Page 1 of Protecting Talia

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Zip tossed back the last of his beer and stood. Disillusionment filled him and settled with the disappointment burning in his belly. So he was alone. Big deal. It wasn’t like he wanted a relationship. The bitterness on his tongue wasn’t jealousy. He’d vowed to never settle down, and he wouldn’t break his vow. But seeing both Trip and Hop happy, along with their buddies Kevlar, Safe, and Blink, made him want something more. Having a woman in his bed, someone who got him, who could laugh with him, would make him feel good.

No. He couldn’t do it. Getting involved with someone was a complication he couldn’t afford.

Thoughts of his last long-term relationship invaded, twisting up his guts. It had ended in disaster shortly before he joined the Navy. Heck, she might have been the reason he joined up. Being a part of the Navy had been a great decision, probably the best he’d ever made. But the turmoil she’d unleashed in his life had almost taken him down so hard he wouldn’t have recovered. He would never settle down again.

He headed to the back hall and was about to enter the gents when the door for the ladies’ room opened and a woman with dark hair poked her head out. Their gazes met and panic filled her face for a second, then the door slammed and she was gone.

What was that about? He took care of business, and while washing his hands, he heard a faint yell. It wasn’t a scream from a guy. No, that shout was from a woman. Why was a woman yelling?

He stepped out into the hall, trying to figure out where the noise had come from. No one seemed excited in the main room of the bar. Maybe one of the waitresses had shouted something. He wasn’t sold on that conclusion, though.

He shook his head, pushing away the worry. He didn’t know what was going on, but it wasn’t any of his business.

He took two steps and paused when something banged hard against the other side of the ladies’ room door. Zip stalled, waiting for the door to open. Nothing happened.

When he heard a muffled yell, he knew he had to go in. On missions, he didn’t hesitate when entering women-only spaces. Here in the US, he knew he could get in trouble. But from the noise coming from the other side of that door, there seemed to be a problem.

“Coming in!” he yelled as he pushed the door open.

The sound of struggling grew louder. He stepped in, seeing a woman on the ground trying to push away the man on top of her. The jerk punched her, but lucky for her, he hadn’t gotten a good wind-up. It had to have hurt, but she hadn’t passed out.

Zip moved fast, hauling the guy off the woman. He had one hand on the dude as he yanked the door open and shoved him out into the hall. Stepping into the ladies’ room had garnered the attention of two men who grabbed the jerk he’d pulled off the woman. Confusion filled their faces, and Zip pointed at them.

“Don’t let him get away. He was punching a woman in here.”

“What the fuck is going on?” the woman he’d seen tending bar yelled as she squeezed past the two big guys holding the jerk against the wall.

Zip grunted. “He was beating up someone in here. Have you called for an ambulance?”

The bartender shook her head. “Fuck. I don’t need this kind of shit.”

Neither did he. But here he was dealing with it. He stepped into the bathroom and froze as he stared down into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. She’d sat up and was rubbing her jaw, which looked red and angry. The desire to help her grew, and he was about to move closer when the bartender started yelling.

“Fuck! What did you do, you stupid girl?”

The woman with blue eyes blinked up at the bartender. Fear, or something like it, filled her face as she shook her head. “Nothing.”

Zip glanced from the bartender to the woman still on the floor. What the hell was going on? Why was this woman acting like the person who’d been beaten up was in the wrong?

The bartender pointed at the woman on the ground and sneered. “Get the fuck out and don’t come back. I don’t need you causing problems.”

Zip wanted to step in, but it seemed like these two knew each other. Their reactions were too wild to be strangers. The bartender was pissed, and the woman on the ground was frightened. He’d seen a lot of bad actors as a Navy SEAL. Maybe this woman in the bathroom was a horrible person and deserved the anger thrown her way. He didn’t think so, though.

Zip wasn’t known for being quiet. He’d been told over and over again to zip it. After years of being told to shut up, he tried to keep his nose out of other people’s business, but he couldn’t let this go. “Want me to call the police, or maybe someone to come help?”

The woman he’d helped with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen shook her head as she stood. “No. Wouldn’t do any good, anyway.”

Zip didn’t understand the situation. She’d been beaten up in the bathroom of this bar, and he’d pulled that guy off her, but everyone was acting like she was in the wrong. She moved to squeeze past him, but he grabbed her arm and held on. Her gaze shot to his, and a murderous look filled her eyes.

“Let go.”

“Only if you can tell me that you are okay.” She didn’t look okay. The cut on her forehead was deep, and her jaw was already swelling.

She pressed her lips together, and he swore he saw more than just anger in her expression. “Why do you care?”

He held her gaze as he answered. “It’s what I do.”

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