Cole shook his head. “Where are the women, Goodyear?”
“Get the fuck out. I’ve had enough of this.” He grabbed his phone and started tapping. “There are no women, now get the fuck out of here.”
He wasn’t going to tell us.
Disappointment tasted like dust. I gripped Cole’s hand.
“Let’s go,” Nash murmured.
“Yes, get gone.” Goodyear sounded smug now.
I felt Cole quiver and knew he was holding himself back.
As we left the room, Goodyear raised his voice. “You’ll all pay for this. No one fucks with Chadwick Goodyear. You hear me? You’ll pay.”
I closed my eyes against his horrible voice. I was more worried about Ava-Jane and those women paying.
CHAPTER 22
COLE
“Thanks, Cole. Great session, as always.”
My client Chris held out a hand and we shook. We were standing outside the Darkwolf Tactical warehouse. The late afternoon sun was painting the desert golden orange. I’d just finished a close quarters combat session with Chris and his team. It had gone well. I’d worked with him before. He ran a small security outfit out of Phoenix.
“You’ve got a good team,” I said.
“I do. And we always benefit from your training. See you next time.” With a wave, he walked to the dusty SUV where his guys were loading up their gear.
I watched them drive away, and instantly my thoughts turned to Lili. She was inside, up in the office keeping herself busy, but I knew she was terrified for Ava-Jane.
After the confrontation with Goodyear last night, neither of us had slept well. Lili had been restless, and I’d woken from a nightmare.
My gaze shifted to the mountains on the horizon.
It was time to end this.
It was time to make Goodyear pay and ensure Lili was safe.
Nash and his team were working overtime to find Ava-Jane and the other women. We knew their time was running out. Goodyear knew we were onto him.
I headed back inside. I could hear Lili humming from upstairs and I smiled. Quietly, I took the stairs then leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb to watch her.
I felt things inside me ease. God, she was so damn pretty. She was wearing simple jeans and a billowy white shirt with some lace detailing. Her hair was in a ponytail today. She had her jewelry stuff all over the desk, although I knew she’d done my bookkeeping earlier.
Mine.
The word echoed in my head. Now that I’d had her—my cock inside her, her asleep in my arms, her crying on my chest, her smiling at me—my damn body and brain both considered her mine.
I knew I had to kill Goodyear. I’d been working up to that for a long time. She said she understood my need for revenge. That she saw me.
But a part of me wondered if she’d still look at me the same once I’d killed him.
She deserved so much better.
She deserved a guy who’d let her live in the light. Who’d give her a damn house with a picket fence and babies.
The startling image of Lili, her belly swollen with our child, smiling up at me, hit me hard.
