He closes the door behind us and leads me toward the couch where I take a seat. Without a word, he moves into a small kitchen and fills a glass with water before bringing it back over to me.
I can’t even focus on the room around me. Not while my mind is running a million miles a minute.
Zane takes a seat beside me. “Talk to me.”
“You—”
“Tessa.”
“You killed him.”
“Because, if I hadn’t, he was going to kill you.”
Aside from the time he punched my dad, I’d never seen Zane fight before. Not until earlier when I watched him take on two masked assailants and walk away with only a cut on his arm.
I’ve always felt safe with Zane. But after tonight? There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll still be standing when this is over. The question is…will I?
“I’m sorry.” My eyes fill with tears, and the adrenaline that’s been with me since I woke to the sounds of fighting flatlines. My teeth begin to chatter as my body trembles uncontrollably.
Zane reaches over and pulls me into his lap. I rest my head against his chest, the steady beat of his heart easing the panic in mine. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I don’t understand why this is happening. I don’t know what I did to deserve this.”
“You didn’t do anything. And we’ll figure it out.”
“Before or after we’re killed?”
Zane cups my cheek and tilts my face up to look into his eyes. “What about this morning made you think it’s going to be easy to kill me?”
“Nothing,” I reply without hesitation. “But that doesn’t make you bulletproof. Or immune to bleeding out.”
His smile falters. “I was terrified tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared.”
I snort. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Don’t.” He strokes my cheek with his thumb. “You could have died.”
My breath catches.
“When I saw him grab you—there was a moment there where I wondered if that was it. If you were going to be taken from me again.”
Again.
“I won’t leave without saying goodbye this time around.” It’s meant to be a light-hearted comment, but the weight behind it wipes the emotion from Zane’s face.
Right as someone knocks on the door. Zane sets me aside and crosses over to open it. Weston, Ryker, and Garrison are on the other side, all of them with paper cups of coffee in their hands. Ryker offers Zane a cup, then Weston hands me one.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” He turns to Zane. “So, Cap, what’s the plan?”
“We hope Leopold can ID the guy they took from the boat. And that he will lead us to the rest of them. Then, we take them out.”
“Take them out?” I nearly choke on it. Surely he doesn’t mean?—
Zane turns toward me. “You wanted to know what I do? This is it, Tessa.”
“You kill people?”
