And yet he couldn’t stop kissing her. Michael thrust his tongue into her mouth, eager to put his stamp on her. He couldn’t lose her, this much he knew. If he had to use every weapon in his physical arsenal to keep her, he would. He wanted her to dream of him at night. He needed to put a love-struck look on her face. He was bound and determined to claim her heart and soul.
“Whew.” Emily’s chest rose and fell when they finally fell apart. “That was some kiss.”
“There’s more where that came from.”
“I won’t say no.”
A car door slammed across the street and a man called out. “Hey!”
Michael looked up, only to see Trent marching toward them. The image of the brick, emblazoned with the word “Whore,” flashed before him. As his pulse raced, he set Emily aside and clenched his fists. He turned toward Trent. “Have you come back for more, you piece of shit?”
“Michael,” cautioned Emily. “Don’t.”
“He’s going to pay for what he did to you.”
Trent poked Michael in the chest several times. “I don’t appreciate you sending the cops my way. They walked into the restaurant at our busiest time of day. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was for me to have to respond to ridiculous accusations of vandalism?”
“Take your hand off me.”
“I’ll put my hand wherever I want, Zorn. That seems to be the only thing you understand.” He shoved Michael.
“Trent,” cried Emily. “Stop it!”
“I can’t believe you think I threw a brick through your window, Emily. After all our time together, do you really think I’d try to terrorize you?”
“I don’t know what to think. Why would anyone else do it?”
“I know we’ve had our problems, but I still care about you. I’d never scare you like that. Frankly, I’m disappointed.”
“You’redisappointed?” Michael shouted. “How the hell do you think Em felt, seeing the word ‘whore’ written on that brick?”
Trent paled. “Whore?” He reached for Emily’s hand. “I would never say that to you.”
Michael tore his hand from Emily. “You don’t get to touch her anymore, do you hear me?”
The door to the house opened. Eli and Nick and a couple of crew members ran out.
Michael turned back to Trent. “You might have everyone else fooled but you don’t fool me. I know exactly what you’re capable of.”
“Zorn, you need your brain examined.”
“Get the fuck out of here before I take your head off.”
“Oh, yeah?” Trent’s lip curled. “Make me.”
Please, Henry, Jane begged.You need to leave.
Make me.
Red-hot memories flooded into Michael’s field of vision. He stopped breathing. He stopped thinking. He hurtled through a tunnel and the only sound at the end of the tunnel was children screaming. Everything changed in that moment. He smelled the macaroni and cheese Jane fed the kids for lunch. He spotted half-filled cups of apple juice on the kitchen counter next to the dishwasher. A couple of crayons had rolled on the floor toward the back stairs. Burnt orange. Canary yellow.
A shot rang out, piercing his ears, but he kept moving.
Michael looked for Emily, but couldn’t see her anymore. Her face had faded, only to be replaced by Jane’s look of shock and horror. Eli and Nick were no longer at his side, urging him to be calm. And Trent’s smug grin transformed into Henry Ashton’s blank stare of madness.
He had to stop Henry before he hurt anyone else.
Michael knew he had to be quick. Henry was armed, gaping at one of the little boys from the daycare. The man raised his weapon.
