gaze passing up and down my body, lingering on my hair. “Give Baz a message for me, will you?”
My face twists with disgust. “You already had the shares taken from you, what in the hell could you possibly want to talk to him about? Why stick around?”
I must’ve struck a chord, because the muscle along his square jaws clenches, as he works to control his anger. “Because I have faith in the Savages. In my brothers. Women like you, you come and go.”
The way he says it, with so many double-entendres, sends a sinister chill traveling down my spine.
“That a threat?”
Zach barks out a sharp laugh. It rains nails down my back. “If I wanted you dead, Mackenzie, you’d be dead. I’m quite enjoying toying with you right now, though. Just like a predator would its prey.”
My eyes narrow into thin slits. “I won’t let you hurt her.”
He blows out a sigh, feigning exasperation. “What is it with you Wright women and wanting to protect everyone?”
My heart lurches, and without thinking it through, I eat up the distance between us and swing my arm out, my hand colliding with his cheek. The slap echoes around us in the near empty parking lot.
“Don’t you dare,” I hiss.
In a flash of movement, Zach grips my wrist and tugs me into his chest. I beat my free hand against him, trying to push away, but his hold on me is unrelenting.
“You won’t be here long. He’ll get tired of you. Both of you.”
I swallow thickly. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”
Something flares in his eyes. It’s sinister and cold. It’s the same Zach who shoved a pillow over my face and tried to kill me. Fear claws at my chest at the look he’s giving me. This may very well be how it ends for me, all because I wanted an excuse not to face Baz.
“Everything okay here?”
Zach’s grip on me is gone in a flash, and I turn toward the source. One of the employees is out wrangling carts, headed in our direction.
“Everything is fine,” I hear Zach murmur, his voice sounding far away. When I glance over my shoulder, he’s already gone.
I’m jittery the whole drive home. I avoid Baz as much as I can once I get home, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Zach has been following me. Not only has he been following me, but he approached my daughter, and now me, what next?
When Ava falls asleep, I heave a deep sigh and climb out of her bed, leaving her door cracked in case she needs me. I’m not all that surprised when I spot Baz waiting outside of her room, leaning against the hallway, with his brows pulled together in contempt. I bypass him and head down the hallway toward my room, knowing he’s going to rip me a new one.
Baz steps into the bedroom and shuts the door behind him, silently fuming. The air surrounding us crackles with tension. He scrapes his hand down his face and sighs.
“I thought things were going well. Why the fuck do you need a gun, Mackenzie? You’re taking care of a child, for Christ’s sakes. You can’t leave a weapon like that lying around.”
“I’m not an idiot!” I snap. “I wasn’t going to leave a damn gun lying around for her to find. I just went there to see if I could get one. I need something to keep us safe. That’s exactly why I need a gun!” I dart my gaze around us, worried I might’ve woken Ava up with my raised voice. Stepping closer to Baz, I’m conscious to lower my voice. “Don’t you get it? They won’t stop. I may have finally given up and moved on, but I’m afraid they won’t. I need that protection, just in case. How can I keep her safe?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him about my run-in with Zach.
“You know damn well I’d never let anything happen to you. To either of you.”
I roll my eyes. “You can’t protect us twenty-four seven, Baz. You have your own life.”
“Don’t underestimate me, Mackenzie. I’m not letting them anywhere near you guys. Understand me?”
As if sensing how much I need to be held, Baz steps into me, sliding his hands around my neck, drawing my body into his. I go boneless in his arms, seeking his warmth. He presses his lips to the top of my head, and I slam my eyes shut.
“I’m scared.”
His