Firefighter Tanner Hall is used to running into burning buildings and risking his life to save others. It's just another day of work for the father of two. But when he gets a call from the San Diego zoo about an animal attack, he has no idea what he...
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I'm a creature of habit.
I wake up at the same time each morning, even without an alarm. Order the same dishes every time at all of my favorite restaurants. Take the same route to work. Do my laundry on the same day each week. Stop at the same coffee shop on my lunch hour.
And I always order my coffee the same way. Americano with lavender syrup and almond milk.
So, when the barista calls it out, it surprises me when another hand reaches for the cup, too. It's a pretty unique order, and when I turn to see who else likes their coffee this way, my stomach drops.
The chilliest pair of icy blue eyes meet mine, and I can't help but shiver as they cut me to my core. They're familiar in the worst of ways, and my worst fears are coming true right before my eyes.
He's here. Not just here in San Deigo, but here in my coffee shop. Two blocks down the street from my zoo. Standing so close to me that I can smell his cool minty breath.
The coffee shop is packed and the world continues to spin around us, but it feels like we're the only two people here. And not in a good way. In a suffocating, paralyzing way. In a no-one-will-hear-me-if-I-scream way.
Zane.
I want to say something but my throat is dry, and when I open my mouth to speak, nothing comes out. All I can do is stare in shock. He's cleaner cut than when I left him back in Africa a few months ago—no scruffy beard or long tousled hair. He's traded in his khaki pants and dirty white t-shirt for a pair of grey slacks and a button-up, and that wedding band he so conveniently forgot a few months ago glistens on his finger now. He almost looks...decent? Human? Not like the slimy, callous asshole he is.
"Zoe. Hi." He's caught off guard, too, or at least he wants it to seem that way. "What are you... do you live..."
"I work close by." I press my lips together, careful not to divulge too much. It's bad enough we're having this encounter and I want to avoid another at all costs.
"Of course." He nods. "The zoo they transferred Miko, too. You're there too, aren't you?"
I don't answer, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being right. How does he even know that?
"I, uh..." Zane stutters, glancing nervously around the coffee shop. "Do you want to sit for a second?"
No. Not in the slightest.
"Sure."
No! What the hell is wrong with me? There is absolutely no good that can come from this, but I follow him to a table anyway. Being in public gives me a sense of superficial comfort, but I don't let my guard down.
Zane pulls my chair out, going above and beyond on this nice guy act, but I'm not buying it. By the time he takes a seat across from me, I'm fuming and it's all I can do to not throw this scalding cup of coffee in his face.
