Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Los Angeles, California

19 Months Earlier

ZO STOOD in front of the full-length mirror inside her closet and dithered. She had one dress she wore when her parents were in town, but it needed a trip to the cleaners—an errand she'd penciled in her planner for Monday. Her other black dresses were evening gowns for Paladin League events or something she'd wear to drive Finn crazy when they went out. Neither style was appropriate for tonight.

That left her with a sleeveless sheathe dress that was a bright, hot pink.

It hit the tops of her knees, so the length was fine. The crisscross detailing at the waist and the top of her hips drew attention to how closely the dress fit her body, something else that might elicit a comment, but the neckline was up to her collarbone. Hot pink, though—

"Loquita," Finn called quietly through the door. "Your folks are getting restless. Are you almost ready? "

Her stomach turned over as she glanced at the clock she had atop one of the built-in shelves. She had to wear this. Traffic in LA was always a bitch, and they'd miss their reservation if she spent any more time questioning her clothes. As soon as she had a chance, Zo decided she'd buy at least six more conservative black dresses and get them cleaned immediately after she wore them to avoid—

The door to the closet opened. "Are you okay?" Finn asked.

Zo nearly groaned but managed a weak smile instead. "Yes. I was trying to figure out what I could wear instead of this dress."

"Why? You look great." His gaze traveled over her in an exaggerated leer meant to lighten her mood. "Very hot. I'd do you."

"You want to do me even when I'm wearing sweats, so your opinion is suspect." Zo shook her head. "But I'm not trying to look hot. I want to look"—she scrambled for the right word—"demure."

"You're great. Quit worrying."

With a sigh, she headed for the door. "I don't have much choice. I don't own anything else that's remotely close to correct."

Finn didn't move from the doorway, forcing her to stop. "Zo, they're your parents. They won't care what you wear."

She almost snorted. Right. If her father could point out her yellow slacks, they would definitely notice her bright pink dress. Instead of mentioning that, Zo said, "You're dressed perfectly." Men were lucky—dark trousers, a blazer, and a white open-collar shirt, and they were good to go. "We better move before they give away our table."

Finn hesitated and then stood aside to let her proceed him.

Zo took a deep breath. Maybe she should have put her hair up instead of merely pulling it back with a clip, but it was too late for that now. They neared the end of the hallway, and squaring her shoulders, she made her entrance.

Both her parents froze. "Wow," her mom said at last. "Owen, where are my sunglasses?"

Ignoring the question, her father frowned. "Isn't that dress too tight?"

"No, it's not tight," her mom said as she looked around. "That's the style."

The support surprised Zo.

Her mom's gaze landed on the island. "I found them." She retrieved her sunglasses. Zo waited for her to put them on, a silent commentary on the color of the dress, but she held them instead. She had on a black sheathe dress—very similar to the one Zo had wanted to wear—with black flats. Appropriate for a night out in Bogotá after working at an archaeological site, or for dinner in Los Angeles.

"Zofia," her mom said, "grab a sweater in case the air conditioning is too cold at the restaurant."

She almost never got chilled, but it wasn't worth the time a discussion would take, and she'd end up with a sweater at the end anyway. "I'll be right back. Excuse me," she said before returning to her closet to retrieve a cardigan.

Finn had rotated through a hell of a lot of families during his time in foster care, but he'd never seen dynamics quite like what Zo had with her mom and dad. He kept his head bent over the menu but unobtrusively studied his dinner companions. They were seated in a horseshoe-shaped booth with Zo on the inside to his left, her mother across from her, and her father across from him. Purses and sweaters were taking up space in the U.

His loquita sat close to him but had edged farther away after her mother had frowned at her. Zo's behavior was an odd dichotomy—she'd continually tried to shield him today, but at the same time, she sought out his presence for reassurance—and it came down to her folks.

They loved her. Finn could see it in the way they looked at Zo, in how protective they were of her. He'd been cornered by each of her parents this afternoon at separate times and interrogated more intently than any questioning he'd ever gotten in the Army. Even the debrief after the mess in Puerto Jardin with Torres and Silva had paled in intensity. But the distance and formality between the three of them left him confused.

The silence felt heavy. It dragged and pulled on Zo—Finn could feel her tension climbing the longer it lasted. Even after they'd given their orders and handed over the menus, it stayed quiet—time to run some interference.

"Zo tells me you were in Colombia. Did you learn anything interesting at the Muisca site?"

"We did, indeed," her father said. "We found evidence of irrigation and also uncovered a number of goldsmithing tools."

"Do you know much about the Muisca?" Adelina asked.

"No, ma'am. Zo mostly talks about the Huarona."

"Of course. It is her area of expertise. Did she tell you they were the subject of her dissertation before she decided not to pursue her PhD?"

His loquita shifted, the motion small enough that he felt it rather than saw it. "No," Finn said cautiously, "she's never mentioned her thesis topic."

"Because you're not interested?"

"I'm interested in everything Zo wants to share."

Her mother raised her water glass and took a sip. "So, if Zofia decided to return to school and get her doctorate, you'd support her?"

Zo moved again, this time more noticeably. It was a sure sign there was a landmine in the vicinity. "Yes, if that's what she decided she wanted to do, of course, I'd support her. "

"I'm not planning to go back," Zo said.

Her mother ignored that.

"We had a new assistant professor on site with us this year. She's about your age, Zofia. She located the graves we excavated to learn that the Muisca had a high infant mortality rate."

"You could make discoveries like this," Owen Parker said, tone chiding.

"I like my job at the Paladin League." Zo's voice was carefully neutral, but Finn heard tightness there. He reached over and took her hand. She gripped him hard enough that he felt it.

"We've been told that you've made multiple trips to Puerto Jardin this year for the Paladin League." Her father frowned. "The country is dangerous. It's why the Huarona site was closed down."

"Only a few areas of Puerto Jardin are risky. Most of the country is fine," Zo said, squeezing his hand even harder.

"San Isidro isn't one of those safe places, and yet you visit there routinely," her mother said. "Se?or Ramos would be appalled to learn his grandson has become an international drug kingpin."

"Here comes the waiter with our food," Finn said, diverting the conversation. As they shifted items on their table to make room for the entrees, he breathed a sigh of relief. Zo's stress level had dropped a few degrees and she'd released his hand, so maybe they could have a calm dinner.

He relaxed too soon.

"The grilled cauliflower is delicious, isn't it, Owen?"

"Very good," he agreed.

"You should have ordered that, Zofia, instead of a burger with jalapeno cream cheese. You're almost thirty now, and your metabolism is slowing. You need to make wiser food choices."

"I'm twenty-seven, and I eat healthy most of the time. "

"I'm telling you this for your own good."

"We ran five miles this morning before you and Doctor Parker arrived," Finn said.

Her parents ignored him, but Zo put a hand on his thigh, a silent thank you before returning to her dinner.

The respite was brief.

"Robert was in Colombia with us. He's an associate professor now." Adelina reached for her water glass and took a sip.

"Good for him. About on schedule, since he's almost forty." Zo sounded stiff, polite.

"He's thirty-five," Owen corrected and then switched his focus to Finn. "A promotion to associate means tenure."

Finn nodded.

"Robert asked about you," Owen said, looking back at Zo. "He wanted to know if you were seeing anyone."

"Who's Robert?" Finn asked. It was a lure, but he couldn't resist the question.

"Zofia's fiancé," Adelina said. "Didn't she tell you about him?"

"He is not my fiancé!" Zo's voice was low, but there was heat there, the first time she'd dropped the polite fa?ade she'd donned since her parents had arrived. "We were never engaged. It never got anywhere close to that serious." She turned to him. "I told you about the man my parents liked at the gala, remember?"

"I remember. He wasn't your type." Finn winked at her and felt Zo subside. The anger had been on his behalf, not her own.

The rest of the evening continued on in the same vein, and by the time the valet brought the SUV around, Finn was drained. He figured Zo was in worse shape since she'd had the brunt of the disapproval launched at her. Reaching across the console, Finn took her hand and put it on his thigh. She needed contact, but he wanted both hands on the wheel .

The ride home was quiet, but Zo didn't relax. The strain she felt was obvious in the way she gripped his leg. After an eternity, he stopped at the front entrance of the condo to let Zo and her parents out. He waited till they went inside, then drove around to the parking garage and pulled into his spot.

For a moment, he sat there.

Zo loved her parents, but she was defensive and reserved around them. She said they'd abandoned her when she stopped following the plan they laid out for her life. Then there was her mom and dad, who also clearly loved her but didn't have a fucking clue how to relate to her in a way that didn't make Zo more defensive.

I'm telling you this for your own good.

Her mom probably had pointed it out for exactly that reason, but Zo saw it as criticism, and given the totality of the evening, Finn didn't blame her. There were so many corrections, so many suggestions of what she should do.

The amazing thing wasn't that Zo had rebelled. What was surprising was it had taken until she was twenty-four.

With a heavy sigh, Finn pushed open the door to the SUV. He couldn't leave Zo alone with her parents, not for long. She needed someone to run interference for her because she didn't stand up for herself. Not with them.

Her mom and dad were talking in the kitchen when Finn entered the condo, but Zo was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Zo?" he asked.

"I don't know," Adelina said.

Owen shrugged. "We're heading off to bed."

Neither of them said good night, but this was the least of Finn's worries. He started the search in the bedroom. No Zo. He opened the bathroom door, but it was dark. The office was next, then the two guest rooms that shared the jack and jill bathroom. Still no Zo.

He returned to the great room and checked on the balcony. Nada .

Would she have gone down to the building's gym? But her parents would have seen her leave the condo. Zo's upset. She'll hole up in the bedroom.

Finn went back down the hallway and looked around their bedroom more closely. He even checked the corners of the room, behind the furniture, their terrace, and in both their walk-in closets. Still no sign of his loquita.

He continued to the bathroom. It remained dark, but he stood there for a moment and tried to think where else she could be. A soft hiccuping sound caught his attention.

The bathroom had an odd layout, like the letter T. The shower and sinks were across from each other, right when he entered, but there was a tub at the far end near the windows. And it was at the center of the top of the letter with nothing on either side except some artwork Zo had picked up at a flea market. Neither of them were tub people, and they rarely went back there. Now, Finn walked to the top of the T.

She was huddled on the floor in the corner. Her feet were bare, but she still had on her pink dress. Zo had her legs drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and she was rocking herself.

"Hey, loquita," Finn said gently.

"Go away."

Like hell. It was obvious she was crying. He'd lived with her for months and this was the first time she'd ever let tears fall.

When he settled beside her on the floor, she pulled in tighter on herself. He waited a minute, staring out the window at the lights of Los Angeles until she resigned herself to the fact he wasn't leaving. Sliding an arm around her shoulders, Finn leaned over, rested his head on hers, and waited some more.

He sat there a long time before Zo let go of her legs and turned to wrap her arms around him instead.

Gathering her up, Finn settled her on his lap and rocked her, making soothing noises. Zo kept her face hidden from him, but he felt the wetness of her tears on his neck. He'd always thought of a family as the dream—it had been the only thing he'd wanted as a kid—but as he held his woman now, he wondered if maybe he'd been better off the way he'd grown up.

"It's okay, Zo. I got you, loquita."

"Don't let go of me."

"I won't, I promise." And his promise was forever.