“And you’re too relaxed.”
“Whatever.”
“Whatever? How’d you react if I snuck outta your bed like that after the intense shit that went down between us last night?”
“I… I don’t know. Fuck! Just… we’ll talk about it later. I have a coffee shop full of customers. Someone’s at the counter still waiting for me.”
“Where’s your other staff?”
“I’m short-handed this morning. Not that it’s any of your concern.”
“You’re my concern, Abi! Why ain’t you getting that by now?”
“God! I get it just fine, believe me! Just go… go for now. I can’t do this here. I’m busy.”
“Fine. I’ll hold you to it.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
With a final grunt, Liam stormed off out of the shop. I watched Abi tug on her ponytail in frustration, then get herself together quickly and walk behind the counter.
An almost-believable smile was plastered on her face in the next moment as she gave me her attention and asked, “How can I help you?”
“Are you okay?” I asked. Why? It wasn’t like me to interfere, or care, about other people’s business. Was I softening somehow? Was it the pregnancy, impending motherhood, the way my hormones were going crazy at the moment? Whatever it was, it seemed to be welcomed here in this small town as Abi smiled kindly, seeming grateful for my concern and told me, “Yeah, thanks. He’s just… intense. And I’m… laid back.”
I nodded, getting it well. “Most of the Steel Titans men are.”
Realization flashed in her eyes. “Yeah, I saw you with Cole. You must be Natasha.” She grinned. “The apparent troublemaker.”
I tensed at her description.
She quickly added in a conspiratorial whisper, “I’m a troublemaker too. Although, I prefer the term free spirit.”
That had me chuckling. “I hear you.”
“So, are you staying in town permanently with Cole?”
What a complicated question. I shrugged, giving the only answer I really could at this point, “Maybe. We’ll see.”
To her credit, she didn’t let any awkwardness settle and merely smiled, then got down to business. “So, Cole always goes for a large black coffee, but what are you in the mood for?”
“Do you have green tea? Decaf?”
“Yup.”
“Great. I’ll take a small and a couple of those apple tarts, please.”
As she got to work on my order, the bell over the entrance sounded and I turned to see Cole walking back in.
He looked shaken. Haunted.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly when he reached me.
He wrapped his arm around me and whispered so the civilians in the shop couldn’t hear, “Just Slade wanting to know every detail of the shit that went down with Mikhail.”
A shudder ran through me at the mention of that maniac and that dark, awful night. “Why? Why would he make you relive that?”
“To help him with damage control. The more details he knows, the better. I told him everything instead of the CliffsNotes version I’d reported in when it’d all happened.”
I ran my hand up and down his back, trying to give him some comfort. “Do you want to talk it out?”
His face instantly hardened. “No.”
“Cole.”
His body tensed up as he gritted out, “I did what I had to do. There’s no more to it than that.”
Well, that was all bullshit. Of course there was more to it. I knew he carried a lot of guilt for actually taking things that far and taking a life that day. After that night, it’d shifted something in him, so much so, that he’d started trying harder than ever before to control his temper, to shift his approach to reacting rationally first, rather than going the destructive route right off the bat. It’d changed him irreparably.
He obviously wasn’t ready to admit it, or accept it yet. He’d shut me down so fast.
Abi returned from her brewing station then with our beverages. She shoved two apple tarts into a paper bag and asked Cole, “Anything else for you?”
“No,” he muttered. “I’m good.”
I pulled out my wallet as we followed Abi over to the cash register, but Cole batted my hand away gently. “Got it, baby.”
After we paid and grabbed our things, Cole gave me a reassuring squeeze as we headed out of the shop.
I returned it, deciding it was best to drop it. With Cole, you couldn’t push him to talk. He’d ready himself in his own time.
I just hoped it wasn’t too much time.
Nik was messing with his head. Bringing up Mikhail after all of this time wasn’t just a threat, it was to screw with his mind, to destabilize him. He was trying to force him out of the picture and away from me, to remove the obstacle that he believed him to be.
Cole was stronger than that, though.
He’d hold it together.
He was nothing if not a hell of a fighter.
My fighter.
14
~Cole~
IT WAS PISSING DOWN.
Just an extra fucking obstacle I really didn’t need right now.
I fought harder over the distracting roar of the heavy rain beating down all around me, soaking me to the fucking bone, to zone in on her.
Sure enough another scream sounded. Pure fucking terror that ripped right through me. I felt sick knowing she was suffering and that I still wasn’t there to stop it, that I hadn’t gotten there in time to protect her.
I was already sprinting at top speed, but those revived screams of hers overrode everything and forced another burst from me. I tore through the dark, dank, piss-soaked alley, my boots a rapid-fire thunder on the concrete, sloshing through the washed out streets.
My earpiece buzzed. I grunted, knowing who it was, and hesitated on answering.
He was gonna try to reel me in, to quell the rage burning through my veins. I was out for blood. Calming in any way right now would fuck with my head, with the power I needed to save her.
So I let the call pass.
My escape was short-lived, though, as it buzzed again. Over and over.
Fuck, he was a determined bastard.
Against my better judgment, I answered with a tap. Damn, Slade Mitchell had some power
