“N-no.”
“Were you a willing participant?” Cole stood just far enough away so that their bodies did not touch—yet he maintained that steadily firm grip on herarm.
Tomi drew in a deep breath, trying to get her nerves to calm down enough so that she could think. “No.”
Cole’s gaze pinned her to the spot. She did her damnedest to figure out what was going on behind that unyielding mask, but it was impossible. Finally, when she was ready to crumble, he dropped her wrist and took a step away. Then he gave her his back and strode to the door, ripping it open. “There’s some clothes on the dresser. Get dressed. You and I are taking atrip.”
Cole shut the door, and the soft snick of the lock tumbling into place sent her to her knees. Dear Lord, what had she gotten herselfinto?
8
Cole paced to the window,staring at the hideous worn curtains hanging in their impromptu hideout. Miniature navy and pink flowers. The tiny farmhouse had been a godsend. His team had already set up with a fridge fully stocked with full-throttle Coke and stacks ofLunchables.
Cole sensed a shift in the empty kitchen, looked at the reflection in the glaze and stiffened. “What the hell are you doinghere?”
“Got called in when Wise checked into our private hospital. Seems as though you two had a run in with El Oscuro.” Agent Stahl, a hard ass field agent without any hint of weakness or sympathy, stood in thedoorway.
“And you care why? You told Wise to fuck off when he came to you for help,” Cole bitout.
“Thanks to your men securing two of the women from the auction, we now actually may have some evidence to build a case. We’re reopening theinvestigation.”
They’d lost the others in the melee after the auction when half the team had to break plans and back up Cole and Adam. “The hell youare.”
“You’re down two men – Wise is barely breathing and your guy, Donham, is laid up with a bullet hole in his side. You need myhelp.”
“I don’t need shit from you. You turned your back on Adam when he needed you most. I don’t deal with assholes.” Cole made to brush past Stahl, but he blocked hispath.
“You stirred up a hornet’s nest and you don’t even fucking know it. Do you have any idea what you interruptedtonight?”
Cole got in his face. “Yeah, the illegal sale of kidnapped, terrified women. Remember, that part you didn’t careabout.”
Stahl flinched, “I cared, but my boss pulled my funding and my team. I didn’t have achoice.”
“And you don’t have a choice now. I’m handling the situation.” Cole bitout.
“And are you aware that El Oscuro was planning to infiltrate Francois Moreau, a.k.a. the Frenchman’s, international gunrunning operation tonight?” Stahl saidquietly.
“Shit.” Cole shoved a hand through his hair and stalked across thekitchen.
Stahl studied him with those killer see all gray eyes. “You sawhim?”
“I outbid him for Tomi. Some bastard named Luis was saving Tomi as the last one up forsale.”
Stahl’s eyes widened. “Luis Despasco? The same man with family ties to the fucking cartel? We’d heard a rumor he might be involved with Oscuro. Did he try to kill you and poison Wise? Do you have any idea the size of the pile of shit you steppedin?”
Cole turned his back on the agent, squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. The last thing he needed was the cartel. “We were searching for Tara, looking for intel. And trying to save thevictims.”
“Well, you did save two. Tomi Tomlin and Kara McLean. The others aregone.”
Cole rounded on the agent and shoved his finger in Stahl’s face, anger raging through him. He knew he’d failed. He felt it like a goddamn gut punch. The whole night had gone to shit. But he wasn’t the only failure in the room. “You abandoned them long before I tried to rescuethem.”
Stahl’s steely gaze slipped. He knew he’d screwed up. “You’re right, and thanks to you, I’ve now got the full support of the FBI to take this bastard down. “Too bad Kara McLean’s in acoma.”
“Kara isn’t awake?” Coleasked.
“No, doc thinks she had a reaction to the drugs. She’s not 100% stableyet.”
“Will she pull out ofit?”
