Chapter 20: Zara
The funeral was tough. There weren’t that many people there, but it still was gut-wrenching to see the tears, no more so than to see Leslie crying. We sat in the front and held each other. As soon as the service was done, we rode to the cemetery to watch them place his urn in the ground. As soon as that was over, we rode back to the house. We knew people would be stopping by with their condolences. Only a few were invited to the funeral, but it was an open house for the wake. Ted had a lot of people who liked and loved him.
At the house, people kept coming and going in waves. I could barely keep up with all the names. Leslie was being a trouper. You could tell she had been crying, but she was holding it together. I excused myself for a minute to go to the room I was staying in.
The noise was giving me a headache and my stomach was all mixed up again. I splashed some cold water on my face and looked in the mirror. Definitely not one of my better days. I had dark circles under my eyes. My face was pale, and I looked tired. Closing my eyes to the wreck in the mirror, I went back downstairs.
I went to the kitchen first to check that we still had enough food and drinks. Seeing it was fine, I went toward the living room. That’s when I heard the doorbell ring, again. Lord, would they ever stop coming? I heard voices murmuring. I stepped into the living room and looked to see who had arrived. I came to a shocked halt. There stood Demon, and he wasn’t alone. As I looked at the others with him, my surprise grew along with my puzzlement. What in the world were they doing here?
Demon saw me and came striding straight over to me. I gulped. He looked better than I remembered, though tired. He stopped and looked down at me. His eyes ran all over me. He had an almost hungry look in his eyes.
“Demon, why are you guys here?”
“Baby, we need you to come with us. We’ll explain on the road, but you need to leave. Now.”
“I’m not going anywhere! You have no right to barge in here like this, Demon. We’re having a wake for Ted. You remember, my lover,” I hissed at him.
He sighed. “I’m sorry. I know he wasn’t your lover. I was upset. I heard you tell another man you loved him. I didn’t know what to think.”
“I don’t care. Please leave.” He shook his head no. I was about to tear into him, when the front door opened again and in walked someone I did know. It was my uncle Tommy! I pushed past Demon and ran over to Tommy. He wrapped me in his arms and hugged me as he kissed me on the forehead.
“How’re you doing, baby girl?”
“I’ve been better? How did you know?”
“Umm, well, you see—”
“What the fuck is going on here, Anderson? You’ve got your hands and lips on my woman,” Demon growled as he pulled me away from Tommy and behind him. I tried to get around him.
“Why is he calling you, Anderson, Uncle Tommy? How do you know Demon?”
“Uncle Tommy?” Demon and his guys shouted. They were looking at my uncle and me like we had two heads.
“Yeah, my great-uncle Tommy. Why are you calling him that? He doesn’t go by his middle name.”
“Shit, she’s Anderson’s fucking niece. Didn’t you think you might have wanted to tell us that before now? Like when we went after her in Mexico?” Bull asked my uncle. Tommy just shrugged.
“There wasn’t any need to tell you at that moment. I figured after she was back, we’d meet at some point, like maybe when these two got married. Things just went sideways.”
“Married? Uncle Tommy, I’m not marrying Demon. You haven’t told me how you know them. Or why are you all here.”
“Like hell you’re not going to marry me! You’re my old lady, Zara. I’m not about to let you walk out on me again,” Demon snarled. I pushed him as I tried to get around him again. He yanked me into his chest and his mouth landed on mine. I lost my train of thought as he kissed me like he was starving. It took me a minute to regain my senses and shove him away.
“That sure looks like you’re his old lady, though if you don’t want to be, let me know. I can make him disappear,” Tommy said with a smirk on his face. He was looking at Demon when he said it.
“Don’t make me kill you, old man. You try to take her away from me and I’ll make you disappear,” Demon threatened.
“Stop. We don’t have time for this. Zara, honey, we need you to come with us. You’re in danger. The man in Mexico, the one called Jefe, wasn’t killed with the others. He got away. Your uncle is hearing things that indicate he might be coming after you again. You’re not safe. We need you back on the compound where we can keep you that way,” Bull told me quietly.
The image of Jefe flashed through my head. Suddenly, I felt hot and weak. I started to tremble. I looked at them in despair. I saw Demon reach for me as I slumped to the ground. He quickly crouched down and swung me up in his arms.
“Shh, you’re going to be fine, babe. I’ve got you. You’re safe. Let’s get you home. Please, we just need you where we can keep an eye on you.”
I looked around in a daze. People were looking at us and whispering. I saw Leslie. She came hurrying over to us. In that fog, I heard them introduce themselves, give her their condolences, and then tell her I was still in danger. She looked at me. “Go. Let them protect you, Zara. I can’t lose you too.”
“But what about you? What if he comes after you?”
“I have men who will be coming to take her into protective custody, though we don’t think she’s a target. We’re doing the same with the other three doctors,” Tommy told me.