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  Zack inhaled deeply and faced Bonnie. The seats were close together, separated only by an arm rest that raised and lowered. Zack raised it, slowly and purposefully, giving Bonnie ample opportunity to see exactly what he was doing. Turning his body to face hers, he raised his hand to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her curls. The touch sent tingles racing up her spine.

  When he spoke, his voice was little more than a rough whisper, yet it was unbelievably intimate.

  “Can I kiss you, Bon-Bon? Show you what I mean?”

  Eyes wide, she nodded, licking her lips unconsciously, which made his eyes snap to them. They were heated, and the look of them made her warm all over.

  “Have you ever kissed a boy?” When she shook her head, he smiled.

  Slowly, Zack lowered his lips to hers and caressed them. He was warm and hard and tasted like sunshine and spice. He nipped at her top lip, trying to taste more, and she let out a soft sigh, a bit overwhelmed at the turn of events. Bonnie reached up and stroked his bicep, trying to ground herself in reality. Was she really kissing Zack Ward? He opened his mouth to taste more of her. When she responded, he made a low noise in the back of his throat, and the kiss got more … intense. His hand in her curls tightened, and his muscles trembled under her touch.

  His tongue swooped in her mouth tentatively, but when she followed his lead and met him with hers, they tangled together, and Bonnie got dizzy.

  They kissed forever in the dark media room. When they finally broke apart, an awkward giggle bubbled in her throat. They were both breathing hard.

  “Um, thank you for that,” she said shyly, a blush rising to her cheeks. He had made her feel so beautiful, but she didn’t know what was next. She knew better than to want more.

  Zack looked at her, his face flushed, lips swollen, and eyelids at half-mast. He looked amazing.

  “Do you want to go to homecoming with me? I’m playing in the game, but afterward? The dance?”

  “You’re asking me on a date?” She was still breathless, her voice sounding funny.

  “I’m asking you to be my girlfriend. And yeah. To go on a date with me.” Zack flashed Bonnie a shy grin, looking down at his lap again as he adjusted the large bulge there. Her eyes suddenly glued to it, she bit her lip, grinning.

  “You have no fucking clue how sexy you are, do you?” Her eyes snapped back up to his face and she saw the sincerity in his words. “Come on. I’ll take you to the dance, and we’ll show all those hoity toity bitches who’s really gorgeous.” He reached for her hand, squeezing it.

  “Of course. I’d like that.” To herself, she mouthed “boyfriend.” Zack saw it and laughed, tugging her head toward him for another kiss.

  Lost in memories, Bonnie no longer paid attention to the trees around her. But a wicked-sounding thump echoed in the thick brush to her right, almost shaking the ground under her feet. Suddenly, with awareness of her surroundings, her senses opened up. A horrific smell—something earthy and rotten—filled her nose, followed closely by a low grunt. Then another.

  The crashing brush moved, and she realized whatever it was, was closer than she’d thought. The scent got stronger, and Bonnie froze in the face of this unanticipated danger, her imagination working overdrive.

  The brush parted, and Bonnie was too busy staring at the tops of the branches of the overgrown bushes. They moved the most, and judging by the sounds her body registered, whatever it was had to be massive. Her imagination conjured images of Bigfoot or a machete wielding maniac. It took too long for her eyes to process and send information to her brain.

  By the time she realized what was going on, the giant hog was almost on top of her.

  She turned and ran as fast as her bandaged feet could carry her, adrenaline once again taking over. Discomforts forgotten, all she could do was run, while everything she’d ever heard about wild hogs came rushing through her brain. Wild hogs behaved unpredictably when disturbed, which Bonnie had apparently done. When it knocked her over, she realized she was being bulldozed by five hundred pounds of solid mass. And when it clambered onto her back, pawing and biting at her, she understood she’d grossly underestimated what five hundred pounds felt like.

  Cracking bones, overwhelming pain, weird grunting noises, and the scent of rotten, marshy muskiness took over. Her brain preferred darkness to reality, and she was desperate to succumb to it.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Zack rode in silence to the location where the tracker had been for almost a week, his hand absently playing with Shania’s hair as she rested her head on his lap from her perch between his legs. The other guys on the team were mapping their entry to the home they were totally guessing about. There wasn’t a structure there on any maps, which totally fit with what he could gather about the sneaky bastard they were trying to find.

  Jonas wouldn’t file a structure permit with anyone. He would simply build something. He had the money, and he was clearly of the school of ask forgiveness not permission. Not that it was likely the man ever asked forgiveness for anything, either.

  Zack had his instructions. Find cover in the woods surrounding the property and be a distraction while the guys went in. It was an unnecessary precaution, possibly even a risk, but Zack was grateful for anything to do. The undeniable need to do something regarding Bonnie’s rescue was a tangible force within him, and he would forever be grateful to Simon for letting him do this.

  Testing mics on the system Evan had modified for the team’s personal use—because he couldn’t let them use any electronic straight off the shelf without tinkering with it somehow—they made it to a small cabin in the woods. Zack couldn’t see it, but the fact it was there caused his hopes to rise. Things seemed to be fitting into place, considering they were running on a hell of a lot of hunches.

  Jordan led Zack into the woods behind the house, helping him find a spot where he couldn’t be seen before going back to where Simon, Quinten, and Ryan were. There, they made a game plan. Zack listened through his ear piece where he was lying on the ground behind a massive fallen tree, Shania at his side. She knew something was about to happen and practically buzzed with anticipation. Zack soothed her the best he could, readying her for the noise she was about to endure.

  “Jordan and Ryan, go around the back. We’re going to wait for it to get a little darker, then flash grenades all the way. Quinten and I will take the front. We want everyone but Bonnie neutralized. Got it?” Simon waited for affirmation, then they scattered. Through the earpiece, Zack heard a lot of breathing as they got into position, and a pang of something hit his chest. He really wished he could do all that—sweep a house, aim a gun, save his fucking girl.

  Zack used the minutes while they all waited for dusk to center himself and get out of his pitying frame of mind. Dude made an appearance, decked out in combat gear, ready for war. Like all the guys, Dude wore body armor, but instead of black fatigues, he wore a ghillie suit made to camouflage him in the mesquite brush surrounding them. The cigarette hanging out of his mouth was mostly ash, and the look on his face said he was ready to kill for Bonnie.

  When Simon spoke again, Zack was ready.

  On Simon’s count, all hell broke loose, and Zack started firing his shotgun into the air. Flash grenades lit up the night, the explosions of the bangs designed to disorient the enemy. The scent of magnesium filled the air, and Zack was suddenly dizzy, the loud blasts disrupting the fluid in his sensitive ears. He closed his eyes against the sudden flashes, hoping to not be too disoriented to do his piddly job.

  He’d filled his pockets with shotgun shells so he could reload without looking. While the rest of the guys could break down and put back together their pistols in a matter of seconds, Zack was highly skilled with the mechanics of his shotgun, the only firearm he would allow himself to use. Sure, he carried around unloaded pistols for appearances, like when he’d gone in to “cover” Quinten getting Macy. But there was no way to aim a pistol with his lack of sight. He wasn’t supernatural like Stephen King
’s Gunslinger, or extraordinary like Marvel Comics’ Daredevil.

  But he could get pretty intimate with his shotgun. As he fired round after round into the air, the rest of the night slowly went silent as the guys ran through the house. Zack stopped firing just in time to hear Ryan say, “There’s nobody fucking here.”

  “Was she even there?” Zack couldn’t stop the question, since he wasn’t there to see if he could smell her scent on anything for himself.

  “Yeah, her shoes are in here. She’s been chained to this bed.” The sound of a metal utensil hitting a dish filtered through the earpiece. “They fed her at least.” Quinten’s voice sounded rough, and Zack knew his friend was hurting. They all were.

  “Could she have escaped?” Zack’s voice sounded weird in his ringing ears. Anguish. He was clinging to hope, desperate for something.

  “Yeah, if she had a key. Nothing’s forced.” Ryan’s voice sounded distant, like he was choosing his words carefully.

  Zack heard the guys as they walked around the house, trying to keep the defeat out of their voices. In his mind, Dude made another appearance. This time, he was standing next to Zack in the woods, stalking off, then coming back and gesturing to Zack to follow before stalking off again. Shania made a noise and started tugging on Zack’s arm, using her mouth around his wrist without breaking the skin. He felt her tail wagging against his hip.

  “What’s going on, girl?”

  A low, moaning sound filtered through the chatter in his earpiece, and Zack yanked it out of his ear to listen.

  Again. A low moan. A familiar low moan.

  “Holy Christ. I think we found her. Get out here,” Zack said, crawling toward the noise, not trusting his balance on his feet. Shania led him, snuffling and licking Zack’s face periodically, but her enthusiasm was growing as they moved. Her tail wagged in his face, giving him a strong sense of direction. Against his will, Zack allowed the excitement to build inside him.

  The sound was a distance away, but Zack stayed hunkered down on the unfamiliar terrain. Soon enough, the guys caught up to him, and Jordan helped him to his feet.

  “Bonnie!” They all started yelling, then were silent as they listened for another moan.

  Simon organized them once again. “Quinten, we may need your muscle. Ryan get back to the truck and bring the first aid. Jordan, go to the house and make sure no one sneaks up behind us. Zack, we’re going to need you to keep her calm if she’s conscious.”

  We’re going to need you.

  Shania let out a bark and ran ahead of them, stopping and barking periodically to make sure they followed. She hadn’t been trained in search and rescue, but she was a great dog, who knew Bonnie and Zack’s affection for her. He had trained her to be accustomed to the massive display of firepower they’d just experienced by taking her to the gun range and making sure she wouldn’t freak out. She’d always been an amazing creature, able to adapt to whatever Zack needed her for.

  Right now, it seemed Shania knew he needed her to find Bonnie.

  The woods were silent, except for the men’s movements and occasional yells. They were sticking rather close together, fanning out slightly. The moans had stopped, but Shania seemed to know where she was leading them, the urgency in her barks growing.

  Zack just hoped his dog had the right scent and wasn’t leading them to a den of javelinas or something. Had Bonnie escaped and run blindly into the woods, so afraid of the danger she knew to run straight into the unknown?

  He probably would have done the same.

  Still, his heart pounded with the innate need for her to be okay, even though the moans he’d heard before said she was anything but fine. Bonnie was hurt out here, and they needed to find her.

  Adrenaline coursed through Zack’s system, causing him to misstep more than once, but he simply pulled himself back up and continued trudging forward, guided by the noise of the men around him and Shania’s barks.

  “Bonnie!” The panic in his voice could not be mistaken.

  A weak “Here” met his ears, and he focused on it with laser intensity. She’d spoken. She was conscious. She was alive.

  And close.

  “Where are you, baby? Keep talking.” Zack didn’t want to trip over her in his haste, so he forced himself to slow down. Quinten and Simon were with him, but they weren’t talking, probably just as fearful for her safety as he was.

  Another moan, almost underneath him, and a snuffling whine from Shania. Zack forced himself not to throw himself at his girl and sank to his knees, crawling forward. Simon and Quinten came up on his sides.

  “She’s got some cuts and abrasions. Looks like a hog attack,” Simon’s voice was low and calm. Zack used his fingers to make sure she was whole. They skated over her body, feeling the warmth of blood in places.

  “Bon-Bon, you’re going to be fine. I promise.”

  “You came for me,” she whispered weakly.

  Zack didn’t know who she was talking to, him or her brothers, but they were all there.

  “Of course we came for you, Bonnie,” Simon spoke through a thick throat. The tone of his speech alarmed Zack, but he wouldn’t show it. No way. But without being able to see her, all he could feel was blood, and he was terrified by how things seemed.

  Quinten had taken a step back and was speaking into his earpiece, giving Ryan directions on how to get back to them, and telling him to bring the collapsible back board.

  That didn’t sound great.

  Ignoring his surroundings, Zack focused on Bonnie, bending down low so his face was right above hers.

  “Bon-Bon …” He didn’t know exactly what to say that wouldn’t scare the shit out of her. Or him. “How’s things?” Striving to keep things light, he cracked instead. Everything. His jokes, his voice, his insides.

  But he had Bonnie again. Nothing could take that away from him. Except the gurgly noise when she breathed.

  Zack laid down next to her in the cold dirt, breathing in her scent—warm, earthy, with the coppery tang of blood everywhere. He longed to ask her what happened, but he couldn’t. First off, he didn’t want her talking more than necessary, not with that noise when she breathed. Second, she needed to save her energy for getting better, healing from these injuries.

  “Let’s talk about stuff. Well, not you,” he chuckled awkwardly. “You listen to me talk. When you get better, we’re going to go on all the dates. I’m going to take you fishing, like we used to, only grownup style.” He heard her smile, her lips parting around dried saliva and blood probably, the cracking skin making an audible noise. “You know, we’ll still wear bathing suits. I remember that red bikini you used to have. Do you still have it? Never mind. I’ll get you another one. But I’m better at rowing, and I have a friend who has a bigger boat we can use.” That friend was Simon, and his friend chuckled awkwardly at the tossed-out comment.

  “Y’all can use it whenever you want.” That was as close to a blessing as they would probably get from Simon, and Zack gave the man a grateful smile.

  “See? It’s a pretty swanky affair, with beds and stuff.” Zack waggled his eyebrows, hoping Bonnie’s eyes were open so she could see. Quinten let out a low huff of annoyance, but thankfully, didn’t kick Zack’s ass.

  “Seen it,” she whispered.

  “Oh, good. Then the grand tour won’t be necessary. Because I’ll actually need you to help me get around on it, or else we’ll spend the whole trip fishing me out of the water.” He chuckled lightly and heard her do something that sounded like a painful laugh. Regretting it, Zack sobered.

  “Seriously, though. I want to date you. I want to live with you. You’re it, Bonnie. I have spent years trying to erase the guilt of what I did to you at your party. I tried it with other women, thinking I could eventually replace the self-loathing I felt from being a dick to you with self-loathing from being a dick to women in general. Like I could change my inner make-up to some sort of total douche or whatever, so the guilt would go away, but it never worked. It was all
forced because I never saw myself as good enough for you. Every time I used a woman, it made me remember what I did to you. And I’m so damn sorry.” He bowed to her neck, where her scent was stronger. She was dressed in the same clothes she’d been wearing for a week, and the odor of stale sweat mingled with the smell of dried fear. It only made him love her more. “So damn sorry. You’re unbelievably strong, Bonnie, and I underestimated you. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

  His voice broke again, but he didn’t care. Simon and Quinten were silent, watching them in the darkened woods.

  Bonnie squeezed his hand where he was clutching it against her chest. “Shut up. Kiss me. Asshole.”

  As gently as he could, Zack pressed his lips to hers. The warmth that spread through his body was relief, plain and simple. He wasn’t anywhere near close to making things up to her, but as long as she would be okay physically, she would be okay with him.

  Bonnie whimpered as Zack kissed her, their lips melding against each other’s in a duel of loving complicity. Bonnie’s lips moved against his in a way that told him to stop talking and love her.

  And that’s exactly what he intended to do.

  A crashing through the brush had everyone on edge, until something broke into the clearing. Ryan’s voice broke in, presumably to calm Zack because he couldn’t see shit.

  Together, they got Bonnie onto the stretcher, and with Zack holding her hand and Quinten and Ryan carrying the stretcher, they gingerly picked their way back to the house. It was a hike, but not as far as Zack thought it would be. He’d initially been about fifty feet past the tree line when they’d started their assault on the house. That’s where he’d first heard Bonnie. But they’d gone several hundred yards into the woods looking for her.

  Still, that wasn’t far enough for her to have run. She’d either been attacked by the hog or whatever as soon as she got out there, or she’d been wandering around in circles before the attack.

  Either scenario was terrifying.

  Simon was clearly thinking the same thing.