Safe at Last (Slow Burn #3)

“Always,” she said lightly.

Their feet made the lightest of sounds on the concrete sidewalk. At the gate, Zack gave a gentle push, irritated that it squeaked loudly. Fuckers had obviously broken it when they’d broke in to dump Gracie.

They were nearly to Zack’s SUV when a dark, shadowy form appeared just a few feet in front of them.

“Down!” Eliza barked, shoving at Zack.

He dropped and rolled. Before he could get back to his feet, he was hit by what felt like a truck full of concrete. He let out a guttural sound and immediately went limp.

Surprised by the move, his attacker stumbled, unable to bear Zack’s weight. Zack took full advantage, ramming his shoulder into the guy’s midriff and taking him down hard on the asphalt surface.

Zack was just pissed-off enough, and he’d had to keep his fury leashed the entire goddamn day, that he let the lion out of his cage with a roar.

His sound of rage echoed across the parking lot. His attacker hit the ground, Zack down on top of him. He felt the harsh exhalation of the other man’s breath against his neck. Zack swung, punching viciously.

He reeled back when one of his attacker’s fists connected with his jaw. Goddamn it.

Zack rolled, remaining in motion, not wanting to present too easy a target.

He was tackled, his motion abruptly ceasing. And then, before any more blows could be landed from either side, Eliza’s command cracked the night.

“Hands up where I can see them, asshole! Give me a reason to shoot. Go ahead. You’ll make my entire week,” she snarled.

Zack was freed and the man slowly stepped away. Zack shoved to his feet and was on the guy in a split second. He grabbed one arm and twisted it hard behind his back, whirling the guy into motion. His forward momentum made the rotation easier and Zack pinned the guy’s arm high behind his back to render him immobile.

“Get me a goddamn light, Lizzie.”

A second later, a flashlight turned on and the beam tracked up the attacker’s body and then to his face.

“What the fuck?” Zack demanded. “Sterling? What the hell do you think you’re doing?”





FOURTEEN


BLOOD trickled down Sterling’s nose and his eyes blazed with fury, reflecting eerily by the flashlight Eliza was currently blinding him with.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Zack roared. “How about you take a trip downtown on assault charges. After I beat the shit out of you.”

Sterling’s lips curled with contempt. “You fucking *. You couldn’t take me in a fight. You’re too much of a goddamn pansy to ever get your hands dirty. No, you have others beat up on women for you.”

Zack punched him squarely in the jaw, sending the other man reeling backward. Sterling regained his balance and lunged for Zack, propelling both men to the asphalt parking lot.

A shot sounded, jerking Zack up. Sterling reacted no differently, hitting the ground with speed that told Zack the man was trained. His instincts were too good. Too practiced. The suave, wealthy and polished exterior he crafted covered up the raw, street-smart man underneath.

“What the fuck, Lizzie?” Zack roared. “Are you trying to kill me?”

Eliza huffed out in exasperation. “Look, we don’t have time for this shit. We’re out in the open. Not good. You’re calling attention to us. Not good. Need I go on?”

“And you didn’t just shoot a giant fucking firework into the sky?” Zack asked incredulously.

“Someone had to do something,” she pointed out. “Now, what do you say we have this conversation somewhere other than the middle of a public parking lot.”

“We’re done here,” Zack said flatly.

He didn’t know what Sterling’s issue was, but his insinuation that Zack had been purposely responsible for Gracie’s beating? What the fuck? Zack couldn’t even see straight, his vision was so clouded with red rage.

“No, the hell we’re done,” Sterling said. “Where is Anna-Grace? What did you do to her?”

Zack looked at Sterling like he’d grown a second head. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“She’s disappeared, but that shouldn’t be news to you. Coincidentally, she disappears the day after you show up in my studio, harass her and scare the living hell out of her. It doesn’t take much effort to connect the dots here. But you fucked up this time, Covington. Maybe she had no one who cared about her then. But she does now. She’s important to me. And I will protect her even if it means taking you down for good.”

The roar in Zack’s ears was nearly deafening. He was tired of Gracie’s—and now Sterling’s—hints of some past horrific event. He was tired of being found guilty for something he knew goddamn well he hadn’t done.

He’d harassed Gracie? Since when did wanting to know if the woman you loved more than anything in the world was okay constitute harassment?