Then I notice a detail in the SUV that almost catches my breath. There might be a chance. If I manage to make the call in time.
I’m leaving when JJ’s voice cuts through: “Late for a date?”
“I don’t do dates,” I drawl.
“You only do the golden boy now?” Ronnie snickers.
JJ blows smoke in my face. “Keith got real interested when I mentioned him. Said he likes a talented mouth like that.”
My blood ices. Just hearing Cole’s name twisted in their mouths feels like a violation. My hand twitches toward my gun. I can’t blow my cover. But I won’t let them talk about him like that, either.Fuck my life.
“I’m getting seriously pissed off with your crazy shit,” I snarl.
Ronnie barks a laugh. “Aww, he’s got it bad.”
JJ squints at me, clearly enjoying himself.
“Can’t blame him, though,” he says more to Ronnie than me. “Cole Hudson’s got class. That mouth. That tight ass. Hell, if Keith doesn’t—”
My vision goes red.
The cop in me knows I’ve got to stay ice-cold.
The man in me wins.
“Say his name again,” I warn, stepping in so fast JJ stumbles. My voice is low, furious. “And I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever say. Teeth, tongue, breath — gone.”
A long silence follows. Ronnie’s knife clicks open and shut, just inches away. Then JJ crushes the cigarette under his boot.
“Noted,” he mutters. Liar.
Back at Frankie’s, I call Keller.
When I tell him I threatened JJ, he unloads his entire vocabulary of curses. Well, too bad. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Sleep doesn’t come easy that night. Instead, I remember another night.
Our first date.
***
The quiet rushed in when I killed the engine. For a while, we just sat there.
“Have you ever seen the stars properly?” I asked, wincing. But Cole smiled. “Not like this.”
We spread out the blanket I took from home. Just for this moment. A smile tucked on Cole’s lips, a quiet approval.
We laid back, arms brushing just enough to make every nerve in my body feel alive.
The sky was insane with so many stars it almost hurt to look.
I glanced sideways at Cole. He watched the constellations with a focused look, like he was trying to memorize the universe.
“I should come here to write songs,” he said dreamily. I nodded. This place would be perfect for that.
We fell into a charged silence, and suddenly it hit me.We were finally here.
“Cole,” I whispered.
