“But not enough to give us a second chance?”
She looked away. “I don’t think we belong together. I lo—care for you more than you know, but I can’t go through that again.”
“Why do you think we’d go through it again?” he asked.
“I know it was a crazy night, but you were so quick to throw me away without much thought. I’ll always worry that you’ll push me away if anything got tough again.”
She started to fidget when he just stared at her.
He wiped a hand down his face and stood. “I should go.”
She blinked the tears away.
He bent, cupped her face in his palms, and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me. If you need me, don’t hesitate to call.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away. As his footsteps faded, the hole in her heart grew. She pressed her face into her hands and sobbed. God, what should she do? Was she making the right decision? The tears finally slowed enough for her to take deep breaths. She used the napkin to wipe her face before she stood and walked into a side door and up the back steps to her bedroom.
The only thing she could think of was burrowing under her covers and trying to sleep. It was the only time she got any measure of peace.
Chapter Twenty
Zachary threw his phone across the hotel room after he got off the call from Travis. His Anna had been shot and hadn’t said a word. God, he couldn’t get the thought of her in pain out of his head.
He pushed her away to protect her, and she was standing beside him and bleeding to death the whole time. Travis had told him that he’d promised her not to say anything to him for a few days. He’d been pissed at first but then realized he wouldn’t have been able to do anything. As long as he knew she was okay and safe, that was what he cared about the most.
After getting over the shock, he stood and grabbed his jacket, gun, and phone. He needed to put a stop to the animals who threatened her. Until that happened, it was best he stayed away from her. She’d already been hurt by him, both physically and emotionally. He didn’t want to do any more damage.
With some help from several law enforcement departments and his friends, they were able to arrest the main guys in the branch of the human trafficking ring that he’d been involved with. Too many monsters remained on the street, and the organization was still going strong, and he wouldn’t stop until he was too old to try to take them off the earth so they couldn’t hurt any more innocents.
When things had settled, he wanted to drive to the hospital to see her, but Travis said she’d already checked out and was home. He then told him that she was planning on going on a vacation to Jamaica.
Fuck, was she trying to get as far away from him as she could?
Zachary stood in the police station, talking to the team that caught the monsters, when he felt someone tap his shoulder.
He turned to see Travis and Kane. Fuck, he was glad to see them.
“How are you doing?” Kane asked.
“I’m happy that this part of the ring is dead. How is Anna?”
“As far as we know, she’s okay,” Travis said. “We’ve got a condo in our building ready for you to move into. We can help get whatever you need.”
“I want to see Anna.”
“How are you going to find her?”
“Ask her mother,” Zachary said.
Kane squeezed his shoulder. “I think you need a good night’s sleep first, man. You look wiped out. When was the last time you ate?”
“I’ve grabbed a burger.”
“Let’s get you home. I’ll have something delivered. You need to eat and sleep before you pass out.”
“I want Anna,” Zachary said.
Kane nodded. “And you’ll have her, but it’s too late to find her mom. Take my advice. You need to wait until the morning.”