Frowning, she saw the concern reflected in his face. She’d love to talk to him and find out why he left and stayed away so long, but not now. He had his reasons, and she shouldn’t pry. She shouldn’t be so needy. They could talk after all this amped-up danger that had her hiding again, fleeing her previous safe haven. Yeah, they could talk about what happened between them,ifthis mess was ever over.
“Listen, there’s something I need to tell you,” he said.
Oh. Was he going to talk about their broken relationship now? She couldn’t. “Not now, Cole. We ... you and me ... I have questions, but it can wait. It needs to wait.”
His mouth opened slightly. “I ... uh...”
Oh snap. “You weren’t ... Well, this is awkward.” He wasn’t going to talk about why he left and never reached out to her while he was gone. Wow, she’d stuck her foot in her mouth. She turned on her heels and went into the kitchen. Pulled the ingredients from the fridge and beans from the cabinet.
Cole followed her.Go away. Just go away.
He grabbed her hands and turned her to face him. Hiseyes were dark and filled with longing, but she looked away.I can’t. Not now.
Then he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek and, like the fool she was, she melted into that. Her heart responded to him like no one else.
“I want to talk too. I need to explain ... but you’re right. Later. If you’ll give me the chance, I promise I’ll tell you everything. I’ve probably already said too much.”
She opened her eyes and stared into his. “No, it’s not too much. It’s reassuring.” And here she was, getting much too involved with him. She couldn’t let him hurt her all over again.
Jo turned her attention to chopping onions. “You said there was something you needed to tell me. What is it?”
“I’d rather you not have a knife in your hands.”
19
At the startled look on her face, Cole took a step back. She’d stopped chopping, and when she turned, naturally, she still held up the knife. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned the knife, or he could have said it better. Grinning, he gently gripped her wrist and lowered the knife. He’d really meant it in a teasing way.
She looked at the kitchen tool that could be used as a weapon and then at Cole.
“Oh! Oh no. I’m sorry.” Then she released the knife on the counter. “Is the news thatbad?”
He wished he could take the pain away, but there was no way around it. “It’s just more to add to everything else.”
“Could I just get the chili going first? I have a feeling after you tell me, I might not be able to focus.”
He was an idiot. “I’ll help you. What can I do?”
“You could pull the ground beef out of the microwave and brown it for me. It should be defrosted now. Are you sure it’s all right for us to use this food? Whoever owns this place might wonder when they get back.” She twisted herlips into a funny smile. “I mean, I have no idea how a safe house works. Who does this place even belong to anyway?”
“I’m as sure as I can be that the food is for us.” Remi and Hawk had assured him the place and the essentials, including food, were theirs to use. “Hawk said it belongs to a friend of Evelyn’s, and that’s all he knows.”
“Of course.” She gave a resigned smile. “What would I do without her help?”
What would any of them do? Evelyn Monroe was resourceful. He’d give her that. Together, Cole and Jo worked in silence to make the chili, and Cole wished he hadn’t brought up the discussion just yet, but there was never really a good time. Once the chili was assembled and simmering in the pot, they both washed and dried their hands.
“I’m grabbing a soda from the fridge, and then you can tell me the news.” Jo sounded emotionally distant, as if she was working hard to compartmentalize everything. If that’s what it took to keep her head straight, then a girl had to do what a girl had to do.
On the sofa, they watched angry clouds billowing with a storm rolling in. That reflected his thoughts exactly—a storm was brewing.
“About your dad...”
She shifted on the sofa, pulling her legs up under her, then tucked her chin to look at him. “Just give me the news already.”
Right. He clasped his hands. “It’s not bad. It’s just unexpected.”
“I’m going to pull my hair out.” She glared at him.
“All right. I have connections with intelligence agencies, but we didn’t want to use those connections in this case. Allison worked her magic and was able to discover your father’s true identity.” Cole’s throat tightened. “His name is Ransom Driscoll.”
