“Fine, you want me gone, I’ll go. I still know how to follow orders.” He turned and opened the door.
Before he had taken more than two steps, she called out, “Wait.” He turned, hoping she had changed her mind, knowing she hadn’t. She stood, hands clasped tightly in front of her. “Are you going to be okay?” She was worried about him, afraid he might do something stupid.
For a half a second, he considered playing the mental health card to see if he could guilt her into taking him back if only for the night. He couldn’t do it to her though. If they stood any chance together, he had to play it straight with her. “I’m all right, Zoë, I promise. Don’t worry about me.” With that reassurance, he quietly left the room. His heart squeezed painfully when he heard a muffled sob as he walked away.
* * * * *
“Dad!” Sean burst into his childhood home loaded for bear. He’d kept his shit together with Zoë but he couldn’t any longer. He found both his parents in the kitchen, having a late-night snack. Seeing his mother and the worry on her face the moment he strode into the room tempered his anger a bit. He didn’t want to frighten her no matter how mad he was at his father.
“What’s going on?” the older man asked, standing to face his son.
“What did you say to Zoë?” Sean demanded. He stood with his legs braced as if ready for a fistfight, which was dumb because he and his father had never come to blows.
His father’s gaze shifted away from him. “I didn’t say anything to her.”
The packet from the mechanic’s school was fisted in one hand. Sean tossed it on the table. “You didn’t need to come all the way to the diner to give me this. It’s just some forms. It could have waited ’til I got home. You wanted to meet her and tell her what exactly?”
“I don’t understand,” his mother interjected. “Who is Zoë?”
“My boss,” Sean answered with a huff. “And up until an hour ago, my girlfriend.”
“Oh dear,” his mother sighed. “James, did you go and spy on the boy and his girlfriend?”
His father looked guilty for about two seconds before he set a grim expression on his face. “I wasn’t spying, but the woman is practically our age.”
“Oh dear,” his mother sighed once more.
“She’s not that old, no offense, Mom, and what the hell difference does it make?” Sean yelled.
“You watch your tone in front of your mother. And it makes a hell of a lot of difference. All I told her was how you’re going to school this fall and how happy we are that your life is back on track. You’ve got just about the whole of it in front of you still to live. I’m glad to see she realized it and cut you loose. She must care enough for you to do what’s right.”
Sean choked down his anger because his father had a point about losing it in front of his mother. She didn’t handle trouble well and he had given her a lifetime’s worth already by threatening to off himself. “Of course she cares for me. And I— I love her.”
“Christ!” His father turned away, shaking his head. “The first woman you get involved with after your…” he struggled to find a word and finally settled on “problem. And you think it’s love.”
“I know it’s love,” Sean replied firmly.
“You can’t know that. It’s been only a few months and you’re vulnerable.”
Sean barked out a laugh. His old man was giving him emotional advice now? “What do you know about my vulnerability? When I got out of the service, I remember your telling me to man up and figure out my life. You ignored every effort I made to share with you how I felt, to explain the war raging inside me. It took my putting a gun to my head before it finally got through to you how badly I was hurting.”
He broke off suddenly, horrified by what he had said. The looks on his parents’ faces, the stricken looks, cut him to the bone. He slammed his eyes shut. “Shit, I’m sorry.” Opening them up again, he went and put his arms around his mother. “I’m sorry, Mom, I didn’t mean to say those things. What I did wasn’t your fault.” He glanced up at his father. “It wasn’t either of your faults. That was all on me.”
His mother returned his hug and kissed his cheek. “No, you’re right. We saw what was happening and pretended it wasn’t. We’re sorry.”
“Very sorry,” his father added with a bit of a choke in his voice. “But I’m not sorry I spoke with your boss. I don’t think it was right for her to have an affair with you.”
Sean sighed and strove for patience. With his arms still on his mother’s shoulders, he looked his father in the eye. “No matter what, I will never believe that my time with Zoë was wrong. She gave me a boost when I needed it and I do love her. I’m not going to give up on her. She only dumped me because she has it in her head that I’m going to want to have kids and she’s done with that.”
His mother turned to look up at him. “You don’t want to be a father?”
He shrugged. “It’s not that important to me, Mom. Besides, you have four grandchildren already. What’s the big deal?”
“This isn’t about me,” she replied with a huff. “It’s about what you want. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am. I’m sure about Zoë. I’m going to get her back.” He took a deep breath. May as well get it all out at once. “I’m moving out too.” When his parents tried to object, he overrode them. “I’ve already put down a deposit on a studio in Brighton. It’s convenient for classes and I need my own space. I really appreciate your giving me a chance to get myself together, but it’s time for me to be a grown-up again.”
His father nodded. “Fair enough. Your brother and I’ll help you move your stuff. You just tell us when.”
Sean smiled. “End of next week. That’s when my job at the diner is over. I haven’t told even Zoë yet, but I got a part-time job at a pizza place in Boston that will give me enough money for living expenses while I’m in classes.”
“Looks like you’ve really pulled out of the dark place you went then,” his father observed. “We’re proud of you, son.” He held out his hand.
Sean released his mother and pulled his father in for a quick hug. “Thanks, Dad. I couldn’t have made it without you both.”
It was true and it gave him a sense of peace to know his trouble had somehow brought him closer to his parents. Now all that was left was to convince a stubborn Greek woman that she was the right woman for him.
* * * * *
Time had slowed down to a meager crawl as the day wound to an end. Zoë glanced at the clock for at least the fifth time in a half hour, willing the hands to pick up their pace. Thirty more minutes until closing time, then one more day before Sean moved on with his life—and out of hers. The last few days had been agony. Seeing him every day and not being with him hurt more than she had expected. It took every ounce of strength she possessed to keep from grabbing him and begging him to forget everything she had said about breaking up.
He wasn’t making it easier on her either. He acted as if nothing was wrong. He cheerily went about his work as if the world remained the same. Every once in a while though, she caught him looking at her with a sly grin on his face as if he knew something she didn’t. It made her nervous; it made her wet with longing. The attraction was still there no matter what her brain tried to tell her.
With another glance at the clock, she sighed and gathered the day’s receipts. It was just her and Joanne out in front with a couple of stragglers finishing up their meal in a booth at the far end of the diner. The door opened and she looked up, annoyed at how some people loved to come in to eat just as the cook prepared to shut down the grill. She froze as she watched the guy enter. Something was off, she could tell right away. It was a warm summer night with an already setting sun. So why was her customer wearing a jacket and sunglasses? A quick shift of her gaze told her the two other customers were still engrossed in their food. Joanne stepped up to greet the man who was now looking around.
“Go out back,” she said to Joanne in a low voice more calm than she fel
t. “I’ve got this.” Joanne gave her a funny look but did as she was told. Zoë waited until the other woman was out of sight before she addressed the newcomer. “Can I help you, sir?”
The man jerked his face to look at her. “I want Diego,” he said in a clipped, strained tone.
“Diego isn’t available. Can I take a message for him?” Although the dishwasher was out back with Sean, something warned her to keep him there.
“I know he’s here. I want to talk to him, now.” When Zoë started to shake her head, he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun. “Now!”
Her heart stopped for half a beat as her brain processed what was happening. She heard a shriek from the other end of the diner and both she and the gunman whipped their heads in that direction. The patrons, a couple of young women, had seen the gun. “Get down,” she ordered them and stepped out from behind the counter at the same time. She wanted the lunatic’s attention on her. He did as she hoped and swung back toward her, except now the lethal weapon was pointing right at her chest. She put her hands up, palms facing him.
“Take it easy. You want money? I’ll take what’s in the cash register and give it to you. No problem.”
“I don’t want your money,” he spat at her. “I want Diego. Diego!” he shouted around her.
Her eyes closed briefly when she heard footsteps behind her. Dear God, no, Diego needed to stay away. Except when she opened her eyes and turned her head to look, it wasn’t Diego she saw. Sean walked slowly toward her and the crazy man with the gun. His gaze was fixed on the danger. He didn’t spare her a glance, and the look in his eye made her heart skip another beat. He looked fierce. It was the only way she could describe it. She had never seen him like that and wondered how the gunman didn’t drop into a puddle of goo with that look focused on him.
She was proud of how bravely Sean walked into the danger. And she was scared shitless. No matter how dangerous Sean appeared right now, no one could stand up to a bullet. She willed him to stop, turn, run. But even as she thought it, she knew he never would.
Sean stared at the gunman even though his brain screamed at him to look at Zoë, to make sure she was okay, to grab her and pull her to safety. He couldn’t afford to lose focus and she couldn’t afford him to lose it either. The gun was still pointed at her and that situation needed to change. Until she was out of the line of fire, he couldn’t make any moves to disarm Diego’s asshole ex-boyfriend. He had to goad the guy into pointing his weapon at him without pushing him so much he simply started firing.
Stopping at a point level with Zoë, he sneered, “I thought I told you to get lost weeks ago.”
“I don’t take orders from you.” The hand with the gun shook a little with anger or fear. Either way, it sent spikes of terror up Sean’s spine. A shaky hand could easily cause the gun to fire and it was still pointed at Zoë.
“The hell you don’t,” Sean barked back. “Diego kicked your sorry, abusive ass out of his life. Take a hint and leave before you do something really stupid.” The hand shook again and still didn’t shift toward him. He fought down the anxiety and the urge to look at Zoë. His heart squeezed painfully when he thought of how terrified she must be.
“What’s it to you, anyway? You fucking him?”
Sean shrugged casually. “So what if I am? He’s pretty and way too good for trash like you.” He heard Zoë’s low gasp and willed her with his mind to keep her mouth shut. The ploy worked. Finally, the gun swung in his direction, the hand shaking even more. He felt the relief right down to his toes. Now he had a chance to take out this guy. He inched forward almost imperceptibly, hoping the guy was too hyped up to notice small movement.
“He’s mine! The little shit thinks he can ignore my calls and my texts and stay locked inside his apartment until I get run off by the super? Fuck that! I keep what’s mine. Diego, get your ass out here before I blow your fuck buddy’s brains out.” The lunatic’s eyes were roving about, trying to see past Sean and into the back where Diego hid with Joanne and the cook. Sean had told them all to stay put no matter what. He prayed they’d listen to him. While he was at it, he prayed most of all that Zoë would duck out of the way when he made his move.
He launched himself at the gunman when his gaze was off Sean. Sean had only a split second, but that’s all he needed. Reaching for the gun hand, he brought the whole arm down over his raised knee. The sound of bone snapping and the howl of pain made him grin with satisfaction. “Payback’s a bitch,” he growled.
The gun dropped to the floor without firing and Sean kicked it far out of reach. A flurry of movement caught his eye and he realized Zoë made a dive for it even as he twisted the broken arm behind the guy’s back. With his other hand, he grabbed the back of the gunman’s neck and forced him down. He pressed into the small of the man’s back with his knee, pushing him flat on the floor and ignoring the agonized howls of pain and fury. It was over in seconds, the outcome certain. Still, he jerked his head up to search for Zoë.
She stood a few feet away, the gun in both hands, pointed down at the floor. Her chest heaved fast breaths in and out, but otherwise she looked okay. Knowing that, tension eased within him. Behind her, the others came out of the back. Diego was crying in Joanne’s arms. The cook gave Sean a thumbs-up.
“Everybody okay?” he asked, although his gaze was fixed on Zoë.
She nodded, but she was clearly upset. Her eyes blinked furiously as if she were holding back tears.
He wanted to reassure her yet the words wouldn’t come. He wasn’t sure what he could say to ease her emotions anyway. She had every right to cry. Her life had been threatened, her business overtaken by a crazy man with a gun. The sound of sirens and the cops pulling up at least gave him something to say.
“Zoë, honey, put the gun down on the counter so the police don’t mistake you for the tango.” He shook his head. “I mean the perp, the bad guy.” He was babbling, although it didn’t matter. She understood what he meant and did as he suggested. Seconds later, the cops pulled him off the gunman and took over control.
His arms free, he wanted badly to go to her and wrap them around her body. It wasn’t only to comfort her, he needed the contact too. With the crisis over, realization of how dangerous the situation had been seeped into his consciousness. The woman he loved had been mere feet away from a crazy abuser with a gun. She could have been shot; she could have been killed. He took a step toward her. She took a step back, her expression unreadable, except he saw what looked like fear. Had it been there all along because of the situation or was it fresh fear of—what, him? He had subdued the gunman ruthlessly, his training taking control automatically. He could have and would have killed the guy with his bare hands had it been necessary. Maybe Zoë saw that and maybe she finally saw Sean as a killer.
He began to shake. Fine tremors ran through his body in what he knew only too well were the aftereffects of an adrenaline rush. It was more than that though. This was the beginning of a panic attack, the kind that had started to cripple him even before he got out of the army. He lurched forward to grab the edge of the counter, his fingers biting into the hard surface to keep his body steady. Damn if he was going to lose his shit here and now in front of all these people, especially Zoë. He jerked in surprise when delicate arms encircled his waist. They gently angled his body so that Zoë could press hers flush against his front, her head tucked against his shoulder.
“Shhh,” she whispered. “It’s okay. I have you. You’re okay, we’re all okay, thanks to you.”
Prying his fingers away from the counter with sheer willpower, he wrapped his arms instead around the soft body that pressed so lovingly against his. He crushed her to him and closed his eyes. He pictured her naked in her bed, smiling in invitation as she had done so many times. Her arms stretched out to him, welcoming him into her embrace. The diner disappeared, the other people faded away and it was just the two of them. He took a deep breath, held it and let it out slowly before taking another.
�
��That’s it.” He heard Zoë’s encouraging words. “I have you,” she repeated over and over. “You’re fine,” she assured him, her hands making slow circles against his lower back. Finally, as the panic receded, he heard her say, “I won’t let you go.”
He wished to hell she meant it.
Chapter Eight
The ride back to Zoë’s house was a silent one. Sean sat beside her, his head pressed back against his seat, his gaze fixed to his right. It was late and they were both exhausted. The cops had kept them at the diner for two hours going over what had happened and she hadn’t been able to leave even after giving her statement because she had to wait for everyone else. Diego, not surprisingly, was a wreck. He had kept apologizing over and over again as if he were responsible for his ex-boyfriend’s psychotic behavior. Zoë hadn’t been happy to learn he had kept to himself how much he’d been harassed by the other man, but there had been little point in chiding him for it. Joanne had taken him home with her and the older woman would mother him for the night and for however long he needed it.
No, she wasn’t going to worry about Diego. It was Sean who weighed on her mind at the moment. Stealing a glance in his direction, she saw he wore the same blank expression he had since the cops had separated them to take their statements. He wasn’t shaking anymore and that was a blessing, but he was so quiet, so unemotional. That couldn’t be good either. Fortunately he hadn’t put up any resistance when the diner had finally cleared out and she had insisted he come home with her. He had simply nodded and followed her out to the car. She couldn’t gauge his mood, but she had decided he shouldn’t be alone. Frankly, it wasn’t merely what he needed. She needed him tonight. In the way of many humans, she had achieved clarity of thought in the extreme circumstances of their facing possible death.
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