“Is that your man?” Zoe asked.
Lauren glanced toward the door and back to Zoe. “I think it’s the other way around.” Thinking and talking like a woman who might hang out here was difficult to fake. She didn’t belong to anyone, and neither did Zach. Oddly enough, he treated her like an equal. For the most part, they’d been making decisions together since he was released from prison. Having him beside her felt like she had a true partner.
Zoe let out a girlish chuckle, but the sound lacked mirth. “You’re right about that.”
“Do you know anyone here?” Lauren asked.
Zoe gave Lauren a once-over before answering. “I’m here a lot.”
Interesting. Zoe was avoiding the question. The evasiveness only made Lauren attach to her more.
“It’s my first time. Where’s the bathroom?”
Zoe tilted her head to the right. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
Lauren followed Zoe down a hallway and past several couples making out. The way some of them touched each other in public had Lauren’s cheeks warming. One man had his hands up a woman’s shirt, and another couple writhed together on a sofa, leaving little to the imagination.
Zoe knocked on a door and turned the knob. She stepped out of the way while Lauren went in.
She hadn’t really needed the bathroom. She needed privacy. Turning on the sink, she stood over it as she whispered, “Eric took Zach downstairs. People of interest in attendance include Kyle Murphy, Bryce Jones, Adam Matthews, Nate Campbell, Lewis Turner, and Shawn Blackwell.”
Satisfied that she’d passed on the information discreetly, she turned off the water and opened the door.
Zoe leaned against the opposite wall, and her eyes widened slightly as a man stepped between them.
Nick. The very essence of her life left Lauren’s body as he stepped toward her, looming like an oak tree as she retreated back into the bathroom. He closed and locked the door behind him without moving his piercing gaze from her. There was a sinister darkness in his eyes that had her blood running cold.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re here with him, aren’t you? What’s he doing here?”
The war raging in her mind kept her silent. She needed to say his name so the people on the other endof her mic would know who’d trapped her, but she wasn’t supposed to know his name.
“I don’t know what you mean. I?—”
Nick’s knuckles connected with her cheek, sending instant pain searing over the bone. She gasped for breath, but each pull of air felt hollow.
“Don’t play dumb!” A string of curses followed as Nick leaned over her, covering himself in shadow.
She was trapped. A man twice her size stood between her and the door. Zach didn’t know where she was, and there was no way she could fight and win.
But she had to try. Rearing up from where she’d bent after the hit, she lifted her elbow in a jab that connected with Nick’s throat. He coughed, but the blow washed right off him. A menacing sneer crossed his features as he reared back and let his fist fly.
She had milliseconds to dodge. His knuckles connected with the edge of her cheek, sending the echo of a dull throb vibrating through her head.
“Where is she?” Zach bellowed from outside the door.
Nick cussed and shoved her against the wall. The back of her head hit with a jolt, sending shock waves down her spine. As soon as he turned and opened the door, his head jerked back.
The thud of Zach’s punch had Lauren’s stomach rolling. Nick stumbled, leaving Zach framed in the doorway. His lowered brows shadowed his alreadydark eyes, and his hands were balled into fists, waiting for the next target.
Nick recovered quickly and swung, but Zach dodged the blow, tackling Nick to the bathroom floor. Lauren bolted out of the way. The two hit with a crash, and Zach pinned Nick beneath him in an instant.
The moment she realized Zach had won, the future became crystal clear. The man Zach despised had hurt her, and nothing would stop him from inflicting as much pain as possible.
“Zach!” Lauren shouted. “Zach, no.”
The first punch hit Nick’s face, and his head bounced against the floor. The second was quick to follow, sending blood spraying from Nick’s mouth.
