by Shayla Black
“No, you aren’t. Step away from her.”
“Or what?”
Zy smiled. “I’ll pound you into next week.”
“What the fuck ever. You can’t touch me, and if you do…I’ll have you arrested.” Cash’s mean grin said he was really looking forward to that.
“You think they’ll arrest me? I’m not the one attempting to rape Tessa. That seems way more serious to me.”
“Rape?” Cash scoffed, then tugged on her hair again. “Tell him how willing you are, babe.”
She pressed her lips together, stubbornly remaining mute.
Cash’s face burned red. “Now!”
Zy gestured in her direction. “She’s not willing. That’s in your head.”
“That’s your wishful thinking, asshole. She’s totally willing. We have a baby together.”
“Yeah, but she hasn’t agreed to have sex with you the whole time you’ve lived here.” Zy sauntered closer and moved in, his smile nasty. “Ever ask yourself why? Maybe it’s because I’m giving it to her so much better.”
“Bullshit!”
“Is it?”
What the hell was he doing? “Zy!”
He sent her a glance. Just a fraction of an instant, but even that connection calmed her. He had some trick, some plan… She just had to play along.
“See, even she’s calling bullshit.”
“Or she’s trying to convince me not to spill our secrets.” Zy raised a brow. “Let her go. I’m not going to tell you again.”
He would flatten Cash. Her ex liked to play big and tough, but he wasn’t. Zy was—just by breathing, by being.
“What do you think you’re going to do to me?” he sneered as if he’d never allow Zy to touch him.
“Is your imagination as small as your dick? Is that why you need me to spell it out?”
“Shut up! You don’t know anything about my dick.”
“I just saw it.” Zy gestured to his fly with a snide grin. “I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or call the Guinness people to see if you set a world record for the tiniest.”
Finally, Cash released his terrible grip on her hair, and she bolted to her feet, righting her clothes, as he lunged at Zy, fists first. “That’s it, you motherfucker. I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”
He swung at Zy, who reared back just in time to avoid the fist flying at his chin. Zy didn’t wait to counter. He was sober, faster, and far more skilled. His right hand slammed into Cash’s jaw in a fierce roundhouse. Then his left propelled an immediate uppercut to his stomach.
“Oof!” Cash doubled over, looking up at Zy with murder in his eyes, and croaked, “You’re a dead man.”
Suddenly, he reached into his pocket, and with the press of a button, out popped a gleaming switchblade.
Horror washed over Tessa. She didn’t want to think about how close she’d been to that knife or what he’d been planning to do to her with it. Now, she had to help Zy.
While Cash sprang at him with the blade, taking a vicious swipe at his face, she glanced around her living room for a weapon. Nothing. He’d probably hear her coming at him with something a big as a chair, and her fireplace tools were on the other side of the room, behind Zy.
In desperation, she whirled to her kitchen—and found a wealth of options. The closest and least messy was her kettle. She grabbed it off the stove, kicked off her shoes, then tiptoed up behind Cash.
Zy caught sight of her, and his eyes widened. “Tess, no!”
But it was too late. She was swinging the kettle in an arc toward his head—and he turned at the last moment, getting a whap of stainless steel right across the face. The shock of her blow had him dropping the knife. She shrieked and kicked it away, sending it clattering across her kitchen tile.
He reeled back and cursed in a groan, then swiped at his offended mouth with his thumb, glaring at her when he came away with blood. “You should not have done that.”
It was obvious he had every intention of making her sorry when he seized her arm in a cruel grip and raised a threatening fist above her face. Tessa lifted her arms in defense and braced for his angry blow.
Suddenly, he was ripped away.
Tessa opened her eyes to see Zy shoving him to the floor, straddling him with one hand around his throat. The other unleashed a series of punishing blows directly to Cash’s face. “Don’t. You. Ever. Fucking. Touch. Her. Again!”
“Zy!” She grabbed his arm to stay his punches because Cash would make good on his threat. He would press charges, and the man she loved would go to jail.
He merely shrugged her off. “He deserves this.”
She didn’t disagree, but when blood spurted from his nose and his eyes began rolling in the back of his head, she feared Zy would kill him.
“What the fuck?” someone said from the door.
Tessa looked up to find Logan running inside. Hunter was right behind him. She tugged the remnants of her blouse around her again, but it hardly mattered. The brothers were far too busy peeling a resistant Zy off Cash and shoving him back.
“Stop,” Hunter growled. “He’s down.”
“He tried to rape her. He intended to punch her.” Zy surged for Cash’s prone body again.
“Is that true?” the colonel said as he entered, his stepson, Joaquin, right behind him.
They were all looking to her for answers.
Tessa felt herself shaking all over. Everything had happened so fast… She swallowed and tried to collect herself. Finally, she managed to nod. “Y-yes.”
“He threatened her, so she called me. I came.” Zy struggled against the brothers holding him.
The colonel shook his head. “The police?”
“They told me they couldn’t help. The officer I talked to didn’t want to be fired for messing with Cash.”
She hated the catch of anger and fear in her voice, but everything that could have happened—was still happening—was melting her composure.
“Fuck,” the colonel muttered.
Zy continued to struggle against Hunter’s and Logan’s grips. “Goddamn it, let me go!”
“You’re not beating him again,” Hunter insisted.
Logan nodded. “As it is, we’ll have to perform one hell of a tap dance to keep you out of jail.”
“That’s not what I give a shit about!” Zy exploded.
He looked right at her. At once, everyone seemed to realize his concern, and they released him. Instantly, Zy charged for her, and she went running into his sheltering embrace.
He wrapped his arms around her, breathing hard and holding her so tight she could scarcely breathe. She finally felt safe. “You okay?”
“Better now. Thank you. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad you called me.” His restless grip roamed through her hair and sent searching touches down her back before he cupped her face and forced her to look at him. “Always call me.”
The eldest Edgington cleared his throat. “Especially if the police refused to help. Chief Broussard and I go way back. He’s going to hear from me about that shit. Is the baby all right?”
Tessa managed to nod, though she hated leaving the safety of Zy’s embrace. “She’s in her room.”
“Go see to her,” Joaquin suggested, kneeling beside Cash. “We’re going to have to call the police and the paramedics. He’s out cold.”
Oh, God…
But Tessa merely nodded, then looked back at Zy. His glance reassured her, even as he reluctantly released her.
Luckily, she found Hallie more asleep than awake in her crib. In the dark room, she smoothed her shaking hand over her baby’s back and tried to stop the tears from falling. Right now, they were stupid and useless and wouldn’t solve anything. She had to put Zy first—the way he’d done for her.
Within ten minutes, her little duplex was full of police, including the chief himself. After he bickered with the colonel for a few minutes, they finally agreed not to arrest Zy—proving the good old boys’ network st
ill operated in this small town—and the chief promised he’d be calling Cash’s bigwig uncle to ream him a new asshole. The paramedics took Cash to the hospital for stitches and an evaluation. A detective asked her some questions and she managed to locate Cash’s knife, which shifted the conversation even more in Zy’s favor.
Two hours later, the police and EMTs were gone. Hunter, Logan, and Joaquin insisted she call if they needed anything else, then departed, too, leaving her alone with the colonel and Zy.
“What are you going to do?” her former boss asked.
Physically, she was exhausted. She wanted a shower. She wanted sleep. She wanted to forget. But mentally, fear still wired her, and she doubted she’d relax enough for any of those things tonight.
“She shouldn’t be alone,” Zy supplied. “I’ll stay with her.”
The colonel turned to him. “And what will happen if you do?”
They would wind up in bed. Zy looked like a man itching to claim her now that he’d saved her. And she was so desperate for his touch and his comfort that she would probably let him, consequences be damned. She would regret it tomorrow when she was unemployed—and the colonel knew it.
Tessa swallowed. “Do you have any other ideas?”
Edgington hesitated. “Let me make some calls. I’ll get something temporary arranged.” Then he turned to Zy. “Garrett, go home.”
Zy looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Colonel… Sir, don’t do this to me.”
“I’m not doing it to you. I’m doing it for her. She’ll be protected. I promise you that. You can call her all you want. You just can’t stay here alone with her.”
She would appreciate him—tomorrow. Tonight, she wished she could have Zy, but that was her desperation talking. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” the colonel said softly as he pulled his phone from his pocket and gestured Zy to the door. “You did good playing the hero. Now you need to go.”
Zy clenched his teeth and cursed as he sent her a gaze that burned with anger and unquenched need. “Bye.”
Her reaction was irrational, and Tessa blamed leftover adrenaline and emotion, but the thought of him leaving was nearly enough to make her weep. Still, she had to let him go—but it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. “Bye.”
November 17
* * *
The weekend passed so slowly, Zy thought he’d lose his mind. A hundred times, he picked up the phone to call Tessa. Every fucking time, he put it back down. If he’d called her, he would have insisted on being with her. And if he’d gotten anywhere close to her, he would have pulled her into his arms to reassure her—and himself—that she was all right. And once she’d been that close, he couldn’t promise that he wouldn’t have kissed her. Wouldn’t have touched her. If he’d done that, even once, he would have done anything to feel her against him, under him—alive, safe, naked, and his.
So he’d stayed away and waited for her to call.
She hadn’t.
And now that Monday had finally rolled around, Zy was about to lose his fucking mind. Yeah, he knew the colonel himself had stayed with her that night, just like he knew the bosses and their brother-in-law, Kimber’s husband, Deke, had rotated guard duty the rest of the weekend. She’d been safe.
But how upset had she been? How much had she needed a friend?
When Tessa finally walked into the office a little before eight, she looked so damn gorgeous with pale curls skimming her breast-hugging gray sweater and black sheath skirt that it fucked with his head. But at least he was seeing her. He could breathe again.
“Zy.” She looked him over like she was thrilled to see him and wanted to touch him every bit as badly as he wanted to touch her.
“You didn’t call.”
She glanced down almost guiltily. “You did so much, I didn’t want to make anything harder for you.”
Fuck. Everyone knew he’d fallen for her, even Tessa. So he wasn’t allowed to touch her. Yeah, he got it. He hated it, but he got it.
“You okay?”
“Let her breathe, Garrett,” Hunter admonished, crossing the foyer to step between them. “You okay?”
What the hell? He’d just asked the same question.
“Fine.” She gave Edgington a smile that said she wasn’t fine at all, and Zy’s worry multiplied.
“The baby okay?”
Her smile turned more genuine. “Hallie seems no worse for the wear, and I think she enjoyed playing with the other kids this weekend. Thank you for that.”
“Our pleasure,” the boss assured, then turned to him with a glare. “Don’t you have an assignment?”
Yeah. To prove his best friend was innocent, even though they thought he was guilty as fuck. Zy was really starting to resent these assholes. “On it.”
“Good.” Hunter shot him a biting smile and gestured him to his desk.
Jesus. Tessa had lost her father, but she’d seemed to gain a handful of overprotective daddies.
Glowering, he made his way back to his corner of the building, threw himself into his chair, and bit back a curse.
Trees sipped his coffee and looked up from his screen. “Tessa okay?”
“She’s fine, but something is wrong with everyone else around her. They’ve turned into fucking hens.”
His buddy laughed. “Would you like some good news?”
“Fuck, I could use it.”
“I did some digging this weekend. Madison has a friend who’s a reporter at the local rag, and her beat is covering city politics. Apparently, Tessa’s ex spent Friday night in the hospital and the weekend in the county jail.”
Zy froze. “No shit. He couldn’t muster the money for bail?”
“He was denied bail—at his uncle’s request.”
Seriously? “Even though he weaseled Cash out of trouble after he smashed Tessa’s window?”
“Yep. When word broke that Cash had threatened to beat and rape his baby mama and that Councilman Bennett had allowed his nephew to get off scot-free once, the women of the community—led by his own wife—had a collective shit fit and demanded Cash spend the weekend in the clink. The rest of the city council seemed to agree. Bennett issued a statement that said he hadn’t seen the harm in helping his wayward nephew when Cash had stupidly broken a window while drunk, but the councilman drew the line at his nephew being violent with the woman who’d given him a daughter.”
Thank God for politicians and appearances. “So where is Cash now?”
Trees smiled. “He’ll be seeing the judge in less than an hour. The consensus is that he’ll probably be shown to a court-mandated rehab facility.”
Rather than prison. Zy would prefer to see him go down, but if the asshole got some help and he learned a lesson or two—primarily to stay away from Tessa—he’d count it as a win. “At least that would get him out of her hair for…what? Sixty days?”
“Something like that. Depends on what the judge decides.”
True that. “Thanks for the info, buddy.”
Trees clapped him on the shoulder. “What are friends for? By the way, in case you need to blackmail Councilman Bennett into being harsher with his nephew, I hacked into his computer and printed out a complete history of his porn habits. That’s some sick shit, man. I’ll never look at vegetable shortening and barbed wire the same again.”
Zy didn’t want to know.
“Thanks, man. Unless I need it, keep that shit to yourself.” They laughed as Zy sat and booted up his computer.
“You haven’t been on assignment lately. What do the bosses have you working on?”
Damn. Trees was observant, and he’d been purposely evasive. He should have seen this question coming. “Um, just some background for a potential new client.”
Trees frowned, and Zy did his best not to wince. He felt like shit for lying to the friend who’d had his back through thick and thin. Eventually, when he proved Trees wasn’t their mole, he hoped the big guy would forgive him.
“Sure
,” Trees said dismissively, then focused stubbornly on his screen.
“Look,” Zy dropped his voice. “They gave me an assignment I can’t talk about yet, okay? I’ll explain as soon as I can.”
And he would.
The promise appeased Trees a little. “Sure.”
But as his friend focused on his work again, Zy merely stared at his own computer. What the hell could he do to prove his friend innocent when Trees was sitting a mere six feet away? Everything One-Mile had said on Friday evening swirled through his head.
“Hey, I got a question… How secure is our network here? Is it pretty hack proof?”
“That came out of nowhere. Why do you want to know?”
Shit. How the hell was he supposed to answer that?
Zy shrugged. “Just curious since you were talking about hacking the councilman’s shit. I know you usually like to put your two cents into whatever cybersecurity you work with. We good here?”
Trees raised a brow. “You hiding the fact you’re into Crisco and barbed wire, too?”
“Fuck no.”
His friend laughed. “Good to hear it. We’re safe. Right after I hired on, the colonel and I put our heads together and shored up the internal firewall. He’d done a decent job, but you know I like to put my touch on everything.”
That should make EM’s network a hundred times harder to break into than a bank vault. Which meant the chances of anyone on the outside hacking past Trees’s safeguards to mine their information were almost nil. But that also meant anyone on this side of their firewall stood the best chance of wreaking havoc. One-Mile had ruled out everyone except Trees and Tessa, but Zy refused to believe either was guilty. Someone else around here had to be on the take. But when he reviewed the list of suspects again…they were the only two who made sense.
“Is something going on?” Trees asked.
So much I don’t even know where to start. “Nothing important.”
Trees clearly didn’t believe him. “You know I’ve always got an open door and an ear, right?”
“I do. Thanks, man.”
Trees nodded. “What are you going to do about Tessa?”
