Cole
I’m a nervous wreck as I jump into the cab of my truck. I tried calling Jane back as I rushed out the door, but she didn’t answer. Just as I start the engine, the passenger door opens and Holly climbs in.
“Why aren’t you riding with your brother?”
She skewers me with a glare. “You shouldn’t be driving alone.”
Despite the fact I’m grateful as hell that she wants to be with me, part of me is irritated that she thinks I need help. The irritated part wins out, partly because I’m already furious. “I’m perfectly capable of driving alone, Holly.” I press the gas pedal too hard and the truck zooms forward, slamming us back against our seats.
“I’m not here to make digs at you, Cole. I’m here because of Jane. What else did she say?”
“That rat bastard Deacon was there. She overheard him discussing something with Bertie Labelle, and they were pissed when they realized she overheard them.”
“Probably Deacon’s plan for your brewery,” Holly says. “Of course they wouldn’t want her hearing it.”
“She said she ran from them and locked herself in the doll room, but they were standing outside, trying to get in.”
“Well, at least the thing should be empty and not full of scary, demented dolls,” she says. “Thank God for small miracles.”
I hold onto the steering wheel with a death grip. “I never should have let her go with them.”
“Shewantedto go, Cole.”
“She’s a kid. She wants to watch R-rated movies, but that doesn’t mean sheshould.” I glance over in time to see her make a face. “You disagree?”
“No,” she says carefully. “Most R-rated shows are inappropriate for eight-year-olds, but you can’t control everything she does.”
I can tell there’s something she’s not telling me. “So you think I’m a control freak?”
“No, Cole,” she says with a sigh, “I think you’re a single dad doing the best you can in a difficult situation.”
And yet it’s not enough. My daughter is hiding from two grown men in an empty doll room on Thanksgiving Day.
I continue up the mountain toward the Labelles’ compound, driving faster than I should on the twists and turns, but my mind is running wild imagining what Deacon and Bertie plan to do to my daughter if they get in that room.
I drive even faster, my tires squealing on the next curve.
“I know you’re eager to get there, but you’ll only be able to protect Jane if you’re actually alive and not a ghost.”
“If they hurt her, Holly…”
“I know,” she says, her voice full of understanding, “but I have to think they’re not that stupid. I mean, they must know you’d kick their asses if they dared to lay a single finger on her.”
“What if she’s scared?” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m her dad. I’m supposed to protect her from shit like this. I let her down.”
“Bullshit,” she snaps. “You can’t protect her from everything, Cole. You can only prepare her to face the world, and youhave. That girl isfearless. I bet you ten bucks that not only is she not scared, but she’s got those two assholes cowering in a corner.”
“Good,” I grunt, my hands twisting on the steering wheel. “It’ll make it easier for me to kick their asses.” I grab my phone from my lap and toss it at her. “Try calling her back.”
She picks up the phone, holds it up to my face, then taps on the screen. She puts it on speaker phone, but the call goes straight to voicemail.
My stomach twists with fear. “Holly…”
“I promise you she’s okay, Cole. She’s a smart girl. She can hold her own.”
I glance in the rearview mirror. I can’t see Rowan’s truck or Rory’s car, but I know they’re back there, following me to confront the Labelles.
It’s an odd feeling, knowing I’m going in with a virtual army. I’m used to facing things on my own with occasional help from Logan and Brittany. Those two have my back, no doubt, but Rory and the rest owe me absolutely nothing, yet they’re ready to go to battle for me and my daughter. That would probably get me a bit choked up if I weren’t so steeped in rage and fear.
