Watch Me (Phoenix 1)

Zoey had told her parents all about Rhys. Well, minus the part where he owned a sex club. She kept enough secrets from her parents, and Rhys was too incredible to be a secret. “He never really asked for anything.” But he gave so much back. Zoey’s heart swelled, feeling fuzzy in all the right places. Rhys hadn’t really asked for anything at all. He’d simply been there for her. She understood why now, of course. He couldn’t bear to watch anyone lose themselves like Katherine had lost herself. And yet…and yet…over the last days she’d been without him, she felt lost. “That’s what’s really so great about him,” Zoey added, diving her hand back into the bowl of popcorn. “He’s a very selfless guy.”

Her mom smiled. “He’s a good one, then. Is he planning to come out and visit?”

They had talked every day since she moved. They texted often. “I don’t really know. We haven’t discussed it much.” Rhys, while affectionate and warm, hadn’t spoken about what came next for them.

“Bet he’s got a plan,” her dad said.

Zoey lifted her brows at her father. “What makes you say that?”

He glanced over with his clever smile. “If he hasn’t talked to you about what’s happening next, he’s figuring it out and forming a plan. That’s how men work.”

“What plan could he possibly be forming?” Zoey countered. “I left him in New York City.”

Her dad stuffed his hand in the bag of potato chips and focused back on the television. “I’m no psychic, Zoey. I’m just telling you how men work. They don’t discuss things. They make a plan and execute it.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” her mom said to him. To Zoey, she added, “If it’s meant to be, honey, then it will be. No sense fretting about it.”

Zoey agreed with a nod, falling right back into autopilot. “I do know that Elise and Hazel are planning to come visit soon. You’ll finally get to meet them.”

Her mom’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s wonderful.” She reached for the yarn and her crochet hook in the basket next to her. She made blankets for all the new babies who came to her practice. Zoey had once imagined doing that for the sick animals when she became a vet. The lump in her throat felt impossible to swallow once more, and she took a long sip of her sweet tea, as her mom said, “You’ve had all these people in your life, and it’s been so strange not to know any of them.”

Truth was, Zoey had meant it that way. She’d kept everyone at a safe, comfortable distance. Her home life and her life in New York City had been a world apart, and that’s how she liked it. Blending the two felt dangerous.

“Any luck on the house hunt today?” her dad asked.

Zoey shook her head, nibbling on a p

opcorn kernel. “Nothing feels quite right.”

“Ah, you’ll find something soon,” he said. “Just needs to be the right house.”

He turned back to the television, and the sound of crunching potato chips had Zoey smiling. He was totally going to eat that whole bag. The only plan she had made was to get into Phoenix, get the money, and come home. But being home wasn’t working. It felt good to stay with her parents; everything was so familiar and warm. But at home, her friends weren’t there. Rhys wasn’t there. Her life wasn’t here. And no matter how many houses she and her mother looked at, none of them were a good fit. Everything felt wrong, and that made no sense.

With a sigh, she shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth, tasting too much salt, and watched the news, grateful for something to distract her thoughts. A breaking-news report caught Zoey’s attention. The female reporter said, “The I80 rapist has been arrested earlier tonight, our sources tell us.”

“Oh, thank goodness they found him.” Her mom turned to Zoey and explained, “You probably didn’t hear about this in New York City, but for the last couple weeks, this evil person has been terrorizing women along the I80. He set up a trap at truck stops and kidnapped them.”

“Those poor women,” Zoey said, a slow coldness beginning to creep into her veins.

“Good police work,” her dad commented. He clicked off the news report and turned on Unsolved Mysteries.

The person being interviewed on the show said, “There were so many warnings. So many signs, so many incidents. Had we been paying attention earlier, it would have been obvious Carl was dangerous, but no one spoke up.”

Zoey felt the walls begin to creep in on her. The two stories were completely unrelated to each other, but they felt intimately connected to her. Like the world was trying to tell her something.

This time, she listened.

Scott was gone, but Jake wasn’t. He still lived in Manhattan, still hadn’t changed if he assaulted Hilary and showed absolutely no remorse. What if Jake escalated and turned into a rapist that kidnapped women? What if he’d already done that? He’d been so cold when he knew she was watching. The arrogance and hatred had been blinding. With a cold shiver, her heart asked: What if your silence hurt another woman? What if he becomes more violent and kills someone? What if you could stop it?

“Honey, are you okay?”

Zoey blinked, only then aware of the moisture on her cheeks. Her breath caught, air impossible to breathe in. She’d been so afraid of the truth she had buried deep inside her, ashamed of what happened. That, somehow, it had been her fault, and that the shame would destroy her. But it occurred to her now, sitting in the warm comfort of her childhood home, alongside her parents, that Rhys was right. She couldn’t let what Scott and Jake did change her. She couldn’t let them dim her light or her truth. She couldn’t lose herself like Katherine had lost herself. But she had done just that; she’d let them win. Again. She left a life she loved, a man who was opening her heart in ways she only dreamed of, all because fear ate at her like a disease.

With shaky hands, she reached for her purse sitting on the floor next to her and took out Hilary’s card that she hadn’t been able to throw away.

“Zoey,” her dad said, firmer now, sliding closer to her on the couch. “What’s wrong?”

“Mom,” Zoey managed, glancing between them. “Dad.” A sob broke free. “I need to tell you something.”