Seek

by Anne Conley

  What the fuck was she doing?

  She had spent the last six years telling herself she hated Zack Ward. He’d taken her heart and her love and her innocence and smashed it all into a zillion pieces with one series of kisses.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to force the image of him with Megan on her bed back to her mind. It was so much easier to hate him when she thought of his face when he’d seen her walk in on them—a mixture of relief, guilt, and pleasure. Aside from Quinten and Valerie’s benefit, he’d been kissing the hell out of Megan the last time she’d seen Zack. Megan, her supposed friend, had been enjoying it immensely judging by the moans that had brought Bonnie to her own damn bedroom in the first place. She’d known Zack had planned for her to walk in on them. His face said it all. He was watching for her.

  She’d always wondered how far he was willing to take the farce. She knew it was an act to push her away, but Megan didn’t know that. At the time, Bonnie hadn’t, either.

  But now, years later, the same level of fury wouldn’t come. His looks were part of it. The Zack who had hurt her was a boy. The Zack she was following now was all man. He’d filled out, a lot. And the anger she’d felt radiating off him in the storage closet wasn’t directed at her. It spoke of years of remorse and self-loathing she had a deep-seated desire to soothe. Even at her own peril.

  Bonnie clenched her fists, wanting to pound the wall behind her. She was so confused and didn’t know what to do. Her only desire was to keep following them. She no longer wanted to meet Brad at The Handlebar, where they’d planned to hang out and watch the craziness of South by Southwest from the safety of the roof deck. Nope. She’d been cooped up too long, and her body craved something more, something the opposite of safe.

  Zack. She wanted Zack.

  Fuck her brothers.

  “Bonnie? Bonnie Pierce?” A low voice interrupted her wayward thoughts, reminding her she’d lost sight of her surroundings. She looked over to find an overweight man standing next to her. Dark curls with too much pomade ringed a bald spot, and he had part of it pulled back in a ponytail. The man had dark eyes sunken into a fleshy face with jowls like a bulldog.

  When he smiled at her, it didn’t reach the depths of his inky eyes, and Bonnie knew with a sinking surety she was in trouble.

  Zack followed Ryan into ‘Ritos and Wings, the dive place where they were meeting Macy’s boyfriend.

  “You find us a seat, I’ll get some beers.”

  Grateful for some libations, Zack nodded, walking around for a seat without a shadow in it. When he found one, he slid into the booth, waiting for Ryan. Out of nowhere, a pitcher of cold, cheap beer came pouring over his head. He jumped, every single muscle in his body tensing as the icy liquid flowed down his torso. His rib started pounding, probably because he’d just pulled something while straining to not react.

  “Zack fucking Ward. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”

  “Renae? Good to see you again.” He had no clue who was talking to him. A shadowy figure with a lemon-yellow sundress was gesticulating wildly in front of him, but that was it.

  “It’s Julie, you asshole.” Slap. Julie made more sense than Renae. She’d been the slapper.

  “Ahhh … Julie. So nice to see you again.”

  Julie hadn’t been one of the ones who knew he was blind. She’d just let him fuck her without knowing a thing about him, and that had been alright with him.

  “Jesus. Did that get you hard? Are you into shit like that?” Her voice was a near shriek, but Zack didn’t have the energy to get embarrassed. He merely shrugged, unwilling to get into it with her. “So glad I’m not with you anymore.” And then the shadow receded as she stormed off, grumbling “pervert” under her breath.

  He wiped his face with some napkins from the tabletop dispenser. “Likewise.”

  “Do you have that effect on all the women you date?” Ryan was sliding into the seat across from him, a grin in his voice.

  “It’s a gift.” Finished wiping his face, Zack took a much-needed sip of beer. “Is Bonnie still following us?”

  “She didn’t come inside. I bet she’s outside waiting for us to come out.”

  Zack nodded, relieved she hadn’t seen the spectacle Julie had made. Removing his sunglasses, he wiped them with a napkin to clean off the beer. He squinted in the bright lights, but he wouldn’t be able to even see shapes with dried beer all over his glasses. He already had enough disadvantages tonight.

  Before long, someone slid into the booth next to Zack. “Are you Zack Ward?” a timid voice asked.

  “Yup. You Jeff? This is Ryan.”

  They all shook hands, and Zack did a basic appraisal. The kid wasn’t large, but his voice was deep, like he was late teens, early twenties. The hand he held out for Zack to shake was attached to a multi-colored arm.

  “The question you need to answer first is why did you text us?” Zack knew Ryan was looking for a trap. They’d been afraid this was a setup to lure them out, and Manicotti Man being here and following them around didn’t help. Zack’s thoughts went to Bonnie, hoping she wasn’t in trouble, just following them like she had when she was a kid.

  The kid fidgeted, and Zack paid close attention to his words. Not being able to see helped him focus on how they were spoken. He was like a lie detector. It was a sixth sense he was honing with his newfound blindness. Ninja skills.

  “Uh … my dad works for the paper. He talked a lot about you guys when y’all busted that ring of online people who videoed the kids and stuff.”

  Zack felt Ryan’s tension oozing across the table. That busted ring had saved his woman’s life. Krista had been next in line for a high-paying, live-action snuff film. And a local senator had been behind it all. But they couldn’t catch the rat bastard. “When I got this text from Macy, I didn’t want to go to the cops, so I called you guys to see if you could help her.”

  “Who is Macy to you? Girlfriend?” Ryan asked, tension still radiating from him.

  “Sort of.” The kid sighed, a heavy, put-upon exhalation of air. “Honestly, I was about to end it with her. She was a lot of trouble. Pretty high maintenance, you know? And I think she thought she was playing me against this other guy, but he’s the one who ended up getting to her.”

  “How old are you?” Zack asked, wondering if the kid was even legal to be dating this chick. Macy was fifteen.

  “Twenty.”

  Nope.

  “Did her parents know about you?” That explained why he didn’t want to go to the cops. If he was banging the girl, he’d be prosecuted for statutory rape.

  “Sort of. They knew she had an older boyfriend, but I don’t think they cared much. Rich people have misplaced priorities, you know? Macy is one of those girls who will do anything for attention.”

  Kid seemed legit, if a little too wise for his years. Twenty years old with at least a full sleeve of tattoos spoke of a kid who didn’t give a shit, or had scars to hide—whether visible or invisible.

  “Okay, Jeff, let’s see this text.” Ryan’s hand was outstretched, judging by the shadow across the table. Zack sipped his beer as Ryan read the text aloud.

  Help me. They’re taking me to The Wave tonight to sell me. I don’t know what’s up with Jonas. He’s not getting me out of this. I stole a phone to text this, so don’t text back. Just get here. Please.

  “You said she’ll do anything for attention. Is it possible this is another ploy?” Zack asked, trying not to sound like an asshole but still needing to know the answer.

  Movement told him the kid shrugged. “Maybe, but the fact is she was supposed to go on a date with this Jonas guy after school on Tuesday, and nobody’s heard from her since.”

  They’d checked the police reports. Macy was reported missing by her parents when they didn’t find her in her bed Wednesday morning, so Zack knew this part was on par with the facts. Hollerman had done some digging and found the parents had been to several charity events this week alone. The lack of involvement with the
investigation spoke to a deeper level of superficiality to everything—more evidence of it being a trafficking thing. If they were as hands off with their parenting as they were about the investigation, it was no wonder the girl was easy prey.

  “Tell us about this Jonas guy. Did you ever meet him?”

  “Yeah, once. He came to drop off something at her house while I was there. He drove a fancy Audi and was wearing nice clothes. He was filling her head with all sorts of shit. It was really too much for me. I was a big fat secret and couldn’t compete with his money. I was about to tell her to just go for him. But if he’s behind this, I don’t want her hurt, you know? I mean, I don’t love her, but I’m not a total asshole.”

  Zack ignored the twinge of uneasiness he felt. This was him five years ago, trying not to hurt the girl he loved and ending up hurting her worse than ever. He comforted himself with the thought that this kid didn’t love Macy. Not that it would help her any, but he had at least come to them.

  “It’s okay. You did the right thing reaching out to us. We’ll find her.”

  After the kid left, Zack looked at Ryan’s shadow. “What do you think?”

  “I think we need to go to The Wave.”

  “After we get Bonnie. We need to get her to stop following us and preferably go home, where it’s safe,” Zack said.

  “You think she’ll do that?”

  Zack snorted. “Hell no.”

  Chapter Seven

  Bonnie’s fight or flight reflexes kicked in just as the big, sweaty dude advanced on her. Her heart in her throat and adrenaline coursing through her veins, she turned on him. Using the skills her two older brothers had taught her, she stepped in, kicking the inside of his knee and following with a kick to the groin.

  The man fell, writhing in agony, giving Bonnie a sick sense of satisfaction. Quinten would be proud of her for dropping a man twice her size without him even laying a hand on her.

  But then again, this wasn’t something she was particularly excited to tell Quinten. Jogging around the other side of the building, out of the alleyway, she tried to think about what to do next. If she stuck around, a very pissed-off bruiser would probably do something to exact revenge. On the other hand, if she left, she would lose Zack.

  She snorted to herself. Lose Zack. Like she wanted to keep him.

  She knew with all her heart this was spite talking, but she clung to it for her own sanity.

  Decision made, Bonnie started walking away. Zack was a big boy, and his teammate was a little bigger, so they were probably fine. They didn’t need her following them around like a little kid trying to tag along for the fun of it. She wasn’t eight years old anymore.

  But as she wandered away from the burrito place, she found herself examining her surroundings. There were people everywhere. The crowds really were astonishing. Police tried to look conspicuous in an effort to deter unruly behavior, appearing to ignore public drunkenness and the random pot smokers as long as everyone was behaving.

  A bearded man wearing a kilt with a set of bagpipes slung over his shoulder walked out of a club next to a guy dressed in a three-piece business suit. Seeing the man in the suit reminded her it wasn’t just a music festival. There was a film aspect to it, as well as an interactive media aspect, which pretty much encompassed everything else under the sun.

  Mostly, the whole event was a huge party.

  There were scents of foul body odor mingling with strong colognes and perfumes. She was struck by how the elite mixed with the downtrodden and wondered what sort of job Zack was working on that would put him here. Tales of Super Bowls where the criminal element came out in full force to take advantage of traveling businessmen’s tastes filled her mind with human trafficking, prostitution, and drug deals. Could her Zack be combatting something like that?

  Her heart fluttered with fear at the thought.

  She could remember when Zack had first told her he would be blind as an adult. He was maybe thirteen, and she’d been eleven—already in love with her brother’s best friend. Having found him in a tree in the park behind her house, she’d asked him what was wrong.

  “I just came back from the doctor. He told me I’ve got what my grandpa had.”

  Bonnie knew his grandpa was blind; everyone who met the man did. He was a jolly old guy but blind as a bat. He used one of those fold-up canes, and Bonnie and Zack had played with it, pretending to be blind and taking turns leading each other around.

  “So?” Bonnie had said, trying to cheer him up. “Blind people make amazing ninjas.” And so it had begun. Every time he’d started feeling sorry for himself, she’d reminded him of what a great ninja he was going to make, and he’d gotten better. Bonnie was even the one to suggest he make himself an alter ego, Dude, to help him get through the dark times.

  She wondered if Dude was still around.

  The further from the burrito place Bonnie got, the worse she felt. So what if he’d been an asshole when they were young? Lord knows she probably hadn’t handled things well. Zack had tried to break up with her before, honorably attempting to cut her loose for college. But she had ignored him, thinking professing her love would overcome any obstacles.

  Stupid kids.

  Her anger dissipating, she turned around to go back. Hopefully they would still be there, and maybe she and Zack could talk. He’d said he wanted to explain, but she didn’t need explanations. She needed to tell him some stuff.

  By the time she’d gotten back to the restaurant, watching carefully for the Italian bruiser to come slinking out of the shadows, they were gone. Disappointment filled her, but she sniffed it back.

  She’d just go home and try to call him tomorrow. Besides, he was probably working right now.

  Or maybe she could talk some sense into herself and remember exactly why she hated Zack Ward in the first place.

  Feeling better about her new turn of events, Bonnie turned in a slow circle, trying to remember where she’d parked her car. Realizing she was probably about three quarters of a mile away, she set off in what she thought was the right direction.

  After about five minutes of bumping through crowds, she heard Zack arguing with someone.

  “Come on, it’s the best way to do this.” Zack was wheedling, his voice loud and a bit high-pitched in the din of noise.

  “NO. I am not pretending to make out with you.”

  Turning, she saw Zack and his friend standing outside a club, not ten feet away from her. The Wave. It looked like a nice place with a group of people in front of it. Zack and the other blond stood off to the side, ready to kick each other’s asses.

  She approached them, knowing exactly what was about to come out of her mouth, as well as all the consequences, but not caring either way. She and Zack suddenly had unfinished business.

  “I’ll do it.”

  Zack’s shoulders slumped as his mouth turned down. She couldn’t tell if he was relieved or not. “Bon-Bon, this isn’t the place for you. You need to go home. Seriously. Some shit’s about to go down.”

  Taking a step forward, she said, “So fill me in. I want to help.” He was still sporting the erection, and something about that made her giggle.

  “Not a laughing matter, Bon-Bon. This isn’t time for games.”

  Suddenly angry, she started shouting at him. “I know that, Zackary Gale Ward!” He cringed at the use of his middle name, but she needed him to know she was serious. “I want to help. I’m here, I’m willing to make out with you, and I’m not going home. I haven’t been out of my tower in months and I need to do this. You understand?”

  “Do you even know what we’re doing?” the friend asked.

  “Making out?”

  She nearly laughed at his reaction—face purple and fists clenched—before he turned to Zack. “Dude, y’all are perfect for each other.”

  She swallowed. Zack had told him about her. A million questions started swirling around in her brain. What did he say? Is he mad? Does he realize how wrong he was? Is he sorry? Does it
matter?

  “What are we doing?” Bonnie asked.

  Zack nodded to his friend. “Go out on the corner and whistle if you see anything.” He turned to Bonnie, his voice a low growl. “A little recon before we go in. I need your eyes.”

  She got it. He knew he was being followed. And whoever the guy was, he had something to do with the job, whatever that was.

  “I kicked his ass for you,” she said proudly, as Zack was advancing on her like a predator stalking prey. She tried to blow it off, but the way his eyebrows raised at her words gave her a thrill.

  “Who?”

  “The guy following you. I laid him out in an alley behind the burrito place.”

  Then he was upon her, his body pressed against hers until she was flat against the wall. “Tell me you didn’t engage him.”

  “No. He engaged me.”

  “Christ, Bon-Bon. Quinten will kill me if he realizes you’re in this.” His mouth was hot on her ear, and she squirmed, despite the seriousness of the conversation.

  “Me, too.”

  Zack gripped her hips and pressed into her with a groan. “What a way to go. Eyes peeled, princess.” And then he went to work on her while she desperately tried to ignore him.

  Bonnie focused on the area while Zack focused on them blending in outside a busy club. She was trying to watch her surroundings and wasn’t really paying attention to Zack, until he tightened his grip on her hips and his hot breath hit her neck.

  Oh no. She was in some trouble here. His smell was exactly how she remembered it, and the memories hit her hard. Zack’s sweat washing over her as they spent summer afternoons together. Zack’s cologne invading her nostrils in the backseat of his car. Zack’s fingers at her hips, gripping her tightly.

  “Oh … Um, a couple making out at two o’clock,” she mumbled as Zack’s lips found the skin behind her ear. Tingles zapped down her spine, and her knees went weak, but he kept his knee pressed between her legs, holding her up. More memories washed over her of a much less mature Zack doing much the same thing. Some things never change. Like his cologne. The citrusy, spicy scent still turned her upside down five years later.