Stand Of Honor

by Williams, Cathryn

  "What happened today?" Melanie asked.

  "Zane went to your apartment to talk to you. He said your car wasn't there, but he talked to Trish to see if you had called her. When he was walking back to his car, he found your phone. He knew you’d dropped it on purpose."

  Melanie felt her heart warm, knowing that Zane had immediately understood what had happened. She also realized that the men who had taken her must have hidden her vehicle. She shivered. It showed how good they were—she wasn’t the first unsuspecting victim they had kidnapped.

  "He came to my place to let me know you had been kidnapped, but also said he knew who had you." Nick shook his head in anger. "I thought it was because of me that you had been taken. Because of killing Matthew. I've always worried about you being punished because of my actions.

  "Zane took me to Matthew's brother, Dragon. While we were there, I found out Zane has been working for Dragon for years. Going after people that tried to escape the cartel. He'd been profiting from it all these years. That son of a bitch works for a drug cartel. And not just any cartel, it's the one that Matthew's brother leads. Dragon is the one that got Matthew out of juvie. He has connections that get him whatever that fucker wants."

  "Oh, my God. So you made Dragon tell you where I was?" Her rescue was starting to make sense now, but then Nick shook his head.

  "No, he never told us where you were."

  Melanie was confused again until Nick continued.

  "Fucking Zane knew where you were all along," Nick snapped.

  "What?" Melanie was lost now. "That doesn't make any sense."

  "Zane is in the cartel. He has friends that talk. He knew where you were all along, but didn't tell me." Nick was furious again. He stood up to pace as he continued the story.

  "So if he knew where I was, why did you go to Dragon?" Melanie asked.

  "Apparently, Zane tried to quit. So to punish him, they took you. You are the only person he's close to. I should have never let him get involved with you. I'm sorry, Melanie. If I had known, I would have kept you away from him." Nick gave an ugly, sarcastic laugh. “I can’t believe I was actually relieved when you became involved with Zane. I thought you would be safer with both of us watching over you.”

  Melanie felt sadness overwhelm her, knowing Zane wasn't who she’d believed he was. It still didn't explain why he had gone to Dragon first. Before she could ask again, Nick stopped her, recognizing the confusion in her eyes.

  "Don't ask me what happened next. You don't want to know." Nick looked her directly in the eyes.

  In that instant she was certain of what had occurred without being told. Zane would do whatever he had to do to protect her. She had no doubt in her mind which man had killed Dragon. She dropped back against the couch and closed her eyes.

  She honestly didn't know a damn thing about the man she had fallen in love with.

  Chapter 25

  "Weak!" Nick yelled in her face.

  Melanie was sparring with Nick and he was responding to her pitiful attempt to surprise him with an upper cut.

  "Damn it, Melanie. You're wasting both our time. Either focus or get out," Nick snapped at her.

  Melanie wanted nothing more than to smack that scowl off his face, but fuck, he would just block it and then she'd be even more pissed. Instead, she flipped him off and stepped out of the ring. She needed to regain her focus.

  She walked into one of the back offices and slammed the door, locking it without bothering to turn on the lights. She dropped down into a chair and worked on clearing her mind.

  He admitted that he'd never gotten over the murder. Even though he was glad Matthew was dead, he still carried the guilt of taking someone's life. Melanie had never had any idea of the demons her brother had carried with him all these years. He was incredibly gifted at putting the happy face on for her. She never would have guessed he would be so good at hiding all the darkness he carried within himself. He’d apologized for not being there for her like he should have been, and then Nick had finally agreed to train her. Melanie recognized now, after training with him, that he wasn’t able to maintain the act of being carefree after a prolonged period of time.

  Now that it was out, Nick wasn't putting on a show for her anymore. She was seeing a darker, more troubled side of him. She didn't know what to do to help. As far as she knew, only Zane, their father, and she knew the truth. Nick wouldn't let her help him and Zane was out of the picture now. Her father, the only adult when this hell had gone down, had proved once again that he was useless.

  Her thoughts drifted to Zane. She hadn't seen or heard from him in over a month. She missed him so much. However, he worked for a drug cartel. He killed people. He was a bad person. Those were things she kept telling herself every time she started to call him or drive by his house. Plus, on top of all that shit, he was still fucking his ex-girlfriend. It was almost humorous that she was angrier about that than everything else. So why in the hell did she still think about him all the time?

  Nick told her that Zane had contacted him only once since the night of the kidnapping. Zane had ordered Nick to tell Melanie that the drugs in her bag had been a warning to Zane—that the cartel had been trying to send a message that they could get to her. Once again, she felt that warmness that consumed her every time Zane did something to show he cared for her. Zane had also informed Nick that they were safe, that it had been handled and they no longer had to be concerned with the cartel.

  She still couldn't believe Zane was mixed up with them. She wondered how he had become involved in the first place. Zane didn't seem like the type of person that would do anything he didn't want to do, so her only conclusion was that he’d chosen to be part of it.

  So why had he killed Dragon? If he had wanted to work and was taking the money, why eliminate the man that had been paying him? She wanted to just talk to him—to understand.

  Nick had ordered her to stay away from Zane, not that she was one to do as told, however she knew how much Nick loved her and wanted her to be safe. Of course he didn't want his little sister with someone like Zane. Things just weren't adding up in her head, though. She had to hear Zane's side of the story. She needed closure. Maybe if she heard it from him, it would help her move on.

  Now that she had made the decision to talk to Zane, she felt her heart start to pound. The thought of seeing him again had her excited and anxious. Even though she believed they had no future, she couldn't help imagining what seeing him would be like.

  She stood up, resolved to quit moping and get back on track; she still had another hour of training. She wasn't going to give up her goal for the championship just because she was depressed about a man. She was going to finish her session and quit being a little bitch about everything. She would confront Zane, get the answers she needed, and then move on with her life.

  She walked out of the office to look for Nick. He was working the heavy bag as her dad coached him. She didn’t even glance in her father’s direction.

  "Nick, I'm ready to finish the hour," she called to her brother.

  Her dad turned to give her a hard stare for interrupting them, yet she held his gaze. He was a dick. She had finally figured out that her dad had been using Zane to help make Nick better and had been glad to see him get thrown out of the league. Her dad had realized just how good Zane would become, and it had been a relief for him when Zane was gone. It left a wide open path to the championship belt for Nick. Melanie regretted the years she had spent trying to earn his approval. He wasn’t worth the effort.

  Nick turned to her and saw the resolve in her eyes. He nodded his head in approval and they both climbed into the ring at the same time that her dad turned to go back into his office.

  "Let's go," Nick said as he threw a punch in her direction.

  * * *

  Melanie looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She was about to drive by Zane's house and wanted to look her best without it looking like she’d tried too hard. She didn't know if he would even be h
ome, but here was to hoping.

  She stepped out of her bedroom and saw Trish sitting on the couch.

  "Hey, Trish. I'm heading out."

  "Where ya going?" Trish asked.

  "I need to talk to Zane," Melanie admitted. She hadn't told Trish any details, just that she had learned some things about Zane, and that it wasn't going to work. She had cried for several nights, and Trish had been there to support her and hand her tissues as she needed them. It was such a typical girly thing to do; sit around and cry over a guy. Melanie hated being the typical girl, which is why she had decided to confront Zane directly.

  "Are you sure?" Trish asked with concern.

  "Yeah. I can't sit around and think about him all the time. I need to hear his side of things so I can finally get over him."

  "Okay, I understand. Just be careful, okay?"

  "I will," Melanie replied.

  Trish didn't know about the kidnapping, either. It would have been too hard to explain everything. Trish was worried about Zane hurting her feelings, not realizing how much danger Melanie had been in before.

  "I will. I can handle it," Melanie said strongly.

  Trish hopped off the couch and gave her a hug. "I know, I know. You're tough!" Trish teased her.

  Melanie smiled and hugged her back. "Thanks, Trish. You're the best."

  "Tell me something I don't already know," Trish replied.

  Melanie rolled her eyes and shook her head before turning to the door.

  "Bye!" Melanie called out to her as she walked out the door.

  As Melanie walked to her car, she felt the usual pounding in her chest that occurred every time she knew she was going to be near Zane. She slid into the front seat of her car and decided to drive by the gym first since it was on the way to his house. When she turned onto the street, she slowed down to look for his vehicle in the back of the parking lot where he usually parked it, however she didn't recognize any of the vehicles.

  She did a slow drive in front of the gym and tried to look in. She couldn't see much, but she definitely didn't see Zane. She was relieved; she had been hoping he would be home anyway.

  She was about to speed up and drive on to his house when she saw Faye getting out of a car in the gym’s parking lot. Her foot hit the brake and she turned into the lot, parking in the first empty spot. She managed to catch up to Faye as she was about to open the door to the gym.

  Melanie caught her arm, pushing her back.

  “What…?” From the look on her face, Melanie was the last person she’d expected to see.

  “Why are you here, Faye?” Melanie came right to the point.

  “I’m here to see Zane. Not that it’s any business of yours.”

  “It’s my business. It was also my business a month ago when you tried to get him to cheat on me.” Melanie hated women that couldn’t keep their hands off other women’s men. They needed to find their own and leave the ones taken the hell alone.

  “Tried?” The smirk on Faye’s mouth didn’t reach her cunning eyes.

  Melanie studied her reaction closely, not happy with what she saw. The fucking bitch was lying. Melanie had a bad feeling she had overreacted when she had caught her with Zane. To give herself credit, there weren’t too many women who wouldn’t have when faced with seeing their man on top of another woman. Melanie had failed to take into consideration that she was dealing with Faye. She wasn’t going to make that mistake twice.

  As Faye tried to tear her arm from Melanie’s grip, Melanie tightened her hold and jerked the woman towards her. The door to the gym opened, and Linc took one look and grinned before going back inside. Melanie’s attention went back to Faye, who was still trying to struggle out of her grip.

  The door to the gym opened again and Linc, Tyler, Lane, and several other fighters came outside to watch. When she threw Linc an aggravated look, he just shrugged and grinned. All the dumbasses were standing around with stupid grins on their faces.

  Faye took advantage of her distraction and sent her fist flying against the side of her face. Fuck, no, she did not. Melanie returned her hit with one of her own and it was a wimpy one like Faye had thrown her way. The fight was on.

  The two fought on the sidewalk in front of the gym with the men yelling encouragement. Melanie swore when she was done with Faye, she was going to kick each and every one of their asses.

  The fight didn’t last long. Melanie was a trained fighter and Faye wasn’t used to standing her ground. She was more in the habit of creating havoc than taking it, and Melanie was beating the shit out of her. It didn’t take long for clumps of Faye’s hair extensions to be all over the sidewalk next to her struggling body as she attempted to get out of the headlock that Melanie had her in between her thighs.

  “Help!” Faye screamed, her face red, blood dripping from her no longer straight nose.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Melanie twisted the woman’s head so she could get a good look at her threatening glare. “I’m not like Zane who will ask you nicely to stay away—I’m telling you to stay the fuck away from him. Do you hear me, you stupid bitch?” Melanie tightened her thighs against the woman’s neck.

  “Yes!” The fear in Faye’s eyes told Melanie she had gotten her message.

  When she loosened her legs, releasing the woman, Faye scrambled to her feet, took another glance at Melanie, who was standing, and then spun towards her car.

  As the men around her started cracking up with laughter, Melanie flung them dirty looks. The younger ones were smart enough to disappear back inside the gym. Linc, on the other hand, was a trained fighter and decided to hang tough despite the glare she threw his way that was strong enough to wither a man’s balls.

  “Where’s Zane?” Melanie snapped.

  “At home,” Linc answered. Melanie turned to go to her own car. “When you tell him about the fight, tell him I’ll save the tape for him.”

  Melanie turned back to him. “What tape?” she asked suspiciously.

  Linc pointed to the camera mounted to the building that covered the entrance of the gym. This time, he was smart enough to get his ass back in the gym when Melanie turned towards him. She stopped when the door closed behind him, looking up at the camera. The fucking things were becoming the bane of her existence.

  She got back inside her car and drove to Zane’s house. The house appeared dark when she finally pulled up to it, and she felt the disappointment start to rise until she got a little closer. She could see the light from the television through the window and assumed he must be sitting in the dark.

  She pulled into the driveway and quickly turned the car off. She sat in the car and took a few deep breaths before opening the door and getting out. She had come this far, she wasn't turning back now.

  She knocked on the door and held her breath until he opened it. She looked up into his eyes and felt herself start to shake. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen and she loved him so much. It hurt knowing she couldn't be with him.

  "What are you doing here?"

  She wasn't expecting such a harsh reaction from him.

  "I want to talk," she replied. She looked at his face, watching him put that damn poker face back on.

  He stepped back to give her room to come in before walking to the couch without looking back at her. Melanie shut the door then walked into the living room and looked around. She reached over to turn a lamp on, since the only light in the room was from the television, before sitting down in a chair across from him.

  "Zane, I want to understand."

  "Hasn't Nick already told you? I'm a drug dealer and a murderer."

  "No, he said you worked for the cartel and didn't say out loud that you were a murderer," Melanie replied. She took a deep breath. "He told me about Matthew."

  Zane stilled at her words.

  Melanie continued, "I know you're the reason he was never caught. But he's angry because you work for the enemy. All these years, he thought you shared the same hatred for the cartel, and to find out that yo
u are one of them is hard to understand. I don't understand, either."

  Zane still wasn't talking, so she continued her side of the story.

  "And he's angry because they took me because of you. Angry that I was in so much danger. He said you should have warned him before getting involved with me, that he would have told you to stay the hell away from me."

  Zane continued to stare at her in silence.

  "Zane, please, tell me why. It doesn't make sense. I can't move on without hearing your side." Melanie hated the pleading sound she could hear in her voice, yet she felt desperate. She couldn't get over him until she knew everything.

  She watched as he deliberated on what to say.

  "Nick assumed I was guilty, just like Rex did. He's no better than him," Zane said harshly. "He should’ve known there was more to it than just me working for the cartel."

  "That's why I'm here, Zane. It doesn't add up. I care about you. I need you to tell me your side." Melanie was doing her best to appeal to him, to make him open up to her.

  Without any thought, she stood up to walk over to him. He was so closed down right now that she wanted to see his softer side. That side of him he only showed her.

  She leaned down to kiss him, and he didn't try to kiss her back, but she didn't stop. She pressed her lips against his hard ones and wouldn't pull back until he softened. When she finally felt some of the tension ease from his body, she kissed his forehead, nose and then lips again. She sat down next to him on the couch and held his hand, staying silent, waiting for him to speak.

  "I always knew a lot of people in the cartel. When you lived in my neighborhood, you were surrounded by people either doing drugs or people trying to recruit you into selling the drugs," Zane finally started to speak. "I was able to avoid both. I beat the shit out of the few kids that tried to get me involved. I had watched my mother abuse drugs ever since my father died, and I vowed to never have anything to do with it."