He glanced down at the ironed clothes. “Yes. I wanted to look good for you.”
Oh, shit. She shook her head. “You’re not thinking clearly.”
He lowered his chin. “I almost died last week.”
She swallowed. Was his brain going wonky? Had they missed something in the scans? “I know.”
“I think wasting time is a bad idea. Hell. This thing could still kill me.” He sighed.
She shook her head. Fear made her hands tremble. Could she get to her phone? “We won’t let that happen. We’ll figure out Scorpius. In the meantime, you just need to take care of yourself and be vigilant until we find the right antibiotic and vaccine.”
“Life is short, Nora,” he whispered.
Now that she knew. How could she get through to him? Blood roared through her head, making her dizzy. “I think maybe something is going on with you. How about we head into the lab and take a look at your scans?”
Zach stood close—too close—his gaze on her lips. “I know you are hesitant about us because you’re kind of my supervisor right now, but I’ve faced death, so we need to stop playing around. Enough is enough.” A young firmness entered his voice and gave her pause.
“Zach, let me help you.”
“I don’t need help.” In a surprisingly fast move, his hip hit hers, shoving her back into the apartment. He shut the door.
Panic roared through her.
He grasped her arm. “Let’s discuss this rationally.”
Okay. This shouldn’t be happening, but it was, so she needed to deal, and now. “You’re having issues. Use your big brain and slow down.” She planted a hand against his chest. “Trust me.”
“It’s time you shut up and trusted me,” Zach hissed, his face contorting.
Holy shit. Who was this guy? His brain scans had been normal. What had they missed? Nora angled to the side. “Listen, Zach, something’s up with the way your brain is working. Let’s call Lynne and go take additional scans.”
He grabbed her arm and pushed her toward the hall closet. The flowers dropped.
The image of the red petals gliding down and scattering against the white tile skittered a chill down Nora’s back. Her breath caught. She hadn’t realized how tall Zach stood. Now as he looked down, his handsome features held a hardness she’d never seen on him.
“Pack a bag. We need to go discuss this somewhere we won’t be interrupted,” he said.
Possibilities flashed through her brain. She could fight, or she could flee. But maybe she could reason with him. An idea struck her. “Don’t you want to see what’s happening in your brain right now? You’re the most curious I person I’ve ever met.”
“No.” He cocked his head toward the living room. “Get packed.”
Her gaze slid to the side to where her cell phone sat on the kitchen counter.
“Don’t even think of calling the soldier. He’s not right for you.” Zach remained motionless.
Terror trickled through Nora’s gut. “Please let me help you.”
“No.” Zach’s calm expression didn’t twitch. “I thought I had time to court you right, but with Deke in the picture, we need to get a move on now.”
“I’m not leaving with you,” she snapped.
He smiled, and the once charming expression now held menace. “Oh, you are.”
She couldn’t get to the phone, and she didn’t want to get anywhere near the bedroom and bed. So she went on instinct.
And nailed him in the balls.
He doubled over with a shockedoofand fell to the side. Her breath panted out, and fear heated the air. She had to avoid his teeth and mouth. She pivoted and kicked him in the hip, throwing him against the coat closet. Then she yanked open the front door, grabbed his hair, and propelled him outside.
