Phone Call

SHAY

As we docked at the house, Zane’s phone buzzed. He helped me off the boat while answering the call.

“Yeah, man, what’s up?” I couldn’t hear the other end, but Zane’s face told me he wasn’t thrilled with the news.

“I’ll be on the plane in thirty minutes. Handle it until I get there in about three hours.”

He ended the call and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. “We need to head home. I’m sorry to cut our trip short.”

I stepped closer and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “It’s okay, baby. I know our life won’t be like everyone else’s because of your job. There’s always going to be something popping up.”

He took my hand and led me swiftly into the house. “Leave whatever you want here—we’ll be back. That way, you won’t have to pack next time; your clothes will already be here.”

I tossed a few things into an overnight bag, and before I knew it, we were back at the airport and on the plane heading home.

Zane was engrossed in his computer, typing away. I occupied myself with my phone, not wanting to disturb him.

After a while, he abruptly closed his laptop, retreated to the bedroom, and slammed the door. I turned on the TV and started a movie. Whatever was going on with him, it wasn’t good.

A few hours later, we landed at home. Conner was there waiting for us. Without a word, Zane emerged from the bedroom, got off the plane, hopped into a car, and sped off.

Stunned, I looked at Conner, who offered me a small smile. “He’ll be okay, Sunshine. Give him time to sort this out. Come on, I’ll take you back to the house.”

He extended his hand and helped me into another car he’d brought for me.

“Can I ask what’s going on?” I asked Conner.

“It’s not my place to tell you. He will if he wants to. My advice is not to bring it up. When he’s ready, he’ll tell you.

“All I can say is that an old problem we thought was resolved has come back in full force.”

I nodded and stared out the window, trying not to let Zane’s mood upset me. Now that I was pregnant, I knew my emotions would be all over the place.

The ride back to the house was quick. I sighed as we pulled up, opened my own door, and went inside, leaving Conner in the car.

Once in our bedroom, I took a shower and settled down for a quick nap.

ZANE

The phone call had rattled me—I couldn’t go back to that dark place again. If I did, I knew Shay would leave me for good.

That situation had thrown me into a black hole that had taken Conner and Noah over two years to pull me out of.

A lot of my reputation was built during that time. I stopped caring about who I was. I killed people for the smallest offenses, just because they crossed my path or brushed against me.

I was quick to anger, pulling out my gun and shooting without a second thought.

I tried to calm myself by driving fast, praying that the darkness creeping up on me would recede.

Back then, I was worse than when Shay left me. I was numb, didn’t care about anything. I was just a shell of a man, reacting before thinking.

Pulling into the club, I got out and went up to the room, pacing and rubbing my temples, trying to calm down. Tony was cleaning the floor when I approached him.

“Hey, boss, you’re here early. Everything okay?” He put down his rag.

“Tony, I’m on the edge. The past I thought was behind me is back, threatening to take everything I love. I can’t go through this again.” I slumped into a chair.

“If I do, I’ll lose her forever. I can’t risk that now, not since…” I trailed off. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about Shay being pregnant with my child.

“What is it, boss? Is something wrong with Shay? Do I need to help you get her out of trouble?” Tony asked, reaching under the bar for one of his hidden guns.

“She’s fine, Tony. This isn’t about her—it’s me. If I go through this again, I won’t be the same. When I do this, the man you see now will be gone.

“I thought I was done with it after that last job I did for him. My dad knows better—why is he doing this again? He knows what happens when I do these jobs for him. Ugh!”

“Your dad’s here?” he asked, whipping his head around.

“He’s in town and wants to see me in about an hour. Shay and I were in Miami when he called Conner. I was dealing with Cole.”

“You mean the same Cole who cheated you out of twenty million dollars in inventory and you tried to kill?” He crossed his arms and looked out the glass panels.

“Yeah, but it was just a warning shot. We got everything back from him, but I wasn’t going to let him walk away, no matter how untouchable he thought he was.

“When he turned around, my gun was already aimed at his chest. I aimed for his heart and shot just above it as he turned.

“I was hoping to hit an artery or something, but he recovered. Now he’s nipping at my heels about something, and my dad shows up on top of everything else.

“What am I going to do?”

Tony looked at me and sat down. He could see how upset I was. “You can’t say no to your dad about the meeting. But do you have to do this job?”

“I thought we’d dealt with this years ago,” I said, my voice heavy with worry. “But it’s back, somehow. I need to get the facts straight before I drive myself crazy overthinking it.”

My phone buzzed, interrupting my thoughts.

“Boss.” Conner’s voice echoed through the speaker. “Where are you? We’ve got that meeting with your dad.”

“I’m at the club,” I replied, “trying to clear my head before we dive into this mess.”

“We’ll meet you at his place. Maybe it won’t be as bad as last time. It can’t be. You’re not the same person you were back then, Zane. You’ve got Shay to consider now.”

“Noah and I can’t pull you out of that darkness again, Zane. It was a close call last time, and it nearly destroyed us.”

I stood up, heading for the door. I scanned my hand to unlock the stairwell. “I won’t let myself become that monster again. I won’t.”

“See you soon, man. Just make sure you’re in the right headspace before you arrive.”

“Got it. I’m on my way.” I descended the stairs, climbed into my car, and set off towards the nightmare that had nearly claimed our lives once before.