Cole and I spent the morning sitting around the fire and eating s’mores. Well, I ate them, and Cole mostly ate the crackers and drank coffee. Now, thinking about going home and all that awaits has me wanting to hightail it back to that little cabin.
When he asked about how I hurt my shoulder, I hesitated to tell him the details, but at that moment, I knew I could. It’s a scary thing, trusting someone. It gives them the power to hurt you. That was something I learned before I even knew what trust was.
“Take that!” Teddy says, and the entire table groans. “Blue, suckas.”
There’s an eruption of comments and jabs that Cole joins in on, making them all laugh.
A smile tugs at my lips as I roll another tiny hot dog inside the dough.
“I’m sad you guys have to leave in the morning,” Maggie says quietly, dropping more doughy triangles in front of me. “I’m really glad you could come. I’ve been worried about him. He likes to carry the pressure all by himself, and it’s been taking a toll for a while now.”
I peek at him again, and he tosses a card in the middle with a “Bam!” then resumes running his large hand up and down Quinn’s tiny back.
“I’m glad he’s got you looking out for him,” she says softly, and I glance at her out of the corner of my eye, wondering if she knows more than I thought she did. “His heart took a pretty good beating when he was so young. He’s kept it closed off all this time, but he has the biggest heart of all of us. I give him endless amounts of shit, but I can’t wait for him to have this for himself one day.”
My eyes roam the kitchen and their giant family, watching him shift Quinn to cradle her.
She’s right again. He deserves to have all of this.
Thisis what Cole should have, and someone he can share it with completely. Someone he can build a life and a family with.
A tidal wave of nausea slowly rolls upward, and the ache in my chest is so intense that its force pushes into my eyes. I inhale slowly and swallow bile seeping into my throat and blink away the blur clouding my vision.
What the hell am I doing?
I rest my fists on the counter, pulling air in through my nose, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
He’s my assignment, not—
I stop myself. I have to go home and get back to my life, where I can do good with everything that hurts so damn bad. To the ones who need me.
And Cole. . .
My throat burns with unfairness as my eyes fill with rage at myself. I want him to be happy and have everything I could never give him.
Maggie pulls the full pan away to put it in the oven.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket, and I wipe my shaky hands on the towel. I slip from the kitchen, needing to escape the blast of reality.
I answer, hurrying down the stairs. “Hey, Track.” I step into the room and close the door, grateful for the space and time to myself.
“We got ‘em.” Tracker’s firm voice hits my ear.
“What?” I try to pull my brain back from watching what I think might’ve been hope swirl down the drain.
“Mindy. Van hacked into the security cameras and spotted her outside Cole’s apartment building the night the envelope was left. TJ’s been following her. Her roommate has a large black SUV.”
“Mindy? She’s been threatening Cole?” I sit on the bed, trying to make sense of what he’s telling me.
“She seems to have a long-standing obsession with Cole. I guess she’s fed up with him ignoring her. Get this,” Tracker says as if he’s getting to the best part. “She transferred to the University of Colorado during her sophomore year. She was a cheerleader, graduated, and continued to follow him.”
“Seriously?” I ask, not understanding. “How did I miss this?”
Track laughs. “Once Van spotted her, Rodrigez did me a favor and had someone run her through their system. She changed her name before she was hired on with the Stingrays. She even looks different. Must have had some surgeries or enhancements, or whatever that makeup crap is Lyla was talking about that makes you look like a totally different person.”
I think about her interactions with Cole, trying to wrap my mind around this.
“Anyway, I called my contact at the department and gave them some of the details. They have enough to search her place and are doing so as we speak. You should be all good when you get back, but I’ll let you know.”
