Page 78 of Cole

I turned and started back toward my bike. I had to get the hell out of here, now, before something inside me broke.

“Cole!” Isabelle’s voice pulled at my heart, tempting me to turn around and go back to her. No. This ends now.

“How am I going to get home?” she called after me. “My phone is dead. My car is⁠—”

“Not my problem,” I tossed over my shoulder at her.

I got on my bike and kicked it to life. I took off and put a few miles between us before I pulled over and called Maddox.

“I need a pickup, Watson’s Pass. Precious cargo.”

“So precious you left her there?”

“She’s safer there alone, than anywhere with me,” I ground out. “Make sure she gets home safe.”

“Got it, boss.”

twenty-five

ISABELLE

The scream of the coffee machine was like an ice pick to my brain as I watched the barista at The Grind expertly make the biggest, blackest brew known to man.

“Don’t you want some milk with that rocket fuel?” Eve asked.

“No. After last night, I need this.” I gripped the coffee possessively before the barista even had a chance to fully set it down.

“Ok, ok, I won’t take it from you today, but you need to get back on your treatment plan tomorrow. Black coffee is your ruin.”

I sighed as I took a long sip of the dark, bitter, caramelly liquid. It soothed my ragged nerves.

“After last night, I don’t know how you can drink anything stimulating… it sounded terrifying.” I’d caved as soon as Eve had looked at my puffy, red eyes this morning, courtesy of a sleepless, tearful night, and told her everything. She wouldn’t tell anyone, except Beckett.

I nodded. “It was. Don’t get me wrong. It was absolutely terrifying. I don’t think I’ve fully processed that yet. Maybe I can stick it somewhere deep down inside where I keep all my other trauma. Keep it cozy and in good company, you know?”

Eve shook her head, setting down her coffee and pulling her legs up on the chair so she could hug them.

“Sounds healthy. You know what’s weird, though?” Eve tapped her lip, looking thoughtful.

“What?”

“Cole. He’s not an easy guy to get to know. I don’t think he worries about random strangers lightly.”

“Meaning?” I asked, my heart beating faster when I did so.

“Meaning, he seems like he was really worried about you getting hurt.”

“Yeah, I guess doing shady deals where college students get shot wouldn’t do his reputation any favors.”

Eve just shrugged. “Sounds like he was madder than that. You’re not just some random college student to him. You’ve hooked up. Something has happened between you two. It’s not crazy if he’s caught feelings for you. You’re pretty lovable.”

I smacked her arm. “I’m a hard-hitting journalist who takes no prisoners, remember?” I let out a bitter laugh. “Until I freaked out about writing an actual exposé on someone engaged in criminal activity. It sounds like I’m the one who caught feelings, not him. If I hadn’t crossed those lines, I could have been writing the article of my life on the Harbor Hounds right now, and getting the hell out of this town.”

“Yeah, except Cole isn’t just some bad guy villain who you could out and not care about… he’s not a bad person.”

I looked out the window, blinking furiously to keep my tears at bay. No, he wasn’t, and he deserved so much better than the life he had.

My phone beeped on the table, and I glanced at it.