Zack - M. Malone Page 0,10

past, he was usually able to charm his way out of trouble. Also, being alone with someone I don’t know sounds like a bad idea. Izzie’s suggestion about being my assistant doesn’t sound like such a bad idea all of a sudden.

“A clean background check doesn't tell you a guy is safe. It just means he was good enough not to get caught.” Gabe winces as he moves.

That’s when I really look at him. This conversation is seriously stressing him out. And worrying him is the last thing I wanted to do when I came here today.

“Okay, just take it easy. I’m not doing anything yet. I’m just thinking about it.”

“Promise me you won’t do anything crazy. Promise me!”

“Whoa, okay. I promise. Now calm down before Sasha comes back and we’re both in trouble.”

chapter three

†

ZACK

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the way Josie looked right before she walked away. The sight of her in tears is particularly disturbing since she rarely cries.

My distraction is particularly inconvenient right now since with Gabe out of commission I’m pulling double duty at the auto garage we co-own. It’s a grind trying to keep up with the scheduled repairs and run the front desk. We have a great team of guys but most of them aren’t really well-suited to customer service.

“This goddamned computer. It’s broken again.”

Jim, the older guy who taught both of us everything we know about cars, swears like a drunken sailor and thinks most technology is out to get him. He was happy to take a turn standing behind the counter for any walk-ins but I’ve had to take time out between jobs to correct the customer information he’s entered in the computer all day.

“It’s okay, I’ve got it.”

He moves away quickly, grateful to escape back to what he knows best. I type in the last information from the customer slip that he was trying to input in the system and then walk over to the front door and lock it.

Reed, one of our motorcycle specialists, is helping a customer at the other end of the counter but he can unlock the door for her when they’re done. Usually I don’t flip the sign to closed while there are still people in the shop but at ten minutes to seven, I’ve had all I can take today.

After another hour in the back finishing up, I make my escape. When I get home, I’m shocked to see Gabe sitting downstairs. He looks a little better but suddenly I’m hit with visions of him passing out and bleeding all over the floor.

“Do I even want to know how you got down here?”

He grunts. “Tired of being a fucking invalid.”

There’s not much I can say to that. This situation sucks no matter how you look at it. I sit next to him on the couch. “Come on. We need to get you back in bed.”

“I was waiting for you for a reason. It's about Josie. She’s decided on the subject of her next photo series.”

I shift uncomfortably in my seat. We went to her first gallery show a few weeks ago and I was blown away. Gabe had told me that she was taking erotic pictures but I hadn't been prepared for how intense the photos were. They weren't so much about sex as they were about vulnerability. Fear. Longing. Looking at her photos was like taking a peek into her most private thoughts and the experience left me completely gutted.

I want to support her but I’m not sure how much I can take. Standing in a gallery while random people looked at her work felt like letting others see her naked.

God help me if she ever decides to do a self-portrait.

“Another show like last time? I’m sure her parents are thrilled.”

“No. Something different.” His voice is rising as he speaks and I can tell how agitated he is. “She says she wants to focus on the male body. I already told her no fucking way.”

Suddenly my skin feels too tight. All I can see is Josie taking pictures of some guy, talking to him, touching him and it’s killing me. But after my initial surge of rage and jealousy then I circle around right back to where I’m sitting. On a couch with the only person Josie really wants.

"Gabe, she's a big girl. If she wants to take nude pictures, you can't stop her."

Not to mention that he has a girlfriend. It drives me crazy that he still has this weird