man who’d take care of her. A man she could look up to.
Which is exactly what I’m doing now, she thought from her position on the floor, and strangled a laugh in her throat.
“What? This is funny to you?”
“No. Of course not.”
“You’re laughing?”
“I’m not. I didn’t mean—”
“Get up,” he said again.
She struggled to her feet. “Please don’t hit me again.”
“Then don’t lie to me again.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Tell me where you met her.” Ice-blue eyes stared at Suzy, radiating fury.
To think she’d once found those blue eyes kind. “She works in this place in South Beach.”
“What place?”
“It’s called the Wild Zone,” she whispered.
“What? Speak up.”
“I said it’s called the Wild Zone,” Suzy repeated, her body bracing for another blow.
“The Wild Zone?” Dave repeated incredulously. “What the hell kind of place is that?”
“It’s just a bar.”
“A bar called the Wild Zone,” Dave said, his fingers forming impatient fists at his sides. “And just what were you doing in said Wild Zone?”
“Nothing. Honestly. I’d been at the beach. I got thirsty—”
“So, naturally, you popped into the nearest bar.” Another disbelieving shake of his head, another tightening of his fists.
“I was only there a few minutes.”
“Long enough to hook up with the local ‘wildlife.’”
“She works there.”
“She’s a waitress?”
“A bartender.”
“You made friends with the bartender,” he repeated incredulously.
“We just talked for a few minutes. She seemed nice.”
“What’d you talk about?”
“What?”
“I asked you what you talked about.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Sure you do, Suzy. Unless you need me to remind you.” He raised his right hand into the air.
“No!”
“Tell me what you talked about, Suzy.”
“I asked her for a pomegranate martini. She said she’d heard they were good for you.”
“You were drinking martinis in the middle of the afternoon?”
“It was after five o’clock.”
“What else did the two of you talk about?”
“We talked about the weather,” Suzy said, trying to recall the exact words of her conversation with Will.
“The weather?”
“She asked me if it was still so hot outside, and I said it could never be too hot as far as I was concerned, and she asked where I was from, and I told her I’d just moved here from Fort Myers.”
“You told her you’d just moved here?”
“I meant ‘we.’”
“But you didn’t say that, did you?”
“I don’t know. I probably did. I’m sure I must have.”
“Tell me what you said.”
“I said we’d just moved here from Fort Myers.”
“You talked about me?”
“What? No.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing. I didn’t say anything about you.”
“You didn’t say a word about the hardworking husband you swore to love and obey? About my recent appointment to the staff of Miami General? That I was attending a radiology conference in Tampa and wouldn’t be back until Saturday night? You didn’t mention any of that?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“What?”
“Didn’t she ask?”
“No.”
“She just asked about the weather,” he stated.
“Yes. And where I was from.”
“And then what? She just happened to mention she was free to go to a midnight movie with you on Friday night, one of the busiest nights of the week, I would imagine, for a place called the Wild Zone?”
“I don’t remember what she said.”
Suzy didn’t see Dave’s fist until it collided with her cheek. She staggered back into the dark living room, grabbing at the end table by the sofa in order to keep from falling, and knocking over the lamp.
“Pick it up,” he commanded, advancing toward her.
Suzy struggled to return the lamp to its former position on the small, cloverleaf-shaped table.
“What—do you really think I’m that stupid? You think I can’t tell when you’re lying?” he demanded, knocking the
Which is exactly what I’m doing now, she thought from her position on the floor, and strangled a laugh in her throat.
“What? This is funny to you?”
“No. Of course not.”
“You’re laughing?”
“I’m not. I didn’t mean—”
“Get up,” he said again.
She struggled to her feet. “Please don’t hit me again.”
“Then don’t lie to me again.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Tell me where you met her.” Ice-blue eyes stared at Suzy, radiating fury.
To think she’d once found those blue eyes kind. “She works in this place in South Beach.”
“What place?”
“It’s called the Wild Zone,” she whispered.
“What? Speak up.”
“I said it’s called the Wild Zone,” Suzy repeated, her body bracing for another blow.
“The Wild Zone?” Dave repeated incredulously. “What the hell kind of place is that?”
“It’s just a bar.”
“A bar called the Wild Zone,” Dave said, his fingers forming impatient fists at his sides. “And just what were you doing in said Wild Zone?”
“Nothing. Honestly. I’d been at the beach. I got thirsty—”
“So, naturally, you popped into the nearest bar.” Another disbelieving shake of his head, another tightening of his fists.
“I was only there a few minutes.”
“Long enough to hook up with the local ‘wildlife.’”
“She works there.”
“She’s a waitress?”
“A bartender.”
“You made friends with the bartender,” he repeated incredulously.
“We just talked for a few minutes. She seemed nice.”
“What’d you talk about?”
“What?”
“I asked you what you talked about.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Sure you do, Suzy. Unless you need me to remind you.” He raised his right hand into the air.
“No!”
“Tell me what you talked about, Suzy.”
“I asked her for a pomegranate martini. She said she’d heard they were good for you.”
“You were drinking martinis in the middle of the afternoon?”
“It was after five o’clock.”
“What else did the two of you talk about?”
“We talked about the weather,” Suzy said, trying to recall the exact words of her conversation with Will.
“The weather?”
“She asked me if it was still so hot outside, and I said it could never be too hot as far as I was concerned, and she asked where I was from, and I told her I’d just moved here from Fort Myers.”
“You told her you’d just moved here?”
“I meant ‘we.’”
“But you didn’t say that, did you?”
“I don’t know. I probably did. I’m sure I must have.”
“Tell me what you said.”
“I said we’d just moved here from Fort Myers.”
“You talked about me?”
“What? No.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing. I didn’t say anything about you.”
“You didn’t say a word about the hardworking husband you swore to love and obey? About my recent appointment to the staff of Miami General? That I was attending a radiology conference in Tampa and wouldn’t be back until Saturday night? You didn’t mention any of that?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“What?”
“Didn’t she ask?”
“No.”
“She just asked about the weather,” he stated.
“Yes. And where I was from.”
“And then what? She just happened to mention she was free to go to a midnight movie with you on Friday night, one of the busiest nights of the week, I would imagine, for a place called the Wild Zone?”
“I don’t remember what she said.”
Suzy didn’t see Dave’s fist until it collided with her cheek. She staggered back into the dark living room, grabbing at the end table by the sofa in order to keep from falling, and knocking over the lamp.
“Pick it up,” he commanded, advancing toward her.
Suzy struggled to return the lamp to its former position on the small, cloverleaf-shaped table.
“What—do you really think I’m that stupid? You think I can’t tell when you’re lying?” he demanded, knocking the
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