by Hadley Quinn
Why couldn’t he fucking remember?
“So showering with me obviously wasn’t as appealing as I’d hoped it would be,” Julia’s voice broke his thoughts. She came out of the bathroom with a smile on her face and a towel wrapped around her body.
Cole glanced at the clock. How the hell did twelve minutes just pass by?
“I’m… Wow, I’m sorry, I just… I guess I sort of spaced out.” That was a lame excuse. Beautiful, naked woman that had invited him into the shower and his mind decided to slip into the dark world he tried to stay out of. His past was the only thing that could’ve sucked him into a daze like that. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she answered as she pulled out a pair of panties from her dresser drawer. “I was just doing gross things like washing my ass and ridding my thighs of any leftover stains. You know, the unromanticized aspects of shower time.”
At first he didn’t even know how to respond, but then he laughed. This girl had a way of making him do that now and then. Her wit was a welcomed change.
“Hey, I would’ve done it for you,” he replied. “We can write our own ‘what’s cool and what’s not’ rules. Who gives a fuck.”
She smiled as she got dressed right in front of him. He didn’t even pretend to look away, either. He liked a girl that knew the simple things that kept a guy captivated.
“Sounds perfect,” she answered with a dainty laugh. “Um, I have a shift in forty minutes. You wanna eat something here or come to the diner and I’ll feed you? We can start getting you back on that training diet you mentioned. Trust me, we can feed you right.”
He shrugged. She was offering to spend more time with him, even if it was at the diner, but he wasn’t sure how he wanted to answer. Realistic Cole was telling him to get his ass to work. La-La Land Cole just wanted to check out of the real world for a while.
“Well don’t jump with an answer,” Julia smiled as she pulled on a pair of pants. “You can just say whatever is on your mind with me, you know. I’m really not a fragile, sensitive thing.”
“I wasn’t trying to sugarcoat an answer,” he stood. He pulled on his pants and then looked for his shirt. Oh yeah, most likely still in the hallway. “I have to work, too. I was just calculating how much time I could get away with so I could spend it with you.”
She paused for a second, and then smiled as she clasped a necklace with the initial ‘M’ around her neck and then put a shirt on.
Cole stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her upper body, kissing her neck. “I’ll call you when I’m done. Maybe we can meet up later on. What are your plans?”
She hugged his arms against her. “I’m off at five, then I need to study for a seven o’clock class.”
“Just the one class?”
“Yeah, it’s a math class. I have a test. I’ll be done before nine.”
“Okay,” he slightly nodded. “I’ll give you a holler about then.”
He kissed her neck again and then turned her around to kiss her lips. If he hadn’t been so fucking stupid, he could have had another round with her in the shower. But…real life was screaming at him. He already felt guilty for shutting the world out for the past four hours.
“Bye, beautiful. I’ll call you later.”
He slipped his shirt on as he walked himself out, completely aware that his escape from his own apartment had been calculated that morning. He knew it was an asshole move, but stepping away from a situation he was uncomfortable with was the best way he was able to evaluate it.
Then he made the mistake of checking his phone. The battery was almost dead, but he had four missed texts, eight missed calls, and six voicemails. He plugged his phone into his truck the second he sat down inside and went through his messages. Two were from Sam, one was from Van, and another was from Leah. Then the other two were from a lawyer he did a lot of work for.
Jackson Tate was Mickey’s brother.
“Cole, I got something a bit pressing I want to put you on. I’ve got a client in custody and I need something more to go on. I believe this guy is linked to something a lot bigger than just a kidnapping charge. Give me a call as soon as you can.”
Cole stuck the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb. He put Jackson on speakerphone and listened to the case details for a minute.
“My client was arrested for kidnapping. It’s legit, I know he’s guilty. But they’re pushing for some other serious crimes to go along with it. His family has money to hire me, but I really feel there are bigger fish to catch. I want more to go on so I can negotiate a better deal, maybe get better ending for everyone overall.”
“What’s this guy’s name? What’s his story?”
“Name is Nathan Fischer. Minor stuff, assault and B&E. He was hired by a guy to take this kid. I don’t know all the fucking details, the guy still barely trusts me. He was paid to do the job. Cash. I got a name on this character he dealt with and he’s big time trouble in Miami from what I’ve gathered. I’m intrigued.”
“What is Big Time Trouble’s name?” Cole asked carefully, feeling that this whole entire case that he’d been trying to avoid was going to come crashing on his doorstep.
“Damien Glenn,” Jack answered.
Cole made himself pull over.
“Thing is, the guy is dead,” Jack continued. “Was found shot in his sleep a few days ago. He’s a big mafia fucker in over there, deals in all kinds of shit—including drugs and underage trafficking. He’s got a fuck ton of businesses like strip clubs and such. Whoever the hell this guy is, my client is scared as shit of him. I kinda want to look into that.”
Cole sighed. He hadn’t been able to walk away from this case ever since he’d brought Leah back the first time, no matter how hard he’d tried. Now Jack was hired to defend the guy who took Emilia Denton?
“Cole? What’s up?”
He licked his lips and shook his head, preparing himself to explain how the hell he’d already been involved in this case. He spent ten minutes filling Jack in, and when he was done, the lawyer could only whistle his surprise.
“Yeah, a lot, right?” Cole said. “I’ve tried to walk away from this because it wasn’t really my case to begin with. I’m still dealing with the run-around when it comes to these players.”
“So you think it’s this Alex Mills guy, huh? Makes sense. Good place to start.”
“Start? I don’t know where to start with this case, Jack.”
“Anywhere, anything. You’re the best, Cole. You’re officially hired, so go ahead and do your job. Sounds like someone’s been throwing Glenn’s name around and that Mills guy sounds like a place to start.”
Cole paused. A job was a job, right? And he’d always take on any assignment that Jackson Tate gave him. He only used him for cases that were extremely crucial.
“I need you,” Jack pleaded when Cole still hadn’t replied.”
“Okay. Just give me a starting point, all right? I feel like I’m already too involved in this shit and I can’t be objective.”
“Oh, that’s easy. Come have a visit with my client.”
Cole couldn’t miss the humor in Jack’s voice, but he had to say, “One question first. Emilia Denton. Is she still missing?”
“Yes.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Alex Mills had wanted his biological daughter, and he’d hired someone to make it happen. Mills wanted the little girl brought to North Carolina and Nathan Fischer had complied. It wasn’t Mills that Fischer made this exchange with, but someone else in his place. Damien Glenn’s name was tossed around too, which could only mean that someone wanted to divert attention from himself.
From what Cole could conclude, Alex had Emilia with him while he might have been planning to meet up with Leah in Miami. There was definitely more to the story, and now Cole couldn’t stop until he figured it out.
He pulled up to Van’s house around six p.m. Leah didn’t know he was coming, as per his request to her brother, so she looked completely surp
rised when he walked into the house. Dani was in the kitchen making dinner but she came out and gave him a hug. Obviously she knew he was there for business because she disappeared to the back of the house again.
“Can we talk?” he asked Leah.
“Um, yeah, sure.” She led him down the hall to the room she’d been staying in—somewhat of an office with a futon. She sat on the futon and motioned for him to sit too.
“We need to talk about things a bit more,” he began. “And I know you might not want to, but do you think you can agree on something for me?”
“Maybe.”
He cleared his throat before he continued. He’d come into this with two options, not knowing which one he was going to use. First he’d have to take some time to read her.
“How are you doing?” he asked, just to make some small talk.
She barely shrugged. “As good as can be expected. I’m still…a little confused. Okay, a lot confused. And I get that you’re trying not to push your opinions on me, but I wish you’d just tell me shit straight up.”
Thankful she gave him the opportunity, he was happy to oblige. “Okay, I can do that. Bottom line is that whatever your situation is with Alex… You need to drop the idea of being with him, Leah. It’s done. Stay away from him, don’t take any calls from him… Done.”
She eyed him for a few seconds, but instead of being upset, she actually smiled. “And why is that, Cole?”
Just from the way she voiced that tiny little sentence…told him a lot. She may be a snarky brat to him now and then, but it was because she liked him. He needed to proceed very carefully at this point because he didn’t want his efforts to backfire on him.
“Even if it means you don’t get the answers you want, I’m advising you to just move on and have nothing to do with him anymore.”
“I don’t understand what he has to gain from all of this. I don’t have anything to offer him. I’m just a stupid chick from Jersey. What’s his reason for deceiving me?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. And you’re not just a stupid chick from Jersey. We care about you and want what’s best for you.”
She didn’t respond, but from the way she looked at him, she clearly caught the ‘we’ aspect of the statement.
“Anyway, I just wanted to check on you,” he added. “I know Van changed your phone number, but I’d like you to tell me if anyone suspicious contacts you, okay? Can you agree on that?”
“So what’s the deal now?” Leah asked. “You kick me out of your apartment but now you’re still stuck on this case? Why?”
“I didn’t kick you out of my apartment,” he said. Okay, he did, but he had his reasons. “Just felt you’d feel more comfortable here.”
“On the futon? In an office?”
Cole looked around the room. It was kind of cramped, but she at least had her own space. “You have your own room, what more could you ask for?”
She hung her head slightly. “I’m not complaining. I just…don’t feel like I belong here.”
“Why? Dani and Van want you here. I know that for a fact.”
“I just feel like a big fucking burden. I feel like—” She stopped mid-sentence and studied him closer. “Is that what I was to you, too? A burden? Was I getting in your way? Look, I know I can be a pain in the ass, but it’s really weird being here. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to act, what I’m supposed to do or say, how much I’m supposed to tell you guys…”
“Well I can answer two of those things. No, you weren’t a burden because I understand where you’re coming from. But you really do need to tell me what you know when I ask, and when I give you a piece of advice, it’s helpful if you follow it. My only interest in this entire thing is to make it so you can move forward with your life and not have to glance over your shoulder all the time.”
“That’s your only interest in this?” she asked.
Cole really did not want to answer that question. If he did, he was going to have to deal with personal repercussions getting in the way of business.
“Look,” she added. “I get that you’re a private person, closed off. Van said that you have a problem trusting people. I can understand that. Believe me, I do. But…why can’t we just trust each other? Wouldn’t that be fair? I do trust you, Cole. But sometimes… Sometimes I feel like you keep things from me because you don’t trust me. Is that true?”
He could have confirmed it or denied it and convinced her that either one was the truth. He wanted to believe that he could count on her, but if there was anything related to a case, he kept it to himself. He only divulged information if he needed information. He never played his cards too soon.
“Everything you’ve told me about you, I’m okay with it,” she continued. “You’ve come from circumstances that have made you who you are, and from what I see, you made yourself to be the best there can be. That’s kind of a big deal. You’re smart and good looking—you can do anything you want in life.”
They were getting off the subject already. Cole didn’t want to lose his momentum, but he also didn’t like to be put on the spot like that. The nice thing to do would be to compliment her back, but he had an extremely hard time getting into personal matters right now.
“Thanks for you confidence in me, but I really want to focus on you right now,” he told her. “I’m going to be blunt, okay? And you can think whatever you want, but it’s the truth and I would never lie to you.”
“You wouldn’t?” she asked suspiciously. “I seem to recall some sort of gift or something you had for me. I realize now it was to lure me out of Scarlett’s house, and I’m not mad about it, but you do lie to people.”
He took a silent breath of air and slowly let it out. She had a point. He’d done it his entire life; first to escape his own reality, and later to get what he needed for the cases he was working on.
However, that particular thing wasn’t a lie this time. He was going to talk to her about Alex’s suspected involvement in Emilia’s kidnapping, but maybe it was better to hold off. “I really do have something for you. It’s in my truck. You want it now?”
His methods to maneuver through a case were completely different when friends were added to the mix. This personal stuff fucking sucked.
Without waiting for her answer, Cole headed for his truck. He removed the book from behind the seat and walked back to the house with it. She was waiting at the front door and held it open for him.
“What’s this?” she asked when he handed her the 9”x11” photo album.
“It’s a little bit of your past,” he shrugged. “Van said you didn’t have any pictures from your childhood. I totally know what that’s like so…I visited a couple of your earlier foster homes. That’s the best I could do. It’s not much but—”
She quickly threw her arms around his waist and hugged him. He hadn’t been too sure how she’d respond, but he was a bit surprised by the contact. Cole carefully put his arms around her and hugged back, just as Van came from the hallway with the baby.
He pretended he didn’t notice anything and made a detour for the kitchen.
“I can’t believe you found something like this!” Leah exclaimed, pulling him toward the couch. She sat down and flipped the album open, and when Cole didn’t sit down right away, she patted the space next to him. “Come look with me,” she grinned.
“I, uh, I can’t right now. Um, I have some things I need to take care of.”
Her expression fell as she set the book on the couch and stood. “Like what?”
“Uh, just some stuff I need to take care of. I gotta talk to Van for a minute first, okay? I’ll check in with you later.”
She nodded, but then did something he was not expecting. She kissed him. Right on the lips. And it wasn’t just a friendly peck like the one before his fight, either. It was quite a bit more than that.
It only lasted a few seconds, but when she pulled away she had a smile on her face. “Okay. Don’t talk about me too much,” she joked
as she dropped onto the couch again.
Cole didn’t know how to respond to that, so he left her to peruse through the photo album and found Van in the kitchen. Not a word was spoken to communicate that he wanted to talk to him, but Van led them out to the backyard.
“I’ll have Sam look over the house, okay? I have someone I need to find.”
Van narrowed his eyes. “Who? The little girl?”
Cole sighed. “I can’t get into it but I’ll explain everything later, when I know more.”
“Is it related to Leah’s situation? God, Cole. Fill me in. I don’t like not knowing what’s going on.”
“I can’t fill you in until I know for sure. I won’t stand here and speculate and tell you my theories, either. It just causes a lot of stress and worry for nothing.”
“Well what about Leah? You have Sam watching the house, is she still in danger? Is Alex Mills gonna come after her?”
“I don’t know, Van. He may try to contact her somehow, yes. But I don’t know what he’s got planned. I talked to local PD and they’re aware of the situation. But you might want to talk to Buchanan yourself.”
“Doug?” Van raised an eyebrow with a chuckle. “Why, you still don’t like him?”
“He still doesn’t like me. And don’t forget, you ripped him a new one too when it came to Dani’s situation.”
“Yeah, well, the police said they couldn’t do anything at that point. I was a little pissed. Doug understood. Eventually.”
“Well he still hasn’t gotten past my work behind his back, so I’m still on his shit list.”
“Oh, come on, man. You were hired to do that.”
“Yeah, but I still figured all of that out when he kept telling me otherwise.”
“Well…sometimes people can’t accept that they were wrong. He was completely wrong on that case, but it doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.”
