In Zach's Arms (Once a Marine, Always a Marine Book 1) by Kori David Page B

at her, she got the weird feeling that he recognized her.
    “So, I guess you have a boyfriend after all.”
    She shook her head at herself for imagining things and looked up at Detective Wolfe as he slid into the booth across from her. The big window allowed her to look across the street at Zach and Jesse’s business. It made her feel better, being able to look at it and know he was just on the other side of the door. And she wasn’t exactly sure what Zach was anymore, but boyfriend didn’t seem the right word.
    She noticed his plain coffee and glazed donut. “Guess the cop stereotype is accurate as well.”
    He chuckled. “Hey, everyone loves donuts, not just cops.”
    Elizabeth grinned back at him. “True enough.”
    “Tell me about Mr. Steele and his partner,” he said, flipping open the brown folder and sliding a pen out.
    She sighed. “I went to high school with Zach. I’ve known him a long time.”
    “And you trust him?”
    “With my life, Detective.”
    “Okay, so why not mention him or his partner? Have you had problems with them?”
    “No. I didn’t mention Zach because he’s not a part of any of this. He would never do anything to hurt me. Anything.”
    And she realized that she meant it. She’d always known that Zach was capable of violence and, when he went into the military, it had made her nervous. She’d put a wedge of distance between them because of that.
    It had been a purely instinctual move.
    She, who had always been fearful of large, controlling men, found herself in love with a warrior. One who was used to giving orders and being obeyed. And she wasn’t the least bit scared by it. Not anymore. Zach’s iron control was his strength and Elizabeth knew that power would never be turned against her. That was the difference in men like Zach and Jesse. They had tempers like normal people, but they had the self-control men like her father didn’t possess. And Zach really was only a fanatic about her safety.
    “Ms. Russell?”
    “Sorry, Detective. Just stunned by this whole turn of events.”
    “We will catch this guy, I promise.”
    She forced a smile. “I know you will.”
    “What can you tell me about Jesse Calhoun?”
    “Only that his mother named him after a famous bank robber, he has six sisters and was a Marine with Zach. Zach trusts him, so I trust him.”
    While he wrote in his notebook, Elizabeth drank her hot chocolate and tried to understand how being in love with Zach might change how she felt about commitment. What was stopping her?
    She was beginning to face the fact that she had been a coward most of her life. Avoiding emotional entanglements was safe, but lonely. Being with Zach opened her eyes to the possibility of more.
    She didn’t want to live life behind protective glass anymore. This whole bizarre situation she was in made her realize that life wasn’t safe. In a weird way, Elizabeth was grateful that she’d been shaken out her emotionless rut. Otherwise, she might have lived her whole life never being brave enough to take a chance.
    “Why don’t I sign those papers so you can get back to Phoenix and your investigation?”
    “Of course.” He slid some papers toward her, along with his pen. “This is your statement and an inventory of everything found broken or listed stolen by you.”
    “Victim statement,” she read aloud. “I hate that word. Victim. It makes me feel small and useless.”
    “It’s just a word, Ms. Russell,” he said kindly. “It doesn’t have to be a mindset.”
    And she wouldn’t let it be any longer. She’d lived too long as a victim and she’d been just waiting to be put in that role again. Expected it. That’s why she was so stubborn and resistant. Amazing how one little word suddenly made so much sense. Explained so much about her. She shook her head to clear it.
    “Tell me about the third break-in, Detective.”
    His expression said he wasn’t surprised by her knowledge. “The landlady.”
    Elizabeth shrugged. “She