by SJ McCoy
“I think we both know he’s coming, if he’s not there already. And you have a girlfriend? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because we’ve been keeping it quiet.”
“I need to know that kind of thing, Zack.”
“Well, you know now. And you should also know that I’m not going to run this time. You come up here. You help me put a stop to him if you can. But this is it. I’m standing my ground.”
“Don’t make any hasty decisions, Zack.”
“After ten years, you can hardly say I’m being hasty. I’m done, Manny. I want to be able to get on with my life. I want to be able to take my girl out in public and have the world know that we’re together.”
Manny blew out a sigh. “I understand, but if that’s what you want, we need you both alive for it to happen. Is the house secure?”
“Yeah, and we’re heading back there now.”
“Let me know when you’re there. And tomorrow you stay there till we arrive.”
“No. If he is here, you’ll scare him off. I want to draw him out this time.”
Manny sighed again. “We can talk about that tomorrow. You go home, you lock it down, and you wait for me to call you in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Zack hung up and turned to see Maria standing in the kitchen doorway. “This is all feels very real all of a sudden.”
He went to her and closed his arms around her. “It is. How would you feel about staying home tomorrow?”
She smiled. “Not a problem. I was going to surprise you with that in the morning. Laura asked if I could switch my day off. So, I’m home tomorrow anyway.”
“That’s good. That’ll give us time to figure out what we do from here.”
She looked up at him. Her eyes were full of questions, but he didn’t know where to start explaining. Instead, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her deeply.
Chapter Twelve
Maria opened her eyes and lay there for a moment. She was already used to sleeping in Zack’s bed with him. She loved it. She loved being close to him. Loved the way he slept with his arm over her middle, and sometimes in the night he drew her closer while he slept.
“Are you awake?”
She looked up at him. “Almost.”
He smiled and landed a kiss on her lips. She knew her face was probably still puffy with sleep, but she didn’t care. When she’d been with guys in the past, she hated them to see her in the morning. It wasn’t like that with Zack. He proved her point by kissing one eyelid and then the other. “You’re so cute when you wake up.”
She laughed. “Yeah, cute like a rodent coming out of hibernation.”
“No. Cute like my gorgeous woman waking up in my arms.”
She shook her head at him. “Thanks. Flattery will get you everywhere with me, but then you already knew that. You don’t look like you just woke up, though.”
His smile faded. “No. I’ve been thinking.”
She rolled on her stomach to look him in the eye. “What about?”
“About what’s going to happen. We don’t know that it was him in your back yard last night. It might have been nothing more than a raccoon. But even if he’s not here. He’s coming. I know he is. And Manny must believe it, too, or he wouldn’t be on his way up here.”
“Are you going to tell me the rest of the story yet?”
He nodded and sat up. She sat beside him, leaning back against the headboard and covering her breasts with the sheet.
He ran his hand over her and cupped one breast, teasing her nipple through the sheet. She closed her eyes and fought her need for him. It’d be too easy to allow him to distract her like that. “Not yet, Zack. I need to know.”
“I’m sorry.” He dropped his hand and closed it around hers. “I don’t know where to start.”
“The beginning is usually a good place.”
He smiled. “I don’t even know where that is.” He turned to stare out the window for a moment and she waited, wondering what she was about to hear. “I think you already know that I come from money.”
She nodded. “I don’t know anything about you for certain, but yeah, it’s kind of obvious that your family must be wealthy.
“Very. My dad owns a bank. Amongst other things. You know Eddie?”
“April’s Eddie?”
“Yes. His dad, Ted, is my dad’s partner.”
“Wow. I would never have guessed that you two knew each other. I thought if anything maybe you knew April. You seem to be … I don’t know … more familiar with her.”
He gave her a half smile. “Not that kind of familiar.”
She gave a guilty little laugh. “Okay, you got me. When I first knew you, and you made it clear that you weren’t interested in me, it bothered me a little. It didn’t seem fair that April—who was already engaged to the lovely Eddie, should also be the one girl in town who you were less stand-offish with.”
He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You were jealous?”
She shrugged. “Maybe a little. But you only know her because of Eddie?”
“Kind of. I spent some time in Montana. The bank foreclosed the loan on her ex-husband’s property, and Ted wanted to make sure that it was all set up to be held in trust until her son Marcus comes of age. I went up there to oversee everything.”
“Wow. I had no idea. Eddie must be really good at keeping secrets.”
“He is, but then I don’t know him that well. He and his dad were estranged for many years. It’s not like I grew up knowing him. Besides, my dad was in charge of the South and Central American assets, which meant he spent most of his time overseas. I grew up in Colombia.”
“Wow! I bet that was interesting. I’ve heard it’s changed a lot in the last few years, but it used to be a pretty dangerous place, didn’t it?”
“It did.”
“Oh! Is that where this Morales person is from?”
He nodded. “Colombia used to be the kidnapping capital of the world. I was taken when I was twenty-two.”
“Oh, my God, Zack! What happened?”
He pursed his lips. “I was just a kid. I’d been out with some friends. I was crossing the street, going back to my driver, who was also my bodyguard. Two cars pulled up, they bundled me inside and drove away. Simple as that. They held me in a basement for eleven weeks.” He shook his head. “I tried to escape, and they beat me for it. My dad was beside himself. He promised to give them whatever they wanted. He told me to do whatever they said, and he’d pay up. I didn’t want them to use me against him like that. I hated it. I was so angry. When they were ready to make the exchange, I didn’t just walk to the car like I was supposed to. I jumped on the guy who was with me. His gun went off.” He sucked in a deep breath and then blew it out slowly. “He died. My dad’s men started shooting at the other guy—Morales, but he got away. We thought that was the end of it, but Morales was out for vengeance. The one who died was his younger brother. He swore to find me and kill me. So, ever since then, I’ve kept moving. I’ve stayed away from home—from my dad—and I’ve kept a low profile. Whenever I’ve thought that maybe he’d given up, there’d be reports of him in the area. And we’d decide that it was time for me to move on again. Go hide somewhere new.” He looked down into her eyes. “But I don’t want to move on again. I don’t want to hide anymore. I don’t want to start a new life in a new place. I want to live my life here, with you.”
Maria reached up and landed a kiss on his lips. “That’s what I want, too, Zack. But if it means keeping you safe, I’ll go somewhere new with you.”
He closed his arms around her and hugged her tight. “That means more than you know. But it wouldn’t work. It’s time to face him. To end this.”
Maria’s heart was racing. “How can it end?”
“Either he’ll get me, or I’ll get him.”
“Can’t the police—this FBI man, Manny—can’t he get him?”
Zack made a face. “I’d love to think so, but he h
asn’t managed it yet.”
~ ~ ~
Zack was pouring Maria a mug of coffee when his phone rang.
“Is that Manny?” asked Maria.
He nodded. “Yeah. Let’s see what he has to say.” He swiped to answer. “Morning.”
“Hey, Zack. We arrived a couple of hours ago and started asking around. He’s here. We have a handful of positive IDs.”
“Well, at least we know for sure.”
“We do. I’d rather you weren’t here—but I know I’m not going to be able to persuade you to leave,” he added hurriedly before Zack could argue.
“That’s right.”
“So, what exactly are you thinking?”
Zack pursed his lips. He hadn’t made a plan yet. He hadn’t been thinking straight last night. Not since he’d realized that that bastard might have been in Maria’s back yard while she was home alone. “I think I should go about my business as usual. If he’s finally found me, it shouldn’t take long for him to make his move.”
“Okay, and what is your business as usual?”
Zack thought about it. “Well. I’m not working, so I’m not flying. All I’ve been doing is hanging out during the day while Maria’s at work and then spending the evenings with her.”
“But she’s not gone to work.”
Zack glanced out the window. “Are you outside?”
“Not me, no. I’ve set up base in the resort in town.”
“So, how about I bring Maria down there for breakfast?”
“Are you sure you want to get her involved?”
Zack glanced at her. She was watching him curiously. “She’s already involved. If anything, I want you to help me persuade her to maybe leave town until this is over.”
“Okay. Bring her down here with you.”
~ ~ ~
They got into Zack’s truck in the garage before he pushed the remote to open the door. She smiled at him. “This is like the movies. Should I get down on the floor, so no one sees me?”
He didn’t laugh as he looked back at her. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”
As Maria slid down from her seat and crouched in the footwell, her heart was racing. “The only way I can deal with this is to pretend that we’re just joking around.”
He gave her a wry smile as he pulled out of the driveway. “Okay, then. Let’s pretend it’s a joke.”
She laughed. “It has to be. I’m not the kind of girl you’d find down here normally.”
He raised an eyebrow but kept his eyes on the road. She reached over and touched the front of his pants. “The kind of girl you could get to crouch in the footwell of your truck.”
He let out a small laugh. “Nor would I want you to be. But you’d better stop that before we get to town, or I might have to take a detour down a quiet lane and get you to demonstrate exactly what you’re talking about.”
She laughed. “One day, when this is all behind us, I should do that.”
She watched his lips twitch into a smile. “That might not be a bad way to celebrate.”
“Am I supposed to stay down here the whole way to town?”
“No. Come on up now. You probably didn’t need to get down there anyway, but when you suggested it, I thought it might not be a bad idea. This way, if he’s watching the house, he won’t know that you spent the night.”
Maria scrambled back up into the seat. “And why does that matter?”
“It matters because if he knows how close we are, he’ll want to hurt you. As far as he’s concerned, I killed the person he cared about most in the world.”
Maria nodded as she followed the logic. “So, he might want to kill someone he thinks you care about?”
“The person I care about most in the world.”
Her heart raced to hear him say that. “What about your dad? Has he never gone after him?” She had to ask that; she couldn’t think that she might be the person Zack cared most about. That was too big to deal with yet.
“He might have tried. But there’s no way he could ever get close. My dad lives on a big estate on the coast. He’s surrounded by security twenty-four seven. Not just because of Morales, it’s a result of his business over the years. When we lived in Medellín he … he’s a good man …”
Maria nodded. She didn’t want to ask what the but might be, and it sounded like there was one.
“I want you to meet him,” Zack continued. “Would you consider going down there—to stay with him?”
She frowned. “When? I thought you wanted to be here.”
“I do. I mean, would you go?”
“No.” She knew he meant well, but there was no way she was going to leave the lake and go and hide. Especially not now. “When this is over with, I’d like for us to go and visit. I’d love to meet him. But I want to be here with you.”
Zack nodded. “Let’s see what Manny has to say.”
Ben, who owned the resort, greeted them with a smile when they entered the restaurant. “Manny’s over at the lodge. He asked me to tell you to go straight up to room 222.”
Maria felt nervous as Zack knocked on the door when they got there. He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her into his side. “You’ll like Manny. He’s a good man. He’ll do everything in his power to keep you safe.”
“What about you?”
He nodded. “Me, too.”
The man who opened the door wasn’t what she expected. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, not a black suit and white shirt. He hurried them in and closed the door behind them before he embraced Zack. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too. It’s been a long time. I’d like you to meet Maria.”
Manny almost crushed her hand when he shook it. She liked him immediately. “Nice to meet you.”
He smiled. “And you. I just wish it were under different circumstances. Has Zack talked to you about leaving town?”
“He has, but I don’t want to. I want to be here, and besides, I have a job. I can’t just up and leave.”
Manny sighed. “I had a feeling you were going to say that. If you’re going to stay here, you’re going to have to get used to having one of these guys following you around at all times.”
She looked to the sofa where two more men were sitting. They smiled and nodded but didn’t speak.
“Okay.”
Manny turned to Zack. “You, too. I’m going to have someone on you.”
Zack frowned. “You don’t think he’ll spot them? I want to draw him out, not scare him off.”
“And I want to keep you alive. Give them some credit. They’ll stay out of the way. And if I know you, you’ve already thought of a way to draw him out … so tell me?”
Maria watched, puzzled. That seemed like an odd thing to say. Why would Manny think that he knew Zack so well? That he knew what he was thinking?
Zack shrugged. “I don’t have a plan, as such. But I believe that if I get on with my life, it won’t take him long to make his move.”
“But you don’t have a routine here?”
“No.”
“Well, maybe you need one.”
Zack nodded. “Yeah. I’ll come up with a schedule of what I’m going to do every day—do the same thing at the same time every day. You guys will know it all in advance and he’ll be able to figure out when will be his best opportunity. In fact, we should probably work one in there—something that will seem like an easy hit.”
Maria shuddered. The word hit made her think of hit men and murders.
Manny smiled at her. “It’s okay. He’s good at this. So are we.”
Zack put his arm around her shoulders. “It’ll all be okay. It’ll be over soon.”
She could only hope so.
Manny turned to Zack. “How would you feel about us staying with you—since Maria’s not leaving.”
Zack looked down at her, and to her surprise, he nodded slowly. “You probably should.”
Maria didn’t like that idea at all, and her face must have shown it. “
It won’t be for long,” Zack reassured her. A big smile spread across his face. “In fact, it might be a very good thing.”
“How?” she asked doubtfully.
“How would you feel about moving in with me—officially?”
Her heart started to race. “We’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.” She wanted to kick herself as soon as the words were out. They might have only been seeing each other for a very short time, but she already knew that he was the one for her. What did the timing matter?
Zack was nodding, disappointment etched into the lines around his eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I …”
She smiled at him. “But we’ve known each other for a long time.”
His smile returned. “Is that a yes?”
“It is.” Why not? They hadn’t spent a night apart since they’d started seeing each other. She hated the idea of sleeping alone again. If he wanted her to move in with him then she’d be happy to.
“Okay. Then we need to spend the day house-hunting.”
“House hunting? Why? One of us can move in with the other.”
“We could. But now that I’m not hiding anymore, I think I want a nicer place.” He smiled at Manny. “Maybe a place with a decent security system and lots of room for guests.”
Manny smiled back at him. “Is that an invitation?”
Zack looked down at Maria. “As long as my lady’s okay with it.”
Maria nodded. She wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into, but as long as it meant she got to be with Zack, she was okay with it.
Chapter Thirteen
Zack checked the rearview mirror when he pulled up in front of the gate. Manny had told him he’d be following, but he was too good at it for Zack to spot him. The only vehicle Zack had seen behind them was Austin, the realtor who was now pulling up next to them.
Austin got out of his car and came to Zack’s window. “I have to tell you, you took me by surprise on this one.”
Zack grinned at him. “It all just kind of came together, and we don’t see any reason to wait.” He reached across and took hold of Maria’s hand. “We know what we want, now we just want to get on with it.”
