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T alia Mast should never have come to the bar, even if it would benefit Cheryl. Her sister was the worst type of narcissist. She’d turned everyone against Talia, even their parents. Why should she care if someone wanted to do something bad?

“Hey, wait up.”

Talia turned and rolled her eyes at the man who’d come into the bathroom to save her. Little did he know she wasn’t worth saving. Maybe he wasn’t there to save her. He could be working with her sister. “Did she send you out here to beat me up this time?”

A look of shock crossed his face. “No!”

At least he had the decency to look and sound offended. She put her hand on her hips and cocked them to the side as she tilted her head. “Give it time, and she’ll have you eating out of her hand.”

“No, she won’t. You need help. Let me at least take care of that wound on your head.”

Talia reached up and winced as she wiped the dirt and grime off her forehead. But it wasn’t grime or dirt, it was blood. “Bastards.”

He took a step closer and spread his hands, making him appear innocent. “Let me look at it and help you.”

“What are you, some kind of doctor?”

“No, but I know how to take care of a wound. Let me just look. I have a kit in my trunk.”

She shook her head and scoffed. “So you drive around with some kind of medical kit in your car just looking for people to fix up? That sounds suspicious. What are you, some kind of serial killer?” When he rolled his eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh. “You look like a dork when you roll your eyes with that beard.”

“Well, I am a dork, so at least you got that right.”

Laughter spilled out, and she shook her head. The pain made her stop moving, and she groaned. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

He moved to her and put his hand on her back as he gently guided her to his car. She should make a run for it. Cheryl could have paid him to kidnap her. She wouldn’t put it past her sister.

“Why are you helping me? Talking to me will get you banned from that bar.”

“It was a shitty bar. Not my usual place. I needed time to think away from friends.”

“If I had friends, I sure as shit wouldn’t abandon them. You might be worse off than I am.”

He grunted, disgust crossing his face. “It’s not like that.”

“What is it like, then?”

“Let me fix that bloody mess first, then we can talk.”

“Fine. I don’t need it dripping on my beautiful dress.” She curtseyed, holding out an imaginary skirt. Her gray t-shirt was already stained from stuff that had happened earlier. A little more blood wouldn’t make that much difference.

The guy opened his trunk, and she glanced in, seeing he had multiple bags in there. No way would he have room for her in there. Unless he folded her up really small.

“You just get back from a trip?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Just need to take some things to work with me.”

“What kind of work?”

His lips thinned, and he met her gaze. “Navy. Now be quiet.”

She nodded. “What’s your name? Figure I need to know since you’re all up in my business.”

“Zip.”

“Zip? Are you trying to tell me to shut up?”

He shook his head. “No. Call me Zip. That’s what I go by.”

She narrowed her eyes, not believing a word he was saying. Maybe he didn’t want to tell her his name. “Do you have another name?”

His lips turned down in a deeper frown under his mustache and beard. “I told you mine. Now you tell me yours.”

Was he trustworthy? She had no clue. She’d come to her sister because she knew some shit and wanted to help, but Cheryl had once again proven that blood was the thinnest substance on earth. “It’s Talia. That was my sister, Cheryl. You should probably stay clear of her. She won’t like that you helped me. Like I said, you’ll be banned.”

He shrugged like he really didn’t care. “That’s okay. It was a shit place, anyway.”

“Tell me your real name.”

“Lewis.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, first name is Lewis. Zip fits me better.”

She snorted a laugh, and embarrassment filled her. He probably thought she was a real dork. Heck, she was a total mess. Might as well add dork to the list.

He opened the bag and pulled out some supplies. “I need to clean you up before I put the antiseptic on. It’s not too bad. Maybe one stitch.”

“Can you give stitches?”

He nodded and met her gaze. “Yes. But I won’t use stitches, really. I’ll use some medical glue before I use stitches.”

“Great. Now you’re going to be gluing my head closed.”

“I sure am. Now be quiet so I can work.”

“You’re bossy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Now zip it so I don’t make a mistake. Your face moves when you speak, and I don’t want to mess anything up.”

She studied him as he worked, taking in his brown eyes that were kind, and his lips that thinned as he worked on her. He had a good tan and though he looked serious, she could see kindness in his eyes. It had been a while since anyone had looked at her with kindness. She was used to getting the worst from people.

“Almost got you cleaned up enough to see that indeed, you do need some glue on that. If I was doing stitches, it would be at least three. We could go to the hospital if you feel better about it.”

“No. Dickwad is working tonight.”

Zip’s eyebrows shot up. “Dickwad?”

“Richard. He’s my ex. I caught him fucking my sister.”

Zip didn’t say anything, but he leaned back and caught her gaze for a few seconds. When he went back to fixing her up, his lips thinned, and she could tell he was concentrating hard.

“This may hurt a little.”

“Why would gluing my head closed hurt?”

“I’m going to have to push the edges together and line up the skin so it doesn’t pucker. I’d like to leave you without a scar.”

“Do you think a scar would make me look like a badass?”

He leaned back and lifted his brows. “You already look like a badass. You don’t need any help in that department.”

She laughed, and he rolled his eyes, so she laughed more. He grunted and frowned, but she could tell it was playful. This felt so freaking good, laughing and talking with someone. It had been a while.

“Be quiet. I need to work.”

She went quiet, staring at the spot where his shirt was open at his neck. His beard was neatly trimmed, and he’d shaved his neck, leaving a hard line under his chin. He wasn’t wearing cologne, but he didn’t smell bad. There was a slight hint of something like sandalwood, but it wasn’t overpowering. It was probably his soap. A tuft of hair poked out from his open collar, making her want to investigate just how hairy he was.

His shoulders were broad, and she bet he was packed with muscles. The way he’d dealt with the guy inside meant he was strong. Cheryl didn’t employ weaklings and when the bouncer had gone up against Zip, Cheryl’s employee appeared to be small and weak.

Why had she come to see Cheryl? She knew her sister was an asshole. She’d worked to ruin Talia’s life before. She should have known better than to come here to warn her sister, but she couldn’t help herself.