Page 18 of Protecting Talia

“Hey, Zip. Saw you this weekend with your girl.”

Zip’s muscles tightened. He hoped Kevlar wasn’t going to say something stupid. He didn’t want to argue with other SEALs, but he sure as fuck wasn’t going to let any guys disrespect Talia.

“Yeah. We were out.”

“I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”

“Just started.”

“Well, just wanted to say if you have problems with anyone, I’m here.”

Zip narrowed his gaze, trying to figure out what the man meant. He didn’t have to wonder for long. Kevlar leaned in, putting his hand on Zip’s shoulder.

“I was on the beach. Don’t worry, I have your back.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Kevlar walked away and moved over to where Rider, Wild, and Sharp were standing. They were getting information from one of the lieutenants. SEALs were a different breed. They stuck together, family and all that.

He didn’t have time to think as they started the exercise. They stayed late and by the time he got home, exhaustion ruled. He ate leftovers and headed to bed after sending Talia a text. She’d sent one earlier, but he knew she was working and it would be after midnight before she was free.

He couldn’t wait until Wednesday when he got to see her again. He wasn’t sure how much Kevlar had seen or heard on the beach, but he hoped Kevlar wasn’t into gossiping. Keeping Talia’s secret wouldn’t be easy, but with friends like Kevlar having his back, he wasn’t as worried as he had been before.

10

Talia delivered groceries on Wednesday and was on her last delivery. She was excited to see Zip. They’d texted a few times, talking about nothing much, just sharing things like what kind of food they liked and which restaurants they avoided.

She pulled up at the address and grabbed the bags. She was halfway to the door when it opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out. She hated when men stepped out as she was carrying up a bunch of bags.

“You can come on in and set it on the counter.”

“No, sir. I can not. I’ll leave them here for you.”

“No, that won’t do. I need you to bring them inside.”

“I’m not going inside your house.”

“Come on, you know you want it.”

Anger filled her. She hated being treated less than human. She put the bags down, bending at the knees as she kept her eyes on the guy. There was no trusting a guy like him.

Before she could stand, he lunged, and she jerked back, landing on her ass. The man started laughing as she scrambled up and took off toward her car. Her hands shook, and her heart raced as she took off. She was never happier that she had a car with a push-button start than at that moment. If she’d had to fuss with keys, she would have been sitting there long enough for that bastard to attack.

A few blocks away, she pulled into a parking lot and marked the address as somewhere she would never deliver again. After detailing the interaction, she blew out a breath, wishing life wasn’t so shitty. Maybe she did bring it on herself like her sister said she did.

Once home, she showered, noticing her lower back and rear were sore from falling. Anger rose, and she was thinking of some way to go back and make that man pay when her phone buzzed. Zip had texted, stating that he was ready for her to come over. He wanted to make her dinner. She shrugged, thinking it sounded good. She texted back that she would be there in about twenty minutes.

Dating someone who knew about what happened to her was weird. She was glad it seemed like he didn’t care, but eventually it would become something for him, and he would leave just like all the other people in her life had.

By the time she made it to Zip’s place, she’d calmed down some. She no longer wanted to randomly kill people who got in her way. Getting this angry wasn’t healthy, but she didn’t have money for therapy.

Zip opened the door as she was on her way up to his door and stood with open arms. The pressure and pain of the day hit hard, and she moved to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He hugged her back, holding her tight before he stepped them inside and closed the door.

“How was your day?” Zip asked when they were inside.

“Fuck.” She hadn’t wanted to say anything but having him welcome her with open arms had broken something inside.

He leaned back and met her gaze. “What happened?”

---