Chapter 20
twenty
ISABELLE
I let myself into my dorm and locked the door behind me. I felt like the weight of the world had lowered itself onto my shoulders. My dumbass amateur sleuth board mocked me from across the room.
What was I doing?
My father’s threats were still ringing in my ears when I’d realized how fucking stupid I was. I’d tried to get close to Cole to write an exposé on the Harbor Hounds. On his MC. To bring them down so Rosie didn’t need to worry about her son anymore and yes, to finally, selfishly, catch my big break.
That story, as delusional as it might have been, had been dead in the water since the second he’d caught me in his office, and made me scream his name just a little while later.
I didn’t need to write a paper for my ethics class to know that boundaries had been crossed, and I’d lost any kind of professional distance from the story.
And when it came to Finn, it seemed like no one was more dedicated to keeping Finn out of the MC than Cole.
He wanted him close so he could protect him, but he wasn’t about to let him become a Hound.
I had to find a way to tell Rosie that without letting it slip that we’d been skinny-dipping when Cole made the admission.
And now, even without the story, Cole was on my father’s radar.
My father had connections in town, and Hade Harbor was the kind of place where the right friends could make things happen.
Sure, maybe if Cole was squeaky-clean, there would be nothing that my father could hold over him…
but I didn’t believe that was true. In my heart of hearts, I knew that the Harbor Hounds were up to their necks in dangerous, illegal shit.
That meant that no matter how he made my heart race, making me feel things I’d only ever heard my friends talk about, things that went beyond the physical into something else entirely… it was over.
I was probably deluding myself to think that it hadn’t been over before it even started. This was Cole Bailey I was talking about. The Cole Bailey. As my friends had reminded me, he was an in-demand man. The idea that he’d been seriously pursuing me was laughable, really.
Those thoughts should have soothed me; they really should have. I should have felt less cut up, because at the end of the day, it wasn’t going anywhere anyway. They should have made me feel so much better about losing something I’d never really had.
They should have.
Emmit called me just as I bust through the doors of The Chickadee Diner, a kitschy little place in town where Lily liked to meet.
I answered, stuffing my fist into my mouth to smother a scream as Emmit’s nasally voice hit my ears.
“Where’s my column? You know, you’re always hounding me for more responsibility, more work, more everything, and then, you can’t even manage to get your actual work done.”
I spied Lily across the diner and headed toward her, weaving in and out of tables to get there.
“Give me more work, Emmit, I can take it. Give me something real.”
He snorted. “Imagine if I did. What would I do then, hold the front page to accommodate your tardiness?”
I was about to retort, when I went flying. My cell phone fell and clattered across the floor, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel bad about finishing the conversation with Emmit so abruptly.
My knee stung; I’d gone down on it hard. I sighed, turning to pick up my fallen bag, just as someone snickered. I stiffened, my face suddenly getting hot.
I looked up, and there she was, big, chunky boots stretched out directly into my pathway.
The woman with the bangs and the nasty attitude. I searched my memory for her name. Kiki, that was it. Kiki.
“Oops, sugar. You should work on that clumsiness. It’s not very sexy.”
She smirked at me. I scanned the rest of the table. There were three women altogether, and not a single one was looking at me with anything approaching kindness.
Ok, then.
“Isabelle, are you ok?” It was Lily, weaving through the booths to me, and picking up my cell.
“I’m fine. Takes more than a little trip to rattle me,” I told my friend, and shot Kiki a sugary-sweet smile. “Have a nice night, ladies.”
“Oh, we will,” she purred, then jerked her head toward the door, where a group of guys had just walked in.
The Harbor Hounds cuts stood out under the early evening lighting of The Chickadee. It was a few guys I’d never seen before, and… him.
Cole walked in behind the rest of them, his expression carefully blank as he looked around. Kiki rose from her seat to wave to him, and he remained emotionless. Then his eyes connected with mine.
A shock wave of feeling ran through me, rooting me to the spot.
It had been a few days since Marcus’ party.
A few days since I’d slept in his bed, in his arms. A few days since the hockey game, when I’d worn his cut, and my father had been such an asshole to him.
A few days since I’d given up on all of it.
“You ok?” Lily asked beside me, clearly wondering why I hadn’t moved yet.
“Yeah,” I managed, trying to school my expression. The men at the doorway were moving toward us, and suddenly I felt so embarrassed, I couldn’t stand it. I turned and went in the direction of Lily’s booth on the other side of the diner. Lily followed, glancing back over her shoulder.
“Oh, look, it’s Cole,” she said, swinging into the booth seat opposite mine. “Am I about to get in the middle of something?” She shot me a smile, which slowly dropped as she took in my pained expression.
I shook my head slowly. “Yeah, I know. I didn’t expect to see him here. That’s the problem,” I told her.
She raised an eyebrow. “Why would it be a problem? I thought you two were…”
“We’re not. I mean, we did, but we can’t in general.”
“Why not?”
I told her about running into my father and Grant, and how judgmental they’d been. She listened sympathetically, and then shrugged.
“You’re not really the kind of person who only does what her dad wants her to do.”
I shook my head firmly. “You’re wrong. In reality, I’ve never really gone against my parents.
Studying journalism was the first time, and it’s going nowhere.
Apparently, I have the investigative skills of an imbecile and am only suited to gossip columns, anyway.
One thing I don’t have to be a master investigator to know is that Cole Bailey is not the guy that everyone thinks.
He’s totally different. He’s loyal and responsible, and cares about all his guys.
He’s an artist, believe it or not, and talented.
He cooks...” I trailed off, suddenly feeling self-conscious about how quickly I came to Cole’s defense and enumerated his many sexy qualities.
Clearly, I’d given this too much thought.
Also, I was meant to be talking myself into staying away, not falling harder.
Lily was quiet a moment. “You like him, don’t you?”
I laughed. “Like him? I can’t like him. He’s not someone you can just like. He’s… his life seems complicated.”
She nodded. “I get that.”
“And besides, he’s not the sort of guy who is short on female attention. I’m not exactly a pinup girl for bikers.”
Lily shrugged. “I’m not a pinup girl for hockey players, but that doesn’t stop Cayden from wanting me.”
I waved a hand. “That’s different. He’s a psycho stalker, obsessed person.”
She just laughed.
“I mean, Cole is intense, and busy and important, I guess. In his world, everyone is relying on him. He’s not free to just see what happens with some college student.”
“Ok, he said this to you?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly, but I can guess.”
Lily pulled a face. “That seems dangerous. It’s a recipe for misunderstanding someone.” She laughed after a moment. “I mean, I’m kind of relieved that you just like-like him. For a second, I thought you were cozying up to him to get some dirt on the MC.”
I blinked at her, and her mouth dropped open.
“You’re kidding. You were snooping for info?”
My face gave me away.
Lily narrowed her eyes. “Tell me…”
I wet my lips, suddenly feeling like my mouth was a desert. “Well, you know I need a big story, something shocking and exciting. Something that would guarantee the front page?”
Lily frowned. “I don’t think I like where this is going.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it sucks. I met Cole because I was trying to get dirt on the Harbor Hounds. I thought maybe they were involved in illegal shit.” There didn’t seem to be much of a point in explaining about Rosie and Finn. No matter what, I’d dropped any idea of interfering, anyway.
Lily tapped her lip, considering. “You’re not wrong. I’m pretty sure they are, though I don’t know what exactly. So, how did you go from being undercover to sleeping with the president?”
“Because I fucking suck at journalism? Emmit is right. I can’t hack it.
” I dropped my head onto my arm and resisted the urge to bang it against the table.
“I’m not proud of it. It was a low point, and then I went and charged across the line and hooked up with him.
Maybe Emmit is right, I’m not a serious person.
I should just marry Grant Elwick and play couples golf with my parents,” I said glumly.
Lily shook her head. “Well, that took a dramatic turn. No one is saying to do any of that. I just wouldn’t let Cole know that’s why you were interested in him.”
“Thanks for the advice—anything else blindingly obvious you’d like to tell me?” I gave her a saccharine smile, and she shook her head.
“Oh, maybe one thing.” Lily was looking over my shoulder as she spoke. “You might think it was just a casual hookup, but that man hasn’t stopped looking over here since he sat down.”
“What? No way.”
“Way. In fact, I think he’s coming over.”
I bolted upright and stepped out of the booth.
“Where are you going?” Lily demanded.
“Bathroom!”
I practically raced there. I got in, thankfully found I was alone, and stared at myself in the mirror. What was wrong with me?