He laughed at her. “How do you know what I am? You were so in love with him that you never took the time to find out anything about me. Little do you know, I do have some practice in this area. Remember Caleb…poor, poor Caleb? It was interesting watching him bleed out of his wrists. I was always curious about how long it would take for death to come. Some of them at Marymount took longer than others, but he definitely took the longest. I wasn’t responsible for everything but most of those suicides were the product of my handy work.
She was going to throw up. Jade’s legs almost gave out on her. She couldn’t stand. When her legs buckled, it loosened Kevin’s grip. That split second was all Cole needed to rush him and knock him back against the wall. The knife fell out of his hand as Jade scrambled away. She kicked it away from them as they started to tussle and fight.
Cole and Kevin fought furiously. Jade was terrified to take her eyes away from them. One minute it looked as if Kevin had the upper hand, and the next it was Cole. Somehow, she managed to get her cell and dial 9-1-1. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Cole got the upper hand and gripped Kevin by the throat as he beat him mercilessly. Cole landed punch after punch to his face. When the sound of Kevin’s nose crunched underneath his fist it left no doubt Cole had broken it. Blood splattered everywhere. A gun fell out of Kevin’s black hoodie and onto the floor. Jade saw it and went for the gun before either of them could.
Cole was in such a rage that she was terrified he was going to kill him. “Please, Cole. Don’t…. don’t kill him! Let him rot in prison!” She wasn’t sure if he’d even heard her so she screamed his name again. “Cole! Please please stop!” Kevin had stopped moving before Cole even noticed, he continued to smash his face with blow after blow. His breathing was hard and uneven. He threw Kevin’s limp body onto the floor and went over to Jade.
He pulled her into his arms. “Are you okay?”
She held onto him tightly and briefly closed her eyes. When she opened them, Jade screamed. “Cole!”
Kevin managed to get up and lunge for him. Without any hesitation, Jade raised the gun and pulled the trigger. It hit Kevin in the middle of his chest, and a moment later he crumpled to the floor.
Chapter 25
Hours later, Jade sat in the living room with a blanket covering her shoulders. The house was crawling with police, detectives, and Cole’s lawyers. Not only had they taken her official statement but under the advice of counsel, Jade answered all the questions the police asked as best she could. Cole was right by her side the entire time.
Later that night, or more accurately early morning, they sat up in bed with her nestled into the crook of his arm. He squeezed her hand as he gazed into her eyes. “We’ll get through this.”
“I didn’t mean to kill him.” Wearily, she exhaled. “But, I’m not sorry he’s dead. Does that make me a horrible person?”
He shook his head. “No. It makes you human.”
“Kevin didn’t send the text.”
His brow furrowed. “What text?”
“I received a text shortly after I moved in here. It seems innocent enough, but it left me feeling uneasy.”
“What did it say?”
“It said ‘You’re still just as beautiful as I remember. I’ll always be just over your shoulder.’ Kevin had me in such a mental prison that only gave a few people my number.”
“Well, he put you through a lot. It's understandable.”
“It could be innocent, but I never thought so. I still don’t, but it wasn’t Kevin.” Her eyes burned. They were tired. “I hate looking over my shoulder all the time.”
He was determined to give Jade a sense of security. Cole was going to do whatever it took. He would have one of his investigators look into it.
“Cole, we need to talk about us.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I know. But, there’s no rush. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”
“I’m a mess. I have so many issues I can’t even name them all.”
“You’re not alone in that. I have a few myself.”
“I’m afraid all the time. I’m not sure if I can completely let my guard down.”
“I’m patient. I’ve waited this long, I’ll wait forever if I have to.”
Being in Cole’s arms was soothing to her soul. The sound of his voice made her relax just a little and a couple of hours before the sun came up, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
*****
After a few hours of sleep, Cole woke up before Jade. He eased her body out of his arms and slipped out of bed. To make sure she didn’t overhear him he went into his office and closed the door.
Cole picked up his phone and dialed his private investigator’s number. “Marco, I need a favor. It’s probably nothing but after the night my girlfriend and I had, I want you to check something out. She received a text. Can you find out who sent it? Great. Make this a priority. Thanks.” Cole disconnected the call and went back upstairs to lie in bed with Jade.
Several hours later, she lay awake in his arms while he was sleeping. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Even in his sleep, with tousled hair, he was the most beautiful person she’d ever seen. Not just physically, but on the inside where it counted. Cole’s eyes drifted open as he tightened his hold on her. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning.” Jade hesitated. “I’m supposed to be getting ready for work.”
Cole chose his words carefully. “Do you think that’s a good idea after everything that happened last night?”
“Probably not. Cole…” Her voice dropped. “I
