Chapter 17
Bonnie pulled into her apartment complex. But she didn’t get straight out of the car. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, blowing out a long breath.
What a long, horrible day. She hadn’t been able to take the women to the self-defense session at The Pit because Shelley had dumped three other time-sensitive jobs on her. Then she’d blasted Bonnie for doing two of those jobs incorrectly—or more accurately, not how Shelley would have done them.
Two new women had also arrived at the shelter, and both had come from awful circumstances. Bonnie had almost cried when she’d read their files.
And now, she had a blazing headache.
With a long sigh, she undid her seat belt and climbed out of the car, immediately pulling her cell phone from her pocket and ordering a pizza.
Tonight was definitely a pizza kind of night. The question was, had Burt’s Pizza improved over the last thirteen years? Because back in high school, the stuff was terrible. Barely edible kind of terrible.
She ordered a ham and pineapple with extra cheese. She wasn’t sure how much she’d eat, because of her headache, but she had to eat something before she died in her bed.
She hung up and crossed the remaining distance to her apartment building, her hand close to the pepper spray in her bag the entire time.
Since the attack, she hadn’t been able to step into the building without feeling an uncomfortable tightness in her chest. Without her heart beating at a million miles a minute.
The one good thing about this last week was that no one had threatened her. No one had so much as looked at her the wrong way.
Maybe everything going on with Zane had taken the attention off her. Not exactly a good thing though.
Inside, she climbed the stairs two at a time. When she reached her floor, she’d just stepped into the hall when she stopped. Her throat dried.
Zane.
He sat in front of her apartment door, head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed.
For a moment she didn’t move. Just stood there, a million questions in her head. The top one—how long had he been there?
His eyes opened and he turned his head, his gaze meeting hers. She felt his gaze like a gut punch. That’s what he did to her.
Slowly, he rose, and the second he was upright, he took up all the space in the hallway.
She forced herself to move, one foot in front of the other.
“Hey, Bon. I missed you today.”
She stopped in front of him, really having to work hard to get words out. “I had to stay back at work. I wasn’t avoiding you.”
One side of his mouth lifted like he didn’t quite believe her. If she were him, she probably wouldn’t believe her either.
“What are you doing here?” Even though she asked, she knew.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, eyes gentle. “I’ve tried to give you space. But I need to talk to you. I need you to hear my side of the story.”
She swallowed hard, but it did nothing to wet her dry throat.
She wanted to hear his side too. But her day had been so long and terrible and her head was pounding.
“Can you give me an hour to shower and change and try to feel human? Then I’ll text you if I’m up to it.”
His brows flickered, as if he didn’t want to let her go without a guarantee she’d go to him.
“Okay. Shower. Rest. If you’re not up to it tonight, we can try another night.
But if you need me, I’m just down the hall.
” Then he kissed her forehead. And she couldn’t stop herself.
She leaned into that kiss. Closed her eyes and let his warmth weave itself around her.
God, there was something about this man when he got close to her…he just became the center of everything.
When he lifted his head, it was too soon.
But she forced herself to turn. To unlock her door and step inside before closing it after her. When the lock clicked, she touched her head to the wood.
She missed him. Jesus, she missed him so much.
Slowly, she slipped off her shoes and moved into her bedroom. When she got into the shower, she wanted to just stay there and wash the terrible day away.
Shelley’s treatment of her was almost starting to feel personal.
The way she overloaded Bonnie with work that wasn’t hers.
Reprimanded her for things that weren’t her fault.
Today, she’d scolded Bonnie for not telling her about next week’s activities even though Bonnie had told her about them in an email.
And when Shelley had asked why Bonnie hadn’t responded to her eleven p.m. text last night, and she’d told her it was because she was sleeping, Shelley had looked at her like that was crazy.
It wasn’t. Shelley’s expectations were. And every day, Bonnie stood up for herself a little more.
Was it because of Dean? Shelley hadn’t grown up here, but maybe she’d heard whispers around town.
Who the heck knew?
When she stepped out of the shower, she wanted to throw on her oversized shirt and slide into bed, but she also wanted to see Zane. Maybe she’d down an aspirin, eat a slice of pizza, and go to his apartment.
After pulling on some yoga pants and a sweatshirt, she moved to the kitchen, where she swallowed the aspirin with some water. As she waited for her pizza, she lifted her phone, hesitating before typing out the text.
She should ask him in person. But she was impatient and texting took less courage.
Bonnie: Why didn’t you tell me?
The second she hit send, she scrunched her eyes. They popped right back open when the text came through.
Zane: Because my past is heavy and complicated, and I didn’t want to pile that on you. You have enough going on. It was a mistake. I should have realized you can handle it.
She was about to respond when a knock came at the door. She frowned. Was that the pizza? She’d expected to collect it downstairs. Had someone let them in?
She crossed to the door and looked through the peephole, but no one was there.
Strange.
She unlocked the door and tugged it open. A pizza sat in the hall.
Another frown. Had she even given her apartment number? She didn’t think so.
Her hands turned clammy, heart racing just a bit faster.
With shaking fingers, she lifted the box and closed the door. She set it on her dining room table.
But the second it was down, she noticed red on her palms.
What the hell?
She studied her hand and fingertips…it was everywhere.
Her chest started to heave as she looked back at the box, now noticing red liquid on the sides. It was paint, right? It had to be paint.
A voice in her head told her not to open the box. Hell, it screamed it.
But she had to. She had to know what was inside.
Slowly, she lifted the lid.
Nausea hit her so hard, she leaned over and was almost sick.
She stumbled back before looking at the box again. Still there. She hadn’t made it up.
There was a dead mouse on top of the pizza. Only it wasn’t the entire mouse…the creature was missing its head, and there was blood everywhere.
She couldn’t breathe. Out. She needed to get out!
Her knees shook as she stumbled toward the door and out into the hall, only stopping when she reached his door.
She needed Zane.
“He’s being transferred.”
Zane stopped in his kitchen, fingers tightening around his cell. “What do you mean, Monty’s being transferred. Why?”
“Overcrowding.” There was a pause from Ethan. “They’re sending him and a handful of other prisoners to Dawson County Corrections. The transfer’s happening in a month.”
He shouldn’t care. This should be a non-fucking issue. But that transfer would move him closer to Amber Ridge. And Zane didn’t want that scumbag anywhere near him or his town. “Can you get all the details? Time. Names of other prisoners. Even the guards.”
“I’ll see what I can find.”
He poured himself a shot of scotch, hoping like hell he was worrying about nothing.
“Abernathy Koch’s correction article is also supposed to come out in a few days,” Ethan added.
Zane tipped back the scotch, the liquid burning his throat. “The damage is already done.”
“The gym doing okay?”
“Business has been picking up these last few days. Being the only gym in Amber Ridge doesn’t leave locals a lot of options.”
“I’m glad not everyone’s bought into the bullshit.”
“How’s Deep River? Any new information on the missing person?”
Ethan sighed. “None. As far as Ward’s concerned, she’s a missing person who won’t be found.”
“Shit, he’s annoying.”
“That’s putting it lightly.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“No. My trips to Amber Ridge are helping by giving me a much-needed break from the guy. He seems to be everywhere. I can’t walk down the street without seeing him.”
“I’m always happy to have you here.”
“Thanks. I, uh…also went on a date.”
Zane’s lips twitched. “A good date?”
“Pretty good.”
Zane frowned. That wasn’t convincing. “You gonna go on another?”
“I haven’t decided. I should. She’s nice.”
Nice? That one word told Zane everything. It wasn’t going anywhere. “You should give her a chance.” Ethan rarely dated.
“I should.” He sighed. “I should go.”
“Thanks for keeping an eye on everything.”
“I’m on your side, always.”
Zane hung up and scrubbed a hand over his mouth. Monty was being transferred. It would be fine. Prisoners were transferred all the time. This was just a small change.
He’d just put the glass in the sink when banging sounded on the door.
Was that Bonnie? He shot a glance at the time. It had only been half an hour.
He moved to the door and looked through the peephole. A string of curses fell from his mouth at the fear on her face. He yanked it open. “What’s wrong?”
Her chest heaved and her face was so pale there was barely a scrap of color in it. She glanced down the hall to her apartment, then back to him. “There was…I…I can’t…”
“Hey.” He stepped into the hall and placed a hand on the small of her back. “It’s okay. Come inside.”
She moved inside his apartment, but before following, he glanced down the hall.
Empty.
Once the door was locked, he turned back to her. “Bonnie, what—” He stopped, eyes narrowing on the red staining her hands. The fuck? “Are you hurt?” He gripped her wrists and lifted her hands, searching for injuries.
She shook her head, fingers shaking. “No. It’s…it’s not my blood.”
“Whose is it?”
“I ordered a pizza from Burt’s and it was left at my door, but there was…”
“You’re safe, Bon. Deep breaths.”
Her chest rose and fell before she looked at him again. “There was a decapitated mouse in the box. And there was blood everywhere.”
The son of a bitch. Zane was going to tear the fucker apart with his bare hands. But first, he needed to take care of Bonnie.
Gently, he gripped her hips and led her down the hall. In the bathroom, he stood behind her at the basin and turned on the water, making it warm. Then, gently, he guided her hands under the stream.
As the water turned crimson, he felt that thing again. Not anger. This was darker. This clawed at his insides, almost making him shake with the need to hurt the person who’d hurt Bonnie.
With soap on his fingers, he ran his hands over her palms, making sure every inch of her skin was clean.
Her entire body shook, and it sharpened every instinct in him with this unbearable need to fix this. Protect her. Guard her.
Once the water ran clear, he grabbed a towel and dried her hands before leading her into his bedroom. She sat at the foot of the bed while he grabbed one of his sweatshirts. There was a smear of blood on hers, and he couldn’t fucking look at it without feeling like he was going to explode.
He crouched in front of her. “Lift for me, honey.”
She lifted her arms. He tugged the sweatshirt over her head, barely looking at the soft skin pressing at her lacy bra. This wasn’t about sex. All he cared about was making sure Bonnie was okay.
Once his sweatshirt was over her head, he gripped her thighs. “I’m going to your apartment.”
Her eyes flared. “You don’t want to see it.”
“I’ve seen worse.” He slipped a piece of hair behind her ear. “Will you be all right while I’m gone?”
“Yeah. I might, um, lie down if that’s okay. I’ve got the worst headache.”
He cupped her cheek, studying her eyes, wishing there was more color to her skin. “I’ll get you some Tylenol.”
“I’ve already taken aspirin. But I think the two are okay to take together.”
“As a one-off, it’s actually a more effective painkiller combination.”
He pulled back the covers at the head of the bed before going into the kitchen and grabbing a glass of water and two pills. When he returned, Bonnie was still exactly where he’d left her.
She took the pills and water.
“Do you want me to call your brother or sister?” he asked.
She shook her head before he’d finished speaking. “I’m tired. I’ll call them tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’m going to call Jesse though. He needs to know what happened.”
Her brow creased. “I’m not up to talking to him tonight.”
“I know.”
She nibbled her bottom lip before looking at him again. “Thank you.”
“I’m so fucking angry for you. But you coming to me…that’s the only part I’m grateful for.”
She leaned forward, her temple touching his chest.
For a moment, he didn’t move. He couldn’t. She trusted him to protect her. To look after her. To hold her. And fuck, that was everything.
It wasn’t until she sat back that he forced himself up and out of the room.
When he reached the hall, he locked his apartment door before crossing to hers. The door was still open, and he saw the mess the second he stepped inside. It sat on the dining table, lid open, a headless mouse on top of the pizza.
Dead. This person who was messing with her was going to breathe his last damn breath pretty fucking soon.
It took every ounce of self-restraint he possessed to remain inside the apartment. To turn around and search the place for Bonnie’s cell. It was on the dresser in her room. He lifted it and searched for the number he was looking for.
Jesse answered immediately. “Bonnie, is everything okay?”
“This is Zane Merrick.”
There was a small pause. “Why are you calling from Bonnie’s cell?”
“Someone decapitated a mouse and left it on top of a pizza by her front door.”
Jesse cursed viciously. “I’ll be there in ten.”
“Bonnie isn’t up to talking to anyone tonight. But I’ll send you my number and a photo of the pizza box. Text me when you arrive and I’ll let you into her apartment.”
“Is she okay?”
“No. Not even a little bit.”
Jesse’s voice was harder now. “I’ll be there soon.”
Zane took Bonnie’s phone and keys with him before heading back to his apartment. He thought she might still be sitting where he’d left her. She wasn’t. She was lying in the bed, eyes closed, chest rising and falling rhythmically.
Asleep.
He tugged the sheet and comforter higher, making a vow that he would find the asshole messing with her, and he’d make this stop. All of it.