Safe at Last (Slow Burn #3) (15 page)

“I can try, though I did a fair bit more poking around after you left my apartment this morning. And so far, I’m hitting a brick wall.”

Which is exactly how he felt, only in his case, it felt as though he were
beating
his head repeatedly against that wall. And he was starting to feel the ache all the way to his soul.

“Oh, here she comes now,” Eliza said, hastily moving back from the doorway.

Zack surged to attention, scraping at the bristle of his unshaven face. He needed to get cleaned up. He looked—and smelled—like a goat. He was surprised the nursing staff hadn’t thrown him out or at least into a nearby shower.

The nurse quietly closed the door behind her as she stepped into the hall to join Eliza and Zack.

“How is she?” Zack asked urgently.

The nurse’s pretty face twisted into a grimace. “Exhausted. Hurting. Scared. At the end of her rope. Pretty much all apply here.”

Zack bit back a sharp curse.

“I gave her a sedative to help her relax. She should sleep soundly for the next several hours. You should go home. Get freshened up. There’s nothing more you can do here today.”

“I’m not leaving her,” Zack said emphatically.

The nurse hesitated and then blew out her breath in a long sigh. “She doesn’t want visitors. At least not today. So you should go. Let her rest. Get some rest yourself.”

Eliza nudged him in the ribs and stared pointedly at his unshaven jaw and his unkempt clothing.

“Let me make myself clear, ma’am,” Zack said, forcing calm he didn’t feel into his words. “Gracie has no one. And I mean no one. She is completely alone in the world apart from me. Now, do you really think it’s a good idea to leave a woman who just endured a horrific traumatic event completely alone? What if she wakes while I’m gone? Who the hell is going to be here to reassure her that those sons of bitches can’t hurt her anymore?”

The nurse’s entire face went soft and she reached out to squeeze his arm.

“She’s very lucky to have you then, if she has no one else. And she won’t be alone. I promise. We are monitoring her very closely and will continue to do so overnight. But you staying here at her bedside while she sleeps does neither of you any good. Go home. Grab a shower and something to eat. Try to sleep if you can, even if it’s only for a few hours. Then, when you come back tomorrow, everyone will be in a better frame of mind.”

Zack shook his head. “You aren’t getting this. Gracie was attacked and brutally beaten in a methodical, planned way. And you want me to leave her alone. Unguarded. Where anyone at all could walk into her room and kill her. Hell, they could kidnap her. Who on this floor would be able to stop them? And I can guaran-damn-tee you that they’ll be armed. They have absolutely no compunction about using violence to achieve their means. You see what they do to defenseless women. They tortured and killed another young woman who’d just given birth. So while I appreciate your concern for Gracie and her mental well-being, right now I am most concerned with her physical safety.”

The nurse went pale and she swallowed nervously. “Why weren’t we told this? No one told us!”

Her voice was rising, on the verge of hysteria. Zack put a hand out to ease her panic.

“I’m not going to allow them to hurt anyone here. The police are coming when Gracie wakes up next. In the meantime, someone from my security company will be here round the clock, and no one who isn’t medical staff or employed by DSS will be allowed access to her room. Someone will be stationed here at all times.”

“I understand your priorities, sir,” the nurse said, sincerity ringing in her voice. “But just as you have to take into consideration what is best for her in order for you to do your job effectively, so too must I prioritize her well-being, both emotional and physical, as long as she is a patient on my floor. And she was quite adamant that she wanted no further visitors today. So if someone is posted here—and they are more than welcome as the staff here would feel much better if there was tight security—then they must take position outside her room.”

“Ouch,” Eliza said, her lips twitching with humor. “I guess you’ve been schooled now.”

Zack shot her a glare. He was in no mood for her sharp wit. He needed about twenty-four hours of sleep, a hot shower, a pot of coffee and to get his hands on the bastards who’d hurt Gracie before he would be remotely mollified.

“It wasn’t my intention to be rude,” the nurse began.

“Oh no, you weren’t rude,” Eliza said, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “Not at all. It’s nice to see the men of DSS taken down a notch or two. It keeps their egos in check.”

The nurse smiled. “That bad, huh. Let me guess. And you’re the only female in the ranks.”

“Got it in one,” Eliza said with a grin.

“I’m Jacquie,” the nurse offered, extending her hand to Eliza.

“Hi, Jacquie,” Eliza returned. “I’m Eliza and this surly guy is Zack. We both work for Devereaux Security.”

Zack’s head was about to explode. He started to ask Eliza if she was high on something. How could she be out here, ribbing, teasing,
joking
when Gracie lay on the other side of the door, curled into a ball, having cried those silent silver streaks until the nurse had administered the medication, at which point her eyelids had fluttered slowly until her lashes finally came to rest against her cheeks.

Jacquie gave him a thorough assessment, staring intently enough to cause heat to flood his cheeks. He
hated
being the object of scrutiny.

“I tell you what, Zack,” she said, using the name Eliza had provided. “I just came on an hour ago, so I’ll be here for the next eleven hours. You and Eliza run home, change, grab something to eat. I’ll call down to security and have them post a guard outside her door and I’ll also stay on this end of the floor so I can eyeball her door until y’all get back.”

Okay, so Eliza was a bloody genius who now had the nursing staff eating out of her hand. He silently groaned when Eliza turned her smug smile in his direction. He flipped her the bird when Jacquie’s attention was drawn to Eliza—and her cheeky victory smile. He shook his head. Sassy little heifer.

“Well, you heard the lady. And we
are
intruding on her turf,” Eliza said pointedly. “But we don’t get all riled up like you men do and start pissing on everything to mark your territory.”

Jacquie laughed. Zack just rolled his eyes. God save him from incorrigible females.

Zack wasted no time when he arrived at his apartment. Eliza had insisted on coming with him, so he’d have backup, since his security had been breached. But he still hurried, not wanting to expose Eliza—or himself—to further risk. If Gracie weren’t in the picture, then hell yeah. He’d bait a trap and he and Beau would run round-the-clock surveillance until the fuckers bit. But she
was
in the picture. And she needed him, not that she’d admit or accept that, no matter what denials burst off her tongue.

His only thought was to get back to Gracie. He could be relentless. He
was
relentless. He hadn’t gotten this far by wimping out. One had to be ruthless in order for the cards to fall one’s way. If anyone had ever thought him savage and single-minded, focusing on one goal and one goal only, then they’d know he’d locked on to his target and nothing would deter him from crossing the goal line this time.

Third and long. There’s the snap. Fake to the wide end. Looking . . . looking. He’s tucked the ball! Cut to the inside. Another fake! Oh wait! He just hurdled the defensive end! Folks, does this young man have moves or what? He breaks the tackle! Running . . . running. . . . Ladies and gentlemen! He could go.
All. The. Way!
Touchdown! With twenty-eight seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Zack Covington has just scored what is potentially the game-winning touchdown!

Remnants of that night. First-round playoffs. They’d been a Cinderella story from the onset of the season. No one ever expected them to make the playoffs. They were rebuilding. Replacing key positions vacated by trades, retirement and injuries.

Even the coach had admitted that they’d surpassed his wildest imaginings. With a majority rookie team plus a few irreplaceable seasoned veterans, they’d stormed onto the football field in week one of the regular season and they hadn’t looked back once. Sixteen and O. The start of the perfect season. Bye in the first round. The W in the second playoff. One more week until the big game.

It had been a huge night. Maybe the biggest night of his life. His
old
life. He wasn’t that starry-eyed, optimistic kid he’d once been. And the brief respite from so much ice and cold surrounding his heart had been glorious. It had lasted for maybe two minutes. Two wonderful minutes where the numbness couldn’t find him.

And then he’d seen a few of his teammates looking toward the boxes in the stands. One of them balled his fingers into a fist, pounded it against his chest before kissing it and flinging it skyward, straight in the direction of where the player’s wife and baby son sat somewhere in the sea of fans.

It had taken a space of a moment for Zack’s feet to touch back down on earth. There was no one for him to share this with. Gracie was gone.

This time his dream wouldn’t elude him. This time, for once, he wanted something for himself.

He wanted her not to look at him as though he were some monster. He wanted the fear in her eyes to be replaced with laughter and happiness. He wanted to love her.

And he wanted her to love him.

He finished shoving the clothing he needed into an overnight bag and then collected the few toiletries he required from the bathroom. He’d need to go shopping for Gracie after her release from the hospital. Or perhaps Eliza would be willing to pick up a few things for her.

He hurried back to the kitchen area, where Eliza had posted herself so she had a clear view of the front door.

“You ready?” he asked.

Eliza nodded. “But Zack, Jacquie is right. You need to eat. You look terrible.”

He grunted. “Gee, thanks.”

She shrugged. “Just keeping it real.”

“I’ll grab something at the hospital when the cafeteria opens. Gracie will probably want something then too, provided she can eat.”

“Her throat looked pretty bruised. I’d stick with soup or broth for now. That’s likely what they’ll send up on her meal trays anyway.”

“On your toes, Lizzie,” he murmured as they exited his apartment.

“Always,” she said lightly.

Their feet made the lightest of sounds on the concrete sidewalk. At the gate, Zack gave a gentle push, irritated that it squeaked loudly. Fuckers had obviously broken it when they’d broke in to dump Gracie.

They were nearly to Zack’s SUV when a dark, shadowy form appeared just a few feet in front of them.

“Down!” Eliza barked, shoving at Zack.

He dropped and rolled. Before he could get back to his feet, he was hit by what felt like a truck full of concrete. He let out a guttural sound and immediately went limp.

Surprised by the move, his attacker stumbled, unable to bear Zack’s weight. Zack took full advantage, ramming his shoulder into the guy’s midriff and taking him down hard on the asphalt surface.

Zack was just pissed-off enough, and he’d had to keep his fury leashed the entire goddamn day, that he let the lion out of his cage with a roar.

His sound of rage echoed across the parking lot. His attacker hit the ground, Zack down on top of him. He felt the harsh exhalation of the other man’s breath against his neck. Zack swung, punching viciously.

He reeled back when one of his attacker’s fists connected with his jaw. Goddamn it.

Zack rolled, remaining in motion, not wanting to present too easy a target.

He was tackled, his motion abruptly ceasing. And then, before any more blows could be landed from either side, Eliza’s command cracked the night.

“Hands up where I can see them, asshole! Give me a reason to shoot. Go ahead. You’ll make my entire week,” she snarled.

Zack was freed and the man slowly stepped away. Zack shoved to his feet and was on the guy in a split second. He grabbed one arm and twisted it hard behind his back, whirling the guy into motion. His forward momentum made the rotation easier and Zack pinned the guy’s arm high behind his back to render him immobile.

“Get me a goddamn light, Lizzie.”

A second later, a flashlight turned on and the beam tracked up the attacker’s body and then to his face.

“What the fuck?” Zack demanded. “
Sterling?
What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

FOURTEEN

BLOOD
trickled down Sterling’s nose and his eyes blazed with fury, reflecting eerily by the flashlight Eliza was currently blinding him with.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Zack roared. “How about you take a trip downtown on assault charges.
After
I beat the shit out of you.”

Sterling’s lips curled with contempt. “You fucking pussy. You couldn’t take me in a fight. You’re too much of a goddamn pansy to ever get your hands dirty. No, you have others beat up on women
for
you.”

Zack punched him squarely in the jaw, sending the other man reeling backward. Sterling regained his balance and lunged for Zack, propelling both men to the asphalt parking lot.

A shot sounded, jerking Zack up. Sterling reacted no differently, hitting the ground with speed that told Zack the man was trained. His instincts were too good. Too practiced. The suave, wealthy and polished exterior he crafted covered up the raw, street-smart man underneath.

“What the fuck, Lizzie?” Zack roared. “Are you trying to kill me?”

Eliza huffed out in exasperation. “Look, we don’t have time for this shit. We’re out in the open. Not good. You’re calling attention to us. Not good. Need I go on?”

“And you didn’t just shoot a giant fucking firework into the sky?” Zack asked incredulously.

“Someone had to do something,” she pointed out. “Now, what do you say we have this conversation somewhere other than the middle of a public parking lot.”

“We’re done here,” Zack said flatly.