A Month Later

SHAY

A month has passed since I left Zane and Forest in the doorway and retreated to my apartment.

Tammy has mostly kept her distance, and we’ve settled into a routine. We go to work, then I head home while she spends time with Alec.

I haven’t heard a peep from either man, and I’ve been focusing on my job every night.

I could tell they were watching me, though. I felt eyes on me at work, when I got out of my car at home, and when I was out and about.

I never saw them and couldn’t pick them out in a crowd, but my gut and the sensation of being watched told me they were nearby.

“Bye, guys. Tammy, I’ll see you when you get home,” I said, heading for the Blue Meadow’s exit. I stepped outside and a gust of cold wind swept over me. I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Shay, you idiot, leaving your jacket at home because it was warm when you left,” I muttered to myself.

I hugged myself tightly and hurried to the garage. As I hit the button to unlock my car, I heard footsteps behind me. I quickened my pace, but then a large hand wrapped around my elbow and I froze.

“Easy, Sunshine. I just want to talk to you for a minute.”

I shivered and turned to face Conner. He took off his jacket and draped it over me.

“What do you want?” I asked. “I thought you had better things to do than keep tabs on me.”

“You really think that, huh?” He challenged me with his gaze, looking at me like I should know better.

“I know some of his men have been watching me this whole time. I don’t see them, but I know they’re close.”

He nodded.

“Look, I know he hurt you really bad. He sent both of them back to Italy after you left.

“He told his uncle what happened and they moved them immediately so Zane wouldn’t have to deal with the heartache of seeing them every day.

“He’s become a monster since you left. No feelings, his eyes as cold as night—the beast has taken over. He went on a killing spree and took out a bunch of people for no reason.

“If someone looked at him wrong, he slit their throat. Noah and I are scared of him, and we’ve never felt that way before.”

“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all of that. I wish things had ended differently,” I said, trying to turn away and get in my car.

“Please come and talk to him. Maybe you can get through to him and calm him down a bit. We have a big meeting tomorrow. If he snaps, we’ll lose the biggest trading agreement we’ve ever been offered.

“Noah and I have handled everything until now, but they want to deal with the boss tomorrow. If he loses it for some reason, everyone in that room will be in danger.

“I’m begging you, please. He’s upstairs, but he’s retreated into a shell that even we can’t get him out of. He loved you dearly, and I think his heart is gone.”

I looked at his pleading eyes. “What makes you think he’ll listen to me? What if I become a target if I approach him?”

“Trust me, you’re probably the only one who can get close enough to talk to him without having a knife swung at you or getting punched,” Connor replied, a small smile on his face.

He offered me his hand as I looked around, trying to decide what to do. “Shay, please. I wouldn’t be out here begging you to do this if it wasn’t necessary.”

Sighing, I relocked my car and took his hand. He opened the door to the back stairwell by placing his palm on the scanner.

He led me up the stairs to the top floor. Broken chairs were scattered around—Zane must’ve broken them tonight.

He had his back to us as we approached him.

“Boss, are you feeling better now?”

“Get the fuck out, Conner. I have nothing to say to anyone,” he growled in a tone I’d never heard before.

I looked at Conner, who nodded at the chair in front of Zane. I gave Connor his jacket back and took a deep breath as I slowly approached Zane.

Before I could get around in front of him, he was out of his chair with his hands around my neck. He slammed me up against the glass wall.

I tried to scream, but his grip was so tight that all I could do was struggle against him.

“Boss, don’t! You’ll kill her!” Conner yelled.

Zane’s eyes were as black as coal, his expression like stone. It took Conner ripping his arm away before he realized what he was doing. I dropped to the floor, clutching my neck and coughing.

“Shit, Shay! Oh God, I’m so sorry. Conner, why didn’t you tell me it was her? I thought it was you trying to get me to go home.”

Zane scooped me up in his arms and held me close to his chest. I felt something wet hit my cheek. He was crying.

“Love, my sweet baby. Please forgive me. I’m so sorry. God, what did I do?”

He sat back down, cradling me like a baby in his arms. He stroked my hair with his hand and wiped away the tears running down my face.

“I’m so sorry. Please. They say that I haven’t been myself since you left. I’ve done so many things without even realizing what I was doing until afterward.

“Please don’t leave me. I need you, love. This hole in my chest is killing me since I can’t hold you close to me anymore. Please tell me you’re coming back.

“I can’t stand seeing you down there on that floor anymore. I’ve been broken since you got in that car and drove off.

“Seeing you from a distance has made it worse, not being able to laugh with you, or walk beside you as you go into a store, or sit down with you to eat and talk about things.

“Please, I’ll do anything to have you back with me. Please tell me what I have to do and I’ll do it. We can move away and never come back.

“Let the guys handle everything. We have enough money to move to another country and live without any pressure. We can just be.”

His words tumbled out in a rush, and I looked up at him, placing my finger against his lips to quiet him. His face was wet with tears.

I saw a flicker of hope ignite in his eyes. His face softened, and he pulled me into a tight embrace, as if he was afraid I’d vanish if he let go.

“Zane, listen. I came here to talk. Conner told me about the big meeting—”

“To hell with the meeting. I don’t give a damn about that right now. All I want is you. I can’t bear this pain, knowing you’re out there but not with me.”

I pulled away slightly, studying him. This man, who everyone feared, was falling apart. He was heartbroken because of me.

Yes, he had hurt me, but the pain I’d caused him was even worse. His eyes were still wet with tears, a sight you wouldn’t expect from a man as powerful as him.

“Shay, please. Come home, come back to me. Let’s go back to the life we had. The love and compassion we shared was unlike anything I’ve ever known. I want my love back.”