"Tomi, I can't let you go until I know you won’t do something stupid like run." Cole leaned overher.
She wanted him so badly, even now. She longed for him, longed to see the look of love on his face. She closed her eyes and focused on blocking out his overwhelmingpresence.
"Don't do that, don't take those beautiful eyes away from me," he said in a low tone that vibrated through her body, the small triumph doing nothing to soothe her frazzlednerves.
"If you won't believe I’m sorry, then listen to logic." She felt the bed shift and then chills in the absence of his heat. Tomi chanced a quick glance. He sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, and his head in hishands.
He looked utterlydefeated.
She should feel elated at his defeat. But all she felt was pain andregret.
* * *
He felther withdrawing from him. She was throwing up walls as fast as he could tear them down. He couldn't blame her either, any more than he could ignore the emptiness re-threading itself into hisbody.
He was further away from making her love him than he had been three days ago. Any foolish glimmer of hope he'd held onto dissipated. There'd been no fraction of love or understanding in her eyes. Only betrayal andhate.
Cole squeezed his hands together, grounding himself with the tightness in his grip as he strove for control. The only way he could see her through this and guarantee her life, was if he embraced the ice in his veins and shrugged off his foolish dream of a future withTomi.
He’d existed in that plane for ten years and he could do it for another ten. It was easy to live when you didn't care about anyone or anything. Cole closed his eyes and reached for it, shutting down his emotions one by one. It was what they both needed tosurvive.
After another minute, he lifted his head and stared at the wall, slamming the door firmly in place. He shifted gears into full-on mission mode. "You're going in. We’ll use you to draw Luis out ofhiding."
"Is this another sickjoke?"
Cole ignored the bitterness in her tone. "No joke. It's the only plan that makes sense. We can set it up, control the environment, ambush him when he shows up." Cole had done it hundreds of times before, used whatever means necessary to carry out the mission without thought or without caring. He could do itagain.
"I thought yousaid–
"Doesn't matter what I said before. All that matters is what I'm saying now." Cole turned then and reached for the first cuff. He unlocked it without hesitation and stood and walked around to the other side of the bed, ignoring Tomi's questioning gaze. "We need you to capture Luis and save the other women. It's as simple asthat."
Cole reached the other side. For some stupid reason, he chanced a peek at Tomi. The look of bravado she'd tried to paint on her face did nothing to hide her fear. Or her pain. He'd done that to her. Justhim.
Neveragain.
Cole looked away and shut her out completely. He unlocked the other cuff. The soft rattle of the chain crumpling to the bed echoed in the room and slammed into his chest. He'd freed her and if she didn't run now, she would as soon as the mission wasover.
Tomi scrambled to the far side of the bed, rubbing her wrists and looking for all the world like a wounded little deer. She was supposed to stand up to a man likeLuis?
“We need to leave as soon as possible. We need to get to the house we set up as a front for Cole and Devine so we have time to prepare. It's about a two-hour drive from here, so wear what you want for now, but once we arrive you'll have to play the part. You'll have to pretend to be myslave."
He watched Tomi struggle to reign in her trembling. She slowly eased off the bed, watching him the whole time like he was going to pounce. "When will he getthere?"
"He didn't give us a time, not specifically, that's why we have to be prepared. Once we get to the location, you'll have to do exactly as I say without hesitation. You need to appear completelybroken."
As if on cue, Tomi's stubborn chin lifted with defiance. "I can dothat."
Cole gave her a cold once over. "I'm sure you can." And then he turned and crossed to the closet, giving her his back as he rummaged through the clothes he had brought for her. Clothes he picked out specifically with her in mind. Cole snatched a pale pink see-through baby doll off the hanger and then turned and caught sight of the purple lingerie crumpled on the floor that Tomi had worn earlier. His heart beat frantically against his chest. Then he crushed the clothing he held in his hand and stomped from the closet. "I've got your outfit for when we get there. You’ve got five minutes and then we head out.” Cole stalked from the room leaving the door wide open behind him. If she wanted to run, he wouldn’t put any barrier in herpath.
* * *
Tomi stood staringin shock at the wide open empty doorway through which Cole had just vacated. He was serious. He was really going to let her do this. Excitement hummed through her, refueling her determination. And right along with it came a first-class case of nerves. She wasn’t the only life at risk, all those nameless women at Luis’s auction flashed through hermemory.
She had a chance to save them. If she could work withCole.
The sound of a door slamming and a car cranking up outside jumpstarted her into movement. He'd said five minutes and he’d meant it. Although she wanted to drag her feet as a small, immature form of payback, she ran to the closet in search of some regular clothing. Four frustrating minutes later she came up with sweatpants and a loose T-shirt, sans bra and panties which Cole had so thoughtfullywithheld.
She yanked on the baggy clothes and stomped from the closet, her bare toes caught on something and she stumbled, grabbed the door and turned to glare at the offender. Her dark purple negligee lay on the floor, torn in half. Tomi bent down and lifted the fabric, her heartconstricting.
