Free Knowing Vera (Romantic Suspense, Family Drama) (Chance for Love) by Rachelle Ayala Page B

I’d love to be your friend.”
    I’m afraid I’m out of words. He’s pouring on the charm, but I have to get control of myself. After what my father did, I don’t deserve any happiness from Zach.
    “Friends it is.” I hop off the counter before my breathing gets too raspy and I feel too hot and tingly for my own good. Sex is off the table and that’s fine, really. I’m not sure I want to risk those bonding chemicals with my new awareness of how lovable Zach is and end up hoping for something more permanent.
    Taking my hand, Zach leads me to a black Audi Spyder convertible and opens the door with a flourish. I feel like a fairy tale princess in a magic carriage until he lowers the top and takes the turns like a slalom skier.
    I’m feeling woozy, but the cool wind alleviates some of the nausea. The torture ride is over when he parks in front of a Chuck E. Cheese’s. Seriously? We just had pizza.
    After the top resets, Zach comes around the car and opens my door. “You might want to leave your purse in the boot, er, trunk.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t think they have lockers in there, and we’re going to get hot and sweaty.”
    At a pizza arcade? With excited children milling around? Okay …
    I give him my purse, and he locks it up. We walk around the back of Chuck E. Cheese’s to the entrance of a metallic building made to look like the skin of a spaceship. Neon lights spelling “Titanic Laser Tag” flash across the marquee.
    “Have you played before?” Zach grins as we get out of the car.
    I swallow a gulp, wondering how Zach’s brand new prosthetic leg will fare. “No, I get dizzy in first person shooter games.”
    “You’ll be fine here, because you’re in the game.”
    “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. Will we be on the same team?” I bat my eyelashes, knowing that I’m flirting.
    “You bet.” He opens the door for me.
    The entrance foyer resembles a futuristic movie theater with a center console where tickets are sold. Since I’ve never played before, they send us to the briefing room where I learn about the targets, how to operate the laser gun, and safety rules.
    We put on our vests and tighten the straps. Zach adjusts mine so the shoulder targets are vertical, explaining it creates less of a target. “It’s a maze in there, so stick to the walls. Try to keep your shoulders and gun below the wall until you’re about to shoot. You’re lucky because you’re short.”
    I give him a playful push. I hate short jokes. “And what’s your tactic?”
    “I was on a championship team a few years back. You have to keep your torso and shoulders moving so you’re not such a steady target. If you walk straight, zap! You’re tagged and deactivated.” He twists his body and shoulders, crouching and turning to demonstrate.
    “Okay, got it.” I stifle my worry that he might damage his leg. Zach’s obviously showing off.
    The game master reiterates the no-running rule when the airlock opens with a puff of smoke and we file into the arena pounding with pulsating lights and loud electronic music. A mass of teenagers and preteens scramble every which direction.
    I follow Zach single-file through a rugged corridor and run into a group of teenage boys. Someone deactivates me, but Zach ducks behind a pylon and deactivates all of them. While my vest is dark, I scurry toward the base station, stepping around the boys, but they follow hot on my heels. My gun activates before theirs, and I quickly pump off a round of shots. They scatter behind another set of walls.
    Zach provides me cover, while I shoot the base station to gain points for our team. But when it’s his turn, the boys regroup and deactivate us.
    “No sense fighting them. Let’s go.” Zach shouts above the music and waves me toward the sniper’s nest where a guardian robot fires lasers at random.
    He covers me while I sneak around a wall, giving me enough time to reactivate. I pump lasers into the robot’s head and score.
    When I