Page 4 of Tempting Fire

“What are you talking about?” Zarek thought he’d fallen down a rabbit hole. Zoe was talking crazy.

“They wanted to torture any Avery sister. I should have been in that cabin. If I had been, they would have tortured me. I’m tougher, I could have taken it. Hell, I’d been the one to talk Chloe into going to the party in the first place. It should have been me, not her.”

“Where were you?”

“I was off with a friend.”

Zarek didn’t need to hear anything else. Zoe had left with some guy. It was her MO. He looked at his childhood friend, who was almost a mirror image of Chloe and his gut clenched.

“I’m glad it wasn’t you,” he said softly.

“I’m not. If I hadn’t been such a self-centered bitch, going off with some guy with a cool truck, it would have been me. Chloe’s too good a person to have this happen to her.”

She was starting to cry in earnest. Zarek got up out of the booth and slipped in beside Zoe. He wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her close.

“It shouldn’t have been anyone,” he whispered softly.

“You know she’s a better person than I am.”

“You’re both wonderful. Not one of you is better than the other, you’re both special in your own ways.”

Zoe gave a watery snort and reached for a paper napkin on the table. She blew her nose.

“God, it couldn’t be any more obvious that you think Chloe’s the bomb and I’m not.” She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go. When he saw Polly make another pass with the plates, he shook his head. She tipped her chin, and made a motion indicating she would box the food. He nodded.

“Zarek, I don’t know what to do about Chloe, she’s holed up in her house, and she’s getting worse day by day, I just know it. She isn’t leaving the house, she’s having things like groceries delivered. Trenda and I would have called our brother Drake in from California, but his fiancée Karen is on bedrest with her pregnancy. We decided to leave him as a last resort.”

Zarek had never met their older brother who was a Navy SEAL.

“Do you think he would hurt or help the situation?” Zarek asked.

“Normally he’d help, but it would be a shit thing to do to him when he’s so worried about Karen and the baby.”

Zarek could see that. “Zoe, I’ve done some thinking and planning. I want Chloe to come home with me.”

This time Zoe succeeded in pushing out of his arms.

“What?” Heads turned at Zoe’s loud exclamation.

“From everything you said, she’s suffering from PTSD. She needs care. She’s not making it here. It’s time for a change of environment.”

“You’re out of your mind,” Zoe hissed.

“What’s the definition of insanity?” Zarek asked in a calm voice.

“Huh?”

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. Obviously, what has been going on hasn’t been working. I’m taking her home with me,” he said decisively.

“You have no idea what you’re walking into,” she protested.

“Actually, I do. I’ve watched my best friend at the station house suffer from PTSD.”

Luke Larkin worked as an EMT back in Dallas with him. He’d served two tours in Afghanistan as a marine medic and when he and his unit had been attacked, Luke had been shot and two of his friends had been killed. Ever since he’d been sent stateside he’d struggled with PTSD. When he’d talked to Luke about the little he knew about Chloe’s situation, his friend had warned him that it was going to be an uphill climb.

Zarek had explained she was worth it. As soon as he said those words, Luke started putting together lists of local support groups and a short list of psychologists who could help Chloe in Dallas. He was taking care of Zarek’s dog Slayer while he was gone, and he also said that he would he would spruce up his house and have it ready for Chloe’s arrival. Whatever that meant. God help him.

“She won’t want to go with you. You need a plan,” she said thoughtfully.