Sam wants to see Zack. He’s on his way over.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zack stuck his head inside the bedroom doorway. “There you are. I only have instant coffee, do you still want it?”
I glanced down at the phone in my hand. I’d forgotten about wanting coffee. “Uh, no, it’s all right. Thanks.” I’d planned to leave, but should I wait for Sam first? Maybe he was just passing on his condolences.
While my brain whirred on its hamster wheel, Zack advanced into the room and stood before me, hands shoved in his pockets. “Problem?”
“Sam’s on his way to see you.” I manufactured a brittle smile. “And I think I need to be going.”
A hurt look flickered across his eyes, and he lifted a hand to scratch at his stubbled chin. The feel of his stubble on my inner thighs was something I’d never forget. I squirmed, instantly wet again.
“Instant’s not that bad.”
“It’s not that.” I hesitated. What could I possibly say? I think I’ve fallen in love with you, and I don’t want you to go back to a war zone without knowing. On balance, no. “I need to go. The dogs need walking. And feeding. And so does Jas, the feeding, that is. Not the walking.” I ground to an awkward halt, my cheeks burning with the inane things I was saying. Jeez, Holly. Could I sound any more stupid?
Zack stepped closer and reached out, smoothing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. The tenderness in the gesture had tears pressing at the back of my eyelids, and I blinked to try and stop them falling. “I don’t know what to say, Hol.” Dear God, my cheeks would get stuck in this position if I continued with the fake smile any longer. I should have moved, walked away, but my feet were glued to the floor. “It was good last night.” His hand hovered near my ear as though he was unsure about what to do. “I never expected it.”
I sucked in a deep breath through my nose, the brittle smile threatening to crack. Should I just say it? Blurt it out? What did I have to lose? He was leaving in a few hours anyway, he’d never have to see me, never be embarrassed by me again. And if I didn’t, would I always ask myself, What if?
The tip of his finger whispered over my ear, and the last of my defenses crumbled. I swallowed, took another breath, and hoped I could speak clearly. The rate my heart was pounding, it’d probably come out as a high-pitched squeak. Zack waited, the tender look still in his eyes.
“I, uh, want to say something.” Yep, I squeaked. He cocked his head to one side and, for one delicious second, I thought he’d kiss me.
“Did you hear that?” He glanced over his shoulder. “Car doors. That could be Sam. Do you know why he’s coming over?”
“Ah, no.” God. My chest tightened. I had to say it before I lost my nerve, but now Zack was distracted. He continued to listen for the noise outside, and I could tell I no longer had his full attention. I wanted to tug on his shirt like a small child. Listen to me.
“Sorry.” He focused back on me, his lips quirking into a now-familiar half smile. “What were you going to say?”
It was too late. A loud banging on the door meant someone was here, and my courage shattered. “It’ll wait.”
He frowned, lines appearing briefly on his tanned forehead. “Don’t go yet.” I nodded, but he’d already turned on his heel and left the room.
I sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath while I pulled my composure back into place. His mother was as frosty as the polar icecaps. His sister was gone. Who did he have that cared about him? Who would remind him that he mattered? Long-distance relationships were never easy, but for Zack I’d give it a try.
It wasn’t Sam at the door. Instead I heard Zack greeting two guys, neither of whom sounded familiar. When I walked into the kitchen it was to see two enormous young men, both with cropped hair. One looked part Maori, with coffee colored skin and dark eyes, while the other was sandy-haired and freckled. Their conversation stopped abruptly, and their gazes swung to me.
Zack gestured me forward with a crook of his finger. “This is Holly. Hol, this is Anders and Petey, my buds from Linton.”
“Hey.” I managed a tight smile. They were giving him a ride to the airport, but they were early, way too early. The panic inside me grew tighter and more concentrated. Time was running out. I clung to the nearest chair and tried not to stare at his friends. They nodded politely to me and then switched their attention to Zack.
“You ready to go, bro?” The Maori’s voice was surprisingly soft, the accent lilting.
Zack shook his head. “There’s a friend of Holly’s coming round. I wanna speak to him first. We’ve got time, yeah?”
“Yeah.” The sandy-haired man stared at me, a look of intense curiosity on his face, and Zack noticed.
“Petey,” he growled, crossing the kitchen to stand next to me. Ignoring his friends, he touched my chin. “You are going to stay a bit longer, yeah?” He dropped a fleeting kiss on my lips. “Ignore my Neanderthal buds. Despite their size, they’re harmless.”
Hope surged in my chest, my heart racing at his touch. It was just male posturing, I knew that, but he wasn’t brushing me off. Whatever I had to do, I wouldn’t let him leave until I’d told him how I felt.
Chapter Twenty-Four
An awkward silence fell over the kitchen. Zack’s friends both concentrated on their cell phones while Zack made mugs of coffee. I stared at the multitude of shells lined up along the windowsill. Had they all been found on this stretch of sand? Or had Sam engaged an interior designer who deemed them to be part of the image? Whichever, they fit in perfectly.
Zack fiddled with his wristwatch. “Any idea when Sam is coming?”
I shook my head. “I’ll ring him.” Standing up, I caught sight of another vehicle pulling onto the flat patch of ground next to the cottage. “Actually, here he is now.” He was with someone, a young guy who he helped out of his truck and then led to the door. Someone else to offer his condolences?
Zack looked out of the window and froze, his stance going immediately into a deadly watchfulness. “What the fuck?” His buddies went to look, too, and then he suddenly darted at the door and ripped it open. Charging over the wooden deck, he launched himself at the guy with Sam, driving a solid fist into the stranger’s face. “You bastard. You fucking bastard.”
I froze. Confusion turned rapidly into horror. Had Sam brought Marnie’s boyfriend here? Dear God, what was he thinking? I had to stop Zack. Stop him before it was too late.
“Stop him. Please.” The two men with me hesitated. The guy was already bent double, Zack raining blows on his head, his stomach. I couldn’t breathe. I might have been paralyzed for all the good I could do. “He’ll kill him.”
They stampeded outside, but Sam had already intervened. When I stumbled out on shaking legs it was to see Zack’s friends holding him by the arms, talking him down, with Sam tending to the other guy. Zack’s face was twisted with pain and anger, and he jerked and struggled. “Let me go. Get the fuck off me.” He slipped one side free and lunged at the other guy, but his mates hauled him back.
Blood oozed from his fists, but Sam’s companion had come off much worse. He sprawled on the sand, tears and blood mixing on his face. He might have been handsome at one time, with corn-yellow hair and pale blue eyes, but fat softened his jawline, and he looked puffy and out of condition.
Sam appeared unruffled, as though he hadn’t just thrown a bottle of petrol into an already smoldering fire. He gave me a steady smile. It chilled me to my core. “Holly. Would you get me some water for Barry, please? He has a story to tell us.”