Midnight Secrets

chapter

TWO


Zach Tanner rubbed his tired, gritty eyes and yawned widely as he steered his car toward home. A twelve-hour workday would’ve been bad enough, but he’d had to get up a couple of hours earlier this morning to study. Taking online college courses was a lifesaver since he couldn’t afford to drive to the University of South Alabama campus every day, but it sure cut down on his sleeping time. The psychology test was at noon tomorrow and he was determined to ace it.

This was his last test for the quarter. The better he did on this exam, the better his record would look. It’d taken a lot of work to overcome his rep as a no-good kid. When he’d signed up for the army a couple of months back, he had been warned to keep his nose clean. Telling the recruiter he was following in his dad’s footsteps had helped, but still the recruiter hadn’t liked the black marks on Zach’s records, no matter how unfounded they were. He had told him to keep a low profile in town and to stay out of trouble. Zach had done his best to comply. No way in hell was he going to jeopardize his chances. He’d dreamed too long and worked too hard to let anything get in the way. Come August, he was out of Midnight for good and on to a new life.

His family responsibilities were finally ending. After being the sole provider for more years than he liked to remember, he was finally free. His salvation had come by way of Leonard Easley, a widowed bank president from Pascagoula, Mississippi. He’d taken one look at Zach’s mom and fallen head over heels. After all of Francine’s machinations to find a man to take care of her, she’d ended up finding him on the side of the road when she’d run out of gas and Leonard had stopped to help.

It’d taken a few months before Zach was convinced that Leonard was really serious. His mother wasn’t known for good judgment in her selection of men. Nor was she known for her self-control. If Leonard had wanted to, he could easily have kept a casual sexual relationship and Francine would have hung on for as long as she could. Instead, much to everyone’s surprise, Leonard didn’t want casual, he wanted forever.

The day after Leonard proposed, Zach had gone to the army recruiting office in Mobile and signed up. The U.S. Army was not only his ticket out of town, but also the chance to do something worthwhile. He had never known his dad; James Tanner had been killed in a brief conflict in Egypt when Zach was a baby. The stories his mother had told him made him want to be the kind of man his father had been—strong, courageous, and honorable.

He had a long way to go. Zach had been an outcast for most of his life. As the son of the town’s “Jezebel,” he had been called every vile name in the book. Also, being poor just seemed to piss some people off. Now it was time to prove that he had something inside of him. Something that didn’t involve scraping, stealing, or wheeling and dealing just to survive.

His number one priority had always been his half brother, Josh. From the time his mother had walked in the door with the small blanket-wrapped bundle, Zach had felt responsible for him. His mother had reinforced those feelings when she’d placed the infant in four-year-old Zach’s arms and said, “You’re the big brother. You’re supposed to watch out for him and protect him.” And that’s exactly what Zach had tried to do. When Eric Adams, Josh’s father and Zach’s stepfather, had walked out on the family, Zach’s responsibilities as a big brother had taken on even more importance.

But now Josh was sixteen years old, a star football player who had an excellent chance of getting a football scholarship. With Leonard paying the family expenses, Josh would be taken care of until he was out on his own. That peace of mind had given Zach the permission to pursue his own dreams.

The cellphone in the console beside him blared out a loud ring. Zach glared at the thing. He didn’t want to answer, even though he knew he would. He had resisted getting a cellphone because he knew he’d be on call 24/7, and he had been right. His mother thought nothing of calling him, no matter what time or for what reason.

Grabbing the phone before it could blare out another ring, he answered, “Hello?”

“Zachie honey, where are you?”

“I’m headed home, Mom.”

“Well, what’s taking so long? Your shift ended twenty minutes ago.”

That was because he’d sat in his car for a full five minutes and just enjoyed the quiet. No one asking for anything, giving orders, or making demands. Solitude was a precious commodity.

Explaining that would do nothing but make her cry, so he said instead, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Leonard’s already called to say good night, and Josh probably won’t be home for hours. I’m lonesome.”

Zach held his tongue.

“Could you stop and pick up some milk and cigarettes?”

“I thought you told Leonard you had quit smoking.”

“That’s only after we’re married. Till then, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

So much for honesty in a relationship. “I’ll stop for milk. Not cigarettes.”

“You’re such a fuddy-duddy, Zach Tanner. I’m an adult and your mama. You’re supposed to mind me and do what I tell you to do.”

If only that were true. Zach had been nine years old when his stepfather had up and left the family for another woman. That day, in between sobs of despair and curses at her husband, his mother had announced that Zach was now the man of the house. From that moment on, his life had not been his own. Francine had depended upon him for everything.

Zach had recognized early that resenting her demands or control over his life accomplished nothing. His little brother needed to eat. Zach had become an expert on bargain shopping. The monthly swap meet on the outskirts of town became his hunting ground. Paying pennies for dented or unlabeled cans of food or a quarter for day-old bread at the bakery thrift store had sustained them. When even those hadn’t been available or money had been scarce, he had resorted to various other avenues of obtaining food, some legal, some not. He’d learned early that pride or fear couldn’t get in the way of survival.

Social Services had been a constant visitor in their home for a while. Zach had learned to lie about their circumstances. His mother had told him horror stories of what could happen if the family was split up. No matter how hard his life got or what he had to do, the thought of never seeing his little brother again wasn’t something Zach could accept. Eventually they had stopped checking on them.

“Zach, you still there?”

He shook himself out of his stupor. “Yeah, I’ll stop for milk. Anything else?” Before she could say it, he added, “Besides cigarettes?”

“That’s it. Don’t be long, okay?”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Zach ended the call and blew out a tired sigh.

Despite his happiness that the well-to-do Leonard was serious about marrying Francine, Zach had felt honor-bound to have a long talk with him—he couldn’t allow the man to go into the marriage uninformed. Though Francine had good qualities, her number one priority would always be herself. Having Leonard know that fact up front would prevent any unpleasant surprises down the line—such as him leaving the way Zach’s stepfather had.

Much to his surprise, Leonard held no illusions about his future wife. He told Zach that he had been a widower for over five years and missed being married. He had enough money to support Francine and her needs. Her lack of maturity charmed him instead of turning him off. Having her depend upon him for everything was exactly what he was looking for.

Deciding that the man did indeed know what he was getting into, Zach had given his approval. He just hoped Leonard could handle being a full-time caretaker for the rest of his life.

Though he loved her, Zach held no illusions about his mother. When she hadn’t been dating, searching for a new husband, or trying to steal someone else’s husband, she had been miserable. She had told him once that having a man in her life gave her purpose.

Instead of turning right onto Beach View Drive to go home, Zach made a left onto Grant Road. The convenience store was only a couple of blocks away. Hopefully he could get into bed before midnight, since he wanted to get up early for a couple more hours of study time. Glancing over at the high school on the right, he wondered about all the cars and then remembered that this was senior prom night.

How could he have forgotten the prom? Josh was there. Though his little brother wasn’t a senior, one of the senior girls had asked him to take her. Josh, being Josh, had refused. The kid did everything he could not to incur any added expenses. Zach wasn’t having it and had insisted that he go. He hadn’t been able to go to his own prom, not that he would’ve wanted to go, but choosing not to go was a hell of lot different than not being able to afford to go. Zach was determined his little brother get all the advantages he hadn’t had. That included proms, dances, dates, and all the other things most teenagers took for granted.

Zach took a sweeping glance at the full parking lot but didn’t see the car Josh was driving—a baby blue Lexus—Leonard’s gift to Francine on the day of his proposal. Maybe he’d parked on the other side. As Zach drove by, his headlights swooped across the far end of the parking lot and he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Blinking to clear his sight, he saw what looked like four guys standing in a circle. Though they were in a dark area, away from the streetlight, their menacing stance and total focus told him they were surrounding someone. Some poor kid was about to get an ass-whupping.

He told himself he was too tired to intervene. Early on, before he’d learned a few hard-earned lessons, he’d been the recipient of several of those beatings. They weren’t fun but they’d toughened him up. Besides, the army recruiter had told him to stay away from anything that could cause him trouble. One more blight on his record and his dreams of being in the service would be toast.

A few yards later, Zach slowed to a standstill. How many times had he wished for someone to come rescue him or help him out? No one ever had. Was this guy wishing for the same thing?

The badass reputation Zach had worked hard to earn could now deter even the toughest a*shole from bothering him. Maybe just by showing up, he could scare the little shits away and help a kid out.

Mentally shrugging, Zach made a quick U-turn and headed for the entrance to the parking lot. Whether he could just make verbal threats or he’d have to knock a few heads together no longer mattered. The closer he came to the menacing circle, the more imperative it seemed for him to put a halt to whatever was about to happen.

Not bothering to park, Zach stopped within a couple of yards of the group and turned his lights on bright. Four young men, two dressed in tuxedoes and two in casual clothes, whipped their heads around and glared. Oh yeah, he’d definitely interrupted their good time.

Zach opened the car door and got out slowly. “You guys having a party or what?”

“What the hell do you want, low-life Tanner?”

Hearing one of the many nicknames he’d been called much of his life barely penetrated his consciousness. A gap between two of the guys showed him exactly what the fine young men of Midnight were about to do. A teenaged girl stood in their midst, shivering and trembling like a candle about to be extinguished. Her wide-eyed, terrified expression revealed her helplessness. Rage like he’d never known before zoomed through his body, spiking his adrenaline and giving him a much-needed boost of energy.

Striding toward them, letting them know he was now the predator and they the prey, Zach asked with a soft, growling fury, “What the hell do you guys think you’re doing?”

“We’re just having a little fun.”

That came from one of the tuxedoed pricks, the quiver in his voice an indication that he was suddenly having second thoughts.

“This ain’t none of your business, Tanner,” Clark Dayton snarled. “This is private school property and you ain’t in school no more.”

Zach cocked his head. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Dayton, but didn’t you graduate last year? Though by the sound of your speech, holding you back a few years might have been wise.”

With a vicious curse, Dayton lunged toward him. Zach had plenty of time to step out of his way and let the jerk land on his face. The guy was not only drunk, he moved like a lumbering ox. But avoiding the collision never entered Zach’s mind. Dayton slammed into him, apparently trying to knock him off his feet. Laughing at the piss-poor assault, Zach caught the idiot’s whiskered chin in a clean uppercut. Dayton’s mouth snapped shut with the satisfying crunching sound of breaking teeth.

Not even glancing at the now semiconscious Dayton, moaning and wallowing around on the pavement, Zach focused on the three remaining. “Anybody else want to give it a shot? Come on.”

The two in tuxedoes backed away, one mumbling about not wanting any trouble. The remaining guy looked down at Dayton and then back at Zach. “You’re going to pay for that.”

“Bring it,” Zach offered softly.

A clicking sound gave Zach a second’s warning before a knife was jabbed toward his face. Jerking back, Zach threw out a kick and knocked the knife out of the guy’s hand. The guy barely had a chance to know he’d lost his weapon before Zach was on him, taking them both to the pavement. The breath had been knocked out of his opponent, giving Zach the opportunity to pin him down by holding both of his arms above his head. Then, very deliberately, he positioned his knee over the guy’s groin and pressed down … hard. Whatever breath the idiot had regained was expelled in a squealing sob.

“Next time you think about raping a girl, remember this, a*shole.”

“Get off me … please.”

Taking his time, Zach got to his feet. Consumed with holding his privates and rolling around on the pavement, the guy never looked at Zach again.

Finally able to face the young woman he’d just saved, for the first time he realized her identity. Savannah Wilde. “You okay?”

Instead of nodding her head, answering yes, or hell, even running away, she did something that stunned him. With a sobbing “Oh, Zach, thank you,” she launched herself toward him. Zach had no choice but to open his arms to catch her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held on tight.

Zach forced himself to hold her loosely, because, for whatever insane reason, he instinctively wanted to hold her tighter and feel her body pressed up against his. His mind scrambled for a noble excuse. It was a reflex from the adrenaline rush, not because she felt so damn good or because no one had ever looked at him as if he was something special.

Whatever the reason, they had to leave. She needed to get to safety and he needed to get the hell out of here before the police showed up. No matter that he had saved one of the Wilde sisters from a gang rape or even worse, Police Chief Harlan Mosby would gladly haul his ass into jail. When it came to Zach, Mosby acted first and asked questions later.

Pushing her away slightly, he said, “You okay?”

“Yes, thank you,” she answered softly.

“You have a car?”

“No.” She glanced toward the school building and then back at him. “Would it be too much out of your way to take me home?”

The question stunned him almost as much as her jumping into his arms. Good girls, rich or poor, did not get into the car with Zach Tanner. Few parents wanted to see their daughters take up with the town’s bad boy, especially one with no money or prospects.

She had to know who he was—she’d called him Zach. He knew little to nothing about the Wilde sisters, but he had heard that Savannah was “the brainy one.” So far, she wasn’t impressing him with her smarts.

“I don’t think me taking you home is a good idea. Who’d you come with?”

She glanced nervously toward the school. “My date.”

“Then what the hell are you doing out here?”

“He’s inside getting drunk. I was looking for my sister.”

The idiocy of some guys amazed him. While his date was in the parking lot close to getting raped, he was inside boozing it up. Figuring they had mere seconds before someone either called the cops or one of the guys on the pavement got up the courage to take him on again, Zach took Savannah’s hand and pulled her to his car. “Let’s get out of here.”

Savannah sank into the car seat, her relief so great she could barely catch her breath. She had no doubt what Clark Dayton and his friends had wanted to do. And Zach Tanner had been the one to save her.

The driver’s-side door squeaked open and Zach slid into the seat beside her. The heartbeat that had been slowing down sped right back up. She had never been this close to him before; he was even more handsome than she had thought.

“You live on Wildefire Lane, right?”

Too breathless to speak, she nodded.

The car shot forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clark leaning against a car. As they passed by him, he yelled out something and raised his hand, extending his middle finger in an obscene gesture.

Zach acted as though he didn’t exist, but shot her a warning look. “Dayton won’t forget this. You need to be on the lookout for him for a while.”

“I don’t plan to ever be in a position where I see him again.”

“You’re living in the same town … might be hard to avoid him.”

She didn’t bother to point out that she and Zach had lived in the same town and this was the first time they’d encountered each other. Instead she told him news that no one but her family knew. “I’m leaving for college in a few months.”

“Oh yeah, where you going?”

“Vanderbilt University in Nashville.”

A smile spread over his face and Savannah had to hold her breath to keep from gasping. She’d never seen such a transformation. Before, he’d been handsome but grim-looking. His smile changed him into just short of beautiful.

“Good for you. That’s a great school. What are you going to study?”

“Law. I’m going to be a criminal defense attorney.”

Zach nodded his approval as he turned in to the drive in front of her house. Savannah couldn’t believe they were already here. It felt as though she’d just gotten into the car.

“Might want to mention this incident to your granddaddy, just to be on the safe side.”

She nodded absently, biting her lip in indecision. While she’d been in the midst of those hideous boys, a thought had flashed through her mind of how safe and staid her life had become. She was eighteen years old and had never done anything remotely exciting or risky. Here was her chance to do something different, be someone different. Her mind whispered, Take a chance! For some reason, she felt changed, as if her life had been altered. She didn’t want to go back to the same boring Savannah. Taking that chance, Savannah blurted out her thoughts: “Would you like to come in and meet Granddad? I’m sure he’d like to thank you for basically saving my life.”

Zach snorted and shook his head. “You really are an innocent, aren’t you? Your granddaddy would probably lock you up until it’s time for you to leave for college if he saw you with me.”

She didn’t bother to ask him why he felt that way. She knew what the gossips said about him. Having been the victim of many of those same gossips, she knew better than to believe their lies. What they said didn’t faze her. Nor would it her grandfather.

“Granddad isn’t one to believe the gossips. He said you have to look beneath the surface to get the true measure of a person.”

Instead of arguing with her, he gave her another sweet smile. “Your grandfather sounds like a good man.” He glanced at his watch. “But I need to get going.”

Of course he did. He’d probably had a date tonight and was heading home. Or maybe he was just now going out. Since he was older, he didn’t have to worry about curfews and stuff like that.

“Would you come for breakfast in the morning?”

Though he didn’t move a muscle, she could tell she had startled him. His words confirmed the thought. “Excuse me?”

“Come for breakfast in the morning. We sit down at eight. It’s really informal.… I know my granddad would be very excited to meet you.” Before he could answer and give her the rejection she expected, she added, “Please, don’t say no.”

He opened his mouth and she was sure that was exactly what he would do, but instead he said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Letting it go at that, she opened the car door and then looked at him again. “Thank you for saving my life.”

“Just be careful from now on. Okay?”

“I will.” And before her newfound courage deserted her, she leaned over and quickly kissed his cheek, loving the tingling feel of his five-o’clock shadow against her mouth. “You’re my hero.”

Before he could say anything or she could do anything crazier, Savannah jumped out of the car and raced toward the house.