by Hadley Quinn
Cole sighed from the front seat and rubbed his forehead. “Could you both just shut up for a minute? You’re giving me a headache.” After a few seconds, he shook his head. “Leah, you need to tell me what’s going on. Why would you come here without telling me first?”
She didn’t answer him.
“Leah, I’m not playing around,” he added firmly. “If Alex called you, you should have told me.”
“Well I eventually did but you didn’t answer your texts. And even so, what would you have done? Tell me not to go? Most likely. And what would that solve? Nothing. But here I am, ready to finally get some answers, and you two had to play Batman and Robin. And guess what? I still have no answers.”
“As long as I’m Batman,” Van said.
Cole looked at Van’s smug humor in the rearview mirror. “Fat chance.”
“Forget going with One Hit Wonder, you can be Boy Wonder. How ‘bout that?”
“Batman would not drop out of a fucking window like a load of shit. He would have jumped off the roof and gracefully sailed to the ground. Or scaled down the building with his bat cable.”
“I didn’t have my bat accessories. I was in Bruce Wayne mode.”
“Well even Bruce Wayne wouldn’t be wiggling out of a window like a salmon fighting to get upstream. It looked ridiculous. Everything Batman-slash-Bruce Wayne does looks badass. You did not look badass.”
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Leah scoffed. “Why did someone have to drop out of a window? Where were you guys?”
“That creepy whore village you worked at,” Van answered with a bit of resentment.
“Creepy whore village?” she repeated. Silence ensued for a minute until she asked, “Can you tell me what you know? I’m ready for an explanation.”
Cole knew she was addressing him right now, so he straight up told her that Alex Mills was not the guy she thought he was. She argued with him, accusing him of not knowing the guy well enough to make that assumption. Even after informing her of “Harold Westman,” she still stuck up for Alex, claiming it was necessary to have aliases in the line of business he’d been in. Cole completely agreed with her, but he was sticking with his gut instinct.
He looked at Leah in the mirror but she was staring out the side window. He hoped to God she would realize what was going on and help herself out here. But he’d seen this before and he knew it wasn’t going to be easy. He also knew how hard it was to be in the position she was in and he’d seen very intelligent people be duped in the past. He could only imagine how clever that little bastard Mills was to manipulate her into believing everything he said.
“Do you feel good about this situation?” Cole asked Leah.
She turned to meet his eyes in the mirror but didn’t answer right away. She sighed and laid her head back on the seat. “No. Which is why I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I thought I was going to finally be in a position where I could get some answers. I was excited when I got to Miami. I was excited when I got to Scarlett’s. I felt like I was closer to feeling some sort of relief about the whole thing. But then Scarlett was surprised to see me, and when she found out that Alex had told me to meet him there, she looked a little upset. I asked her about it but she brushed it off, told me I couldn’t trust a guy like that. I was confused.”
“How long were you at Scarlett’s and what’d you guys talk about?”
“I’d only been there for about twenty minutes before you guys showed up. I went to my old apartment first but the manager said someone else moved in. I asked Scarlett about it and she said she let two other girls take it since I wasn’t around. Oh well. They can have whatever things I left. Nothing important.”
“You said Scarlett was upset Alex called to meet you?” Cole asked.
“Yeah, she seemed like it. I asked what was wrong but she just said she hated seeing me so torn up over a guy; said it wasn’t worth my time and I should go back to Jersey. I kinda got mad at her because…”
“Because why?”
She sighed. “Because I just have these thoughts…”
“What thoughts? Just say it, Leah.”
“I started wondering if she was lying to me about Alex, okay? She’s never met him but I pictured them in a relationship or something. It’s dumb, I know, but it’s how I felt. Like I said, I don’t know how I feel about Alex at this point, but I did spend almost four years of my life with him in it. I just want some answers.”
Cole measured his words carefully. “Scarlett’s been lying to you, so maybe you need to go with your instincts,” he advised gently.
He glanced at her in the review mirror again as she placed her face in her hands and whispered, “Oh my God, why is this happening to me?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cole wanted Leah to piece things together herself, to learn on her own. He felt it was the only way she would come to terms with the truth about Alex.
She fell asleep after an hour, and even Van remained quiet. Cole drove in silence as he mentally recapped everything that Leah had told him. Being deceived by people you trust was the hardest thing to overcome; Cole couldn’t fault her for being confused.
He glanced at Van in the mirror. His eyes were closed and his head was laid back on the seat, but Cole knew he was awake.
“What did you tell Leah to get her to leave Scarlett’s house so easily?” Cole asked quietly.
Van opened his eyes and sat forward a bit. He watched Leah for a second to make sure she was still asleep. “Well, I told her that you’d come all this way because you felt she was in danger; you came to protect her. And I said she needed to let us explain things to her before something happened to you.” He paused. “Sorry man, but it was the only thing that would get her to listen.”
Cole agreed silently. The sad fact was he’d made that same move first. He knew that Leah would comply if he put her in that position.
Once Cole hit Jacksonville, he dropped off the rental. Getting on another plane was the last thing he wanted to do, but Sam had scheduled them flights for the rest of the way back to New Jersey. It was either suffer for a couple of hours on a plane, or slowly die for another fifteen in the car. He preferred driving over flying, but time was of the essence right now.
Leah went straight to his bedroom when they stepped into Cole’s apartment. She didn’t say a word, just trekked down the hall like a zombie and disappeared.
Cole was still wide-awake. This entire situation was making him uneasy.
“You guys, uh, sleep in the same room?” Van asked, breaking his thoughts. Cole looked at him for a few seconds, taking his time to deliver the right response, but Van added, “Look, I know she has a thing for you. I’m just asking because I care about whatever this is,” he motioned between Cole and the bedroom. “She’s my sister, man. You get that?”
Cole released a sigh and dropped onto the couch. “I sleep here for the most part.”
“For the most part?” Van eyed him, sitting on the opposite couch. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means I’m not banging your sister behind your back, okay?” he answered crossly. “Hey, I get your concern, but Leah and me? No.”
Van’s sigh was clearly in agitation as he leaned forward onto his knees and rubbed his hands over his face. “Does she know that? She’s just a kid, Cole. I mean I know she’s an adult, but to me, she’s just a kid. Maybe I’m not being fair by treating her that way, but I didn’t have her in my life for so long… I couldn’t look out for her all those years…”
Cole could sympathize. He couldn’t imagine being ripped away from siblings at such a young age, but he could feel what Van was going through. He could also see it in his eyes. The guy was a badass motherfucker, but he cared deeply for his family and he was struggling right now.
“Look, Van… I did what I did for you. I found her and brought her back. There is still something going on and yes, I’m worried about her. I’m not gonna lie about that. Having her here was the best decision for m
e—it’s what makes me feel a tiny bit more comfortable with whatever’s going on and I’ve been able to understand a bit more since we’re around each other longer—but it wasn’t so I could get in her pants, okay?”
“I’m not accusing you of that, man, seriously,” Van sighed. “I’m just saying that if something has developed between you two, I just wanna know, all right? I love her, and even though I’m still getting to know her, I don’t want any more surprises than necessary, okay? That’s all.”
Silence ensued for a minute. Cole hated talking about this kind of shit. If he had a thing for someone, he kept it to himself. If he was confused as fuck about something, he especially kept it to himself.
“I’m into someone else,” Cole told him, just for the sake of getting away from the subject. Then he headed for the kitchen to put a frozen pizza in the oven in hopes that everything could be dropped. Thankfully Van didn’t mention another word about it, but this was getting too complicated for Cole’s taste, and not even professionally.
That he could eventually handle; personal drama he could not.
“You know…” Van began hesitantly as he entered the kitchen. He leaned his forearms against the counter and looked at the floor. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. You know, you and Leah,” he clarified, looking up at Cole. “I’m actually okay with it. I want her to be happy and I want her to be with someone that I can trust. Fuck, I just hope she finds someone I actually like just a little. I really don’t want to be that brother that wants to beat the shit out of her boyfriend because he’s a douche, you know? But I’m just saying…if you were interested in my sister…I don’t have a problem with that.”
Cole didn’t respond right away. He couldn’t respond, especially because his thoughts were on something else entirely, just so he didn’t have to think about this fucked up situation. “You can take her home with you when she wakes up. I’ll have Sam keep an eye on her for you.”
He could feel Van studying him carefully as he grabbed a pair of beers from the fridge and set them on the counter.
“Why?” Van asked. “Because of what I said? I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything, man. I swear. I just wanted to know. You can tell me stuff, you know? Maybe you need to open up a bit, enjoy having a friend now and then.”
Cole ignored being called out on his personality flaw. No, he didn’t trust people. He’d been lied to and deceived too many times in his life. Even his own parents were strangers to him.
“Leah is in your hands right now,” he said. “Use Sam, use Cody, I don’t fucking care. But she’s your responsibility, not mine.”
He was being the ultimate dick but Cole didn’t care. He was also taking his frustrations out on Van when he didn’t deserve it. But he’d put himself in this situation, it was his own fault. Never mix personal feelings in your business doings. It was his number one rule.
Stay detached so you don’t fuck up.
Without a word, he left the food and beer in the kitchen and grabbed a quick shower. Then he left, leaving a speechless Van behind in his apartment.
***
The diner was in full swing at eight a.m. but Julia wasn’t working. Cole walked down the street and buzzed her apartment number. He had no idea what he was doing there, but he was just going to numbly get through the day somehow.
He was sitting on the steps when the door to the building opened. Julia was dressed in a tank top and a pair of yoga pants, but she looked like she’d just woken up.
Fresh out of bed and sexy.
“Cole? Are you okay?”
She went to sit on the step with him but he stood and pulled her close. He brushed back her hair from her face and looked into her eyes, feeling a bit more relaxed when she smiled at him.
“I’m happy to see you, but you’re worrying me,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “What’s going on? What happened? Did you find your friend? You seriously need to give me your damn number so I can call and see if you’re o—”
He pulled her mouth to his and kissed the hell out of her. He didn’t give a fuck that people came in and out of the building or walked down the sidewalk. Kissing her was a necessity right now and he didn’t care if it was crashing anyone’s comfort zone.
After a minute of hardcore making out, Julia pulled away suddenly to grab the door as someone came outside. She dragged him up the stairs with her, and once they were in her apartment, she was on him the second the door slammed behind them.
Cole slid his hands up her shirt, around her sides to her back. No bra, just silky skin, and he so badly wanted that skin against his bare body. Every inch of it. They were halfway down the hall when she pulled his t-shirt off over his head, dropping it to the floor. Her hands traveled all over his body as soft moans released from her lips, and she led him to the bedroom as they continued to kiss.
She was giving him only reciprocated signals at this point. No need to ruin the moment by slowing down just for the sake of propriety, right? That courtesy was overrated, in Cole’s opinion. The sexual tension between them was so tangible there was no doubt she wanted the same thing he did.
But, unfortunately, polite existed in him whether he liked it or not…
“Jules, before we—”
She planted her lips on his again, silencing him instantly, and pulled him closer. Their bodies fit together easily—he loved how her softness mingled against him, especially when he slid her shirt up and over her head and warm flesh combined with his. The moment completely rid him of all the worries he’d been carrying around lately.
He definitely needed this.
She slid her hands around his waistline to his ass. The feel of her fingers dipping into his boxer briefs and her nails scraping against his skin on the way back up sent him over the edge. When he slipped off her pants it was only a matter of seconds before his were off too and he sank himself deep into her wet heat.
With her legs wrapped around him and her nails digging into his back, Cole allowed himself the rare luxury of just letting himself unwind.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Stop it.” It was followed by a giggle, and then a hand that swatted him away from her stomach. “Quit, I’m serious!”
“Why are you so ticklish?” he asked, barely running his fingers across her skin again, but up to her ribs just to be facetious.
“Stop!” she shrieked, trying to shove him away. “You’re gonna make me piss the bed!”
“Really?” Cole smiled with amusement. “Just from doing this?” He pulled her hand away from blocking him and dug his other fingers into her rib cage just slightly.
“Oh my God, I’m going to hurt you!” Julia laughed, pushing him away with her other hand. Then she gripped it tight and pinned it to the bed. “Don’t mess with me, Cole. I’m trained for combat.”
He loved the smirk on her face, and especially that light in her eyes; the gleam that said “I’ll gladly take you between my legs but don’t piss me off.”
He fucking loved it.
“You can take me down any time you want. I’ll let you.”
“You’ll let me?” she raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you’re full of false confidence, aren’t you.”
That made him laugh. He would never dream of hurting her in a mock battle, but her playful banter was entertaining. “False confidence? How ‘bout we just ignore that horrible assessment of my skills and call it even.”
“Skills?”
“I’m very proficient in what I do,” he raised an eyebrow at her.
Her smile was huge. “Proficient? We’re still talking about a little wrastlin’ match, right?”
The way she growled the word wrastlin’ made him laugh again. “Whatever kind of wrastlin’…yeah, I can manage.”
She studied him for a few seconds, trying to hide a smile. “Yeah, I’d say you could.” Then a blush crept over her face almost instantly. He knew exactly what she was thinking about from earlier. He’d made her come so hard he’d never even forget it himself.
She didn’t wait for an answer and just headed for the bathroom. But she glanced over her shoulder and winked at him before she disappeared.
Cole released a deep breath of air as he stretched across the bed. He took a moment to reflect on the last few years of his life, not coming up with much except for work, the gym, and more work. There hadn’t been many females in that short list of activities, either. It wasn’t that the opportunities weren’t there—unfortunately there were plenty of chances thrown at him—but he was never intrigued enough to comply. Plus, he got so wrapped up with cases he barely had a free minute to let anything else hold his attention.
He sat himself on the edge of the bed with his feet on the floor and did a little self-evaluation. He was twenty-eight years old. Not rich, not poor, and definitely not without options. He was extremely successful in anything he did, but it seemed as if those things were somehow set in front of him without his consent. He’d never set out to have the job he currently had; it just sort of evolved that way. Same with MMA. His father had started him in wrestling when he was about ten years old. Then it progressed toward boxing, and eventually some martial arts. By the time he was fourteen, Cole had been introduced to Mickey Tate and his gym.
And that’s where he discovered a passion for something he felt would always be a part of his life.
Some days he wished he could go back to that time in his life; a time where he’d been innocent and kept in the dark about whatever his father was involved in. Beyond that point in his life…Cole could barely remember a thing. It was like most of his childhood was a blur. He couldn’t get a grasp on any memory before he was fourteen. He knew he’d been put in sports because Mickey had told him so. Cole’s father had given Mickey the rundown of his athletic history when he’d signed him up at the Divehouse. But on his own, Cole couldn’t remember much at all. He could barely remember his parents, and he could barely recall anything he ever did with them. Were they in his life much? Did they love him? Want him around?
