“Zach!” She pulled against his shoulders, but he didn’t budge. Hit after hit landed on Nick’s already bloodied face. “Stop!”
Zach froze, fist lifted in position to strike again.
“Please. You can’t do this,” she begged.
Her own anger boiled toward the beaten man on the floor, but drawing attention to themselves could jeopardize their plans. They weren’t here to fight. They had bigger problems.
She glanced at the mirror and saw the redness on her cheek. It was already swelling, and the color would change soon. Covering the side of her face with a hand, she pulled on Zach’s shoulder again. “Please.”
Zach turned to her as if just realizing she’d been standing beside him. His chest moved up and down indeep swells. The fire in his eyes said he wasn’t ready to step down yet.
She mouthed, “Please.” She wasn’t above begging in this situation. Nick was his own problem. They were here to get close to Eric and search for any trace of Anthony.
Zach glared down at Nick writhing on the floor. “Touch her again, and I’ll bury you so far under, no one will ever find you.”
Turning, he reached for Lauren’s hand, but she pulled back. Blood covered his knuckles and dripped down his wrist. It was impossible to tell if it was Zach’s or Nick’s.
“Here.” She turned on the faucet and led Zach to the sink by his arm. She turned his hand under the stream until the water ran clear again. She unrolled a wad of toilet paper and dried his knuckles.
Nick’s stream of curses continued, and he was almost to his feet by the time Lauren led Zach from the bathroom.
Zoe stood in the hallway—eyes wide and mouth gaping. “I…I’m?—”
“It’s fine,” Lauren said as she and Zach strode past her. It wasn’t as if Zoe could have done anything to help. Nick would have crushed her in an instant if she’d attempted to step in.
Zach kept a firm grip on Lauren’s hand as they pushed through the crowd and out the door.
“Wait. We’re leaving?” Lauren asked, looking back at the house as the cold, night air bit at her lungs.
“We have to talk.”
41
Zach
Zach’s heart beat pounded in his ears. He shouldn’t have left her alone. He’d broken his own rule, and now she was hurt.
Red tinged the edges of his vision, and he wasn’t finished with Nick. Not by a long shot. He had calls to make, but the guy would get what he deserved and then extra for touching Lauren.
Zach’s worst fear was staring him in the face. He’d exposed her to this. He’d brought her here. She didn’t deserve any of it.
He opened the passenger door, and she slid into the seat on shaky legs. When he closed the door, he scooped up a handful of snow as he rounded the front of the vehicle and got in on the other side. “This should help.” He put the snowball in her hand and guided it to her cheek.
Shifting into gear and grabbing the wheel, he said, “We have a problem, guys. Call me.”
A second later, the phone in Zach’s pocket rang, and he pulled it out, answering the call on speaker and handing it to Lauren. “Eric wants us to stay at his house tonight.”
Lauren gasped, and he made the mistake of looking her way. Her cheek was already swollen. How many hits had she taken before he got to her?
Anger boiled just below his skin, and he gripped the wheel, twisting it in his grip until it burned. “I told him we had a room, but he wouldn’t budge.”
“Everything is set up at the hotel,” Dawson said. “We have security, video and listening devices. Our team is in the area.”
“Yeah. Thanks for reminding me of all the protection we’d be giving up, but how can we get out of this?”
“You can’t. You have to do what he wants. We’ll move things here and get you the same surveillance.”
Zach jammed the heel of his hand against the wheel. “This is a trap. I know it.”
