Chapter 35 Lauren
Lauren
Zach was doing an amazing job avoiding her. He brought her breakfast to the living room, they ate oatmeal in silence by the fire, then he disappeared.
She’d made it through a few chapters of the book that had been lying on the end table by the couch, but A Psychological Look at the Salem Witch Trials wasn’t holding her attention.
Marking her place with one of the bookmarks made by the kids in her Sunday School class, she put the book down and pushed to her feet.
Her ankle was sore, and the skin around the cut on her arm tugged as she rose. A dull ache had settled in her neck and shoulders that served as another reminder of the fall.
Just because she refused to give up her search for Anthony didn’t mean she was blind to the mistake she’d made. Zach had been trying to scare her, and it worked. She didn’t want to attract the attention of any criminal organization if she could help it.
Still, the news that Zach had gone back there stung. She’d trusted him. She’d put away all her defenses and stopped looking for signs of deception.
But she’d done the same wrongs to him. Keeping secrets had hurt them both. If they were ever going to work through this, she had to own up to her faults.
Pressing the ball of her foot to the floor, she tested the injured ankle. The twinge that shot up her leg wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it had been yesterday or even this morning. With a quick hop, she took the first step.
Flattening her hand against the wall, she went in search of Zach. After a series of slow hops, she found him in the kitchen, resting his back against the counter. With his arms crossed over his chest, he stared at the floor, deep in thought.
When she stepped on a part of the floor that creaked, Zach raised his chin and his eyes widened. He pushed off the counter. “What are you—”
She held up a hand, urging him to stay put. She had to do this on her own. He’d saved her once, but this time, she had something to save too.
He relaxed again, and she hobbled over to him. Stopping toe to toe with him, she looked up into his stormy eyes. He was so much bigger than her, yet he’d handled her with the utmost care as he carried her around the house.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for keeping things from you. I’m sorry for not trusting you with the truth. I’m sorry I hurt you.” Her breath caught on the last word. “I’m sorry I—”
“Stop,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
Her chest was near bursting. She’d been prepared to have her apology thrown back in her face. Not this. “What?”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled until she was flush against him. Her feet barely touched the floor, relieving the strain on her ankle.
Zach buried his face against her neck. “I’m sorry I went back. I shouldn’t have. I was mad at you, and I didn’t trust you.”
Oh no. She’d driven him back there. For all her hopes and efforts, she’d managed to do the opposite of her intentions.
“I knew it was wrong. Then I hated keeping it from you.”
She cradled the back of his head in her hand. “I know how that feels.”
“I still think they would have come after me eventually, but…who knows?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, “whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”
Zach slowly raised his head, looking at her as if just realizing who she was. “I don’t want you anywhere near my problems.”
“Tough. Your problems are my problems. Got it?”
His fingers slid through her hair at her temples. “I can’t lose you.”
It was the same truth she knew in her heart. She couldn’t lose him either. Whatever they were doing here, it was too precious to squander. “You’re not losing me. I’m right here.”
His eyes searched her face. “You’re the only person who has ever stayed.”
Every reminder of the life he’d grown up in was a punch in her gut. How had no one taken the time to love this man? “I’m not leaving,” she whispered.
Zach inhaled a deep breath and shifted until the side of his nose brushed against hers. The small touch sent her heart racing.
“I think about you all the time,” he whispered. “You’re too good for me, but I want you so badly.” He sucked in another breath as his mouth moved an inch from hers. His words were rough and low, near enough that she felt them on her lips. “And that kiss.”
Her heart pounded against the cage that held it in place. “I think about you all the time too. And that kiss,” she whispered back.
His hands moved in her hair. “Angel?”
“Kiss me,” she demanded. Strong and sure like her feelings for him.
Zach crashed into her, pressing his lips over hers in a rush of desperation and awe. His grip in her hair tightened, and she wrapped her arms around him. He was her anchor as the ship tossed in the storm. Every move stoked a fire within her that had been kindling for months.
He slid his hands down to the backs of her legs and hoisted her up. She grabbed onto his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him as he walked out of the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” she asked, breaking the kiss to look where they were going.
“You’re going to sit on the couch like you’re supposed to, and we’re going to have a little talk.”
“About what? Is this a good talk or a bad talk? I want to exempt myself from bad talks.”
“Hush, angel. It’s good. Or should I say, it’ll be good as long as you cooperate.”
She laughed and pressed a kiss to his temple. “You’re so bossy.”
“I thought you were the boss in this relationship,” he quipped.
Asa and Dawson’s words came back to her from one of their talks when Zach had just been released from prison. They’d called him a wild card. Now, Lauren wasn’t sure which of them was more impulsive, Zach or her.
“How about we do everything together. Not always equal, because we both have our strengths, but something close to that.”
“Sounds perfect.” He set her down on the couch and took the seat next to her. “But what are we going to do about Anthony? And how are we going to handle things now that I’m back in the business?”
She held up a finger. “I have thoughts.”
“Of course you do. You think more than anyone I’ve ever met in my life.”
“It’s a good thing because one of us has to do it. Now, here are my thoughts on your situation. You have to agree to inform.”
Zach groaned and let his head fall against the back of the couch. “Really? I thought you were going to give me another option.”
“Nope. No other option. We need to protect you, and that’s the only way to do it.”
“What about you? Are you still going to look for Anthony?”
“Yes, but I promise to do it safely,” she said.
“What is safe? He’s a known criminal. You know if you find him, you’ll have to turn him in.”
“I might have to, but if that’s what happens, then I can’t do much about it.” She didn’t want to turn him in. She wasn’t even sure she could do it. But she needed answers, and maybe she could even help him.
Zach brushed a hand over the short beard on his jaw. “This is nuts. I don’t want you mixed up in this.”
“You’re going to have to toughen up. I’m not a fragile flower.”
He scoffed. “Trust me. I know that. I love that about you. I just don’t want you to have to make the hard decisions.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean, if it’s between you and anyone else, you have to choose yourself. If you ever get into a situation like you did last night and someone comes at you, you have to be prepared.”
Suddenly, she was breathing through a thick fog. He really thought someone could have found her out there and harmed her. “Okay.”
“I need more than that. You’re the most important person in the world to me. I don’t want us to get separated, but if we do and you’re in trouble, you have to fight with everything you have. Got it?”
She nodded, shaky and unsure of her voice. “Got it.”
“Now, tell me everything you know about Anthony Swindle.”
She gripped the sleeve of his shirt, holding onto the hope he was offering. “You’re going to help me?”
He brushed his calloused fingertips over the soft skin of her cheek. “I guess I am. Looks like I’d do anything for you, angel.”
Scooting toward him and ignoring the pull in her back, she settled down at his side. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
“But we do it the safe way,” he said. “No more running off without me for any reason. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He slid his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her in to seal their promises with a kiss.