“What the fuck does that mean? Why?”
“It means I am taking a couple days off. I got into a fight last night and my face is ten different shades of purple. My eye is swollen shut. I won’t be any good at the shop.”
“That doesn’t sound like you. You usually come out of a fight a little better off than that. Who were you fighting?”
“Um… Well, it was a group. I got sucker punched and it went from there. Apparently, bitch didn’t like me talking to her man.”
I hear Pop chuckle. “Hope you at least took one or two down with you.”
“Always, Pop. I am going to take some Tylenol and head back to bed. I just wanted to let you know. I am mostly caught up with work. I’m just waiting on some parts that should be in today or tomorrow. It’s for that brake job.” I look over at Cole sitting at the opposite end of the couch, watching me. “Give it to, Cole. He doesn’t have a lot going on and should be able to get it done pretty quickly.” He just shakes his head and smirks when I shrug at him.
“All right, J. If you need anything, call me, okay?”
“I will.” I shut my eyes. “I love you, Pop.” This kills me. I hate lying to him.
“Love you, too, J-bird.”
Even after I hear the phone disconnect, I sit with it up to my ear, my eyes squeezed shut, remembering that moment. I have never been so scared. When I heard the door of the shop open again, I thought they had changed their minds about leaving me alive. To see Cole’s face was the biggest relief. He looked so mad, his nostrils flaring, his face red. The way he clenched and unclenched his hands, I knew he wanted to hit something.
“I am going to have to leave for work soon, so start talking.”
“Cole, I know I put you in a rough spot, but I didn’t want to. If you hadn’t come into the shop first this morning, you wouldn’t even know what was going on.”
“Yeah, just my fucking luck.”
“Walk away, Cole. I got this. I don’t need—”
“Walk away? You got this? Really, J? Seeing you tied up on the floor, your face bashed in, it really looked like you had everything under control. I could walk away. I could turn the other cheek, but whether you believe it or not, I am not that guy. Whatever the hell you got yourself involved in, you need my help. I will not walk away from that.”
I lightly touch the red ring of raw skin on my left wrist and take a deep breath. I hate bringing him into this, but it looks like there is no way around it. “Have you noticed the tension between Pop and Nan lately?” When I see him nod, I look back down at my hands. “Pop found out someone is stealing. He called me into his office and asked if I knew anything about the missing money.” I meet his eyes. “Which I don’t. I’m not sure how much, but from what I gather, it’s a pretty large amount.”
“Tell me about last night.”
“After I finished at the gym, I went back to the shop. Everyone was gone. It must have been around eight thirty or nine. I needed to clear my head, and fixing something usually does that. Anyway, I started working on the brakes for the car that came in yesterday. I never thought about locking the shop door. We have never had a problem there. I’ve worked alone at night, sometimes overnight, and have never locked the door. I mean… Christ, we’re on Pop’s property.
“I had the radio up pretty loud, singing along. When I felt something poke me in the back, I turned around, seeing one of the DiMarco brothers standing there with a gun to my head. I panicked and jumped, earning me a nice pistol-whip to the face. The other brother started trashing the shop. He kept saying either the money needed to be paid in full or all the drugs needed to be accounted for.”
I turned slowly on the couch so I faced Cole. “I know Pop has no dealings with them. He would never do that. He hates them and everything they stand for. Years ago, Old Man DiMarco propositioned Pop about being his shell company to run his dirty money. Pop refused. Said he never wanted to be associated with them. He didn’t care what it cost him, he runs a legit shop.”
“So what were they looking for? Drugs? Money?”
“That’s what I asked, getting me another shot to the face. I must have blacked out at some point because when I woke up, I was tied up and bleeding from my lip.”
“How many times did they hit you?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
His body is tense, his leg bouncing on the floor. “Go on.”
“When I woke up, Angelo, the younger of the two, told me if anyone finds out they were there, Pop would pay. I don’t know if he meant with actual money or something else, but I am not going to take that chance.”
“Who do you think is dealing for DiMarco?”
“I don’t know. Pop considers everyone in that shop family. I can’t believe someone would do that to him. After everything he does for them… It will devastate him to know someone is dealing drugs right under his nose, stealing from his shop on top of it.”
“From what I know about the DeMarcos, they are bad fucking news. They are heavy into drug running and violence. They don’t make threats they don’t intend to keep.” He looks over at the clock on the wall. “Shit, I got to run.” He gets up and heads up the stairs. I hear doors opening and closing, drawers banging shut. “J, are you going to be able to come up here by yourself?” he yells down the stairs.
“Um… I can just stay on the couch.”
“No, you can’t. The bathroom is up here. You’d be more comfortable,” he orders as he runs down the stairs. He helps me off the couch and walks behind me as a climb the steps very, very slowly. When I finally get to the top, out of breath, I’m standing at the end of a long hallway. He turns me toward a bedroom. It’s very masculine with dark furniture and gray-and-blue bedding, which has already been pulled back.
“I pulled out some clothes for you to change into. I know they are going to be huge, but they’ll also be comfortable. I put a bottle of water and Tylenol on the nightstand. Do you want me to get you something to eat before I go? I can swing by and pick up something for lunch, if you want.”
Feeling overwhelmed by his generosity, I just stand there, staring at him. He walks forward until he is in front of me, then lightly runs his finger down the side of my face and over the bruises.
“Are you okay? Did they… Did they do anything else? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Shaking my head, I finally answer him. “They didn’t rape me, Cole. Just beat the hell out of me. I’ll be fine. I just need sleep.”
“Are you sure?” I nod. “Get changed and take the Tylenol. I’ll be back in a little bit.” He turns and walks toward the door.
“Cole?”
He stops and looks at me, his jaw tight. “Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
He gives me a slight nod. “I’ll be back. Do not fucking leave, J. I mean it. I am going to set the alarm on the way out. We’re going to figure this shit out when I get back.”
How the fuck did I get myself into this mess? Seeing Cole so angry is scary. I know it’s not directed at me, but it’s because of me. Same difference.
Chapter Fourteen
Cole
When I get closer to Z’s, I see the police lights flashing. I guess Darren is here. I hate that I’m letting her put me in this position. He should know what is going on. J thinks she can do this alone. Damn it.
I open the truck door as Darren and Todd come walking out the bay door.
“What’s going on?” I raise my voice as I walk over.
“Someone trashed the place. Not sure if anything is missing yet,” Todd says, shaking his head.
“Why won’t she answer the fucking phone?” Darren yells, hitting a button on his cell phone.
“Who?”
“J. She said she was going back to sleep, but I know her house phone is right beside the bed. She said she feels like shit, but she needs to come check through her stuff to see if anything was taken.” He starts dialing again.
I run my hand over my head. Shit. I hope this doesn’t bac
kfire in my face. I reach out and grab his arm. “Stop dialing. I know why she won’t answer.”
“What do you mean you know why? Where the fuck is she?”
Running my hand over my head again, I look him in the eye. “She’s not at her place. She’s at mine.”
“Oh fuck,” I hear Todd mumble as he walks away.
“The fuck you say?” Darren steps up into my face. “What is my fucking daughter doing at your place? What about all that shit she told me this morning? What the fuck did you do to my girl?”
“I didn’t do anything to her. It wasn’t a lie. She got into a fight last night. I happened to be there and didn’t think she should be by herself. That’s all.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That’s all?”
“Yeah. When I left, she was going to sleep. I swear, nothing happened.”
“Where?”
“Where what?” I ask, already knowing.
“Where the fuck is she sleeping, Cole?”
Shit. He isn’t going to like this at all. “In my bed, but we were never in the bed at the same time.”
Darren starts pacing back in forth. I look over at Todd, who had walked far enough away to not be in the middle of the conversation, but not far enough that he can’t hear what I am saying. He shakes his head at me. I shrug. What the hell else was I supposed to do? Darren starts toward me again, his nostrils flaring, his face red.
“You fucking my daughter?”
“No. I told you—”
He shoves his finger into my chest. “Get her on the phone…now.”
I pull my phone out and dial my home number. I don’t know if she will answer, but other than going to get her, this is my only option. When the machine picks up, I pray J hears it. “J, it’s me. Pick up. Your dad needs to talk to you. J?” Just as I am about to hang up, she answers.
“Cole?” she says in a sexy, sleep-filled voice.
I turn my back to Darren. “J, your dad knows where you are. Let’s just say he’s not happy. I told him I was at the bar when you got into the fight and didn’t think you should be home alone.”
“Fuck, Cole. Why the fuck did you need to tell him anything? Never mind. Put him on.”
I walk over to Darren and hand him my phone. He gives me a look. From this moment forward, I never want to be on the receiving end of that look again.
“Are you fucking Cole?” is all I hear as I head over to Todd.
“Man, you fucked up. What were you thinking? J is off limits. You know that.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. She needed help and I gave it. That’s it. End of story.”
“That’s not how Darren is going to see it.”
“Yeah, I know.” We stand there, watching Darren pace back and forth, phone to his ear. I turn to Todd. “So… Was this some random shit, or did someone not like how we fixed their car?”
“Not sure, but the entire place is tossed. They were either looking for something or just wanted to make one hell of a mess.”
“Cole!” Darren yells from across the parking lot. When I jog in his direction, he holds the phone out to me. “We’re good.” He slaps me on the back, then walks away.
Amazed, I put the phone up to my ear. “What the hell did you tell him?”
“I just made sure he knew you were just being a friend and clarified that we are not sleeping together.”
“What are you going to do about coming here?”
“I told him just to have Todd check my stuff. He can’t see me like this.”
“All right. Let me finish up here. I’ll be there soon.”
“When you get back, just take me to my place. I’ll call Jules.”
“J, we need to—”
“Cole, please!”
“Fuck, you are the most stubborn woman I have ever met. I’ll be there soon.” Hanging up, I jam the phone into my pocket, seeing Todd standing next to me, smiling.
“Be careful, Cole.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Just be careful. J is the best woman I know. Don’t disrespect her or Darren by doing what you are thinking about doing.”
I shake my head and leave him standing there as I walk into the bay doors. I look around for any clue that someone who works here is responsible for this. Everyone’s walking around and picking up tools, seeing what belongs where. I now have to look at everyone just a little bit differently. Other than J, it looks like everyone else is helping clean up, so whoever is fucking Darren over, they had the balls to show up today.
For obvious reasons, Darren tells us he’s going to close the shop for a few days, which is probably for the best. When I head to the maintenance closet, I pass the office. I hear Darren and Nan arguing yet again. He says something about this being too coincidental. I grab onto the door frame to stop myself from going in there and telling him what I know.
Goddammit, J.
*
“Ash, I need your help. You got time for lunch?”
“Sure. Give me twenty minutes? Firehouse Subs?”
“Yeah. I’ll meet you there. Thanks.”
I have no idea if telling Asher what is going on is the right thing to do, but of everyone I know, I trust him with my life.
Waiting for him to show up, I bounce my leg nervously under the table. When he walks in, he heads right for me. “What’s up, man?” he shakes my hand and sits.
“I need some information.”
“What kind of information?”
“The DiMarco brothers.”
Asher’s eyes widen. “What the hell do you need information on them for? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “Ash, they beat up J last night. She was in the shop alone. They walked in and trashed the place, roughed her up a bit, and told her they needed either the drugs or the money. I have no idea what is going on, but I need to find out.”
“Cole, the DiMarcos are bad fucking news. They have been on our radar lately because they’re into some heavy shit. I don’t recommend you getting involved. What do the cops say?”
“That’s the fucking thing, Ash. She won’t go to them. She thinks she can handle this shit on her own. They threatened her, telling her if she went to the cops, Darren would pay. She is so protective over her dad and that shop, she won’t go.”
We pause in our conversation to give the waitress our orders. When she walks away, Ash leans toward me. “Cole, you should stay out of this. If shit goes down and you are involved, your ass could go back to prison.”
“You think I don’t know this? Fuck, Ash. I don’t want to go back to prison, but I can’t walk away. Why do you think I came to you and not some of my other friends? I am trying to be legit about this. She needs help or she is going to get herself killed.”
My group of friends can be put into just two groups. Ash, and the guys I was in prison with. I can’t really call them friends, but if I make just one or two calls, I will have all the information I need. I can’t risk getting involved with them again.
“What does Darren say?”
I look down at the table. “He doesn’t know. She won’t tell him.”
Ash blows out a breath. “This doesn’t sound good, Cole.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do? Let her deal with this alone? You know me. I can’t do that.”
The waitress brings over our subs, asking if we need anything else. I nod. “Yeah. Can I put in a to-go order?”
“Sure. What’ll it be?”
“Give me an order of fries and whatever soup you have today. Thanks.”
“I’ll bring it out as soon as it’s up.”
I turn back to Asher. He’s sitting there, eating his fries, giving me a look. Before he can even ask, I say, “It’s for J. She’s at my place.”
Ash shakes his head. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
I bite into my burger and shrug. “I have no fucking idea.”
We finish eating, talking about other things. After we pay and
walk to the door, Asher says, “I’m going to follow you over to your house. I need some information. If she’s not willing to talk to the police, maybe she’ll talk to me.”
“I don’t know, Ash. She was adamant about not involving the police. I’ve talked about you, so she knows you’re a cop. I don’t know if she’ll open up to you.”
“That’s fine. I’ll follow you over to your house anyway. Maybe she’ll listen to what I have to say.”
Trust in Us (Forbidden Love Book 1) Page 9
