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I huff. “Seriously, Cole?” I raise an eyebrow—one he probably can’t see properly in the darkened room, but my tone leaves no room argument. “You came home on edge, Lucas looked like hewas ready to slice someone up, then used his knife to reassure him of the control he seeks. Oh, and Jace came home resembling his former self—Rage. The part of him I was hoping he’d forgotten. Hoping those demons were gone...” I’d hoped with Martin extinguished from our lives that Jace would have found peace and laid his demons to rest.
Cole drags a hand over his head. “Tia...”
I sit up, preparing for battle. He only wants to protect me, but I’m not a damsel in distress. I’ve been through hell, and I’m still standing. “Cole, whatever is about to come out of your mouth, don’t you dare lie to me.”
My eyes lock with his in a silent stare off as I sit up and cross my arms over my chest, and his eyes to dart toward my tits being thrust higher, which are swollen from needing to feed Mia. His head rises from the pillow, and his gaze turns ravenous, then heat floods my body at the intensity of his glare, but I refuse to give in to him. Refuse to let the hunger radiating from him distract me from our conversation.
“And don’t even think about touching my tits if you’re going to lie to me.” I jut my chin out.
Cole gives a low awkward chuckle. “Jeez, Tia, bringing out the big guns now, huh?”
I narrow my eyes. He’s trying to turn the conversation into something amusing and pull me away from what’s happening with the guys—the truth.
“You’ve no idea what I’m prepared to do if you keep shit from me.”
He swallows and turns away from me, as if attempting to mask his worry, and that action alone sends alarm bells ringing in my head. He’s hiding something.
They’re hiding something.
They’re keeping secrets from me, and I hate it.
“It was just a meeting about a deal, one that didn’t go as planned, that’s all.” Cole throws back the sheet and gets up from the bed. Then he tugs on his joggers. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, Tia. It’s nothing that we can’t handle.”
He keeps his back to me as he talks, and that speaks volumes in itself. Cole needs reassurance, and without it, he panics, blocks the world out, and unravels. Much like now.
“I’m going to go and blow off some steam in the gym. Don’t wait up.” He slips his feet into his sneakers while I lie in bed watching him head toward the door.
“Cole?”
He stops with his hand on the knob and turns his head over his shoulder. The light from the corridor allows me to see what I couldn’t see in the dark. It allows me to witness the pained expression on his face, the worry marring his features, the lies clouding his judgment. I can see it all. And most prominently, I see the terror etched into each and every worry line, and each pore oozes with concern, and it’s directed straight at me.
Fear turns my blood cold, my stomach rolls with nausea, and the threat of sickness wells deep inside me, threatening to expel at any second.
This look in his eyes, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and I can’t help the shudder taking over me, nor can I help the words that slice through the air toward him, no matter how much they cut me as I say them.
“Secrets have a way of coming out, Cole. And when they do, they can be brutal to everyone you love.”
His body jolts at my words, his shoulders tense, and then he does the inevitable and turns his back and walks through the door, taking my heart with him.
And a little of my trust too.
Chapter
Five
COLE
“Ifucking lied to her, man! Me!” I slam my finger into my chest for emphasis, then clench my hand into a fist and punch the bag again and again. Then I run at the other punchbag, delivering a roundhouse kick that’s as savage and consuming as I feel.
My whole body is alive with anger, sheer terror, and despair. I hate feeling like this—fucking hate it. All I want to do is hold her, treasure her.
But how can I do that when I’m lying to her.
Sweat drips from my forehead onto the floor. “I fucking lied to her.” My shoulders deflate.
“Big fucking deal. I ate the last Captain Crunch and told her it was Harps, she’ll get over it.” Rage shrugs as if it’s nothing.
Narrowing my eyes, I glare at him.Is he serious right now?
