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“You should have been a detective. You missed your calling.”
Zach sniffed the air. “Did you get sick?”
“Oh my god, knock it off, Detective Nosy.” Sonny unwrapped his arms from around his legs and sat up straighter.
“Why are you so defensive with me?” Zach sat down beside him. “I thought we were friends, but you keep insulting me.”
It seemed Amon wasn’t the only person Sonny was being a jerk to. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to opening up to people.” Not even his sisters knew certain things about him, things Sonny had kept to himself. He knew Amy would understand most of what Sonny had gone through while using, since he’d crashed at her house so many times. He’d allowed her to see him at his worst, but he’d been too ashamed to tell her the details of his life.
He kept a lot of people at arm’s length, never allowing anyone to really know him.
“But you’re always so cheery,” Zach said. “Who cares if you got a ticket? A lot of people get tickets. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
If the guy only knew the truth. With a sigh, Sonny told Zach what was going on, including Amon’s reaction.
“I would totally let Shayde throat-hug a guy for stalking me.” Zach leaned back onto his elbows, making himself comfortable.
“But he wouldn’t throat-hug him,” Sonny argued. “Amon would do some damage.”
“And?” Zach sat up. “There are some people in the world who need their asses handed to them, Sonny. People who think they can throw their weight around. I’m not an advocate for violence, but I dated an asshole who thought he could use me as a punching bag. I wish I’d had someone like Shayde when Chainsaw first laid a hand on me.”
“But Officer Slater hasn’t laid a hand on me,” Sonny pointed out.
“Not yet,” Zach said. “Who’s to say things won’t escalate? He’s harassing you, Sonny, and you can’t go to his boss because you have no proof. Let Amon handle this.”
Sonny looked down at the floor.
Zach laid a hand on his arm. “I get it. I’ve been there. The trauma of a boyfriend kicking your ass. I know what you’re going through. It’s hard to trust another partner when you’ve been through hell. I don’t really know Amon. I haven’t spent much time around him, but from what I’ve seen, he’s enamored with you. Now I’m not saying that’s a reason to get with him. I’m just saying to give the guy a break. He’s not Bruce.”
Sonny wasn’t sure what to say. Yeah, Zach had an idea of what he was going through, but it was hard for Sonny to talk about his time with his ex.
“Just think about what I said, and I’m here if you ever want to talk.” Zach got up.
“Thank you,” Sonny said.
“You’re welcome.” Zach smiled. “You can thank me by never frying chicken again.”
That made Sonny laugh. “I can’t promise that since that’s all Andrew craves.” Sonny pursed his lips. “How exactly is Andrew going to deliver that baby?”
Zach shuddered. “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. Some things are better left in the dark.” He headed for the door. “If you want help with dinner, I know how to chop.”
Sonny smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
When Zach left, Sonny lay down, curling his hands under his head, wishing Amon had ignored his demand to leave. Right now, Sonny could use another one of those hugs.
* * * *
It took Amon a few hours, but he finally tracked Slater down. He was sitting in a local human bar, throwing back shots. Amon slipped onto the seat next to the guy and ordered a drink, just for appearances.
What he wouldn’t give to end the bastard, but Sonny had asked him not to, and damn it, against his better judgment, Amon wouldn’t. He was trying to gain the human’s trust, and killing Slater would breech that trust. Sonny might not ever find out what happened to Slater, just like he didn’t know that Eleazar had killed Bruce, but Amon would know, and it would bother him that he’d gone against Sonny’s wishes.
Slater looked over at him. “I can feel you watching me. What’s your damn problem?”
“You just look familiar.” He gave Slater a tight smile, hiding his fangs.
“Don’t know you,” Slater grumbled. “Keep your eyes off of me.”
Amon kept his drink in front of him, and Slater didn’t notice, nor had the bartender, that Amon hadn’t taken a single sip.
