thirty-six
Charlie
Itry not to fret as I listen to Spencer keep up a friendly stream of chatter while he cleans my cuts and bruises. I know what he’s trying to accomplish. It’s a distraction. A way to put me at ease and take my mind off whatever is happening on the other side of these walls. But it’s hard not to worry, knowing Cole is out there with no one to watch his back. I have faith in his abilities. Logically, I know he can take Jason. But my ex is a cunning man. One who’s not above playing dirty, and Cole’s been treated like a human piñata for the past, I don’t even know how long. I can’t help but feel uneasy about the two of them facing off.
Maddox, who’s been barking orders at his men while simultaneously communicating with someone via radio about getting aclean-up crew out here, must sense where my head is at, for he gets off his device and makes his way over to me. He lays a comforting hand on my shoulder and offers me a gentle smile before saying, “You can relax, Charlie. It’ll be a cold day in hell before Cole gets overpowered by that spineless weasel.”
“He’s hurt,” I say simply, silently pleading with him to go out there and check on his friend.
“He could be on the brink of death and still handle that skinny piece of shit. Trust me on this, alright? I’ve seen Cole in action. I wouldn’t want to mess with him on a good day, let alone when he’s as fired up as he is right now, and I don’t mean to brag, but I’m a well-trained killing machine,” he says, flashing me a row of pearly whites in an attempt to lighten the mood. “The only reason it’s taking so long, and you haven’t heard a gunshot yet, is because I asked him to keep it clean, and weapons tend to have the opposite effect. We already have to pick up after these pricks. I’d rather not have to scrub a second scene.”
I look at the spot where Razor and Bones met their maker. Mad’s team has already removed the bodies from the building, but my stomach still turns as I survey the large area of blood covering the dirt floor.
“Don’t worry,” Mads says, following my line of sight. “By the time we’re done, you’ll never know what went down here. My guys are nothing but professional.”
“I wasn’t worried. This whole useless building is coming down at the first opportunity, anyway,” I mutter. Our heads snap to the back of the building when a large figure darkens the doorway, and Cole steps inside, heading straight for me. He looks like something straight out of a nightmare, covered in blood, cuts, and bruises, but he’s my nightmare, and the sight of him makes me feel like I can finally take a full breath. His split knuckles suggest he made sure Jason’s last moments weren’t enjoyable, and somehow, even in the face of his ruthlessness, all I feel is relief. Less than half an hour ago, I was convinced he was a dead man. I watched him get beaten within an inch of his life, unable to do anything but take the punches he was dealt. Now he’s walking toward me like some harbinger of death. Whole and alive, if a little worse for wear.
“It’s done. Make sure that fucker disappears,” he says when he steps up beside Maddox, who simply nods before he walks away to give us privacy. Spencer, who’s done about all he can for me, rises to his feet.
“She’s alright. That bastard definitely deserved whatever it was you did to him out there for messing up such a pretty face, but most of it is superficial and won’t leave any permanent damage.”
“I appreciate you looking after her, but mention her pretty face again, and I’ll rearrange yours for you,” Cole says through a set of clenched teeth. “My emotions got the better of me and I snapped that motherfucker’s neck too soon. Left me feeling rather unsatisfied and a little twitchy.”
Spencer chuckles and slaps him on the back. “Understood. Come find me once you’ve had a chance to catch up with your girl. I’ll fix you up as best I can, but you may want to head to the hospital once things have settled down. I can promise you won’t feel this cocky once the adrenaline wears off.”
Cole gives the younger man a nod, and we’re finally left alone. He doesn’t hesitate, dropping to one knee and pulling me into his arms. He squeezes me so tight it’s almost painful, but I don’t protest. I feel his need to hold on. To reassure himself that I’m okay. That I’m still here, and so is he, and the threat is finally eliminated.
Jason is gone.
He’ll never have power over us again because Cole made sure of it. He took a man’s life for me. I’m in the arms of a stone-cold murderer, and I’ve never felt safer. I don’t know what that says about me, but it’s something to take a closer look at later. Now, I simply want to bask in this moment and take comfort in his embrace. I feel his deep exhale against my neck a second before he reluctantly pulls back to look me over.
“God, Charlie. I’m just so glad these guys got here before he could…” He can’t bring himself to say the words, and I don’t blame him. I can’t even fathom an alternate reality in which Maddox and his team showed up even two seconds later. The thought of Jason once again forcing himself on me sends a shudder down my spine. “If he’d hurt you while I was helpless to do anything. I don’t think I could’ve lived with myself.”
“You knew Maddox was on his way,” I state, realizing why he’s been so calm through all of this, when he should’ve been terrified.
“I knew he was coming. What I didn’t know was when. Mads told me he’d be here the second he could safely extract his team from their current mission to help search for you. I kept sending him status updates over the past three days, and I knew he’d do everything in his power to get here as fast as possible. I was just trying to drag this out for as long as I could to give them more time.” Cole shakes his head, regret flashing in his amber eyes. “I was stupid and reckless. I should’ve called Moseley the second I had a hunch where Jason was holding you.”
“You hesitated because you wanted him out of our lives for good. And thank God you did, because after what he almost did to me just now, prison would’ve been too mild of a sentence.”
Cole drags a hand down his face, smudging the blood on his cheeks as he goes, which only makes him look more menacing.
“I took a huge risk, and when it comes to you, there’s no room for error, baby. I need to keep you safe.”
“And you did,” I say, interrupting his downward spiral. “You did,” I tell him once more, cupping his face and bringing our foreheads together. “You did everything you could to keep his attention on you. God, I wanted to get up and punch you myself for goading him the way you did. You sacrificed yourself to keep me out of harm’s way, so stop beating yourself up. He’s gone, and he’ll never be able to hurt me again. I won’t have to hide and live in fear anymore. I’m finally free. You’ve given me that, and no matter where we go from here, I’ll forever be grateful.”
“The only way to go from here is forward. Together. You’re stuck with me now, Charlotte Delaney. Try to get rid of me, I dare you.”
“You were serious earlier? You’re really going to stay? For me?”
“Baby,” he murmurs, tilting his head and looking at me with the most tender expression. “I just willingly walked into the lion’s den, got myself strung up and beaten by a bunch of outlaw bikers, all in hopes of getting you out of here alive. I just about had a coronary when he put his grimy hands on you while I could do nothing but watch. I made sure he paid for that before he died, by the way. Tonight, I snapped a man’s neck like a fucking twig to make sure you never have to look at the face of your abuser again. You reallythink I’d just walk away from you, after all that, and live half a life in fucking DC while the woman of my dreams is waiting on the other side of the country?” He shakes his head, an incredulous sound bursting from his nose. “I may be reckless, but I’m no fool. I had a taste of what it’s like to walk this earth without you these past seventy-two hours, and I don’t ever want to experience that again. I love you, my little Tinkerbell.”
A sob bubbles out of me, and I drop my forehead to his chest to hide my face. I can only imagine what I must look like, with my cracked lips and swollen face. Add tears and a snotty nose to that, and I’m certain the sight of me is anything but pretty. “I love you, too,” I mumble against the fabric of his shirt. “So, so much.”
“Good,” I hear him say before he presses a kiss to the crown of my head. “Now, can we please get out of here. I need a shower, a stiff drink and a bottle of pain killers, because that little shit was right and now that the adrenaline is dropping, I’m really starting to hurt.”
I give him a scolding look. “Don’t call him that. Spencer’s been nothing but wonderful.”
“He was flirting with you.”
