CHAPTER 17
Zane arrived at his gym early for the meeting and got in a good hard workout and a shower before heading to the bar.
Since the gym's bar served protein shakes and smoothies as well as alcoholic beverages, it was often the site for members' meetings, both business and personal.
Today, he'd be handling some personal business—meeting Missy's father to ask for her hand in marriage.
The enormity of it had his hands, usually as steady as a surgeon’s, trembling.
He'd faced terrorists with less trepidation. Of course, then he'd been armed to the teeth with the weapons of his choice. Weapons that felt comfortable and familiar in his hands.
Now all he had was the small platinum band bearing a diamond.
The ring was tiny, but as he waited for Missy's father, Zane felt it in its velvet pouch in his pants pocket as if it were a hulking piece of lead, weighing down his every step.
It was ridiculous to be nervous. He knew the senator was in favor of them getting married. The conversation at the house last time he was there proved that.
Maybe it was that this step made it feel real. It was one step closer to them being married.
Why should that be frightening? He loved Missy. He wanted to be with her and only her for the rest of his life. But in a life where he'd made a success of pretty much everything he'd tried, marriage was an unknown.
A big black hole full of mystery.
What if it changed their relationship? What if marriage was the one thing at which he failed?
“Zane.” The senator's voice behind him broke into his internal torture and doubt.
He turned to face the man. “Senator, thanks for meeting me. I appreciate you taking the time on a Saturday.”
“Anything for you, Zane. You know that.” The older man slid onto a barstool.
“I do know. Thank you. You've always been there for me. You've been like a father to me.” In fact, this man was more of a father to Zane than his own father ever had been. That thought caused his throat to tighten. He cleared it and went on. “And now I'm hoping to make that official.”
Zane pulled the bag out of his pocket and upended it into his palm. He watched the senator's gaze drop to focus on the ring.
“This belonged to my grandmother and my mother after her. I'm hoping Missy will consent to wear it . . . as my wife. I'd like your blessing.”
The older man's nostrils flared as he drew in a ragged breath and nodded. “Yes. Of course you have my blessing. I'd like nothing more than for you to be my son by marriage.” He reached out and pulled Zane into a hug.
“Thank you, sir.”
The senator laughed. “Thank you. This is going to make both of the women in my life very happy.”
“I know. And it's long overdue.”
He shrugged. “Eh. It took you some time to get here, but I had faith. I knew you'd work it out for yourself.”
The bar attendant finished with the customer he'd been serving and approached them. “What can I get for you?”
Zane glanced at his future father-in-law. “Missy is making dinner for us, but I have time for something quick if you'd like.”
He smiled. “I'd be happy with a coffee to-go. That way we can both get home early for dinner. It'll be a nice change.”
“So true.” Zane laughed. He looked back to the attendant. “Two coffees to-go, please. Put it on my account.”
“Thanks.” The senator nodded to Zane.
Zane waived away the thanks. “Thank you for meeting me. And for keeping it short. Your daughter will appreciate it.”
“I know she will.” The senator accepted his coffee, taking off the lid to add a packet of artificial sweetener from the holder on the bar.
Zane quickly signed the chit for the coffees and then added cream and sugar to his own cup before giving it a quick stir and snapping the lid back on.
He grabbed his gym bag filled with his workout gear, slung the long strap over his left shoulder and turned to the senator. “Ready?”
“Sure am,” the senator nodded. “I'll walk out with you. Did you drive?”
“Actually, I left my car at the office and walked here.” Zane laughed at the man's look of surprise. He added, “It's not that far.”
Senator Greenwood lifted a brow. “If you say so. I have my car here so if you'd like a ride, I'd be happy to drop you off at your car or the apartment. Wherever you'd like.”
He was pretty eager to get home to Missy. That ring was starting to feel heavy in his pocket again. “I'll happily accept that offer. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” The senator led the way across the carpeted space and toward the gym’s glass-walled entrance.
A crack cut through the air, followed by three more in rapid succession.
The unmistakable sound of gunfire had Zane's head whipping around.
Through the lobby's sweeping glass windows he saw the scene unfold.
The pedestrians on the sidewalk ducked and scattered, screaming as a shooter swung the assault rifle in an arc while firing in short bursts, until the weapon was pointed right at the gym's front window directly at him and Missy’s father.
“Who's shooting off fireworks—” The senator didn't have time to finish his question as Zane dove, throwing his body between the shooter and the senator.
As he was airborne, Zane felt the concussion of the hit. Then the searing blaze of pain in his left side started to register, right after he landed on top of the senator.
From his position on the floor where his body still covered the older man beneath him, Zane identified the sound of answering pistol fire and realized the semi-automatic weapon had gone silent.
He heard snippets of frantic conversation. The shooter was down. The DC police were already on the scene.
Only then did he roll off Missy's father.
Lying flat on his back, Zane pressed his hand hard over the painful spot and knew for sure the warm wet liquid slowly saturating his shirt and oozing between his fingers wasn't the spilled coffee.
It was surreal as, eerily calm, he assessed the situation. He was losing a lot of blood. The bullet must have hit an artery. He needed to apply more pressure but was having trouble finding the strength.
A small group of people began to press close around him.
Things started to seem distant. He heard the senator yelling for someone to call 9-1-1. He heard sirens—an ambulance on the way impressively fast. Though actually, he couldn't be sure how much time had passed.
He closed his eyes, deciding to rest for a bit until it got there.
“Zane. Zane!”
He opened them again to see the senator's face was close to his but his words sounded far away. There was a stranger there too. A man kneeling and pressing on his wound.
“I'm . . . okay,” Zane managed to say, before the darkness started to close in around his narrowing vision until it all went dark.