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“She knows you’re safe with me.”
“Not sure safe is an accurate word,” I quipped.
Cole ignored my jab as he located a washcloth from the cabinet, wet it, then knelt in front of me. He gently cleaned around the ripped-open skin on my left knee.
I sucked in a sharp breath and flinched, trying to keep my leg still.
He dabbed at my shin with the cool cloth. “It’s worse than I thought.”
I peeked at him, not wanting to look at the raw and bloody wounds.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said so softly I almost didn’t hear him. He glanced up at me, his blue eyes softening.
“Okay.” I was afraid to say anything, because I wouldn’t shut up long enough to give him an opportunity to provide me with some much-needed answers.
Cole remained quiet as he continued to take care of me. He located the hydrogen peroxide and poured a bit over the wound.
The bubbles foamed, and my leg jerked. I released a groan while I clenched my fingers into tight fists. “Son of a bitch, that stings!”
“I know.”
Finally giving into the whirlwind of thoughts in my head, I blew out a sigh. “Why, Cole? Why did you beat the shit out of Ibrahim, then haul me off like a little kid in trouble? I don’t understand.”
Cole began working on the opposite leg. “I ...” He paused and held my gaze. In a heartbeat, his face changed, and his stony, unreadable expression slipped into place.
“First, why did you leak the video?” I figured if I was going to make any progress, I needed to dumb it down for him. One topic at a time, like our parents did when we were little.
“I didn’t.”
What?
“You’re lying. You were the only person that had access to the recording. I assume you had a copy on your phone, then when you saw me at the party you shared it to make a point.”
Cole poured peroxide on the second ripped-open knee, and I gripped the sides of the toilet, releasing a scream. Tears welled in my eyes as I glared at him, willing knives to stab him a million times. “Fuck. You.” I stood, forcing myself to walk away from him.
“You assumed wrong.”
I looked over my shoulder. Cole leaned against the bathroom door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. As if he realized he wasn’t comfortable, he strolled into the kitchen, and I followed.
“What do you mean?” I grabbed a barstool at the island and eased onto it, holding my breath from the pain shooting through my shins. “If it wasn’t you, who was it?”
Cole opened the fridge and removed two Coronas. He popped the lids off, then placed one in front of me. I eyed it grudgingly. “Don’t suppose you have anything stronger?”
“I do, but you’re going to be on the back of my bike again, which means I need you sober so you don’t get crazy and cause me to wreck. Samuel would be pissed at me.”
Finally, more than a few words!
I wrapped my fingers around the cold bottle, then tilted it up and guzzled it like one of the good ol’ boys. I smirked at him as I set the beer down on the granite with a thud.
“Who leaked the recording, Cole? And don’t give me a bullshit story. I know you were behind it.”
Cole took a pull from his drink. “It was my fault, but I didn’t leak the video. There was a period of time my phone was unlocked and unattended, so I’m not sure who did it.” His tone was calm and cool, and I wanted to crack his hard exterior in half to see if he was actually human. Nothing seemed to bother him. Ever. I fucking hated it.
As much as I despised his overall attitude, I was secretly relieved that he hadn’t released the video. There was a possibility he was lying, but that wasn’t Cole. He might be aloof or not answer me, but I’d never caught him in a lie. Key word being caught.
“Why did you let me think it was you, then?” I tapped my nails against the countertop, already growing tired of his games.
He gave me a half-shrug. “It didn’t really matter who you blamed. The damage was done.”
