There was a knock at the door, and Anthony slowly stepped inside.
Lauren sat up straighter beside Zach. “Hey. I didn’t know you were coming back.”
Anthony rubbed the back of his neck. “I was hoping I could have a word with Zach.”
She hadn’t left his side except to be questioned, but the look on Anthony’s face said a difficult conversation lay ahead of him. “Of course.”She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Zach’s forehead. “I’m going to swing by the cafeteria, but I’ll be back soon.”
She lifted the strap of her purse over her shoulder and gave Anthony a pat on the shoulder as she passed. “It’s okay. He’s not the man you think he is,” she whispered.
Anthony gave her a single nod. “I think I believe that.”
47
Zach
Abone-deep exhaustion fell over him like a blanket as Lauren stepped out of the room. His entire body ached, but the pain had been bearable while she’d been beside him.
Anthony shifted his weight from one leg to the other as he stood at the end of the hospital bed. They hadn’t spoken at Eric’s house, but there’d been an understood alliance as they fought against a common enemy.
Now, the guy looked like he needed to be put out of his misery. Zach tilted his head toward the chair by the bed. “Let’s get to the point.”
Anthony pulled up a seat and propped his elbows on his knees. “You saved me.”
Zach shifted slightly until the pain stopped him short. “Let’s not go that far. Lauren saved all of us. We didn’t even know about Zoe.”
Anthony hung his head. “She’s been living withEric since she was sixteen. She was taken when she was ten, and a few other men bought her before she ended up with him.”
Zach’s stomach rolled. He’d never known anyone who’d been trafficked, but that cruel reality sat right next to the smuggling he’d been doing for years. Everything about Zoe’s situation ignited a deep anger inside him.
“I’m sorry, man. That’s…I understand why you went after her.”
Anthony chuckled once. “And all this time, Lauren was looking for me.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I should have known. She’s always been stubborn and determined.”
“She knows how to keep my blood pressure up, that’s for sure. So, are you out of the business?”
“Oh, yeah. I only worked for Eric because he had Zoe. I tracked her there, and when he realized the leverage he had on me, I was trapped. He threatened to hurt her.” He clasped his hands together and rolled his thumbs over each other. “Lauren said she lined up a job and a place for us to live. The same place you work.”
“Of course she did. She did those things for me when I got out of the pen. You’ll love it at the ranch. The Bensons are good people.”
“Lauren and Camille have already set us up with clothes. I never thought I’d be starting over at thirty-seven. I also didn’t expect to find the two of you together. I heard about whathappened.”
“Great. My faults precede me. I made a huge mistake, and I don’t think I was punished enough. I’m still trying to understand the forgiveness Lauren talks about.”
“She’s a special woman. I’ve never met anyone like her,” Anthony said. “I didn’t know what to think when you showed up with her, but I watched you on all the cameras. When I saw how good you were to her…”
“I hurt her once, but I’ll never do it again,” Zach promised.
“I can see that. She read the Bible to you.”
Zach and Lauren hadn’t done anything except sleep in the bed together, but it was weird knowing they’d been watched behind closed doors. “She’s turned me into a praying man.”
Anthony shook his head slowly. “It’s wild how much we’ve both changed.”
Zach shrugged, causing pain to flash through the wound on his shoulder and squeezed his jaw tighter. “It’s for the best. We were killing ourselves slowly.”
“We were.” Anthony sat up, propping his arms on the sides of the chair. “Are we good? You and me?”
“Depends. Are we on the same page?” That was the crux. As long as Anthony didn’t put Lauren in danger, Zach could let bygones be bygones.
