Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
COLE
Knock! Knock! Knock!
What the hell?
With a growl, I swing my gaze to my front door. Whoever is knocking on my door is going to lose an arm.
After I kiss them.
Unless it’s a dude, then he gets a bro-hug.
Thank god for the interruption. I was toast. My ability to resist the heat crackling between us had snapped.
Sierra exhales with a whistle. Color is crawling up her pretty cheeks. After blinking and clearing her throat, she mutters, “Bad timing.”
There was definitely a huskiness in her voice.
I try to shake the effect she has on me. But fail. “I’m not so sure about that.”
After checking the peep in the door, I swing it open. Snow swirls inside on a cold rush of air.
Marshall Lake glances between us. “Am I interrupting? I can come back.”
I pull the door open wider, ignoring the blast of wind hitting my face. “Not at all, come on in. Glad you stopped by. Care for something to drink?”
Marshall knocks the snow off of his hair, and steps inside. I take back my thought about the bro-hug. Marshall would definitely laugh at me. Instead, I shake his hand.
Sierra offers a quick smile. It’s wooden and doesn’t reach her eyes, but the blush is riding high on her cheekbones now.
“Sierra, this is Marshall, my long-time friend and new boss. Marshall, this is Sierra, my fiancée.”
Fuck. I hate that lie.
Marshall’s brows tick together. “Damn, Cole, didn’t realize you had gotten engaged.”
“Yep,” I clip as I force a smile. “Not long ago.”
The threat I issue with my eyes is clearly received because he clears his throat awkwardly. “Congratulations to you both.”
“Nice to meet you, Marshall,” Sierra says as she steps closer to me.
The hardened Marine is intimidating in his size and his presence, but he’s careful to extend his hand slowly in her direction. “Pleasure is mine, ma’am.”
When he turns his focus back on me there are questions blazing in his eyes. “I rang earlier, but it went to voicemail.”
“Sorry, I was outside cutting wood. Didn’t hear my phone.”
He glances at the fireplace, which has a low-steady blaze, which Sierra must have tended while I was outside. “Good time to do that. This is going to be a long storm cycle.”
“Let me take your coat. Come on in, have a seat.” I motion to the living room.
Sierra asks, “Hot cocoa for you, Marshall?”
“Ma’am, I know you’ve just gotten out of the hospital. I’d feel bad asking that of you.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “It’s not a problem. I just made some for Cole, which is going to get cold.” Sierra retrieves my mug and passes it to me as she says, “You guys sit down to talk and I’ll fix that now.”
I meet her quick gaze. “Thanks, sweetheart.”
When she disappears into the kitchen, Marshall and I take a seat.
“Thanks for coming by.”
“Sure I’m not interrupting?”
“You are. That’s part of the reason I’m thanking you. I would have hugged you, but you’d have gotten weird.”
He lifts a brow. “You’re right, I would have been surprised if you tried to snuggle me. Beyond that, I will not pretend to understand why you called her fiancée.”
As I lean my head toward the kitchen, I murmur, “I didn’t get time to fill you in, but it was necessary to say she was my betrothed to get her out of the hospital. Things are complicated as fuck, and I was about to do something I’d probably regret. So thanks for coming. Impeccable timing.”
As he leans back in one of the leather chairs he rounds his mouth. “Ohhhhh.”
We can hear Sierra moving things around in the kitchen, but she’s out of my sight line. I know that sound doesn’t carry that direction easily in my house, so I ask, “What’s going on?”
“Checking to see what you need, but I also wanted to talk more about that guy you had me look into. Rather I wait?”
“Probably best if we don’t talk about him in front of Sierra at this point.”
“Copy that. I’ll just bring you up to speed on the training ops we have coming up, and some prospective clients.” He lowers his voice. “I can call you later or we can talk outside.”
“You should see the new wood splitter I bought.”
“Before I go, I’ll check it out. I need to buy one. Mine’s on its last leg.”
I give him a quick nod and lean close. “Thanks, I’ve never been in the business of lying or holding back information from someone like this, but right now, there are too many pieces at play.”
“Totally understand. Amnesia is tricky, and I know the nature of her accident’s got you on edge.”
“Losing my shit,” I mutter as I rub at the kink that’s threatening to snap my neck.
He shifts gears and says, “I forgot to ask this before. Have you ever worked close detail security?”
“No, but I’ve been on some missions with dignitaries. Always as part of a team. My last few years have been spent in the field doing combat medical care in active war zones.”
“That’s good news. Besides the close detail contracts we’re starting to take, we’ve got some other things cooking that will be perfect for your skills.”
He grins like someone that knows what it’s like to be fresh out of the field. The adjustment to normalcy is weird.
With a tip of his chin, he says, “You’ll do great at what we’ve got planned. I’m getting our company name out there for some high stakes rescue missions. Kidnappings. Things of that sort… in dangerous places.”
The familiar stir of adrenaline starts to simmer in my veins. “I could get down with that.”
“Our first training evolution is for urban missions.”
In the kitchen, there’s a loud clang and I lurch to my feet.
“Just dropped the lid to the kettle,” Sierra yells.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“No toes were injured!” she shouts back.
My heart’s still thrumming when I sit back down on the couch. “Edgy as fuck.”
“I see that. You been sleeping?”
The mere mention of sleep makes me tired. The grit in my eyes is a reminder of how long I laid awake last night. “Not nearly enough,” I share.
“It will help.”
I chuckle darkly. “So I’ve been told.”
We sit in silence for a beat, then I say, “Was glad to see that you’re doing some urban training. I’ve spent too much time in the desert.”
He nods and we exchange a knowing glance. Not that long ago that Marshall got out of the same shit show in the Middle East.
Both of our moods shift, and I know he’s gone back to that place in his head, just like I have. Dark days.
After unclenching his hands, Marshall says, “Right, well the team is eager to get to know you.”
I glance toward the kitchen. “Same here. I’m feeling this out to see how things go day to day. Then I can make a plan for how much supervision she needs.”
“None!” chirps Sierra as she strolls over to us, carrying a mug. Steam rises from the mug as she gently lowers it to the coffee table in front of Marshall. “Here you go.”
My gaze lands on the bandage on her arm. The wound isn’t terrible, but it is an ugly reminder of how close she came to dying out there in the cold water. In the dark. Alone.
The unsteady mood I was in turns violent.
Sierra looks between Marshall and me, and I can tell she’s trying to suss the vibe. “I’m a little banged up, but I’m really fine without supervision, Cole. I made hot cocoa without burning down the house.”
Marshall takes a drink. He hums as he lowers his mug. “Good cocoa at that.”
“See, he agrees,” Sierra says with a conspiratorial wink his direction.
Marshall’s face crunches. “Wait a minute, that wasn’t what I said.”
“Not yet, but I’ll convince you.” She lowers herself onto the sofa next to me and smiles. This time, she’s more relaxed. Or more determined.
“Good grief, woman.” I look at her out of the corner of my eye. “You’re going to try to play my friend against me?”
“I’m helping. You need to go do your new job. I’m sure your boss will agree. As I told you earlier, I don’t want to be a burden. I just can’t remember certain things… It’s not like I’m an infant. I can stay home during the day by myself.”
She turns that smile on me. “I even know how to use a phone. I could call you if I needed to.”
I grunt. This conversation needs to end soon. “Not the same as someone being here.”
I reach for her, sliding my hand under her hair and letting it come to rest at the base of her neck. The skin there is warm and soft below my fingers. “This kind of work isn’t a nine-to-five thing, I could be gone for days, even weeks. I’m not taking off while you’re out of sorts.”
Marshall asks, “How are you feeling, Sierra?”
She shrugs. “A little bruised up, a little tired, but otherwise, pretty normal physically.”
“Mind if I ask a few questions?” He glances at me and I nod because I know he wants to help move this investigation along. He doesn’t want a dangerous threat out there if we can take care of it.
Keeping his voice easy, he asks, “Have you had any recollections about the night you were taken to the hospital?”
Her gaze falls down to her clasped her hands. “Not yet. The first thing I remember is a nurse waking me up. I was cold and wet. My hair was totally tangled with this weird debris from the water.” She shudders. “Oh, and I could taste some kind of terrible salt water.”
Marshall places his mug on the table and steeples his fingers. “That’s good that you remember those things, but don’t try to force it. I’ve had friends that have had memory problems after a head injury. You should just rest and let this man here take care of you.”
“Did they get their memory back?”
He cautiously says, “Most of them, yes.”
She leans back against the sofa. “I hope that I’m one of those people.”
“It’s okay, babe,” I murmur. “There’s no rush.”
“But there is. What if someone did this and they are going to hurt another woman? If I could remember, then we could stop them.”
The tears on her lashes wreck me. I reach for her hand. “Easy, sweetheart. Let’s try not to get you too upset.”
She glances at me, through those tears, with worry in her eyes. “I’m trying. But honestly, I can’t stop the horrible spiraling questions.”
Fucking hell. “Babe,” I say roughly.
Giving herself a little shake, she turns her gaze back to Marshall. “There haven’t been any distinct memories, but I did have this weird sensation last night when we arrived. Cole, I know you saw me react.”
I didn’t just see her; I felt her distress. “You mentioned you felt physically unwell.”
“Now that I’ve slept on it, I think I’d call it revulsion. It was visceral. This… awful feeling.”
My stomach knots around my spine. With my blood running cold, I massage her neck. “Maybe it’s related to the accident.”
The light in her eyes dims. She pulls away. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go clean up the kitchen.”
The last thing I want to do is let her go, but she gives me a look that clearly signals that she needs some room to breathe.
Unhappy that she’s upset, I say, “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Her expression is sad as she stands. “I’m fine. You guys enjoy visiting. Nice to meet you, Marshall.”
He rises as she prepares to leave. “Feel better soon.”
“Thanks. I’ll try.”
But the sight of her hunched shoulders as she walks away is what clenches my chest like a fist.
I’m putting an end to this pain for her. Come hell or high water. It’s done.
“We’re finding who did this,” I vow.
Marshall returns to his seat, drinks his cocoa. Mine is cold, but I down it because I don’t want Sierra to think I didn’t like it. After he’s done, he asks, “What can I do to help you?”
“I’ll ask when we get outside.”