There was a small pause. “Okay. So she read the article. Had an immediate reaction. That’s all it was—a reaction. She’ll come around.”
Zane shook his head. “I should have told her. She told me her shit. I should have told her mine. I didn’t. I fucked up.” And now he was paying the price. “I need to go.”
“Zane—”
“Thanks for driving down, Ethan.” He dropped into his car and slammed the door.
He almost expected to find a group of people at his gym. Maybe some more spray paint on the building. There was none of that. It was quiet.
He stepped inside and moved straight to a bag.
He needed to hit something like he needed to breathe. It took him seconds to drop his bag, pull off his shirt and shoes, and wrap his hands. Then he started hitting leather. Pounding the shit out of it like it was the only fucking thing allowing him to breathe.
The reporter, Monty…it was like a fucking shitstorm he couldn’t escape.
He’d been at the bag for a good thirty minutes when the door opened. He turned to see Stetson step into the gym, phone in hand.
Stetson frowned at him. “Hey. I, uh, read the article.”
“And?”
“Is it true?”
“Part of it.”
Stetson’s frown deepened, and for a moment he seemed to think about it. Finally, he nodded. “Okay. I’m gonna put my bag in the changing room.”
“Stet.”
He turned back to him. “Yeah, boss?”
“You’re okay?”
“Yeah.” That was it. That was all he said.
When Stetson left, Zane turned back to the bag. But before throwing another hit, he pulled out his phone. He should give her time. He knew he should.
He couldn’t.
Zane: Please. Just give me a chance to explain.
He dropped his phone. The ball was in her court now.
CHAPTER 16
Bonnie frowned at the text message from Zane. It was the third in the last three days. And she hadn’t responded to any of them.
She swallowed as she glanced up at the exterior of her aunt Pam’s house.
It wasn’t that she thought Zane was a cold-blooded murderer. She didn’t. Sure, when she’d first read the article, her gut reaction had been shock and fear. But when that wore off, she’d remembered that this was Zane. The man who’d defended her time and again. Who’d let her climb into his bed when she was scared. Who’d held her when she hadn’t been able to sleep.
He wasn’t a murderer.
But he’d also omitted a huge part of his life from her after she’d shared so much of hers. And maybe it all hurt more because she’d slept with him. Not just slept with him…started falling in love with him.
A knock on the car window had her jumping. She glanced outside to see Becket, Sky and…was that a dog in Becket’s arms?
First of all, her cousin hated dogs. That had been a well-known fact since they were kids. Secondly, was it even a dog? It looked like a big rat.
