get to know each other better. Much, much better.”

  Zach stands back with his arms crossed, but doesn’t interfere. Guess I’m not his girlfriend, just a date. Or maybe white men are less possessive than Filipino men.