Sunny

“We have to leave,” Zeke said, shot to his feet, grabbed my hand, and started towing me from the restaurant.

Fear snapped at my heels as we rushed for the exit. I’d think he planned on taking me home and ravishing me if it weren’t for the look I’d just seen on his face. “What’s going on?”

“Miller. We have a location. I need to get over there.”

“You’ve found him?” Another spike of fear hit me just at the mention of that man’s name.

Zeke led me outside and to the passenger side of his truck. He opened the door for me. “Yeah, and I don’t have time to take you home first. I’ll drop you at the agency, you’ll be safe there.”

“Okay,” I said, but I wasn’t. I hated the thought of being separated from Zeke. He made me feel safe, protected, and right now, I was kind of terrified.

I climbed into his truck and he did the same. A moment later we tore out into the street.

His phone rang again and he snatched it up. “Yeah.” Zeke listened for bit then cursed. “Tell him I’m on my way.” He glanced at me. “Change of plans. You’ll have to come with me. When we get there, you’re going to lock yourself in this truck and you’re going to stay down. You’ll be safe. The windows are tinted. There’s no way anyone will even know you’re in here. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said, and somehow managed to disguise the relief in my voice at not being separated from him.

He reached over, gave my hand a quick squeeze, then went back to focusing on driving us through back streets at breakneck speed. A short time later, he pulled up behind a car with dark windows. He reached under the seat, pulled out a gun, checked it, then turned to me. “Lock the doors after me and stay down. I promise you I’ll get him. This ends tonight.”

Then he climbed out and shut his door behind him, waiting until I reached over and locked it before he took off into the shadows.

I sank lower in my seat and tried to slow my racing heart.

Zeke

Neco texted on the drive, telling me where he was, and I pulled out my gun at the mouth of the alleyway and moved deeper. I spotted Neco just ahead and moved in beside him.

“He’s in there,” Nec said, pointing his gun toward the vacant building beside us, a now empty restaurant. “I followed him here. He’s been inside about fifteen minutes.”

“Ready?” I said. There were several different ways we could approach this, and right then, my choice was kicking the door in and lighting the place up.

Neco gave me a nod. “I’ll cover the front, while you go in through the back.”

“Let’s go.”

Neco started up the alley to the street, but turned back to me. “Try not to kill him,” he said, then carried on.

In other words, the decision whether Miller lived or died was mine. I didn’t miss. I never missed. Neco knew that. If Miller walked out of here alive, it was because I allowed it.

I gave Neco a few minutes to get into place then strode to the door. I tried the handle. Locked, or something was against it. I didn’t have my lock picks with me, but if the guy who broke into Sunny’s was in there it was more than likely open and barricaded from the inside. I took a step back then slammed my boot into it, once, twice. The door flung open and I ran into a commercial kitchen. I saw a flash of color take off on the other side of a prep table and toward the front. The sounds of a gun going off came next, smashing glass. I tore into the main restaurant. Miller had shot out the front window and kicked through. I raced out and saw him and Neco in a standoff farther down the street. They were only a car length from my truck, from Sunny.

I strode toward them. “Drop your gun. You’re not getting away, not this time,” I said.

His gaze sliced to me, wide and wild. “What the hell do you want with me?”

“You broke into a house on the Upper West Side. Took some jewelry, cut a woman before you took off,” I said.

He paled.

“Put down the fucking gun.”

He took a step back and fired a shot in the air. A muffled scream came from my car.

Fuck.

Miller spun toward my car then back and smiled.

A muscle in my jaw started jumping. “Drop the gun,” I said louder, the fear creeping in, coming through in my voice.

“That’s your car? She’s in there? The girl I cut?”

“Drop the gun,” I roared.

Miller backed up, until my car was between him and me, then he aimed and fired his gun into the driver’s side before I knew what was happening. The windows exploded, and he turned and started to sprint down the street.

I roared, aimed, and fired three shots.

He dropped to the ground, his gun clattering to the street beside him. I was already running toward my car, flinging the passenger side open, expecting the worst.

Nothing. Sunny wasn’t there. “Sunny!” Her name exploded from me.

That’s when I spotted her, curled up in the back seat, arms over her head.

I yanked the back door open and dragged her out, trying to search her for damage. She curled into me, wrapping around me tight. “Are you okay, Sunny? Talk to me, darlin’.”

She clung tighter.

I tried to lean back, to get a look at her, managing to slide my fingers under her chin and tilting her head back. “Are you hurt, Sunny?” I said again.

She shook her head and tucked her head under my chin and fucking clung to me, breathing heavily.

“Thank God,” I said into her hair. “I thought . . . shit.”

Neco came up beside us. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, but I’m taking her to the hospital to get checked out.”

Sunny lifted her head from my neck, putting a little distance between us. “I’m . . . I’m okay, I promise. I don’t need a doctor . . .”

I tugged her back, needing her right there. “The baby . . .”

“The baby’s fine. I’m just shaken up.”

Despite what she said, I didn’t let her go while we dealt with the police. Ruby came and picked up Neco so I could use his car. It was late by the time I finally got Sunny home. She looked exhausted when I pulled up and shut off the engine. “Wait there,” I said and climbed out, walked around, opened her door, and lifted her out of the car.

“I can walk,” she said.

“I know. I’m still carrying you.” I rattled off the security code for her to enter when we reached the door, then pushed it open and carried her in, across the floor, and up to bed. I laid her down and went to pull the covers up.

“Hang on.” She started to climb back out.

“You need to rest,” I said.

“I need to pee first.”

I leaned down, about to pick her back up.

A small smile tilted up one side of her lips. “You’re not carrying me to the bathroom, Zeke.”

I didn’t want to let her do anything but rest, didn’t want her out of my damn sight. I reluctantly stood back and let her walk to the bathroom. She was in there a while, and when she came out she’d washed her face and her hair was up in that messy bun again. She was also in that cute nightie with the green hearts.

“Can I wear a pair of your socks?” she asked softly.

“Yeah.” Why was that so much of a gut punch? “Get into bed.” She did as I asked while I grabbed a pair and sat on the mattress beside her. We should probably talk about what happened tonight, but I didn’t know what else to say. She’d seen it with her own eyes, had watched me kill a man, or at least heard it, then listened to my recount when I spoke to the cops. We were both all talked out for the night, so instead, I lifted one of her feet into my lap and slid the sock on. Her breath come out in a rush. It was messed up after the night we’d just had, but knowing she was still affected by me, even just a little, felt better than it should. I took her other ankle and lifted it into my lap as well. Her skin was smooth, soft. She’d painted her toes purple at some point and they looked cute. I bunched up the other sock and dragged it over her foot, then looked up at her. “Better?”

Her lips were parted and her tongue darted out, sliding along the top one. “Yeah.”

Christ, I wanted her. Maybe I couldn’t give her the big love she deserved, but no one would care for her like I could. Would worship her like I would. I’d almost lost her tonight. Just the idea was fucking me up. Sunny, the baby, they were my responsibility, and that meant giving them what they needed. I didn’t matter in this. If I had to fake who I was, pretend to be a man I wasn’t for the rest of my damn life, I would, because I would not let her go. I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to let her walk out of my life. I’d made my decision. There was no other option for me. “Lie down, Sunshine. Get some rest,” I said, voice wrecked.

She blinked up at me, and she was twisting the ring on her thumb. “Will you stay with me? I’m still feeling kind of shaken.”

That worked for me. I was having trouble walking away, even if it was just down to the couch. “Yeah.” I stripped down to my boxers, climbed in beside her, and stared up at the stars through the sky window. Now I just had to work out how to tell Sunny how I felt. I had to somehow convince her to take a chance on me. A man who sure as fuck didn’t deserve her.

She rolled into me, slid an arm across my stomach, and rested her head on my chest. I glanced down at her hand, the moonlight glinting off the gold band on her thumb.

I covered her hand with mine, sliding my own thumb over it. “I’ve never seen you with this off. You twist it when you’re stressed.”

She stilled. “Yeah . . . I guess I do.” Her warm breaths slid over my bare chest. “It was my dad’s, his wedding ring when he was married to my mom.”

“I didn’t think you were close with him,” I said.

“That’s why I wear it, as a reminder.”

Something coiled tight behind my ribs. “A reminder of what?”

She was quiet for a few seconds, and I wasn’t sure she was going to tell me.

“It’s a reminder . . . that I don’t need anyone else. That I can do it on my own, like I have my whole life,” she said softly.

Fuck. I lay there, staring up at the sky, not sure what to say, so many emotions swirling inside me, I didn’t know how to deal with them. I hated that she ever felt that way.

“Night, Zeke,” she finally said.

“Night.” Sunny didn’t deserve the shit she’d been through, to feel like she didn’t matter, to go it alone. Well, that was over now. I’d make sure of it.

* * *

I’d just decided to live the life my men lost and as much as I wanted it, I hated myself for it. That ever-present guilt was stronger than ever. Deep inside I knew I should let her go. I was dooming her to a half life, wasn’t I? She deserved a man who would love her with everything he had. I didn’t even know if I was capable of that anymore.

Despite that, I knew I still couldn’t let her walk away.

I didn’t go to sleep for a long time after that. I listened to her slow, even breaths and told myself she was okay, that finally she was safe.

I woke when Sunny wriggled beside me. The sun was up. I glanced down my body, she was still curled into my side, her face smooshed against me, out cold. I kept on watching her, for a long time, watched her slowly wake up, those beautiful eyes blinking up at me.

“Morning,” I said.

“Hey.”

Her voice was raspy, sexy as hell. “Been waiting for you to wake up.”

She tried to sit up. “Oh, do we need to go somewhere? You should have woken me.”

I held her where she was. “We don’t need to go anywhere. Wanted to talk to you.”

She bit her lip and I saw that fucking blank stare move in.

“Don’t,” I said.

She pushed her hair back from her face. “Don’t what?”

“Hide. You do that, darlin’. You’ve been doing that since the second time I came to you.” I slid my thumb over her chin. “Not the first, though. That first night, you hid nothing from me, you gave it all. You weren’t going to see me again, which meant no risk to you, yeah?”

“Zeke . . .”

“I need you to listen, Sunny, to what I have to say.” It was now or never.

I felt her fingers curl into my side. “Okay.”

“I’m telling you, there is no risk with me.” I slid my hand down her arm, to her hand, and held on. “I promise you that.”

She sucked in a breath.

No matter what, I would be there for her. I didn’t know much, but I knew that. “You mean something to me, Sunshine, and after last night, I know I don’t want to go back to the way we were. I want you here, with me, every night, every morning. I want to take care of you and our baby. You understand what I’m saying?”

Her mouth opened, closed. “I don’t know what to say . . . I . . .”

The phone started ringing.

I ignored it and it stopped.

“Sunny, I’m asking you to give us a chance . . .”

The phone started ringing again. I cursed.

“It could be important,” she said.

I snatched my phone up from the bedside table. Mom. It wasn’t like her to call this early and she unusually just left a message if I didn’t pick up. “I need to get this,” I said and put the phone to my ear. “Mom?”

“I need you home, son,” my mother said down the line, instead of her usual greeting.

“What is it?” I slid out from beside Sunny and stood up, pacing away from the bed.

“It’s your father. He’s had a turn. He’s in hospital.”

I froze. “A turn? What the hell does that mean? Is he going to be okay?”

Silence, then, “He suffered a mild heart attack a few months back. He . . . well, he didn’t want me to tell you.”

I sat heavily at the end of the bed. “A heart attack?”

“I’m sorry we kept it from you, but you know how stubborn he can be. He didn’t want anyone to know.”

I rubbed my hand over my face. “Is it another one, this turn?”

“The doctors don’t think so. But they’re keeping him in hospital for observation.” She was quiet for several seconds. “I need you here, Zeke. I can’t do this alone again. He’s coming home tomorrow and I can’t be on my own with him, not yet. What if it happens again? This one scared the life out of me.” I heard her sob and my heart felt like it was being torn from my chest. “Will you come home?” she whispered.

“Yeah, Ma. Of course.” I felt like shit. I’d been so caught up in my own nightmare, I’d shut my parents out. My father had had a fucking heart attack and no one told me.

“Bring Sunny, that way your father won’t think your here for him. You know how he hates that. I’ll tell him you’re bringing her home to meet the family.”

Jesus. “I don’t know if she can . . .”

“Do this for me, Zeke.” She sniffed. “Please.”

“I’ll ask her.”

“Thank you, son.”

We ended the call and I turned to Sunny.

She was sitting up, expression worried, eyes on me. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“You ever been to Texas?”