I push away from Cole, straightening myblouse. “I’m fine, thank you.” I watch Cole out of the corner of my eye, hisfists clenching and unclenching. Nobody seems to know what to say. I can feeleveryone’s eyes boring into me, but when I look up, they all glance away. EvenAlan. Well, I certainly don’t have anything to say. I turn to Keaton. “Keaton,will you please take me home?” He nods at me. Without looking at anyone orsaying anything else, I walk towards the main doors. I try so hard to keep thetears out of my eyes, but I’m too overcome, and they fall unhindered. I donothing to stop or hide them.
Outside, Keaton steps up next to me.“Morgan will wait with you while I get the car.”
I blow out a breath, sniffing. “Do I haveto? Or can we all walk to the car?”
Keaton shrugs, nodding to Morgan. “We canall go.” So we walk in awkward silence to the Escalade. Morgan goes around tothe driver’s side and Keaton opens the back, helping me in, then sits next tome in the back. Apparently, he must think I’m a flight risk because it’s thesame thing Luke did when he found me on Fremont Street.
The tension is thick in the car, makingme fidget. “Where were you?” I blurt, tears still in my eyes.
Keaton looks a little taken aback butthen answers. “We were all in the meeting. Cole didn’t think you’d be done fora while. I’m sorry. Someone should have waited for you in the foyer. It’s justthe meeting—well, I’m sorry someone should have waited.”
“This isn’t easy for me.”
“I know.” He gives me a sympatheticsmile.
Curiosity gets the better of me. “Why areyou sitting back here with me? Not that I care.” I hurriedly add the last partto let him know it’s okay.
“It’s procedure when we’re guardingsomeone, and we enter a vehicle in an open, unsecured area.”
“Oh, okay, I guess that makes sense.”It’s a short five-minute ride around the building to the villa’s entrance.Morgan stays in the lobby while Keaton escorts me upstairs.
“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”I shrug, giving him a weak smile. He backs up into the elevator and then Iwatch him punch a long set of numbers into the keypad. He’s changing the code.When he’s done, he steps back, giving me another sympathetic, sad sort of smilethat seems to say he’s sorry but it’s orders. The doors bang closed, and I’mleft to my solitary confinement.
I suck in a breath, trying to hold myemotions at bay, but things keep getting worse and worse. I pound my fistsagainst the elevator door, the metal clanging through the empty villa. I walkinto the far upstairs bedroom, sinking onto the floor on the far side of thebed. I pull my phone out of my pocket. There’s a text from Cole telling he’llbe home late. It’s just as well. He’s seriously angry with me. I don’treply—instead I call Laura.
“Hey, I was just thinking about callingyou.”
“Laura,” I sob into the phone.
“Kate, what’s wrong?” I break down,telling her about Shane and the bridal shop, ending up in jail, the accidentwith the Ferrari and finally today at the office, and how I’m now locked awayin this damn villa. Laura doesn’t say anything, she just gasps and sucks in abreath every once in a while.
“Will you please say something?” I hiccupinto the phone.
“Is he worth it?” Her voice is low, likeshe’s almost scared to ask the question.
“Cole?”
“Yes, is Cole worth it?”
I blow out a ragged breath. “Yes.”
“Well then, chick, you’ve got to grin andbear it until everything’s resolved. It’s wrong that he put you on lock downbut…” she trails off.
“I know. He’s doing it because he lovesme. It’s just you have no idea how good it felt to be by myself, really bymyself, and I don’t mean like being here at the villa alone. I mean the feelingof being able to walk out of a building, go shopping, do what I want—alone,without the shadow of a bodyguard.”
“I can’t imagine.”
“I hope you never have to,” I sigh. Lauraand I talk for another hour. She makes me laugh a few times. When I hang upwith her, I feel better. Well, I don’t feel like sobbing like a five-year-oldanymore. I’m so exhausted from everything. I pull a pillow off the bed and curlinto a ball. Even though I’m tired, I can’t really sleep and when I do, it’slight. The smallest noise startles me awake. I’m not sure what time it is, butI hear the elevator slide open, and several pairs of feet shuffle into thevilla.
“I’m sure she’s asleep.” I hear Cole say.I sit up, stretching and then slip my shoes off, standing up. I walk to thedoor of the bedroom and see Luke standing at the top of the stairs.
“Cole, she’s up here,” he calls down tohim.
I rub the sleep from my eyes. Cole takesthe stairs two at a time until he’s standing a few feet from me. “I came tocheck on you.” His voice is even, his face calm, but his eyes are hard, showinghis anger.
“You’re checking on me? I don’t know why.It’s not like I could leave.”
“We just took a break. I have to getback.”
