by Hadley Quinn
Cole slightly nodded, refraining from asking about the husband. He assumed he was now an ex, but eventually he’d make sure.
“And yes, we’re divorced,” Julia seemed to read him. “Almost two years now. When Matthew died, we couldn’t seem to stop fighting. Because Brady was with him when it happened, I think he blames himself. No matter how many times I told him it wasn’t his fault, I think he felt guilty anyway. The guilt made him sad, the sadness made him angry… And then we’d end up fighting. Almost every day for a year until I just couldn’t take it anymore. I told him we needed to go to counseling but he wouldn’t do it. The next thing I know, he moves out and has divorce papers sent to me a week later.”
She shrugged like that was the end of the story.
“Where is he now?” Cole asked.
“Brady? He moved to Ohio where his family is. Married a girl he went to high school with. I don’t have ill feelings toward him, but we don’t keep in touch.”
Cole nodded. It’s not like he expected the perfect situation with any girl he met, but he needed to know the facts. Exes were always there, and if this was an ex-husband, he wanted to proceed the right way.
“You’re disappointed,” Julia stated, looking him over.
He arched an eyebrow. “Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“That I’ve been married, had a kid…”
Cole smiled but shook his head. “No, not at all. As long as he’s an ex, I’m fine with it. It’s just nice to know what I’m up against.”
“Fair enough,” she nodded. “But you’re not up against anything, I promise. However, maybe I’m the one that needs more answers,” she smiled curiously. “Why does my dad not like you?”
Cole wasn’t sure which direction to go with the question so he took a deep breath and shrugged. “Well, I sometimes have to go around law enforcement to complete my assignments. I don’t ever feel unethical about any of it—my conscience is clear—but some cops don’t exactly like it. I was hired to figure out Van’s case and I did. Your dad and I butted heads a couple of times. I have friends in various precincts, but your dad has a tight circle. Mickey used to be in that circle, but not me.”
“What do you mean ‘used to’? You mean they’re not friends anymore?”
“Not sure of all the details but… No, they’re not.”
Julia blew a strand of hair away from her face and frowned. “Hmm. I guess it has been a while since I last heard him say anything about Mickey. What happened?”
Shaking his head, Cole smiled and said, “Not my place to say. Classified.”
“Oh, it’s going to be like that, huh?” she playfully narrowed her eyes at him.
“Sorry, but it’s case related. And even if it wasn’t, I’d be hesitant to share. I don’t like getting in the middle of family.”
She studied him for a moment but barely nodded. “Understandable.”
They sat in silence for a moment. It was in Cole’s nature to observe people as much as he could and right now was no exception. But he knew he was sizing her up for personal reasons, not for anything professional. She just had this way about her that appealed to him. His take on her was that she was a very smart, independent woman, but when it came to men—or maybe just him—she was a bit reserved.
He liked that. Overly aggressive women were a turn-off. When a woman knows who she is and what she has to offer, he’s able to read into that confidence. Julia was definitely confident with who she was. Her shyness just meant she was extremely attracted to him and he definitely approved.
She suddenly stood from the couch and headed for the kitchen. “Would you like anything to eat, or drink, or…well I know you just had dinner but maybe some coffee—oh shit, you don’t drink coffee…”
Cole stood and used the opportunity to his advantage as he followed her into the kitchen. She’d opened the refrigerator for some reason and was just staring into it. He gently closed it, watching her face the entire time until she looked at him. Only inches apart, he could tell she was trying to control her breathing around him. He took it as a compliment, but still felt bad that he made her so nervous.
“I don’t need anything but to kiss you right now,” he told her, studying her reaction.
Her eyes looked up into his with surprise at first. Then they darted down to his lips for a brief second and he saw her swallow. All he wanted to do was kiss her—that was the damn truth—but this girl… Hell, she made him overthink his actions way too often and he decided to wait for a response.
When Julia looked at him again, she smiled. There was a hint of excitement in her eyes and it was captivating. “So are you all talk?” she asked him. “Or you gonna actually kiss me.”
She may be a bit shy now and then, but the sass mixed it up just right to make it that much better. Cole was amused—maybe his pride could be a tad bit wounded if he’d let it—but he didn’t even care at this point when she was giving him all kinds of go signals.
He invaded her space until she was pressed up against the fridge and placed his lips next to her cheek. “I’m a man of action, as a matter of fact. Not much to say sometimes.” He could feel her smile. “And I would be happy to prove that actions speak louder than words.”
He felt her breathe in as he pulled away. Their eyes locked and he could feel the intensity between them. It was almost tangible—the attraction, the passion, the craving—and Cole wasn’t willing to hold back anymore. He closed the distance between their lips and kissed her, taking her wrists so he had her completely pinned up against the refrigerator. She was sexy in that you-make-me-weak sort of way, which only turned him on more. He had his thigh pressed between her legs and could coax the moans out of her mouth easily as he kissed her. The electricity buzzing between them was substantial and—
“Um, do you need to get that?” Julia said breathlessly as she pulled her lips away.
It was his fucking phone in his pocket. God, of all the timing. No, he didn’t want to answer it so he ignored it and continued to kiss her. It silenced for a few seconds but started buzzing again.
“Someone wants to get a hold of you,” Julia pulled away again. “I’m stupid for saying this but maybe you should answer it.”
Sensing that the intensity may be a little much and she needed a break, Cole pulled his cell phone out. He saw Van’s name on the screen and accepted the call as he took a step away from Julia.
“Yeah man, what’s up?” he asked.
“She’s gone, Cole. Just fucking disappeared leaving a note saying she was going with you. Where the fuck are you?!”
“Hey calm down,” Cole exhaled, trying to chill his hormones at the same time. “Back up. Who is gone?”
“Leah. We were late getting out of the house this afternoon so she’s been with Cody all day. I get there to pick her up, he’s been asleep, and Leah is gone!”
Cole took another deep breath. “So what’d the note say?”
“Don’t be mad but I’m going with Cole. Don’t worry about me I just have to do this.”
Cole shook his head. What the hell was she thinking? She had no idea where he was or what he was doing, so why did she tell her brother that?
“Look, she’s not with me, Van. I’m still in Jersey; I didn’t go anywhere.”
“Then what the fuck is she talking about?”
“She probably thinks I’m going to Miami to stick my nose in business that isn’t my business right now. It’s not my case.”
“Well now my sister thinks she needs to be involved somehow! What am I supposed to do?”
Cole walked across the room and looked out a window. The street was down below but he wasn’t watching anything in particular, just staring. “I don’t know, man. Do you want me to find her?”
“If I have to beg, yes. I don’t want her mixed up with any of that. I just want her to start over and—”
“Well that’s not your call. I’m being blunt here. You have no control over her decisions right now no matter how much you want to. I still
don’t know all the facts and that makes me really hesitant to get involved. Do you understand that?”
He could hear Van exhale. “Yes I understand,” he answered quietly. “Cole, I don’t want her going back to Miami. Can you just find her and talk some sense into her? I’ve been calling her for the past hour but she won’t answer. Tell me something that I can do.”
“Nothing right now. I’ll check if she’s booked a flight or made any travel arrangements. I’ll call when I know anything.”
Van released a sigh. “Okay, man. Thanks. Call me as soon as you hear anything.”
They both hung up and Cole turned around to explain to Julia why he needed to leave, but she wasn’t in the room any more.
“Jules?” he called, sliding the phone into his pocket.
She appeared in the hallway, either from the bedroom or bathroom. Her expression was pleasant but curious. “I was trying to give you privacy. Is everything okay?”
He came across the room and stopped in front of her, rubbing a hand over his face in hopes to switch gears quickly. Technically he’d switched gears the second he’d answered the phone, but now he was regretting it. Julia’s cheeks were still flushed pink and her lips looked full and worked over.
What he wouldn’t give to just continue from where they’d left off…
“I need to head out,” he told her reluctantly. “I need to find someone and…I’m not sure where it’s going to lead me.”
Concern swept across her face and her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t like the sound of that. What do you mean?”
“No, you don’t need to worry,” he assured her. “I just meant I don’t know if she’s even in this state anymore so I may have to leave town.”
She slowly nodded. “Um, okay. Well…”
Cole stepped closer and leaned down to kiss her. The contact made him want to cuss like a fucking sailor right now because he didn’t want to leave those soft lips sooner than he had to. And it was obviously easy to get swept up in the feel of her body because he hadn’t realized at what point he’d slid his hands underneath her shirt and then gripped her ass firmly to press her against his hardened cock.
“Don’t…you need…to get going?” she asked in between kisses.
He turned her around so her back was to him as he toyed with the button on her jeans. She didn’t object when he also unzipped them and slid his fingers down the front into her panties while he kissed the side of her neck. She shifted so he had better access and she released a sexy moan when he rubbed against her wetness.
She was using that firm booty of hers to work against his erection, and when his phone buzzed again he wanted to throw it out the fucking window.
He’d ignored it long enough for him to get her off, stroking her wet pussy until she clenched around his fingers with a very audible release. The look on her face and the sounds coming from her lips were the sexiest damn thing—
His phone started buzzing again.
Julia had him up against the wall right now. She was on her knees, about to take him in her mouth. The phone was pissing him the fuck off so he ripped it out of his pocket to turn the damn thing off.
Until he saw it was Leah.
Shit he groaned to himself, just as Julia’s lips slid around his dick. He silenced his phone and let it drop to the floor. A few minutes weren’t going to matter. Plus he was pissed with Leah for not listening to him in the first place.
This was something he wanted; he was tired of putting everyone else first.
Julia gradually took him deeper until he could feel her throat tighten around his tip. The way she worked against it, and then used her tongue, and the sounds that came from her… God, he seriously hoped they would be continuing this session for the rest of the night.
But for some reason she paused. Cole looked down as she reached for his phone and stood facing him. “I’m sorry, but you’re getting text after text from someone named Leah and I can’t help but notice it every time the screen lights up. I mean we can continue in my bedroom if you want, but the phone is just…”
Cole groaned inwardly but took the phone from her, opening up the text conversation.
His libido instantly took a crash landing, which he didn’t think could be possible at that moment.
“Fuck,” he groaned as he pulled his pants back up.
He kissed Julia and apologized sincerely while he buttoned himself. “It’s not what you think. She’s my friend’s sister. I gotta see what’s going on before she gets herself in big trouble,” he added.
“Okay, well, don’t worry about me,” she assured him. “Hey, take my number, okay?” She grabbed a pen and jotted it down on a notepad stuck to the side of the fridge. She ripped it off and handed it to him. “I suggest not tossing it a second time,” she warned him playfully.
He smiled before he gave her another reluctant kiss goodbye, and then left. As he thundered down the stairs, he glanced down at the four separate texts that had come through the past few of minutes.
Hey where are you?
Helloooooo
Alex called me
I went to Miami to see him
U obviously don’t care about answering ur phone
Fine, guess I’ll c ya when I c ya
Cole paused at the bottom of the stairs as reality sank in. He’d chew her out later, but he pressed dial and hurried to his truck.
Chapter Twenty-One
All he got was Leah’s voicemail. He tried her six different times and not a single time did she pick up. He left two messages, asking her to call him back. One even told her not to go to Miami but he realized she was most likely already there or on her way.
Cole groaned and tossed the phone to the passenger’s seat. There were too many questions to answer at this point and he had hoped he could just stay out of it. There was no assignment for him, nothing had been hired out, and he was having a hard time deciding where he fit into it all.
He didn’t. That was the bottom line. Professionally, at least. As a personal favor to a friend…that was different.
Putting his truck in gear, he headed back to the Jefferson Apartments where Van said he was waiting for him. Cole didn’t know how to proceed, only that he needed to let Van take care of this mess himself.
“You said you’d call me,” was the first thing Van said when Cole entered his own apartment. Cody was still there too, sitting on the couch. A baseball game was on TV but only on mute.
“I said I’d call when I had something.” He paused in the middle of the room to share more but glanced at Cody for a second.
“Fine, I’m leaving¸” Cody mumbled, heading for the door. “Just let me know if I can help with anything. Let me know when you hear from Leah.”
The door closed behind him as Van said, “You don’t have to be wary of him, you know. He’s good people.”
Cole didn’t respond. He was wary of everyone. He knew everything there was to know about Cody because of the investigation involving Van the year before, but he still wasn’t sure about discussing things in front of him that he himself didn’t understand quite yet.
“Remember who Damien Glenn is?” Cole asked Van. “Has Leah mentioned anything more about him? Or Alex?”
Van sighed. “Leah doesn’t tell me much and it really pisses me off. It’s like she doesn’t even trust me. The only thing I know about the Glenn dude is that he’s Alex’s former employer—a fucking mob boss, right?”
Cole sat down on the couch but didn’t answer.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Van asked.
With a sigh, Cole handed over his phone so he could read the texts from Leah.
“What in the fuck?” Van exclaimed. “She went to Miami—by herself—to see him?!”
Cole was about to discuss it with him, but Sam called with an update on Leah’s whereabouts.
“Yeah, she landed in Miami over an hour ago,” Sam informed him. “Took a cab to her old apartment and then Inn Deep. And the apartment, by the way, isn’t in her
name. Good ol’ Harold Westman again.”
Cole felt suspicion run through his veins. “Yeah, I gotcha. Look, send me what you got, book me a flight to Miami—”
“Book me one too,” Van interrupted, giving him a hard stare.
Cole sighed as he quickly debated his options, but he knew Van would come anyway if he didn’t include him in the plans. “And book one for Van, too,” he added.
Van was pacing the room. He could tell the guy was about to lose his shit any second now.
He hung up and sat in silence. Scarlett had already gone back to Miami, and now Leah. There was one thing that had always been at the back of his mind, and Cole finally realized what it was. There were plenty of things that didn’t add up for him, but he was beginning to lean toward his instincts more and more.
“I think I’ve got this figured out,” he said as he headed for the door. “Let’s go.”
“You gonna fill me in?” Van called as he followed him out.
“Let me think for a bit and I’ll fill you in on the plane.”
***
Arriving in Miami made Cole feel anxious. He and Van hadn’t been able to get last minute seats together, so he’d sat there squeezed in the middle of two older women, trying not to lose his fucking mind. The only thing that helped was sticking music in his ears while he mulled over case scenarios in his head, pretending to be asleep so the lady to his right would stop talking to him about the weather. He felt horrible about feeling so surly, but a three-hour flight and the stress of Leah’s situation made him tense.
On a damn plane was the only time he ever felt helpless in his own body.
“What’s the matter with you?” Van asked as they finally headed for their rental car.
“Nothing. What’s the matter with you?”
