“Fine, fine,” I muttered.I hopped up on one of the stools at the island and spun once, then twice, until the faint pressure behind my eyes reminded me not to push it.
I stopped.
“You okay?”he asked, casual but not careless.
“I’m fine,” I said.“Just… tired.”
He didn’t argue.He just grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and set it in front of me.
Subtle bastard.
“Drink,” he grunted.
I took a drink.
Cole’s phone buzzed.
Once.
He ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Something in his posture changed.Not dramatically.Just enough that my stomach tightened.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, already moving down the hallway.
I watched him go, every instinct in me suddenly sharp.
I didn’t follow him.I wasn’t that girl.But I also wasn’t oblivious.
I listened.
His voice was low, clipped.I couldn’t hear words, just the tone.Controlled.Focused.The kind of voice that didn’t match the vibe we had going between us.
I traced my fingers over my lips and sighed, thinking about our kiss.God, that had been a good kiss.Not that I doubted kissing Cole would suck, but it exceeded all expectations.
When he came back, his face was calm.Too calm.
I met his eyes.“You good?”
“Yeah.”
I waited.
He leaned back against the counter across from me, arms crossed loosely, like he was deciding how much truth I could handle.
“Got a lead on the guys who jumped you,” he said.
My breath hitched before I could stop it.“Really?”
He didn’t dodge the question.I appreciated that.“Pretty sure they work for the pipeline.Mason asked around, and four guys who work on a crew there match the guys who hurt you,” he said.
Cold slid down my spine.“They’re still around?”I asked.
“From what Mason can gather, though he hasn’t seen them.Wrecker wants a group of us to head up there and find them.”
I studied him.“You’re sure?”
