Cole

by Tijan

  to be said, “Yes. She’s mine.”

  Nothing else mattered. Addison was mine.

  Carter stood back as I took one more weapon and left. He wasn’t in the family, not as one who would kill beside us, so he remained behind.

  I swept out of the room, down the hallway, and out to the warehouse where my men waited. My arrival was the signal. Everything had been planned. Everyone knew their places, and as I went past them, they followed.

  We were going to get what was mine.

  We knocked once on the back door of a whorehouse. The door opened, and the bass from the main floor vibrated in the night. Some of the smoke and dry ice floated out, and the person who’d given us the tip stepped out into the alley.

  I stared down at her. Hard. “Are you doing this to save your life?”

  Addison’s former mother-in-law, Carol, flinched, folding her hands together in front of her. She’d pulled on a light jacket but still wore the same clothes I’d seen in the Gala’s security footage. I noticed dried blood on her sweater, and before she’d said a word, I noted, “That better not be Addison’s blood.”

  Her head lowered, and I looked down at the top of her hair. But now she glanced back up. Fear lined her eyes. “She’s been hurt. I can’t lie about that.”

  “She’s in the basement?”

  She nodded, unable to hold my gaze. “Yes. I locked the door going to the main floor. None of the girls will bother you. There’s a room right when you go down. Four guards are in there. They’re supposed to be up here, but they’re watching a game right now. Keep going. I counted maybe eight others down there. Addison is in the back room, all the way down on the left side. There’s another room back there where the guards take their girls. I couldn’t open it to see who was in there, so there might be more men.”

  “They’re going to hunt you down.”

  Her skinny shoulders shrugged. She looked pathetic. “I’d like to take Addison away with me. She’s family.” She sounded pathetic, too.

  “Not going to happen.” I leaned forward. I wanted her to see the disgust in my eyes. “She’s not your family. You never accepted her before, and you’re using her to get rid of your own guilt. If you were my family?” I held a finger out and touched it to the top of her head, pretending to shoot her. “I’d put two right here.” I stepped back. “But that’s how I deal with traitors. Addison might be more forgiving.”

  She drew in a shuddering breath. “Yes. Well. Please, just get her out.” Carol took off after that, running down the alley between my guys. I waited for the perimeters to check in, and once they signaled everything was clear, we moved in.

  Killing isn’t a big deal to me.

  It happens. People are here, then they’re gone. Carter told me one day my viewpoint was skewed because of my family’s past. Fuck if I care. Usually for a job like this, the head of the family wouldn’t be in the lead. But I wasn’t like the previous head, or even Carter. I wanted to go first. I started to thirst for it. Maybe it was the element of surprise. Maybe it made me feel like a badass. Or maybe—two guys stepped around the corner, and I fired off two bullets, one for each of their foreheads—maybe it was this moment. As their bodies hit the ground, maybe I savored the feeling of stepping over them and continuing on, like they were nothing, like they’d always been there and I was going on with my day.

  Whatever it was, I felt alive.

  Kicking down the first room’s door, I stepped in and put two more bullets in the first guy I saw. One of my men stepped up next to me and took out the second guy. Then we were both yanked backward. We heard the cock of guns readying behind the door, right on the other side of where we’d been standing. As we fell back into our men, someone blasted two holes through the door. I recognized the clip of an assault rifle and lunged forward. I slid past the door on the ground, and shot as I cleared it.

  I got one. The other fell as one of my men shot through the holes in the door.

  “Let’s go.” Another of my men slapped a hand on the wall. He was revved up. They were all revved up, and I nodded, jumping to my feet. They didn’t wait. They were already kicking down the next door.

  I turned and waved for some of the others to move forward. “Keep clearing out rooms.” I pointed to five of them. “You guys, come with me.”

  There was gunfire from the next room. We waited until it cleared, then sprinted all the way to the end of the hallway. I came to the last two rooms. Carol said the one on the left was Addison, but the right one was an unknown.

  I hated fucking unknowns.

  “Cole.” One of my men, Ford, grabbed my arm and held me back. “Let us clear it.” He gestured to Addison’s room with his gun. “Get your girl.”

  I nodded, but I had to wait as they kicked down the right door. I heard gunfire as I did the same to Addison’s door. And as I stepped inside, my heart stopped. All the adrenaline and buzzing simply left me.

  She was strapped to a bed, covered in bruises.

  I almost fell to my knees.

  I loved her.

  I couldn’t move, not at first. They had beaten her. Half her face was swollen. One of her eyes wouldn’t open. Her throat was black, blue, and a grotesque yellow color. Her hands—I took the three steps toward her, I was falling with each one—her hands had shoe marks on them.

  They’d stepped on her.

  My mouth dried.

  I gripped my gun more tightly, needing the feel of my knife in the other. I wanted to turn around, find one of their men, and gut him. I wanted him to bleed slowly, and I wanted his blood all over the floor when the Bertals came back for their men.

  But then Addison’s good eye opened, and a shaky calm came over me.

  Tenderness like I’d never experienced covered the rage inside. It was like a thin sheet, veiling the blood lust, and I swallowed hard, forcing my mouth into a smile. She had to see me smile. She had to know everything was going to be okay. I would say anything, promise anything, do anything to make this woman feel safe once again.

  “Hey,” I said softly, kneeling at her side.

  Tears welled up and fell down her face, sliding over the bruises.

  “Hey.” I lifted my hand. I was going to wipe some of the tears away, but I hesitated, holding my hand in the air. I didn’t want to hurt her anymore. I loved her. It rushed through me, coating my lungs, my voice, my thoughts. “I have you. I love you.”

  She just kept crying.

  “Addison?” I wiped my thumb over her face, hoping to God that I hadn’t hurt her with that slight touch. “Addison, can you talk?”

  Her head shook an inch, barely. She couldn’t talk, and she just kept crying.

  “I love you.”

  Keep going. Get her safe. Come back and murder who you have to. Those were my objectives. I made quick work untying the ropes. Once the last pulled free, I slid my arms under her and lifted. She was so light, so goddamn light—like she’d lost weight in the day she was gone. I almost stumbled heading back for the door, but took a deep breath and held her tight, securing her so she’d never feel unsafe again. Two of my men were waiting for me. They saw Addison, what they’d done to her, and everyone fell silent. The men stood next to the rooms they’d cleared and watched silently, letting me pass by.

  The door that led to the main floor was open now, and a group of girls stood there. They were barely dressed. Some only wore thongs with their breasts hanging out. A few wore lingerie corsets, and all had heavy makeup and their hair done up. When they saw Addison in my arms, I heard quiet gasps. Two of them started crying. Another covered her mouth as they stepped back to let me pass.

  One woman stepped outside. One of my men held her back, and her eyes widened. She pointed to Addison as I walked past, heading for the car that had turned down the alley. “They did that to her?”

  “Yes,” I ground out.

  The car stopped beside me, and the back door flew open. Carter was there. “Give her to me so you can get in.”

  I held her tighter, u
nable to bear letting her go, even for one second. I climbed in and sat, cradling her in my lap. The driver shut the door, and we were off. My men would follow behind. Once we were clear of the whorehouse, I turned to Carter. “Why’d you come?”

  His eyes fell to Addison before he murmured, “We’re family. I came to back you up.”

  I nodded. That was how we were.

  My eyes never left Addison the entire ride back home. And when we arrived, instead of going to her floor, I took her to mine and laid her in my bed. We called a doctor, and once he’d looked her over, treated her injuries, and given her pain medication, I let her sleep.

  When I emerged, Carter waited in the kitchen, along with more of my men. Everyone knew this meant we were going to war again, but for tonight, I decided we would wait.

  I returned to lean against the wall of my bedroom, watching Addison’s breathing. After a while I slid to the floor and waited for her to wake up.

  I never moved.

  ADDISON

  Gentle fingers woke me. Someone was brushing my hair from my forehead, and as my eyes opened, I heard a soft croon.

  “Hey, hey.” I could hear the smile, then a relieved laugh. “You’re waking up. It’s me.”

  The corner of my lip twitched. I knew who it was.

  “It’s Sia.”

  I opened my eyes, and there she was, looking like she’d just showered. Her hair was wet, and she was—I tried to lift my head so I could see better. Was she wearing sweatpants and a hoodie? I wrinkled my nose, or tried. She wouldn’t wear a ratty-looking sweatshirt. But then I caught the Georgetown logo. It was Jake’s. Sia would totally wear her boyfriend’s clothes—relish them even.

  “Is something wrong with me?” She looked down at herself.

  I shook my head. There was nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing. “It’s good to see you,” I tried to say, and when I actually heard a scratchy whisper, I grabbed her hand and squeezed. I could talk again!

  Sia laughed. “Whoa, ease up Miss I’m-Dating-a-Serious-Badass-Now.” She slid her hand free, but laid it back on top of mine. She gently squeezed, and tears welled up in her eyes. “It’s really good to hear you. I heard you couldn’t talk when Cole found you. He’s not here, by the way. He had to leave to do something, so that’s why I’m here.”

  I lifted my head, wanting her to see the question in my eyes.

  She waved her free hand in front of her face, trying to dry her unshed tears. “I’m an emotional mess. Gah. But I guess that’s what happens when your best friend is kidnapped and tortured, and you get woken up when a mafia hit man rings your boyfriend’s elevator, right?” She kept laughing, and a note of hysteria edged in. “My goodness. Wow. Okay. If I’m this shook up over what happened to me, I have no idea how you handled what happened to you. How did you handle it? Seriously?” She waited, scrutinizing me. “Do you take meds?” Then she snorted. “Well, I guess you do now, but okay. I’m stalling. I don’t even know how to process everything, much less talk about it, but here goes.” She patted her hair. It was in a messy ponytail, but that was what Sia did when she was trying to regroup. Her eyes closed. She took a quiet and calming breath, then looked at me again.

  I tried to smile. I had no clue if it worked or not. I wasn’t feeling the most myself at the moment.

  “So…” Her voice wavered. “I should start from the beginning, right? When I went nuts at my own event at the Gala? Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be looked at the same way. I was behind you, talking to Mrs. Gallig and kissing her ass. She was so pissy because she’d had to wait for the bathroom, but then your boyfriend tapped me on the shoulder.” She chuckled. “Mrs. Gallig looked ready to pass out. The entire room was buzzing. Everyone knows who Cole Mauricio is now. Word got out somehow, and when he came up to us, Mrs. Gallig squealed. I couldn’t tell if she was scared or turned on. It was the funniest thing ever. But that didn’t last long.” Her voice dipped low. “He asked if you were still in the bathroom, and when he said those words—oh, man. I knew something was wrong. I just felt it. I don’t believe in psychics, but if someone told me I was psychic at that moment, I would’ve believed them. I just knew, Addison. I knew.”

  She paused and laid her forehead against my arm for a moment. Then she was back up. “He had security guards on you. Did you know that?”

  I shook my head. Carol told me, but I hadn’t known before that.

  “I couldn’t do a thing. I froze up like a Popsicle. I could only stand there, gaping at your insanely hot boyfriend, and he took over. And boy, he really took over. He started barking out orders, and the doors were locked. Guards came out of everywhere. I think a third of the people there worked for him. Maybe not. I guess not. You wouldn’t have been taken if that was the case, but okay. Yes. His guards began sifting through everyone. They searched, like, every person, and after Cole’s guys deemed them ‘civilians’—their words, not mine—they were allowed to leave. And when I say leave, I mean they were ushered outside. There were men outside the Gala, too. They watched all the people as they left. I don’t know why, but they were thorough. I think everyone was on high alert—like, the guards messed up and your kidnappers got away, so they were going overboard to compensate so Cole wouldn’t kill them.” She gave a soft, slightly unhinged chuckle. “I mean, probably not that, but you know what I mean.”

  I wanted to ask when she went crazy, but it took too much effort to talk.

  “They found you on the security feeds. I guess your bitch of a mother-in-law had good timing because the second you were whisked out, one of your boyfriend’s security guards rounded the corner. It was eerie how close it was. In one of the frames, the back of your dress was just disappearing around the corner when he came in.”

  Sia shivered, shaking her head. “But yeah, that’s when I went nuts. I got so mad. It welled up in me, and I let loose. I was breathing fire. I think it was because I was right there. I was in the frame the whole time. I could see myself as I watched Carol stick you with that needle, and then a guy swooped in behind her. Well, he’d been there the whole time, but as soon as she got you with the needle, he turned around and caught you. No one else noticed anything happening. You were there; then you were gone. And after seeing that, I raged out. I yelled. I threatened everyone—your boyfriend, too. I was ranting about Carol. Thank God, most of the room was emptied by then. My business rep won’t be the same, but who knows. Maybe no one will mess with me again.”

  She didn’t believe what she said. I could see it in her eyes, but I just squeezed her hand back.

  “Anyway, Jake gave me a sedative. He wanted to call the cops, but Cole said absolutely not, and that was it. Cole and his team left, and we didn’t hear anything about you until this morning when Carter Reed rang Jake’s elevator. Jake was trying to keep it together, but I could tell he was geeking out like he did after the first event. Carter Fucking Reed was in my living room—that’s what he kept saying once he left.”

  Sensing another ramble, I whispered, “What did he say?”

  “Not much, to be honest. He said you were upstairs at Cole’s place, and he wouldn’t leave your side, but he needed to. Carter asked if I’d sit with you. He said that was the only way Cole would ‘take care of business.’ I don’t know what that means, and I didn’t ask, but here I am. Jake asked to come up, too, but Carter said no. And I don’t have a phone. They wouldn’t let me bring one up here. If I need to call out, there’s a landline I can use.” She glanced over her shoulder. “There are two big guys out there, and I’m sure a whole bunch more are stashed away somewhere. Your boyfriend might look like he goes around on his own, but he doesn’t. I’ve seen, like, thirty guys come in and out of this building this morning.”

  “How long?”

  It felt like a rock was stuck in the middle of my throat, and I had to talk around it. When I did, the edges scraped against me, drawing blood. It fucking hurt.

  “It’s a little after seven o’clock now. I’ve been with you since about nine this morning.
I heard some of the guys talking. They brought you in early this morning sometime. Then Cole made everyone wait or something.” She beamed at me, forcing a cheerful note into her words. “But I’m sure he’ll be back soon, and you can snuggle up to your big bad boyfriend. By the way, I totally approve after seeing him in action Friday night. If he doesn’t say it, I’m telling you: That man is in love with you.”

  I mustered up some strength. I had to know. “Where?”

  Sia shook her head, her mouth curving down in sympathy. “I don’t know where he is, but whatever he’s doing, I’m sure it’s for you. He’ll be back. He didn’t want to leave you. Even when I got here, he didn’t want to go. It took almost everyone convincing him that you’d be fine. Carter Reed was telling him to go, all the guys, or most the guys—and side note, they’re mafia guys, so I thought there’d be this whole ‘I take orders, but don’t say anything else’ kind of thing.” She shook her head. “Not the case. Your boyfriend’s their leader—I got that—but the guys were talking like they were a team or something. It was kind of cool. They all love him. I could tell. But anyway, even Dorian came up and reassured Cole that the entire building was locked down. Guards are everywhere. All the doors are under surveillance…” She trailed off.

  It had been him.

  Dorian.

  It was him—the memory exploded in my head.