Runaway (Wolfes of Manhattan 3)

“No one gives showgirls a second look,” she said, “unless you’re a big name. I’m not, and I made sure I never would be.”

“But you said you wanted to be a model,” I said.

“Not really. It was my mom’s thing, and I’m too old now. Thing is, even if I wanted it, I couldn’t take that path. Even lesser models have their photos everywhere. I couldn’t risk it.”

I shook my head and turned to Roy. “Our father cost her a lot.”

“He cost us all a lot,” Roy said. “I’m so sorry, Zee.”

“I didn’t come here for your pity,” she said. “But when Mr. Roark told me all of you were suspects in his murder, I knew I had to say something.”

“Yet you say you won’t talk to the police.”

She shook her head. “I can’t. Please don’t ask me to.”

“You understand,” I said, “that if you don’t talk to the police, you can’t actually help us.”

She nodded. “But you have to also understand. I can’t talk to the police because I have a bigger motive than any of you.”

“Actually, you don’t,” Roy said. “We all have huge motives. All that really matters is whether you have an alibi, which you probably do. Our father was killed in New York around one a.m. Pacific Time. You were probably performing.”

She shook her head. “Except I wasn’t. Our show was dark the night of the murder.”

“Fuck.” Roy raked his finger through his long hair.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Where were you that night?” I asked. “Maybe you have an alibi anyway.”

“Home. In bed.”

“Do you have any roommates?”

“Three, but they were all out.”

“Fuck,” Roy said again. “Though flight records would show you hadn’t gone to New York, and if you were performing the day before and after, you couldn’t have gotten to New York any other way. You’re probably safe.”

“We need all information you have,” I said. “Even if you don’t want to talk to the authorities. We understand. Right, Roy?”

Roy didn’t reply.

“Right, Roy?” I said again.

“Yeah. Sure.”

“I owe you everything,” she said to Roy. “I’ll do anything you ask. Anything except talk to the police.”

Roy sighed. “I never asked for anything in return. Saving your life was an accident.”

“Maybe it was,” Zee said, “but you still did it, and I’m forever grateful. I went through a few years of wanting to die, but then I realized that I wouldn’t have fought so hard to live while I was down there if I truly wanted to die.”

I nodded. “I understand completely.”

“So neither one of you are suicidal,” Roy said. “That’s a good thing, but it doesn’t help us out here.”

Zee finally took her sunglasses off and met my gaze. “Wait a minute. Are you saying…”

Her eyes were a gorgeous blue, lighter than Reid’s but still a clear sapphire. The kind of eyes I always wanted.

I attempted a smile. “I’m saying we all understand. We all had motives, and we’re all innocent. That’s all I want to say right now.”

But would my story help her make a decision to help us? I didn’t know, and I certainly wasn’t about to confide in a complete stranger. But maybe she didn’t have to be a stranger.

“Look,” I said. “Can we take you to dinner? My whole family? You can meet all of us and tell your story.”

“No. Not in public.”

“We’re in public now.”

She hastily donned her sunglasses once more. Damn. I had to remind her we were in public. Not my finest moment.

My big brother saved me. “It wouldn’t have to be in public. We can have dinner in one of our private suites or in a private conference room.”

“I’m not sure I could eat,” she said.

“It doesn’t have to be dinner,” I said. “Just a meeting. My brothers are awesome, and my sister-in-law, Lacey, and Roy’s girlfriend, Charlie, are great too. Lacey’s an attorney, so she can help you as well.” I sighed. “Please, Zee. We need to get to the bottom of what our father was doing.”

“I… I’ve told you all I remember. Your father—and I only knew him because I’d seen his picture—and the priest. He was wearing his collar, plus I recognized him from mass.”

“Wait…” Roy wrinkled his forehead. “Are you saying you went to St. Andrew’s?”

Zee nodded. “For years. He gave me my first communion.”

“Did he do anything else to you?”

She shook her head. “Never, which was why I never understood… Why was he there? Why was he with your father?”

“That’s what we need to find out,” I said. “Father Jim may have had the biggest motive of all to kill my father. And you could be the key to all of it.”44Matteo“I want to marry Riley.”

I’d just finished my first Pappy Van Winkle fifteen-year when the words tumbled out of my mouth.

Rock sat next to me at one of the hotel bars. Reid was still working in the conference room, and Lacey and Charlie had gone to the spa for massages.