Cole: A Romantic Thriller Novel (For The Love Of A Good Woman Book 2)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  I ran for the better part of an hour, every breath pushing the anger further from my body. I needed to have my head clear so that I could be around Alex without letting my emotions out. She didn’t need to see my worry over this guy getting close to her. Hopefully Sean could find out some information about what we discussed and get a lead.

  I ran up to the house and was about to walk up the steps when I heard Alex scream. It was a terrifying, blood curdling scream that had me shoving the door open and racing down the hall. Sean was on his feet in the same instant, practically running me over to get to her. I flung the bedroom door open and stopped, mouth gaping.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  Alex

  I was dreaming that Cole and I were enjoying a nice dinner at a restaurant in town. He had taken me out on our first official date. I was wearing a tight blue dress that hugged what little curves I had and I was wearing sky high stilettos. I felt sexy for the first time in years. Cole was wearing black slacks and a black button down shirt. He looked extremely sexy, leaving the top button undone. His black hair was slightly tousled and he had a sexy smirk on his face. We were seated in a restaurant that was lit by candlelight on the tables. We were seated in a corner booth and we chatted for a few minutes while looking at the menu. He was staring at me and I blushed furiously under his sharp gaze. He pulled my chair closer to him and leaned in closer to me, whispering about things he was going to do to me when we got home. His hand slid to my thigh and he ran circles by the hem of my dress. I was getting wet and thought maybe we should skip dinner and head home.

  Then his fingers drifted under my dress and he pushed my legs apart to access the juncture of my thighs. His fingers caressed me through the fabric of my panties and I moaned as his lips met mine. I suppose I should feel embarrassed having him do this to me in a restaurant, but this was a dream after all. His hand passed over my panties and climbed higher up my body and I vaguely wondered how he was managing to get his hands up to my belly when I had a skin tight dress on. I felt his fingers scratching at my stomach and had to admit, this was the strangest foreplay I had ever had.

  My senses seemed to come back to me and I opened my eyes. Cole wasn’t there, but I still had the sensation of someone scratching my belly. I lifted the covers and let out a shriek. There were several rats in bed with me, trying to climb up my body. I flung myself backwards, screaming, crying, and shaking in terror. I felt my skin crawl as if they were all over my body. My only thought was to get as far away as possible. Visions of being in the cellar flashed in my mind and suddenly I was back there, hands tied up with rope, unable to escape as the rodents and spiders crawled over my body. I kicked at them with my feet, but they kept coming. Then I saw a few snakes on the floor and what had to be several hundred big, black spiders crawling on the floor and bed. I pushed myself against the wall, trying to get away and saw a spider on the wall next to my head. I screamed louder and was about to jump off the bed and run, when the door burst open and Cole came running in.

  He had a look of horror on his face and a second later, he was by my side, hauling me up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and could feel my nails digging into his skin. I was sure I was hurting him, but my body was shaking so bad, I couldn’t control what was going on with me. He ran down the hall and out of the house, shouting at Sean who had been there with him. I couldn’t focus on what was being said. My hearing was starting to go and soon there was just a loud sound in my ears, blocking out all other noise. Cole set me down on the bed of his truck and was standing in front of me talking. I could see his lips moving, but there was no sound coming out. Either that, or I just couldn’t hear him. I started to see large black spots that soon turned into black blobs. Then my vision was all black and the loud noise finally faded.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  Cole

  There were rats, snakes, and spiders crawling over the bed and floor. Alex was huddled on the bed in a ball shaking, trying to get away from rats that were trying to climb up her body. She saw the giant spider on the wall next to her head and started screaming. I ran to her and yanked the comforter from the bed, flinging the rodents in the process. I hauled her shaking body up into my arms and hurried out of the room. Her arms were wrapped around my neck, nails digging into my skin. She was shaking so hard that I could feel my whole body vibrate with her terror.

  “Sean! Find out what the fuck is going on! How the hell did he get in my house?” I was yelling to him as I was running. I had to get Alex as far away from here as possible. She was terrified and somehow this fucker had managed to get inside my house. How did he get in without the alarms sounding? Sean was there and would have heard him.

  I set Alex on the bed of my truck and tried to talk to her, but there was a blank expression on her face and she stared at me with no reaction. She had stopped yelling when I got her out of the house, but now there was nothing on her sweet face. I tried snapping my fingers in front of her face to get her to snap out of it, but nothing happened. Then her body started to sway before her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out. I caught her and laid her down in the bed of the truck. I grabbed my sweatshirt out of the backseat and laid it under her head. Her skin was cold to the touch, so I grabbed the emergency blanket out of the cab and wrapped it snugly around her.

  My number one priority was getting Alex out of here. I was debating whether or not to put her in the truck and take off or stay and wait for backup. My gut was telling me not to leave with Alex. He could be waiting for us on the road somewhere. This could all have been his way of getting us out of the house. I had to be smart here if I didn’t want to put her in more danger. I stood guard at the truck, waiting for Sean to come out while I kept watch over Alex. Luckily, Sebastian and several other vehicles pulled into the drive ten minutes later. Sebastian ran over to me with worry etched in his face.

  “What happened?”

  “I came back from a run and there were rats, spiders, and snakes crawling all over her in the bedroom. Sean was in the living room and didn’t hear a thing. Somehow this fucker broke into my house, bypassing all the security. I need you to figure out how, but I need to get Alex out of here. I need someone you trust to come with us because there is no way I’m taking any chances with her.”

  I knew I was snapping at him, but I couldn’t get myself under control right now. He had been way too close and he could have taken her right from under my nose.

  “Okay, I’ll have Derek take you to a hotel in town while I get things set up. Just hang there for a few hours and we’ll get you some place secure.” He turned and shouted over his shoulder to the guys that were scattered around the property, guns in hand and searching for any threats, waiting for instructions. “John, take your crew and secure the area. Find out how this guy got in and bypassed our security. Sean’s in there right now. Work it out with him. Sam, Blake, and Mark, you head over and secure the Hillside Hotel. Call on the way and let them know you’re coming and get our usual rooms ready. Derek, you take Cole and Alex to the hotel, but take the long way and make sure you aren’t followed. Give the guys some time to secure the building. Lola and Hunter, you follow and provide backup in case this guy tries something on the way.”

  The guys scattered to do their jobs except for Derek, Lola, and Hunter, who took up defensive positions around Cole and Alex. They formed a large circle around Cole’s truck, watching for any possible threat. I had kept my hand on Alex’s leg the whole time, needing to hold some part of her to reassure myself she was okay. I needed to get my guns out of the basement. There was no way I was leaving now without several guns. I trusted these guys, but shit happens and it’s always better to be prepared.

  “Sebastian, stay with Alex for a few minutes while I get my guns.”

  “We’ll protect Alex. You don’t need to worry about it,” Sebastian said, seeming a little offended by my need for a weapon.

  “It’s not that I don’t trust you guys, but put yourself in my shoes. Would you leave without we
apons to protect yourself with? Besides, I want my rifle with me. If I have a chance to take this fucker out, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger, but I want my gun.”

  Sebastian nodded. Having been in the military, he knew that I wanted my own weapons because as a sniper I had a weapon of choice that I felt the most comfortable with. I walked back to the house and straight to the basement door. I couldn’t look down the hall because then I would be tempted to go back to the bedroom. I needed to get back to Alex. I didn’t want her waking up without me there. It would just scare her.

  I opened my weapons room and loaded up a few bags with ammunition, knives, handguns, and my rifle rest. I loaded my rifle into its case and put on my shoulder and ankle holsters. Then I loaded my weapons and put them in the holsters. I looked like I was going to battle and in a way I was. I grabbed all my gear and headed upstairs. I went to the front hall closet to grab a jacket to conceal my shoulder holsters. I was still in my running gear and would have to pick up some more clothes, but everything in the bedroom would most likely be considered part of the crime scene until further notice. Not to mention, I don’t think Alex would want any clothes from there knowing that spiders could have crawled over them.

  I walked back out to the truck and was about to load my stuff in when Sebastian stopped me.

  “Whoa, you aren’t taking your truck. You’ll take two of our SUV’s and Derek will drive.”

  “I can drive my own vehicle. I don’t need to be babysat.”

  Sebastian pulled me away from the guys and spoke in a low voice so only I could hear. “I understand that you can protect her and you want to do it your way, but my guys are trained for this and we do it everyday. Your truck has been sitting in your driveway this whole time. He’ll recognize that right away if you take it and he’ll track you. That’s if he doesn’t already have a tracker on it. My guys have all been trained in evasive driving and they know what to look for. We have to be smart about this. You have to let me do my job.”

  I blew out a breath. It sucked being told that you were not the best option to protect your woman, but he was right. If I was going to keep her alive, we had to listen to Sebastian.

  “Okay. I’ll listen to you and your guys. What do you need from me?”

  “We can’t wait for Alex to come around. We need to get you guys out of here now. I need your phone. We can’t take anything that could be tracked. I’ll get you a burner phone so you can stay in contact with me. No calling anyone else. We’ll take care of letting people know that you’ll be out of touch. You aren’t going to know where we’re taking you after the hotel, so don’t ask. Listen to the guys and don’t give them a hard time if you don’t like what they’re doing. They have strict orders from me and they will follow them to the letter.”

  “Okay. I can do that.”

  “Cole! Cole!” Alex started screaming and I ran to her, climbing into the bed of the truck and lifting her into my lap.

  “Hey, sweetheart. It’s okay. We’re getting out of here. Let’s get you into the truck and I’ll explain everything.”

  I got down and pulled her into my arms as Sebastian directed me to the SUV we would be taking. I set her down gently in the back seat. She felt so fragile in my arms and I wanted to be extra gentle after the day she had. I got her all buckled in and then went around to the other side and got in. I slid across the seat and pulled her into my arms. She rested her head against my shoulder and let out a sigh.

  “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

  “My head hurts. I feel like I need something to eat. My whole body just feels off.”

  “Yeah, that happens when you pass out. We’ll get you something and let you rest. We’re taking you some place safe until we figure this mess out.”

  Derek got into the truck a minute later and said something. It wasn’t directed at us, so I’m assuming he was talking with the rest of the team. He pulled out onto the road and I glanced behind us, looking out the back window. The other SUV was pulling out behind us, traveling closely behind. We took the long way into town and I didn’t see anything suspicious. I kept one arm wrapped around Alex, but my right arm was free to grab my weapon if I needed. My eyes darted around looking for possible threats. So far I didn’t see anything, but then I didn’t think he would make himself visible to us. This guy was obviously experienced in trapping his prey and wouldn’t make the mistake of being caught because he wanted to see us make our getaway. If Sean didn’t come up with anything at the house, we were going to have to set a trap to catch this guy. Alex wouldn’t be able to take much more of this. He was obviously toying with her and I wondered how much longer she lasted before she had a breakdown.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Alex

  I sat in the back of the SUV staring at the seat in front of me. I didn’t want to look out the window because I was afraid he was out there and would see me. That might sound ridiculous, but my brain was close to shutting down. I could feel myself slipping away and my body going numb. I wished I could say that I was a strong person and I could handle whatever life threw at me, but I wasn’t feeling that way right now. I felt like life had kicked the crap out of me and I was one step from the looney bin. I felt like I should be crying, but nothing was coming out. I was just.. empty.

  I noticed that we were back in town and pulled into an underground garage. The driver stopped to enter some kind of code and then we were pulling into the creepy darkness of the garage. As I looked around, I saw all the possible places for someone to hide. There were stairwells that were lit well, but down here looked like a great place for someone to wait for an attack. There were so many cars that someone could hide behind, not to mention underneath them. My mind was going crazy with the possibilities and I was struggling to keep my breathing under control. I dug my hand into Cole’s thigh to try and steady myself and he must have understood my distress because he started rubbing my shoulder and leaned in to kiss my temple.

  The driver pulled right up to the elevator doors and a man stepped forward that looked like a mercenary. He was dressed in black cargo pants and a black shirt that was stretched tight across his chest. He looked like the rest of them, like Cole. They all looked like they were ex-military and could snap my neck in two seconds flat. He opened the door and Cole pulled me across the seat to exit with him. Cole stood on my right and I could see he was holding a gun in his hand. Two people flanked Cole and I, a man and a woman. They were also carrying guns and looked totally badass. Even through my haze I could appreciate the power they exuded. The man that was outside the elevator resumed his position as we stepped on. There was a man on the elevator holding the doors open and I noticed that the SUV was still idling, possibly waiting for us to get on. The doors closed and I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t realize how nervous I was about walking around even though I had a crew of men taking care of me.

  When the elevator stopped, there was a man waiting for us in the hallway. He led us down a short corridor and I saw there were only four doors down this hall. One man opened the door and went in to check things out, while we waited in the hall. I was so nervous from all that had happened that I wasn’t aware I was squeezing Cole’s hand.

  “Sweetheart, it’s okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise, we are all going to keep you safe.”

  My grip loosened as the man stepped back out and gave us a signal to come in. There was a large living room with a kitchen attached off to the left. To the right was a set of french doors, which I can only assume led to the bedroom. To the right of the bedroom door was another door that must have been the bathroom. Cole took me over to the sofa and we sat down as all the men gathered around. A minute later there was a knock on the door and a man’s voice telling us his name was Derek.

  I heard the key card click in place and Derek, our driver, entered the living room. He walked over and sat down in front of Cole and I.

  “Hi, Alex. My name is Derek. Sebastian has assigned me to protect you. I’ve been fully updated on
your case and I will do everything I can to keep you safe.” He raised his hand and pointed to the woman and man that stood by the door. “This is Lola and Hunter. They are also on your security detail. We need you to do everything we ask so that we can ensure that you are safe.”

  I nodded my head, willing to do anything to feel protected. I wished that I could stay in Cole’s cocoon, but he knew what was best and I would put my trust in him any day of the week.

  “Good. We’re going to go over some details out here about what happens next. While we work that out, why don’t you go ahead and shower or rest. When we have a plan in place, we’ll discuss what’s going to happen next. Lola is going to get you both some clothes, so she’ll be gone for a while, but Hunter and I will be here the whole time. There are also three men moving around the building, keeping an eye on things.”

  He stood and so did Cole, but I couldn’t bring myself to move yet. I was exhausted and just wanted to sit here. Cole was talking to Derek, but I didn’t hear a word he said. After a minute, Derek walked away and Cole sat down next to me again, studying my face.

  “How are you, sweetheart? Tell me what I can do to help.”

  “I don’t know what will help. I don’t feel like moving and my brain is just on shutdown mode.”

  “How about you go lay down for a little bit?”