Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
SOPHIE
It was overwhelming to shoot a gun, although my arms and shoulders still hurt a bit from the recoil. But Cole had warned me in advance, so I won’t complain.
Feeling the force of the bullet leaving the barrel of the gun made me forget for a moment how small and inexperienced I sometimes feel. Instead, I felt strong. Powerful.
It was really cool.
Seeing Cole with his gun was also impressive.
He looked absolutely lethal as he clasped the huge pistol with his big hands and aimed at the cans, making his tattooed arms tense.
My stomach fluttered at the sight of him, and I grew terribly warm all at once as I looked at his profile in the sunlight.
His eyes seemed like liquid silver as he took aim, rivaling the shiny metal in his hands.
And when he stood so close behind me… I could feel his heartbeat against my back, and for a split second, I forgot what I was supposed to do. It was completely crazy—but in a good, exciting way.
"How did it go with Jules last night?" Cole eyes me briefly after we get back in the truck. "It got pretty late, didn’t it?"
"Yes. I’ve never stayed up this late before," I confess. "But it was nice."
"So she didn’t… overwhelm you?"
I frown and look at him. "I don’t know what you mean."
"The movie didn’t scare you?"
Now I think I understand what he’s talking about. My cheeks get warm when I think of all the things Jules explained to me.
I squirm inwardly, but then force myself to answer him. "No. It was… okay."
He throws me another glance before looking back at the road.
"Where are we going?" I want to know, as he doesn’t take the route we came from.
Cole hesitates for a tiny moment. I almost expect him not to tell me, but then he does. "To the vet clinic."
"Why?"
"I hit a dog with my truck on Monday."
My eyes widen. "Oh my God! How is he?"
"The little troublemaker is doing fine," he reassures me, the corners of his mouth tugging into what might be a smirk.
"And how are you?"
Confusion spreads across his face. I don’t understand why. After all, it was a completely normal question. Of course I want to know how he feels about it since he hurt an animal, even if it wasn’t on purpose. I can’t imagine that this would pass someone by without a trace.
"I’m good," he replies with a frown.
"Were you there yesterday, too?"
"Yes."
"And the day before?" Gradually, I think I know why he stopped at the traffic light in front of our house four days in a row.
Cole nods. "Every day since Monday. If you want to put it that way, he’s the reason I’m stuck with you now."
I lower my gaze and swallow against the lump that has formed in my throat. His words hit me. And as much as I try to convince myself that he doesn’t mean it, I just can’t succeed.
"Shit… That wasn’t… Ah fuck." He runs a hand through his hair. "Sophie?"
"Hmm?"
"I didn’t mean it," Cole explains before he reaches for my hand. When he finds it, he wraps his fingers around mine and squeezes lightly. "I’m sorry."
When we stop in front of a brick building with the name of the clinic above the entrance, he lets go of my hand. I immediately feel the cool air on my fingers and miss the warmth of his skin.
A blond woman greets us with a smile as soon as we enter the clinic. "Oh! You want to introduce Buster to your girlfriend, Mr. Walker?" With that, she winks at me and stands up from her chair.
I smile hesitantly as Cole replies, "She’s not my girlfriend."
The woman just shrugs and leads us to the back and into a room full of small cages housing dogs, cats, rabbits, and even a colorful bird. It smells a bit peculiar, but I’m far too distracted by all the animals to pay attention.
"Are they all sick?" I ask as the woman opens a crate containing a medium-sized sand-brown dog with a thick bandage wrapped around its chest.
"Some of them are. But most are just recovering from their surgery."
I look at her in wonder. "What’s a surgery?"
Before she can answer, Cole speaks up. "We’ll manage on our own. Thank you."
She gives him a look that I can’t interpret but then nods and leaves.
"What’s a surgery?" I repeat my question to Cole.
He sighs heavily. "When an animal—or human—gets seriously injured or very sick, they need an operation to get better."
I still don’t understand and tilt my head, frowning.
"Did you ever fix anything?"
I nod. "Yes. I dropped a vase once. I tried to glue the pieces back together, but it didn’t work. It was just… too broken."
"It’s much the same with surgeries. If everything goes well, they’re successful and the patient gets better. But sometimes there’s nothing you can do. Just like with the vase."
I look around the room again as Cole crouches in front of the cage. Many of the animals have bandages and don’t seem very healthy. Some have a sad expression on their faces, and others even look scared. Pity rises in me, but I try to cling to the fact that they’re getting help here.
Cole’s voice draws my attention back to him and the dog. "Hey, buddy. Look who I brought with me."
When I look back at him, he’s stroking the dog’s neck as it leans its head in my direction and seems to be sniffing.
Cole glances up at me. "You wanna pet him?"
I nod, and he moves a little to the side so I can squat in front of the cage as well.
"Give me your hand." He reaches for my arm and then holds my hand so the animal can sniff my fingers.
When the dog starts to lick my skin, I laugh softly. "That tickles."
Cole lets go of me, and I scoot a little closer to pet the dog’s head like he just did.
"What’s his name again?"
"The staff calls him Buster."
"Where’s his owner?"
"He doesn’t have one."
I look at Cole, who is watching the dog. "But where will he go as soon as he gets better? He has to have a home, right?" I get sad at the thought of Buster being like me.
"He’s going to an animal shelter," Cole explains, also reaching out to scratch the dog.
Silently, we’re petting Buster, who has crawled forward a bit and rested his head on my legs after I sat down on the floor.
"Can’t he come with us?" I ask quietly at some point because I think it’s terrible that he doesn’t have a home.
Cole’s voice is harsh as he answers. "No."
"Why not?" I turn my head to look at him, the first tears coming to my eyes. "You took me with you, so why not him, too? He’s all alone and—"
"I said no."
"That’s not fair." I look back at the dog who returns my gaze. His brown eyes watch me faithfully and kindly, and it breaks my heart to leave him here.
"Life isn’t always fair," Cole explains tonelessly. "Come on. We’ve got to go. They’re about to close."
"I’m not coming. I’m staying here with Buster.
" All of a sudden, I’m incredibly angry with Cole.
I just don’t understand why he doesn’t want to take the dog to live with him.
It seems heartless to me, and even though I don’t want to see Cole like that, it’s exactly what I’m thinking of him right now.
"Goddammit, Sophie…" He stands, sighing loudly. "You can’t stay here. Now come on."
Angrily, I rise and face him. "Just leave me here. You sure seem to find that easy with him."
Cole looks at me with dark, thunderous eyes as a muscle in his jaw twitches. "He’s a dog. You’re a human. That’s totally different."
"Oh yeah? And why is that?"
At that moment, the woman comes back into the room. "Is there a problem here?" She seems worried, but neither Cole nor I even look at her.
It feels like hours pass before he averts his eyes, curses softly, and then looks at the woman. "No, there isn’t. We’re leaving. Now." His voice leaves no room for argument.
My anger makes me completely headless, so I walk past him and the woman and leave the room and then the building. When Cole comes out a moment later and unlocks the truck, I get in without a word and look demonstratively to the right and out the window.
I’m not so stupid that I would run away again. Especially because I promised Jules not to do that. But I don’t want to talk to him, either. Cole is silent as well, so there is an oppressive atmosphere in the vehicle throughout the drive back to his place.
After we arrive and go upstairs, I head straight for my room, ignoring his calls. Instead, I close the door behind me and lie on the bed.
I have no idea why he, of all people, triggers these strong emotions in me, but I’ve never been as angry in my life as I am with Cole right now.