special in Tillie’s vast array of daily coiffure deals.
“Morning, Chief.” Faye, middle-aged and as stern-looking as any four-star army general, wasn’t much of a conversationalist, which was another reason he liked her.
He nodded as he sat down. “Let’s do the special this morning.”
In admirable synchronicity, she poured coffee with one hand, wiped the counter with the other, and yelled, “Special! Over easy!” over her shoulder.
He took a swallow of the blistering-hot liquid and finally began to feel close to halfway human. Should’ve known seeing Savannah would bring back the nightmares and all the ghosts of past regrets. For a man who’d always been one to make a decision and stick to his guns, his regret over his actions ten years ago ate at him daily. Last night, they had almost consumed him.
She had looked so much like the beautiful Savannah he had known, but he’d noticed some marked differences. At eighteen, Savannah had been slim with soft curves. The Savannah of today was slender almost to the point of thinness. Even more disturbing, there was a cool brittleness to her. He tried to tell himself that her job as a prosecutor had most likely impacted her personality. Dealing with criminals was bound to have a negative influence. His demons whispered something else. They told him his alienation and selfishness were the cause.
What he had done was unforgivable. So why the hell had he expected a different reception from her? All the tender emotions she’d once had for him had been devoured by hurt, disappointment, and anger, leaving bitterness in their wake. A voice inside him whispered that bitterness wasn’t what he’d glimpsed in her eyes. Instead he had seen hurt and anger. Could they be healed? Could he make up for the sins of his past?
Before he could dwell on that tempting but improbable idea, Faye’s special—fried eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits, sausage gravy, and a side of sliced tomatoes—slid in front of him. Hunkering down over his meal, Zach made sure his body language discouraged even the most thick-skinned person from trying to make conversation. Problem was, there was always one person who believed they were the exception. Today that person was Sarah Jane Riley.
Sliding onto the stool beside him, she spoke in a high, shrill voice, making sure everyone in the restaurant could hear. “Chief, heard you had dinner with Savannah Wilde last night.”
Zach didn’t even bother to lift his head; the massive amount of food in front of him held his total focus.
“Bet it was good to see her after all this time.”
Again, Zach didn’t acknowledge Sarah’s attempt at conversation. Unfortunately the woman had a reputation of causing controversy in the hopes of creating something out of nothing.
“I even heard some folks say that your car was still there this morning.”
Zach raised his eyes then. He’d stared down more than one prick in his lifetime. The fact that this one was a woman made no difference to him. His reputation of being slow to anger often made people believe they could say just about anything to him without consequences. And though he’d been known to take more than his share of abuse, having someone he cared about besmirched or hurt in any way was one thing he refused to tolerate.
The cold, hard stare, unblinking and unforgiving, pierced through Sarah’s thick skin. Her eyes wide with surprise and not a little alarm, she jumped off the stool and backed away. “I … uh, I was only repeating what I heard.”
“Then I suggest you call them the liars that they are.” Zach kept his voice low and soft but there was no mistaking its lethal edge.
“Sure thing, Chief.”
Sarah returned to her table, where several other women were seated; all had the same wide-eyed surprise on their faces.
Though no longer hungry, Zach made a point to return to his meal with the nonchalant air of one who doesn’t give a damn. When his cellphone rang, he didn’t bother to check the identity of the caller, relieved that he didn’t have to continue the pretense of enjoying the meal.
“Chief, those vandals have struck again.”
Recognizing the voice of one of his deputies, Bart Odom, Zach said, “Hold on.”
Standing, he threw down enough money for his meal, plus a liberal tip for Faye. As he turned away from the counter, Sarah and her friends all seemed amazingly interested in their meals; not one of them lifted her head as he walked out the door. He knew better than to think this would stop their