And had she met this man when she first returned to Tennessee, she’d have run fast and far.
Because he was scary.
No, scary was a movie with creepy music and ghosts popping out at unexpected times. Scary was a Freddie Kreuger Halloween mask showing up at her door. Zach? Well, Zach was terrifying.
His blue eyes had darkened to a midnight color and there wasn’t a hint of warmth. They were so cold, they were almost inhuman. Robotic.
His jaw was clenched so hard, the muscles ticked and his neck corded. He had Chris against the door with Louie across his neck. Chris gasped and sputtered for breath, his face growing paler by the second.
She’d never seen Zach this enraged. Not when he first saw the infamous video. Not when she volunteered to take Maverick’s place. And not when she tried to push him away and end their relationship.
No, this was a new level of anger and uncharted territory for her. There was a good chance if she didn’t step in, the man she loved was going to kill her ex who wasn’t even worth a few sore knuckles, let alone a prison sentence.
Yes. She loved him.
No doubt about it.
“Zach,” she said, working hard to keep the tremor out of her voice. “I think you need to ease up before you k-kill him.” Holy shit. Was she really advising her boyfriend to avoid killing someone? What the hell happened to her boring life?
Sick as it was, she felt a little thrill knowing the troubles she currently faced actually came from that boring life. Not the motorcycle club she’d taken up with. Not that she needed it any longer, but the realization kind of reaffirmed her decision to be with Zach.
It was strange to see such a violent scene playing out right beside a bright wall hanging of happy yellow sunflowers. A print she’d purchased at the botanical gardens. “Zach, please. I don’t want you to get in trouble for hurting this asshole. He’s not worth it.” She took three steps forward and put a tentative hand on Zach’s shoulder.
He didn’t speak, but moved the bat from Chris’s throat to his chest, allowing a choking Chris to inhale.
“Th-thank you, Ton-Toni,” Chris said as he sucked in air. “God, Toni, he’s a maniac. Can’t you see that?” He coughed and inhaled a whistling breath. “He would have killed me if you weren’t here.” Color was returning to his face, but he still couldn’t move due to Louie’s continued presence across his chest.
Zach snorted.
“Shut the fuck up, Chris. I didn’t tell him to stop because I don’t want you dead. I said it because you aren’t worth going to prison for. You aren’t worth shit. Zach, let’s just do what we came to do and get out of here. I want to go home.”
He reacted then, turning his head until his mesmerizing gaze bore into hers. The corner of his mouth turned up.
He liked her calling it home.
In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to tell him she loved him. In fact, she had to clench her lips between her teeth to keep the words from spilling out. Because she’d be damned before she’d spill something so important in front of her stupid ex.
But she’d tell Zach later.
She’d tell him every day.
Chapter Thirty-One
Zach had an overwhelming urge to tell the gorgeous, brave, feisty woman trying to keep him from a murder rap that he loved her. Fuck if he’d thought that would ever happen, but in just a few short weeks, the woman had turned his whole world on its ass and he couldn’t imagine ever being with another.
The thought of losing her, of not seeing her every day, of not touching her, tasting her, hell, of not just being in her presence made him physically ill. If that wasn’t love, he didn’t know what the fuck was.
Toni probably wouldn’t appreciate him telling her he loved her for the first time while he was two minutes away from offing her ex. He almost laughed out loud at the thought. Time to move the show along.
“Here’s how this is going to go,” Zach said, putting just enough pressure on Louie to have Chris nervous but not struggling to breathe. “You’re going to give me your computer and any flash drives or discs that might have a copy of that video.”
He had to hand it to the suit, for such a pretty-boy, the guy had balls. “Fuck you,” Chris said. “I’m not giving you shit. Everyone’s going to know what a slut she is. See if she ever gets a job again.”
Zach sighed. Why couldn’t Chris just make things easier on himself. Zach hefted Louie in his right hand and swung it like an axe toward the door. It landed with a crack an inch away from Chris’s head, splintering the wood and eliciting a high-pitched scream from the man whose balls just shrunk two sizes.