Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
COLE
Words can’t even begin to describe how mad I got when Jules told me that Sophie was no longer in her room. I don’t remember the last time that I was so out of my mind, but when I suddenly saw Sophie walking along the side of the road, it felt like having Mount Everest lifted off my shoulders.
The adrenaline still rushes through my veins, but I’m just relieved right now because I found her.
She’s sitting in the passenger seat while I dial Jules’s number. As I do so, I reach back between the seats with my right arm to grab the hoodie lying on the back seat.
Jules answers the call, completely out of breath. "Did you find her?"
"Yes," I answer without hesitation, upon which she exhales in relief.
"Thank God."
"Where are you? Do you want me to pick you up?" I ask while I hand Sophie the hoodie because she’s shaking like crazy.
"No, I’m fine. I’m almost back at your place because I wanted to check if she came back."
"Okay. See you soon, then."
"Cole?" She stops me from hanging up. "Is she okay?"
I glance at Sophie. She’s just slipping the sleeves on, and I can’t stop the corner of my mouth from twitching because the hoodie is way too big for her. She would fit in it three times.
"Yeah. I think so," I reply, shifting the gear into drive.
"Good. See you in a minute." Then she hangs up.
After I do a U-turn, I drive back into town. When I have to stop at a traffic light, Sophie’s voice reaches my ears. "Why did you wait at that traffic light?"
I don’t know what she’s talking about, so I look at her with a frown. "Which traffic light?"
"The one at my house."
Ah… that one. I’ve never seen anything more pointless than that traffic light in the middle of nowhere, but my principles are unbreakable. One of them is to never run a red light. Ever. And usually, I stick to that. Even if it costs me three minutes of my time and gets a girl to jump into my truck.
I avert my gaze from Sophie before answering, my voice sounding harsher than intended. "Bad things can happen if you ignore these things. That’s fucking why."
I can see her nod from the corner of my eye before she looks straight ahead again, remaining silent for the rest of the ride.
I don’t have to ask her a second time why she ran away. If she overheard what I told Jules earlier, it’s almost understandable. She must have thought I was trying to get rid of her when all I did was blow a fuse.
Jules knows about my temper and the fact that not every word I say should be taken literally when I’m mad. Heavens… How many times have I told her to go to hell without actually meaning it? But Sophie doesn’t know me. She has no idea that I can be a real jerk who sometimes spouts a lot of bullshit.
After I parked the car, I stop her from getting out. "Sophie?"
She pauses and turns to me, looking at me with questioning eyes.
"I didn’t mean it," I explain calmly. "What you heard earlier."
"Then why did you say it?"
Goddamn. Her direct manner is fucking disarming. And she probably doesn’t even know.
Averting my gaze from hers, I run my fingers through my hair in slight frustration before I look at her again. "I was angry, okay?"
"With me?"
"Yeah."
"Because I went to the basement?"
"Because you didn’t go back up when I told you to."
She returns my gaze for another moment before she lowers it and nods.
"Jules will stay with you tonight so you’re not alone when I… have work to do in the basement later." What an exceedingly charming term for what will start in an hour.
She kneads her fingers and chews on her lower lip but doesn’t respond.
"Sophie?"
"Okay," she finally says without looking at me.
Sighing, I nod. "Fine. Then let’s get inside." But before I can get out of the car, her soft voice stops me.
"Cole?"
I turn to her again and am immediately captured by the amber-brown of her eyes. "Yes?"
"You won’t tell me what you’re doing down there, am I right?"
I shake my head. "No."
She fixes me with her gaze as if she could find the answer to her question in my eyes. The certainty that she can’t is the only thing that keeps me calm. I don’t want her to know what’s going on down in my basement. That’s a world a girl like her should never see.
Yes, Jules is well aware of how I make my money.
And I absolutely hate it, but it was inevitable that she found out.
With Sophie, though, I want to do it right.
I have no idea why I want to protect her from the pitch-black abysses of my life and this world, but I can’t bring myself to drag her into it.
It feels wrong. Like I’d taint her with this, and that is the last thing I want to do.
She’s so pure and innocent and always seems to believe in the good in people.
For her, this world is just one big adventure, and I’ll be damned if I’m the one to take away that illusion.
When we reach the upper floor, Jules runs toward us and literally throws herself at Sophie. I head straight for the kitchen and pour myself a large glass of Jack Daniel’s, emptying it in one go.
"We were worried about you," Jules says urgently behind me before adding something that I don’t understand.
After I put down the tumbler, I turn around. "Jules, can we talk for a moment?"
She looks from Sophie to me and then back again.
"I have to use the bathroom anyway," Sophie declares, breaking free from Jules’s grip.
"What is it?" Jules wants to know after the bathroom door closes behind Sophie. "Did she tell you why she ran away?"
"Yes," I answer in a hushed voice. "She overheard us talking about her."
"Shit." She grimaces ruefully. "I guess we screwed that up pretty bad, huh?"
"Yeah," I agree with a sigh. "I have to go downstairs. Can you stay with her tonight so she’s not alone?"
Jules nods. "Yes. But I have to get out early tomorrow. So make sure you’re not completely wasted, will you?"
I raise an eyebrow. "You know damn well that’s not up to me alone."
"Yeah, I do. Just be careful." Then she turns away.
"Do you think I’m doing the right thing? With Sophie?"
She pauses and looks at me blankly over her shoulder. Just as I begin to wonder if she’s stuck like a broken record, she contorts her mouth into a crooked grin. "You don’t want to know what I’m thinking."
I tilt my head. "I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked."
"Mmm… no. You don’t. Trust me." Without further explanation, she turns and disappears into her old room.
Before I can call her back or follow her, a knock on the steel door sounds, announcing Steve’s arrival.
As I walk down the stairs, I briefly look down at myself and see that my shirt is damp around chest level. The gray fabric soaked up Sophie’s tears when I pressed her against me.
The memory of the hug makes me pause at the door. Her body felt so delicate and fragile that I was afraid of hurting her. When she also wrapped her arms around me, I realized how fundamentally different we are, and that it’s close to a miracle that she allows me, of all people, to touch her.
Most people steer clear of me. And those who’ve already had the pleasure of messing with me… Well, let’s just say, very few would do it a second time.
But Sophie’s either too unaware to realize what kind of person I am, or she actually doesn’t care.
I don’t know which of those I’d prefer, but even if she really hasn’t figured out yet that I’m the epitome of a guy to stay away from, that will change eventually.
She’ll realize who she’s dealing with, and then she’ll run.
When another bang sounds at the door, I push the thoughts of Sophie to the back of my head. Then I open the heavy steel door and let Steve and his two henchmen in.
"Well? You ready?" he asks, eyeing me intently.
"Sure." At least I hope so. If I’m not, the night could end badly, and I really don’t feel like that after this week.
"Good. Let’s do it."