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“Yesterday, Cole received an anonymous message,” Taco chimed in.
A heavy hush fell over the room, and I glanced at Cole. For the first time ever, I saw sincere fear flicker in his gaze.
“Cole?” I asked softly. “What is it?”
ChapterEleven
“They threatened to hurt you and our family, Shae,” Cole explained. His mask of indifference faltered for a moment before it slipped back into place.
The room tilted on its side as his words sank in. Within a few days, I’d gone from being a spoiled, wealthy girl tucked away in a sheltered world to living in reality full of lies and danger.
My attention swept the group, searching for a smile or someone attempting to hide their chuckle, but everyone remained solemn. I tossed my hands up in front of me. “Okay, the joke can stop now. I am absolutely nothing to anyone except my daddy.”
“That’s not true.” King shot Cole a look, then he focused on me again. “Cole needs to talk to you about everything else, so I’m gonna shut my mouth now. Just know you’ll be seeing a lot more of us.”
“My father and Julia are in danger,” I whispered as tears clouded my vision, and I mentally begged them to tell me all of this was a sick joke. If they were hurt—or worse—because of Cole, I would make it my life’s mission to bury him alive.
Warm fingers wrapped around my biceps, and I peered up into Cole’s eyes. Regret and sorrow flashed in his face. My stomach twisted into knots. “Samuel wants to hire a bodyguard. He’ll take care of them. I’ll take care of you and so will the MC.”
A cry escaped me, and I smacked a hand over my mouth, attempting to regain control over my emotions. Finally, I turned to King. “Can you protect my family?” My voice trembled with my question. I had no problem breaking the law if it meant the people I loved most were safe.
“Yeah. But we gotta know who we’re dealing with. We have a few leads, but nothing solid yet. All of Cole’s associates are under suspicion.”
I squared my shoulders. If I was asking an MC for help, I needed to show them I was capable of keeping my shit together. “If you keep Daddy and Julia safe, then you have my loyalty. I’ll never mention the business meeting again, nor will I ever tell anyone if you choose to use ... unsavory methods to protect my dad and stepmom.”
King peered past me, then nodded. “Consider it done.”
I wasn’t sure why King had agreed so quickly, but I suspected it had to do with Cole and the gang being close. It was finally dawning on me that I was in danger and safe at the same time because of the man that stood next to me—my stepbrother.
“I think I need some air.” I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to hold myself together as this new information crashed down on me. A heavy weight settled on my chest as I opened the front door and hurried down the sidewalk to the gravel driveway. Heavy footsteps reached my ears. Glancing behind me, I spotted Taco approaching his motorcycle.
I wondered if he might provide some helpful insight. “Are you leaving?”
Taco mounted his ride and pulled his helmet on. “Yeah, I gotta be somewhere. It was good to meet you, finally.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “Cole talks about me?”
Taco coughed into his hand, attempting to hide his smile. “He’s mentioned your name every once in a while.”
I nodded and stepped closer. “I like your bike,” I said, tracing my fingertips along the blue and white flames that traveled over the side of the fuel tank. “Maybe you can take me for a ride sometime.” I glanced at him, assessing his body language, but I couldn’t get a read on what he was thinking.
“As much as I would love to have you on the back of my bike, I can’t. You’re Co—”
“Shae.” Cole’s tone was clipped as he quickly walked through the front door to me. He grabbed my hand, scowling. “Get inside.” I didn’t miss the dirty look he shot Taco.
Taco tipped his chin up. “It’s all good, man. Later.” With that, he started his motorcycle, the rumble echoing through the property.
“Why do you have to ruin everything?” I attempted to jerk away from Cole, but he tightened his grip. “Cole, learning about our family being threatened … it was a lot to take in. I just wanted a ride to take my mind off things for a while.” My chin trembled against my will. I couldn’t fall apart in front of him.
Cole towered above me, then gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I know. I’m sorry you got pulled into this mess.”
Completely taken off guard by his moment of humanity, I reminded myself that the monster inside him would return in seconds, and not to get my hopes up that we could meet on common ground.
“Please don’t let anything happen to Daddy and Julia.” A lump clogged my throat at the thought of losing them. I’d already lost Mom. I couldn’t lose them, too.
Cole tilted my chin up, our eyes connecting. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect Mom and Samuel.”
Silence filled the space between us. “So, these guys.” I nodded at the house. “Are they into some deep shit? Illegal stuff?”
