Eighteen

“Thanks for bringing me dinner again, sweetheart,” Dylan said as he kissed her neck. After the shop had closed at nine, she’d fixed a plate for both of them and took the elevator up to see him. As he’d predicted, things were almost insane with the construction date getting closer and closer. She’d promised to be patient, though, and she was sticking by that. Stolen moments such as these were both precious and necessary to keep the lines of communication open in their relationship.

She was sitting in his lap, dreading going home alone once again. “I’m just glad we got to see each other for a few minutes. You’re staying at your place tonight, right?” She knew he had an early breakfast meeting across town as well as a conference call so it didn’t make sense to drive to her condo at midnight, only to come back here within a few hours.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he answered glumly. “I’ll miss you, though. Sure you don’t want to pack a bag and stay with me?”

“I’m not opening tomorrow so I promised Mom I’d take Dolly to the vet.” Before he could answer, a phone icon on his laptop began buzzing and she knew it was Ash and the rest of the brothers for their daily status update call. She could tell that he was already distracted when she kissed his cheek and got to her feet. “Call me later if you get a moment.”

“I will, babe,” he agreed automatically, before hitting a button on his computer and connecting the call. Zoe sighed and took her purse from the corner of his desk.

It was after ten when she walked through the employee parking lot to her car. She fastened her seat belt and started the engine before backing out of her space and pulling out onto the main road. In another mile she turned off onto a side street that she’d taken to using because it was much quieter than the tourist areas.

She was halfway home when she heard a popping sound before her steering wheel began jerking. Shit, what in the hell? she thought frantically as she fought to keep the car on the road while slowing her speed. Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking when she finally managed to pull to the side of the road. She put the car in Park and sat there for a moment, trying to calm herself. The area around here was deserted, with the nearest house probably two miles away. She opened her purse and fumbled through it looking for her phone. No, no. She cried out as she emptied the small bag onto the front seat. Where was her phone? She thought back and remembered having it in the kitchen when she’d called Dylan to see what he wanted for dinner. Dear God, she must have left it there. Maybe she could drive the car far enough to get help. She took her flashlight from the glove box and opened the door. A quick inspection revealed that her front left tire was flat. The rubber was sitting right on the rim, which she knew was a bad thing. She absolutely shouldn’t drive it, but what choice did she have?

Zoe was weighing her options when she saw lights in the distance. Excitedly she ran to the back of the car, thinking she’d flag them down. Then she froze. What if it was some psycho? She was on a deserted street alone. Maybe she should hide instead. Before she could decide, the car was upon her and slowing. She stepped back as they pulled to within inches of her bumper before stopping. She swallowed audibly as their door opened and a tall figure came toward her. “Zoe? Is that you?”

“Josh.” She sagged in relief. What were the odds of it actually being someone she knew? “I’m so glad to see you. My tire blew out and I left my phone at the shop. Could I use yours to call someone?”

He stopped at her side, giving her a concerned look. “Of course, but why don’t I take you home? A friend of mine runs a garage, so I can give him a call and have him come pick your car up and fix it. It’s too deserted for you to be out here any longer than absolutely necessary.”

“That would be great,” she agreed. “I’d love a ride. I don’t live far from here, so I hope it’s not out of your way.”

He opened the passenger-side door of his Porsche for her, then crossed to the other side to get in. “Where’s Dylan at tonight? He shouldn’t let you drive by yourself in this kind of area.”

“He’s working,” Zoe sighed. It seemed like she repeated that same thing to someone at least ten times a day. You’d think by now they’d already know the answer before they bothered to ask the question. Josh pulled onto the road, then put a hand on the gearshift. Zoe had been so lost in her thoughts that she jumped in surprise when she felt something on her leg. She looked down in shock to see his hand there, inching up toward the apex of her thighs. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked incredulously as she attempted to pry his fingers lose.

“You don’t have to pretend anymore, baby. We’ve been hot for each other since that night at my party. I know you feel obligated to Dylan because you’re friends, and that’s cool. He’s my buddy too. He doesn’t need to know what we do in our private time. Fuck, he’s probably getting sucked off by that assistant of his right now.”

“Get your hands off me!” she cried as she felt him inches away from her underwear. Why had she worn a dress today of all days? His foot was heavy on the gas pedal and Zoe felt completely out of control as he spewed more insanity about them being together. She made one last attempt to dislodge his hand before he touched her intimately and realized her mistake too late. He was so engrossed in what was happening on the other side of the car that his eyes had left the road. She cried out a warning as she saw the approaching curve, but it was too late. The last thing she remembered was the feeling of weightlessness as the car flew through the air and into the unknown. Dylan.

•   •   •

It was close to one in the morning when Dylan turned off the light to his office and walked down the hallway to the elevator. The double doors were opening and he was stepping on when his phone rang. What now? he thought wearily. He was tempted to turn the damn thing off, but that was never really an option for him. He stared at it in shock when he saw Vivian’s name on the screen. In a split second, he knew. God, no. Zoe. “Don’t you dare tell me something’s happened to her,” he growled in way of a greeting.

Vivian, as always in times of crisis, was direct and to the point. “Dylan, she’s going to be all right, but you need to get to Southside Hospital right now. I’ll tell you everything when you get here. Make sure you do it in one piece.” With that, she ended the call and he was left staring at the screen. Then he jolted into action and ran into the elevator before frantically punching the button for the parking garage. After that, he had no recollection of driving to the hospital. It was all a blur until he pulled into the fire lane and left his car, along with the keys, there. He couldn’t give a shit if someone stole or towed it away.

“Zoe Hart,” he snapped when he reached the emergency room check-in area.

“Dylan, over here,” Vivian called out, waving him to a small seating area in the corner.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he pushed his shaking hands in his pockets. “Where is she? You said she was all right.”

“Sit down, Dylan,” she snapped, and he automatically complied. “Now get it together. She’s going to need you.”

“Please,” he pleaded, needing to know where the woman he loved more than life was.

Vivian softened, putting a comforting hand on his arm. “She was in a car accident.” When he opened his mouth to respond, she stopped him with a shake of her head. “Let me finish. She’s okay, believe me. I would tell you if she wasn’t.” He nodded his agreement and she continued. “Dylan, the police are involved as well. When Zoe’s tire blew out, she realized she’d left her phone at the shop. But then your friend Josh showed up out of nowhere and offered to give her a ride home. While they were in his car, he put his hand on her leg and tried to touch her . . . in other places. He told her that he knew she wanted him and that they could be together without telling you. She fought him off, and he wasn’t paying attention to the road. The car flipped several times, but ended up in a sandbank, which saved them both from being killed. Zoe took a good lick from the airbag so she’s bruised and scratched up. They’re running tests to make sure there isn’t anything going on internally, but so far it appears that she was damn lucky. They’ll keep her overnight for observation as a safety precaution.”

Dylan was already on his feet, hell-bent on finding the man who he’d called a friend and brother for all of his adult life. “Where in the hell is that fucker? How dare he put his hands on her? I’ll kill him.”

Vivian got to her feet and grabbed his hand before he could storm off. “I feel the same way, trust me. But the police are with him. They’ve already questioned Zoe, and when he’s given the all-clear, he’ll be going to the station. They’re charging him with attempted sexual assault. I want to kick the little weasel’s ass just as bad as you do, but my daughter needs us right now, so get your shit together.”

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to rein his temper in, he asked, “How is she doing with all this? Shit, I feel like I put this directly on her doorstep, then left her to fend for herself.”

“She’s in shock, Dylan, which is probably for the best right now. I know you feel guilty, and this may sound bitchy, but right now, this can’t be about you. She’s been traumatized and she’ll need your support and understanding.”

He felt like a chastised schoolboy, but she was absolutely right. “When can I see her?”

“I’ll go see if she’s in a room yet. If you need to make arrangements for work, you should do that now. I know you usually start pretty early each day.” He also got her meaning there as well. She was telling him that he’d better not be planning to run out of this hospital anytime soon, which was another dig he deserved.

When she’d walked off, he pulled his phone out and dialed Ash. His brother sounded just as alert at two in the morning as he did at nine. Dylan filled him in briefly on what had happened and held the phone away as Asher cursed colorfully. “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll make some arrangements. Just take care of your girl.”

“Thanks, man,” he said gratefully. “I’ll touch base with you later on.” He sank back down into one of the chairs and dropped his head in his hand. He couldn’t believe that Josh had attacked Zoe. He knew he’d been hanging around the shop more, but there had been no indication that it was anything other than friendship. He was so enraged at the thought of him touching his woman that he’d tear him apart limb from limb if he could. Fuck, he’d left her to drive home late at night by herself, while he stayed at the office once again. He’d failed her at every turn and he could have well lost her forever tonight. He had no idea where to go from here, but one thing was certain—something had to change. He could no longer pretend that he could handle everything, because tonight proved that he had let the most important thing in his life become last in line, and that was a bitter pill to swallow.