“Made me sit on the floor. He paced around me, shouting, yelling. He grew eerily calm and told me I wasn’t allowed to leave. That I would be punished for making him angry. That things would be different going forward. That I had no say in who he fucked. He—we had sex and he let me go.”
“When did he start escalating?” Zeb shakes his head and folds me into his arms.
My hand lifts to explore the tenderness at my neck.
“No need to answer that.” Zeb releases me and takes a step back.
There’s something about the way he holds me that makes me feel safe and secure. There’s a solidness about him and the feeling he’s going to make things right.
Back on the rooftop, the first night we met, I imagined how things might be with Zeb. I still remember the electricity charging the air between us. That potential for more. I remember the heat of his body and the way he looked at me. The way my heart raced and the way he made my stomach flutter.
I remember the moment that was almost a kiss.
“Your immediate safety is my first concern.” Something changes in Zeb. Like a switch that flips, he’s in Alpha-male protector mode—a powerful force of good acting on my side.
Despite my distress, my shame, and the tears that fall, it’s hard not to see him in an entirely new light.
Zeb is a powerful protector. A gallant knight in shining armor. A noble rescuer and absolutely stunning. He’s my hero.
“You mentioned he threatened to pull your acceptance at UC Davis. Has he?”
My chin drops and my gaze shifts to the floor. Shame rushes through me and my entire body trembles. Scott hasn’t expressly mentioned it one way or the other, but I know. I know what he craves. None of those are to watch me pursue my dreams.
“Scott wants me for himself.” Tears fall from my eyes.
“Kaye, you have to let me help. This is what I do. I’ll make Scott pay for everything he’s done to you. I can keep you safe. I’m going to fix this.”
He makes me want to believe.
“He’s going to hurt my friends.” My shoulders hunch as I try to disappear. I want to believe, but I’m afraid. Terribly afraid.
“He’s not going to hurt anyone. Not your roommates and not you. He’s finished threatening them, and he’s done hurting you. This stops now. It stops today.”
I roll my lower lip between my teeth and nod. I don’t have the strength for words.
“There’s no way I can stand by and do nothing.” He takes my hands in his and a wave of warmth rushes through me. He pulls me into his embrace, and for a moment, everything feels right.
This small gesture of comfort eases the pain inside me.
When Zeb takes a step back, he’s a changed man. No longer do I see him as a guy I met one night. There’s a fierce protectiveness emanating from him that’s unstoppable.
Zeb is a protector. A hunter of evil men. This is what he does. It’s only just now starting to sink in.
“We have options.” He cups my chin, gently lifting, until I meet his eyes.
When I gaze at him, his eyes are set with determination.
“Options?”
“My team’s sole purpose is helping people in situations like this. Let me help you. You don’t have to do this alone, and mark my word, Scott will pay.”
I nod and the tightness in my chest releases. Zeb’s right. I can’t do this alone. There has to be a way out of this mess I created, but do I have the strength to accept the help Zeb offers? There’s only one way to know. I let out a deep breath, release my fear, and search for strength.
“Okay.”
“That’s my girl.” He leads me into my bedroom. “Get dressed. I’m going to make some calls.”
After he leaves me alone, I sit on my bed in shock. It’s as if a great weight lifts from my shoulders. I’ve never had to ask for help like this before. I almost didn’t, too fearful of what my friends might think. Will they look at me with pity because I’m weak, or will they hate me for bringing trouble into their lives?
But if Zeb is willing to help, and if the Guardians have time to deal with my screwup, maybe that will make it easier to tell my roommates?
Tremendous guilt wells up within me, however.
I brought it upon myself. It’s not the same as what happened with Carmen and Rosalie. They were victims. The Guardians protect them because they’re trying to bring down a human trafficking ring. That operation involves scores and scores of women. Women who were kidnapped against their will.
That’s not what’s happening with me. This is a mess I made.
I dress slowly, still processing what happened, and dread what comes next.
Time to come clean with my roommates. Time to learn how to stand up for myself. UC Davis may be a lost dream, after Scott’s done with me, but I can let that go if it means being free of him. I feel better knowing Zeb will be there for me every step of the way.
I won’t be alone.
THIRTEEN
Zeb
I’ve killed men before. Whether it was a double-tap with my weapon, or a knife to the throat, killing is an integral part of who I was as a frogman and who I am as a Guardian.
Each man I removed from this world deserved it. Vile men. Despicable humans. Scum of the earth. I’m going to kill Professor Scott Parker. He doesn’t deserve to breathe after what he did to Kaye.
Blood roars past my ears with furious rage burning through me.
Why do men feel the need to hurt those weaker than themselves? Women. Children. Innocents. It doesn’t make them stronger. It makes them pathetic weaklings.
I’ve felt the desire to kill before, but this is different. The drive to end Scott’s life is a twisted, nasty thing. Irrational and no longer human. I want him dead on a visceral level.
Kaye is a beautiful woman. Smart, funny, and full of life, I love the way her eyes sparkle like fireflies, and the way her smile spreads warmth to everyone around her.
But that is gone.
Kaye’s a shell of her former self. Her smiles no longer light up the room. Those firefly sparks are gone. Sad and vacant, her eyes are hooded. A shadow of her former self, she walks around listless and lethargic. The tiniest sound makes her jump.
Whatever happened with Scott terrified her, and I know why. The fucker gets off on asphyxiation: one of the more extreme forms of BDSM edge play. People can die from the practice, which is why those involved train to be safe, sane, and consensual.
But he’s not trained. It’s not consensual. He tied her up, then subjected her to strangulation against her will. He took from her. He violated not only her body, but her trust. He used threats against others, and her fear, to get her to allow the unthinkable.
It’s the last straw, and I can no longer stand on the sidelines. Scott is going to pay. Kaye’s under my protection until he does.
The night when Kaye and I met, a spark ignited an amazing potential between us. When she later cooled off on me, I figured she was too focused on getting a leg up on her studies prior to her first semester in vet school. We all thought she spent her days at the library, getting ready.
Little did I know what was really happening. If I had, no fucking way in hell would it have gone on this long.
While Kaye gets changed, I make a few calls and test the waters of what might be possible.