by J. L. Drake
“Yes, it was, thanks.”
He rolls his eyes as we start back to the house. “I’ll deny this if you ever repeat it, but I really like how you are with Cole. No one else would ever dare talk to him the way you do.”
“People have mentioned that before. Saying they’re surprised I’m not scared of him. What is it I’m not seeing?”
“Cole is normally all business. That’s what makes him so great at what he does. People have nothing but respect for the guy and his family. He’s a great friend to have. He’ll be the first to take a bullet for you. But I’ve seen what happens if you cross him, and it’s not pretty.”
I look up at him, slightly nervous about what he’ll say next.
“Is that why you didn’t step in last night with York?”
“Yes. York knows the consequences of betraying Cole and this house. York got off easy. If you weren’t there to stop it, I have no doubt he would have left in a body bag.”
I shake my head at that thought. I know he is right.
He sighs. “So, you overheard Dan and Cole talking?”
A knot in my neck begins to tighten. “There’s a lot I don’t know about my…ah…case. I feel like I won’t be overly pleased with the outcome, will I?”
He pushes his lips together. “I’m thinking not,” he says. “I’m really sorry about what York did. I wish you told me, but Mark explained to me why you didn’t. It was really sweet of you to think about everyone else.” We walk in silence for a bit, listening to the freshly fallen snow crunch under our feet.
“Keith.” He looks down at me. “What if I don’t want to go back to New York after this is all over?”
He pulls me against his side. “Then we’ll make you our chef,” he says with a grin. “Speaking of baking, Abigail just got a shipment of apples in. You think you could make another apple crisp for me? After all, I did have to babysit you all day.”
I elbow him playfully. “Fine.”
Chapter Thirteen
Cole
Cole taps his heel repeatedly on the floor, waiting “patiently” for Keith to return with Savannah. The snow is starting to pick up, leaving a thick layer on the ground. Christ! What is taking so damn long?
“I see them,” Abigail calls from the window.
Cole hurries to the door and out onto the porch. His parents follow while Abigail and June stay at the window.
Savannah’s arms are wrapped around her middle, and she has Keith’s gloves on, looking like she’s freezing. As he walks down to meet them, he sees her blue, shivering lips muttering something.
“Did you have to carry her?” Cole asks, glancing at Keith.
“Yeah,” he replies with a chuckle. “She laughed the whole time, so it wasn’t as effective as I hoped.”
“Cold yet?” he asks her. “Go have a shower, before you freeze to death.” He’s feeling so many emotions; he knows he is coming across as angry.
No doubt confused by his tone, she shakes her head and leaves.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Savi—” Keith starts to say as Cole gets hit with a snowball in the back.
He spins around to find Savannah making another one. She stands back up and chucks it at his shoulder, sending pieces of snow down his front. Both his parents have their hands over their mouths, waiting to see what he’ll do next.
“Don’t be crabby with me, Cole Logan,” she shouts through the snowflakes. “You see Keith’s left shoulder? Well, if you don’t get over your cranky mood, you’re going to be hoisted over it and carried to the lake for a refresher.” She crosses her arms as she throws his words back at him.
Keith bursts out laughing as she turns on her heel and heads for the stairs, mumbling something to his parents and making them laugh too.
“Oh, dear, I just love her,” his mother calls out.
Yeah, he can see that. “All right, Keith,” he says, fighting his smile. Christ, she is something else. He was not expecting her feistiness. “Thanks for bringing her back. You can go inside.”
Keith twists his mouth, trying hard not to laugh again. “At the risk of stepping over the line, my friend, that girl is perfect for you.” He slaps Cole on the shoulder as he runs inside.
Savannah
I crawl onto the couch, burrowing under the blanket Abigail wrapped around me, and am handed a cup of coffee. Daniel is lost in thought, and Sue is sitting across from me, grinning.
“I’m sorry.” She chuckles. “I just keep picturing Cole’s face when you hit him with the snowball.”
“It was pretty funny,” June chimes in, holding a plate of brownies in front of me. “Try one.”
I take one off the plate and bite into it. “Oh, wow.” I savor the taste on my tongue. “June, these are delicious.”
“Savannah, were you dating anyone before?” Sue blurts out.
“No.”
“I’m surprised a beautiful woman like you isn’t married with a possible child on the way.”
“Let’s just say I didn’t meet Mr. Right back in my old life.” I glance at June then stare down at the piece of brownie in my fingers. It is slowly melting.
“Perhaps you’ll find him in this life,” Sue says, smiling.
“Perhaps what?” Cole asks as he takes a seat. He drapes his arm around the back of the couch behind me. I see Sue beaming again.
“Girl talk, dear,” his mother says quickly.
Cole looks at his father. “Sorry, Dad.”
“Yeah,” Daniel sighs.
I glance at Cole. “Do you still need me to enforce Code Forty-Five? Or are you out of your crabby mood?” I grin as he shakes his head, grabbing my hand with the brownie in it and nipping it out from between my fingers. “Hey!” I laugh.
“Mmm, warm brownie,” he moans, rolling his eyes back.
“Perhaps she already has,” Abigail whispers to Sue, but I catch it.
“Oh, I think I can hear Christina’s heart breaking from here.” June chuckles.
“Aunt June!” Cole’s expression suddenly turns serious.
“Who’s Christina?” I ask, wondering why she mentioned her.
“She’s been in love with Cole since she moved here four years ago.” Sue shrugs. “She’s a bit on the crazy side.”
“Please don’t start, ladies,” Cole warns.
“Why would her heart break?” As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I feel like an ass.
“Because I’m not interested in her,” he answers quickly. “One date, and she was practically making wedding plans and naming our babies.”
“What was the name for the boy again?” Abigail laughs to her sister.
“Fritter.” June slaps her hand over her mouth to hide the smile.
“As in apple fritter?” I ask, barely containing myself.
“Exactly!” Sue and Abigail chime at the same time.
I look up at Cole. “Fritter Logan. Sounds like a character from Lord of the Rings!”
Daniel bursts out laughing. “Oh, my God, it does!”
“Any time you’re all finished.” Cole flops his head back against the couch.
“Ohhh.” I pat his leg. His hand falls on top of mine, holding it there for a moment.
“Obviously, if I had known she was that crazy, I wouldn’t have agreed to the date in the first place. Last time I let Mark set me up on a blind date.”
“Hey, man, she’s hot,” Mark says, sitting next to Abigail. I try to pull my hand away from Cole’s, but his grip tightens. I wonder what he’s thinking, but he doesn’t look down at me. “I didn’t know she was bat shit crazy!”
“Mouth.” Abigail swats his arm.
“All I saw was a fine ass and a pretty face,” Mark says, earning two swats. “Hey,” he complains, “you’re always telling me to be honest, so here I am, and what do I get?” He gives Abigail a kiss on her cheek. I can see how much he adores his adopted mother.
“I ran into Christina yesterday,” Dell says, joining our conversation. “Cole, I guess you left you
r coat there Thursday.”
Thursday? The day they arrived home from their trip? I feel a strange pang of jealousy, and what makes it worse is Cole flinches. This time I pull my hand out quickly enough that he can’t stop it.
“What’s with her keeping it so bloody hot in there? I swear she does it so she can wear those skimpy outfits. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining—”
“Dell,” Sue holds out her glass, “could you get me a refill, please?”
“Oh, of course.” He scoops up her glass. “Anyone else?”
“Scotch, neat,” Cole blurts.
Mark’s grin grows a little wider, making me wonder if that means something.
“So, Savannah,” Sue says brightly, “would you like to join the ladies and me in town tomorrow for a spa day?”
“Umm…” I fumble with my words, having mixed feelings about leaving the house, but it’s not every day I get a chance to be pampered. “That sounds nice, thank you.”
“Keith and Paul will join you,” Cole informs his mother.
“Of course, son.” She nods like she’s used to him speaking this way. “We’ll take good care of Savannah.”
I sigh, wishing I didn’t have to be treated like a child. Cole’s fingers start rubbing my neck, and I’m confused by his public display of affection. I catch Daniel’s eye, and he grins then looks away. Maybe they’re fine with it? I wonder what was said between the two of them. I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation.
Dell hands Cole his drink and perches on the arm of the couch next to me.
Mark checks his watch and smacks his hands together. “Puck drops in five minutes, guys!”
“Who’s playing?” Sue asks.
“Kings and Blackhawks,” I answer, not really thinking about it. Mark and Cole both stare at me. “What? I have male cousins. It’s embedded in me to catch the highlights and knows who’s playing.” I shrug.
“Who’s your favorite team?” Mark asks, quieting down the group. He shifts forward on the couch and looks very serious.
“Penguins,” I say, feeling strong loyalty toward my favorite team.
Mark jumps in the air with a shout. He pulls me up, wrapping his arms around me.
“Listen up, everyone!” he calls with his arm over my shoulders. “Miller is a Penguins fan!”
The entire room breaks out in cheers. I laugh and shake my head. I have to admit it feels pretty damn good being in a room full of people who genuinely like me for me.
Dell grabs my hand before I can sit. “I think I just fell in love with you,” he says, deadpan. “Marry me!”
“Well, with a proposal like that…” I joke. “Hell, yeah, sugar, I’ll marry you.”
“One condition.” He points at me. “We get married in our jerseys.”
“Oh, Dell,” I fan my face, using a southern belle accent, “it all sounds so classy.”
“I know.” He winks.
It doesn’t take much convincing for the boys to have me join them to watch the game. Nine of us sit in the entertainment room watching the seventy-inch TV. The announcer blares all around us—I count six surround sound speakers.
I’m in the back corner with Cole, feeling pretty beat after the day, sipping a stiff Dell-made drink called Tale of the Devil.
“Please know,” Cole squeezes my hand under the blanket, “I just went to pick up a package at Christina’s store. It was hot, and she made me wait, so I removed my jacket and forgot it there, nothing more.”
“Cole, we weren’t together then anyway,” I whisper, downing the last of the drink.
“I thought we were.”
“Logan, phone call,” John interrupts us from the doorway. “Line three.”
“Shit.” Cole rubs his face. “I have to take this. Be right back.” He pats my hand then leaves.
“Another, Savi? It will help you sleep,” Dell says with a wink.
I nod, loving the idea of sleep.
I remember seeing the score 2-0 Kings near the end of the third period. I stir to Mark trying to wake me. It isn’t happening. “I’m fine here,” I mutter.
“Come on, you.” Mark scoops me up.
“You don’t have to carry me,” I mumble. “I can—I think…nope, I can’t walk—thingsssss are blurry.”
“You’re slurring your words.” He laughs. “You sound like a hissing cobra with those dark eyes of yours.” That makes an image flash in front of me.
“Cobra, cobra,” I pronounce the word carefully. “I’ve seen a gold cobra.”
“Wow, you really don’t drink much, do you?”
“Two cobras, after he hit my face.”
Mark stops. “Who hit your face?”
“American man.” My head flops to the side. I’m so tired. “I remember now. I’ve seen him before.” Mark sits me down on the bottom of the stairs. He pulls out his cell and calls someone. I lean against the wall, watching the stairs blur together as another memory comes to me. “He has a ring that has—” I tip forward, but Mark grabs my shoulders, stopping me.
“What has she had?” Cole’s voice booms in front of me.
“A tail,” I answer, very matter-of-fact. “Wait, now, that’s not right.”
“She’s had two Tale of the Devils.” Mark moves over as Cole comes into view.
“And I saw two cobras,” I remind Mark.
“Yes, Savi. Gold, right?”
“Mmmhmmm.” I nod. “With black eyes.”
“Where did you see this?” Cole asks.
“Right after he hit my face. It hurt a lot.”
“The American,” Mark adds. “She said she’s seen him before, something about a ring.”
“Yes, a ring,” I squint at my fingers, trying recall which finger it was. Cole takes my hands in his.
“Where else have you seen him, Savi? The American.”
Memories start flashing in front of me. They’re all going by so fast.
“Baby, look at me.”
I try to focus. I hate when these flashbacks come; it stirs so many emotions.
“It’s okay, I’m here,” he reassures me.
“Once at a restaurant with Lynn. He was at the bar, watching me,” I say quietly, trying to concentrate. “And at the market.” My head turns to one side as I remember something else. “His boots made a sound that was different, like nails tapping on tile.” I lower my voice. “He came to my prison one night.” I swallow, remembering. “He stood over my bed, staring down at me.” I raise my hand to my lips. “He whispered something in Spanish and kissed his two fingers and pressed them to my forehead.”
“Do you remember what he said?”
“Yeah, he said, ‘Pronto serás mia, mi amor.’”
Cole’s eyes widen, and fear runs across his face.
“Are you sure that’s what he said? Think, Savannah.”
I nod a bunch of times. “Yes, I wanted to know what it meant so I could research it, but forgot about it until now.” I push my hair out of my face. “I think I might be drunk. Wait-wait! What does it mean?”
“I’ll tell you in the morning.” He scoops me up and carries me up the stairs.
My head is spinning like a Ferris wheel. “You don’t have to carry me!”
I hear him laugh as I open my eyes and squint, focusing on his jawline. He has a five o’clock shadow that’s begging my fingers to trace along the outline.
“You’re very handsome, you know that?”
“And you’re very beautiful.”
“I’m engaged,” I joke.
“Oh, baby, the only guy who will ever have a ring on that finger of yours is me.”
My heart stops—did he just say that? I decide to see if he did.
“Mmm, Savannah Logan, I rather like the sound of that.”
“Me too.” He pulls back the blankets and sits me on his bed.
Huh, I guess he did. “You’re very confident,” I say with a grin.
“I’m confident when I know I’m right about something.”
“Wait, you just walked me through the front door of your bedroom.” I look around. “Someone will see!”
“I don’t care. Arms up.”
I do, falling forward. “I think I might be really drunk, which is bad, because drunk girls are not flattering.”
He pulls off my top and replaces it with one of his t-shirts. “Well, I kind of like you like this.” I smile at his words. He leans me back and starts undoing my pants.
I grin, lifting my hips off the bed.
“I know that look.” He smiles back at me. “And trust me, baby, there’s nothing I want to do more than to sink myself deep inside you. But I will not have our first time end with you passing out on me.”
I moan. “I love that you’re such a gentleman.” He pulls my pants off and looks down at my panties.
“Yeah…it feels great right now,” he says sarcastically, closing his eyes and taking a moment. “Come on, under the blankets you go,” he says as he tucks me in.
“You’re still dressed.” I yawn.
“I am.” He sighs. “I still have some work to do.”
The room is spinning. I watch him shake two different pills into my hand.
“Take these.” He supports me and helps me drink some water. Way too out of it to even ask what they are, I close my eyes and feel him stroke my hair.
“Will you come to me later?” I mumble as I drift off to sleep.
“I always will.”
Cole
Cole pours himself a fourth cup of coffee. He is beyond beat. He only got two hours of sleep on his office couch while going over reports for York’s case. Frank is arriving in twenty, and he needs to get his head in the game. Outside his window, he sees the guys heading up the mountain for their morning training, and he wishes he could join them and burn off some tension.
Checking the time to ensure he catches Savannah before she leaves for the spa, he hurries down the hallway and finds her pulling on her jacket in the entryway as she chats with his mother.
“Hey, I thought you were training with the guys.” She smiles up at him.
“I wish,” he mutters. “Can I speak with you for a moment?” She follows him into a room.
