Alpha Hero - Hope Ford Page 0,43

just came from. Yeah, quite honestly, we’re both probably a little bit crazy. It’s sobering looking at the burnt car.

“Hold up, hold up, I have to meet the badass that willingly got into that flaming car.”

Zach and I both turn as another fireman walks up to us with Terry right behind him. Terry muscles him to the side. “You okay, Shannon?”

I tell him yes.

“Thank God. I didn’t want to tell April otherwise. Good job out there.” He pats me on the back and starts to walk away before turning back around. “So this is Baker. I think April mentioned him last night.” He does this funny thing with his eyebrows, shaking them up and down before walking away.

I hide my smirk behind a cough. “Oh yeah. Hi, I’m Shannon.”

I hold my hand out for Baker to shake it, but Zach steps between us. “So, buddy, let’s go… let’s get back to work. You need to get the pipe rolled up.”

Zach tries to steer him away, but it doesn’t work. “So Terry was telling me about you. What do you think, you want to get a drink later?”

“She can’t,” Zach says.

I look over at him questioningly before looking back at Baker. He seems oblivious to the undercurrents here. “Yeah, uh, I have to go by the hospital, but then I’d say they’ll send me home. How about six… at The Tavern?” I ask him. I completely avoid Zach’s gaze. I know one look at him and I won’t be able to go through with it. I thought one night would get him out of my system, but that didn’t work. I don’t want to go out with Baker, and I know already that I’m not attracted to him in the least, but hey, maybe a drink is what I need.

“Sure, great. I’ll see you there,” he tells me as he’s walking backwards to his truck.

I turn to the ambulance and shut the back doors. I ignore the expression on Zach’s face. He’s acting like I’ve hurt him or something, but we both know that’s not the case.

“Hey, did you get the vic’s name?” I ask him.

He quietly answers me. “Dr. Brian Cooper. He’s a heart surgeon.”

“Great. So thanks again for back there. I’ll see you later.” I walk around to get into the passenger side of the ambulance. I have to walk away before I fall apart in front of him.

8

Zach

“You’re not going out with her,” I tell Baker for the third time.

He just smirks again and I swear, brother or not, I’m about to punch him in the face.

“Are you kidding me? Did you see that hot piece of ass? And she’s got innocence written all over her. I’d be stupid not to go out with her.” He reaches down and grabs his dick while he’s talking.

His words and his gesture goes all through me. I push him up against the wall, my forearm against his neck. The other guys all jump up, but I hear Terry hollering for them to stand down.

I sneer in his face. “Fuck you, man. You better not look at her, you better not even say her name again because I will fuckin’ end you. Do you understand me?”

I hold my arm, hard and steady, cutting off his air supply, but I don’t care. Nobody is going to talk about her that way.

Terry walks up to me. “Zach, it’s fine. He won’t go out with her. I’ll take care of it, but let him go.”

My arm tightens against his throat and Terry says in a stern voice, “Let him go, Zach. You’re going to kill him.”

I count to three and release him. He falls to his knees, gasping for breath. I point down at him. “Don’t go near her,” I threaten him before I walk away.

I no sooner get to the locker room than Terry’s right behind me.

“What the fuck, man? What was that?” he demands.

I turn on him then. “Look, you and April need to quit trying to fix her up. Stay out of her business.”

His eyes get wide. “Wait. Is that it? You like her!”

I shrug my shoulders. “Fuck, Terry. You know Baker’s a piece of shit. Why would you want to fix her up with him?”

He puts his hand on his chest. “Look, April just wants her friend happy and I want April happy. It’s as simple as that. But fine, no big deal, he won’t go out with her.”

“Fuck, no he won’t,” I grunt at him, still pissed off.

Terry starts to