Chapter 38 Zach
Zach
Zach’s foot tapped a wild rhythm on the rug in Lauren’s living room. He’d been waiting for seventeen minutes. Not even conversation with Gage could distract him from what was going on down the hallway.
“You think Nick is mad about you kicking him out of his spot?” Gage asked.
There had been a time in a different life when Zach and Gage had run in the same circles.
Gage’s family had always made moonshine, and Zach’s brother, Rome, had the bright idea to use the runner cars to move shine for the Howards.
Things were going well until Gage decided to step out of the picture before Rome was ready.
There was plenty of money to be made in smuggling.
“I don’t know. The kid is pretty evil at his core, but I think he’s too chicken to do anything about it even if he is mad,” Zach said.
“Just keep an eye on him. And I always had a bad feeling about Devin too.”
Talking about their old “friends” like any of them might snap like a twig put a few things into perspective. None of them could be trusted.
Gage got away from the business, but it almost cost his girlfriend her life. It was the same fate Zach feared every day. People in their world used weaknesses against you, and up until now, Zach had been safe—blissfully ignorant. Nothing had mattered to him.
Now, Lauren was the cause of his high blood pressure, and she never gave him a break.
“Okay. Outfit number one,” Hadley shouted from the hallway.
Zach and Gage both turned to look as Lauren stepped into the living room wearing her hair up in a high ponytail, a tight green sweater, and black skinny jeans. The neckline of the sweater was lower than anything he’d seen Lauren wear, but it was modest for the crowd they’d be visiting.
“Sorry, but no,” Gage said.
Zach rubbed the back of his head. Commenting on clothes that would help Lauren fit in with the other women they’d meet at the party in Winchester went against everything he’d been trying to build since Lauren came into his life.
“He’s right,” Zach said. “You look great, but you’re still too modest.”
Hadley propped her hands on her hips and gave Lauren a look from her head to her toes. “Okay. I think I know what she needs.”
“You know what I need? Antacids,” Zach said.
Gage picked up the TV remote and changed the channel. “Lauren is going to be fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“What is that supposed to mean? Is it because I’m on the verge of a cardiac event?” Zach asked. In all seriousness, his chest was aching a lot more these days, but it was all anxiety. Worrying about Lauren took a toll on his overall health.
“I’m really glad you’ve decided to walk away, but I have two worries.” Gage held up a finger. “One. I’m afraid you’ll change your mind and go rogue.”
Zach rolled his eyes and sat back in the recliner. “Not gonna happen. That would mean…”
Losing Lauren. He couldn’t even say it. His life had changed for the better even with the constant worrying.
“Two,” Gage continued. “I think you’re going to give away your cover.”
Zach sat up in an instant. “Are you kidding me? Why would I give it away?”
“Because you’re not the same. I can tell a huge difference in who you are, and that’s not because I go to church with you. If those people even get a hint that you’re not the heartless criminal you were before, you’re a dead man.”
“And Lauren,” Zach said, looking toward the hallway where Lauren would soon appear wearing another outfit that didn’t fit her sweet personality.
“And Lauren will be in danger,” Gage finished. “This isn’t a game.”
“Don’t you think I know that? The last thing I want to do is screw this up. Failure is not an option.”
Gage sat forward propping his elbows on his knees.
“Then you have to remember the ruthless man you used to be. And here’s the hard part.
Don’t let the old you take over the new you.
I know how hard it is to change. I know how easy it is to think that giving in just one time won’t be so bad.
But that’s a lie. The more normal sin becomes, the more it takes over.
Then you start remembering those old voices in your head that tell you you’re worthless. That’s what you’re up against.”
Lauren’s bedroom door opened, and Hadley stepped out. “This is it.” The look on her face was anything but joyous as she moved to the side.
Lauren wore a skintight, strapless top that showed off way too many inches of cleavage. The bottom came to just above her belly button, and the black skirt she wore barely reached halfway down her thighs.
“No.”
“Yes,” Gage said.
Zach was on his feet in an instant, blocking Lauren from Gage’s view. “You can’t wear that.”
Hadley crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side. “She can. Anything less is going to be suspicious.”
“You know she’s right,” Gage said from behind Zach.
“Shut up and close your eyes. It’s freezing, and you want her to wear that?”
“She’ll have a coat,” Hadley said. “But Gage is right. This is what every other woman at the party will be wearing.”
“Lauren isn’t going to be there for the same reason as the other women,” Zach reminded them.
“But if Lauren shows up looking like the small-town librarian she’s always been, then she’ll stick out like a sore thumb,” Gage said.
Lauren wrapped her arms around her middle, covering the exposed skin. She wouldn’t ever wear something like this, and the look was all wrong. She wasn’t anything like the women who hung out at parties hoping to go home with a stranger.
“Maybe we can skip the party and just meet with Eric the next day,” Zach said.
Gage cleared his throat. “Eric isn’t going to like that, and you know it.”
Eric Cross. Zach had heard about the man for years, but he’d never been high enough in the chain of command to meet the top dog.
There were plenty of rumors about him. How he was older and more vicious than anyone else in the business.
How he’d evaded authorities for so long because his pockets had no bottom and his threats had no limits.
How he didn’t fear anyone, but everyone cowered before him.
Until recently, the man’s name hadn’t stirred anything inside him. Now, he wanted to stay as far away from risky and unpredictable as possible.
Zach pushed a hand through his hair. “I just hate this. You don’t have to come,” he said, finally looking at Lauren.
Her expression was soft, but her shoulders were pulled back and straight. It was a look that could only mean she’d made up her mind.
“Zach, I can wear clothes I wouldn’t normally wear. It’ll be fine.”
“But this isn’t you!” Zach waved his hands in the air, gesturing toward the ridiculous outfit. “And I love you the way you are!”
Gasps sounded at the same moment the realization hit him. Had he just said he loved her? That wasn’t supposed to come out. He wasn’t even sure what it meant.
Lauren was staring at him with her beautiful brown eyes, and all the fear that came with that four-letter word faded away. Nothing mattered more than Lauren, and she needed to know that.
Her cheeks lifted in a sparkling smile as her arms fell from where they’d been guarding her. “I love you too.”
She rushed at him, crashing against his chest as she whispered, “I love you. I love you.”
Crushing her against him, he held her as their hearts beat wildly together. He had one thing in his life he would hold on to at all cost, and he’d risk it all to make sure she was safe.