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Zip tossed back the last of his beer and stood, disillusionment filled him and settled with the disappointed burning in his belly. When he was younger, he vowed to never settle down, but seeing how happy both Trip and Hop were, along with their buddies Kevlar, Safe, and Blink, made him want something more. But getting involved with someone brought complications he couldn’t afford.

The unsettled feeling that rose up inside when he felt tied down always got him to walk away, even when the woman was great. He’d learned over the years to never allow anyone to think he wanted more with them than a one-night stand. Going back for more made women think they were important, and he’d been burned and couldn’t go back.

His last long-term girlfriend had ended in disaster shortly before he joined the Navy. Heck, she might have been the reason he joined. Joining up had been a great decision, but he couldn’t deal with another unsettling relationship.

He headed back to the bathrooms and was about to enter the gents’ when the door for the ladies’ opened and a woman poked her head out. Their gazes met and panic filled her face for a second then it was gone.

What was that about? He took care of business, and while washing his hands, he heard a faint yell. It wasn’t a scream from a guy, though. That shout was from a woman.

He stepped out into the hall, trying to figure out where the noise had come from. No one seemed excited in the main room of the bar, and it didn’t look like anything was happening up there.

Maybe one of the waitresses had shouted something. He wasn’t sold on that conclusion, though. But he didn’t know what was going on, and it wasn’t his business anyway.

He was about to head out when something banged hard against the other side of the ladies’ room door. Zip stalled, waiting for the door to open. Nothing happened.

When he heard a muffled yell he knew he had to go in. On missions, he didn’t hesitate when entering women-only spaces. Here in the US, he knew he could get in trouble, but there was a problem, and he didn’t like what he was hearing.

“Coming in!” he yelled as he pushed the door open.

The sound of struggling grew louder. He stepped in, taking in the woman on the ground and the man on top of her. The jerk punched her, but lucky for her, he hadn’t gotten a good wind-up.

Zip moved fast, hauling the guy off the woman. He had one hand on the dude as he yanked the door open and shoved him out into the hall. His stepping into the women’s room had garnered attention because the jerk he’d pulled off the woman ran into two big guys. Confusion filled their faces, and Zip pointed at them.

“Don’t let him get away. He was punching a woman in here.”

“What the fuck is going on?” the manager and part-time bartender yelled as she squeezed past the two big guys holding the jerk against the wall.

“He was beating this woman. Have you called for an ambulance?”

The woman shook her head. “Fuck. I don’t need this kind of shit.”

Neither did he, but here he was dealing with it. He stepped into the bathroom with the manager and froze as he stared down into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.

**

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