Zach (Hell's Handlers MC 1)

He jogged up the steps. “Everyone’s asleep and if you’d stop screaming like a banshee, they’d stay that way.”

Toni growled and pinched his ass, hard. He couldn’t help but burst out into laughter as he reached his room.

Good fucking end to a day that could have ended quite differently.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Two days after she’d killed a man she used sleep with, Toni was in full-on freak out mode. She felt like an unstable tower built haphazardly by a toddler. Each mismatched block represented one stressor. And the tower was wobbling back and forth precariously close to collapse.

She’d watched a man tasked with protecting her die.

She’d killed a man.

She’d almost been that man’s hostage.

There was a very scandalous sex video hanging over her head.

She had a douchebag ex to deal with.

Maverick was in the hospital.

She hadn’t seen Zach in two days.

She had a whole host of complicated feelings for a man to sort through.

She had a job waiting for her in Chicago and a business in Tennessee.

And to top it all off, she walked into the diner at six a.m. on a rainy morning to find a hole in the roof and a trickle of water that seemed to grow to a stream in no time. Well, great. What the hell was she supposed to do now? The diner was slated to open in an hour, and staff should be arriving within the next thirty minutes.

She grabbed a mop bucket and placed it under the falling water. At the rate it was pouring in, she’d need to replace it in twenty minutes.

Toni’s lower lip quivered and she stared up at the ceiling while blinking to ward off the impending tears. Last thing she needed was to bring any more water to this party.

The bell over the door jangled and Shell walked in. “Hey, To—oh, shit.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. Watch your feet, it’s a little slippery.”

Ever the amazing friend and employee, Shell dropped her purse and jacket in a booth and booked it behind the counter. “I’ll grab some rags and get the lake cleaned up while you make some calls.”

The muscles at the base of Toni’s skull seemed to tense on the spot, causing a throbbing headache. “Any idea who to call in this situation?”

“Rocket has a construction company. I’d start there. If he’s not the right person, I’m sure he’ll steer you in the right direction,” Shell said as she spread some large rags on the floor to soak up the water. “Actually, call Zach. With that bunch, they tend to get testy if their woman calls another man for help. Even one of their brothers.”

“You can’t be serious?”

Shell laughed. “Don’t look at me like that. Just trust me. Call Zach.”

“I can’t bother Zach with this, Shell, he’s got too much going on. I haven’t even seen him in two days.” Toni ran a hand through her disheveled hair and tried not to scream in frustration.

“He hasn’t checked in?” Michelle looked up from where she was bent over wiping up the mess.

“I didn’t say that. He’s texted about a million times to see how I was doing. He just hasn’t been able to escape. Poor guy must be exhausted.” Zach had spent those two days bouncing between the hospital and the clubhouse, dealing with the fallout of Maverick’s rescue. It turned out Shark had been holding a woman captive, a woman who was in almost as bad shape as Maverick. The club had gotten Stephanie to the hospital and per Mav’s request, was taking responsibility for her, so now there was another thing on their overflowing plate.

“They all are.” Shell sighed. “Hate seeing them stretched so thin, but these guys are the definition of tough. They’ll get it all sorted.”

“And Zach is not my man, Shell. You know that.”

With a snort, Shell rung the rag out over an empty bucket. “Sure, girl, you just keep telling yourself that one.”

As she opened her mouth to fire back a sassy retort, the door bells jangled once again and this time not-her-man strode in, in all his masculine glory.

“Fuck, baby. Why the hell didn’t you call me?” Zach didn’t wait for an answer. As he walked toward her, he pulled his phone out. Holding it to his ear, he gave her a quick kiss then turned away. “Hey, man, Toni’s diner’s got a fuck of a leak in the roof.”

His voice faded as he stepped farther away.

Shell shot her an I-told-you-so grin.

“Shut up,” Toni muttered to Shell’s laughter.

“Rocket will be by in twenty to put a temporary fix on the leak, and once the rain stops his team will take a look and see how bad the damage really is,” Zach said as he returned. “Shell, stop cleaning. Got some prospects coming by who will get this taken care of.”

“Zach—”

“Oh good,” Shell said. “This would have taken the two of us forever.”