The Pact

59

COLE

“Can you start from the beginning? I want to know all of it.” Thea looks at me, expressionless. I’m surprised. Crying, yelling, begging—I’d been prepared for all of those things. I wasn’t expecting this. “Please,” she adds.

My brow pops up. “Really?”

She nods. I consider her request. Part of me knows I should keep my mouth shut. However, the other part of me is eager to give into her. I’m not sure if I’m more interested in seeing the shock on her face when she learns the depths of my obsession or if I’m so damn arrogant that I got away with it and need to tell someone.

The arrogant part of me wins.

“I had my eye on you the first time I saw you outside of your studio. I was driving to work and looked over to see this angel laughing. The pure happiness on your face made it impossible for me to not find out who you were.” Walking to the dining room table, I pull out a chair, spinning it around to sit down. I fold my arms over the back of it. “I knew I needed to get closer to you and it wasn’t hard. You played right into my hand nearly every step of the way.”

Some emotion flashes over her face, but she stifles it before I can tell what it is.

Reminiscing on a particularly satisfying memory, I smile at her. “Do you remember that flyer? It was a buy one get one free coffee deal.”

The moment she recalls what I’m talking about, her brows knit together. “Yeah, I remember it.”

Lowering my voice to a whisper, I say, “Your studio was the only one who got that. You and Cassie came in that afternoon. Seeing you up close was intoxicating. I needed more. I even kept the receipt you signed.” Cole sighs. “I wasn’t sure if you noticed me, well, in that way.”

“I did,” she states. “You were wearing a red shirt and I remember thinking that it really brought out the green in your eyes.” Thea glances down. I see pink spread over her cheeks. My stomach flips at the sight. Despite everything, I still want her. I know I shouldn’t.

“Really?” I ask, wanting to know more. We’ve never talked about these early days before I asked for her number. Curiosity tugs at my brain. She looks at me, almost shyly, and nods. I can’t help the smile that spreads over my face, although I catch myself before it gets too far.

I continue on. “After that I’d hoped that something would happen organically, but it didn’t. So, I took things into my own hands. I did my research on you, well as much as I could. I found my in when I learned about your disease. If I offered you something I knew you couldn’t have, then I could ask you out on a date where I’d be able to impress you.”

“So you knew I couldn’t eat gluten that day in the bakery? You offered it to me on purpose, knowing I’d open up to you a little?”

A self-satisfied smile plays over my mouth. “Exactly, my love.” I don’t miss her jaw clenching at my admission. “And you loved every bit of it. The way I rented out that kitchen and cooked you a meal that catered to your needs, it had you like putty in my hands. Then you proved to me you were exactly who I wanted when you didn’t sleep with me that night. Well, at least that’s what I thought then. You were supposed to have boundaries that would hold up against the pact I’d eventually have to tell you about. I thought you were strong enough to resist the temptation of my brothers. I was so fucking wrong.” I’m gripping the wood of the chair back so hard that my knuckles are turning white.

Thea sighs in defeat. It makes me soften a little. “I should have resisted them. You were always the one I was meant for. I loved you first.”

I shake my head in resignation. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t do us any good now, does it? You’ve ruined it all.” My harsh words make her lip quiver. “Anyway, I arranged for Jake to scare you so that I’d be able to show you I could defend you. Did you know that biologically, there may be a link between a woman’s attraction to a man and his ability to protect her? It’s fascinating.”

She doesn’t seem to be as interested in the concept as me.

“It wasn’t all easy. There were certain things that somehow aligned perfectly, like that night. You left your truck doors unlocked. I was able to leave that note in your air vent. There wasn’t a guarantee that it would distract you, but I was counting on it and fuck if it didn’t work out perfectly. That was my in. I knew that once I rescued you, you’d be hooked.”

Thea shifts in her chair, as much as she can. I know the rope is probably biting into her skin every time she moves and her muscles ache from the position I’ve put her in, but she deserves to feel an ounce of the pain she’s caused me.

“Getting my hands on Cassie’s phone was harder. The idea came to me while we were eating dinner, so I had no time to plan. It was when she lost her shit after losing at Uno that I swiped it. But even then, I knew the clock was ticking. It was only a matter of time before she’d try tracking it down. As soon as you walked her outside, I got to work. Did you know they make these handy apps that let you export data like text messages pretty quickly? It took no time at all to get all the messages between the two of you downloaded and emailed to me. Then I turned it off so she couldn’t trace it back to the house.”

Watching Thea, I try to pick up on her brief expressions. All I get from her is the tiniest amount of awe. “I have to hand it to you. I had no idea. You had me fooled.” Her voice is flat, emotionless.

“There were a few times where I thought I’d blown it. When I kept your truck at the shop too long and you ran into Danny. I was sure you’d be suspicious. I’m still convinced that the only reason you didn’t question it more was because I flooded your apartment.” I let out a small chuckle. “It’s like the stars aligned to let me get away with all of this…if I believed in that sort of thing. I mean, what were the chances that all of this worked out so perfectly? It was all meant to lead up to this moment.”

“And what moment is that, Cole?”

I don’t like her tone. It makes me scowl at her. “I’m not done. You wanted to know all the details. I haven’t even gotten to the best part.” I lean back, stretching my back. “I was on a high with you having to depend on me for a ride. I loved that you needed me and I could show you I could be consistent. I never let you down, isn’t that right?”

She can’t deny it. I was always there for her with a smile on my face.

“You were always consistent,” she agrees.

“I needed more,” I admit. “It became addictive to see how close to the edge I could push you. I wanted to see you just as you were about to break. So I messed with your bookings. I wanted you financially dependent on me. But Damian had to go and fuck that up. When he told me he paid the studio rent, I wanted to kill him. Genuinely, I wanted to wrap my hands around this throat and choke the life from him.” Guilt washes over me at my confession. I know she sees it. “That’s when I realized I was willing to do anything to keep you to myself. I’ve never been possessive of our women, but with you, I couldn’t contain it. You’re mine. I needed you to be all mine.”

Taking a breath, I assess her. She’s not reacting. “I kept up the charade for a while, but that night we all slept together when I told you that you were all mine—I knew I slipped up. Damian gave me a long lecture the next day. You’re ours, he said. You don’t belong to any one of us. He’s such an arrogant prick sometimes.” The last part, I mutter more to myself.

Reaching out, I brush a hand down her thigh to her knee. “Anyway, I had to isolate you. I needed you under our roof. Getting Cassie out of town and stranding us at the inn was the perfect start to get you all to myself. I needed your trust—fully. I needed to know that you loved me so I could make moving in after the flood seem logical and safe.”

Thea’s back straightens. I’ve gotten her attention, so I keep going. “When you didn’t say you loved me back at the waterfall, I thought it was all for nothing. Then, on the drive to the inn, I came up with a way to get things back on track. I knew that if I pulled away a little, you’d get desperate. You’d need the attention. All of Gavin’s rejection really paid off. As soon as I asked for two beds, I could see you breaking.”

And it worked. Thea said she loved me and moved in without needing much convincing. Although her fight with Cassie planted seeds of doubt. I was sure that would ruin everything.

“You know, Cass really hit the nail on the head when she said your life went downhill when you met me. I thought that’s when you’d start putting the pieces together. She’s too smart for her own good.”

“Are you saying that you told me you loved me just to get what you wanted? You never loved me?” Her voice is full of rage as her face twists in anger. Of all the things I’ve told her, that’s what stuck out?

Standing abruptly, I go to her and drop to my knees. “Thea, no.” My hands cup her cheeks gently. “I loved you long before I took you to the waterfall. And I did want to tell you, but I waited until it best served me.” I will her to see the truth in my eyes. “But, God, this reaction…” I shake my head and say breathlessly. “Your anger at the thought of me not loving you…this is what I’ve wanted from you. This is what I’ve needed.” I kiss her hard and unforgiving.

Thea’s eyes soften as I pull away from her.

“I love you so much, Thea. I don’t want things to end this way.”

“I don’t either, Cole. Nothing can change the way I feel about you.” There’s something about the way she’s staring at me, really seeing me, that makes me reconsider. Maybe things don’t have to end like this.

I sit back on my legs and look up at her. “I hoped that there was still a chance for us. When you told Sutton you loved him, it shook me up. My little attempts at distracting my brothers wasn’t cutting it. That’s why there was only one thing left for me to do. Although, those plans got derailed with you confronting me and Jake showing up to the party. Maybe we can still make it work.”

“What are you talking about, Cole?”

I smile proudly at Thea, my hands resting on her thighs. “Getting rid of my brothers, of course.”

THEA

“Sutton?” It slips out as a whisper. I can’t accept it unless it comes from him because it’s too horrifying to even imagine. The cool and collected mask I wore while he told me all of his dirty secrets can’t hold up to this part of his confession.

Cole runs a hand through his hair. I can see a sliver of regret in whatever human part of him still exists. “I didn’t want it to come to this. I tried other ways first. All I wanted was for them to be distracted, to not give you attention so that you’d turn to me.” I search his face. A chill sweeps me as I realize Damian was right. Someone was trying to take them down, however, it wasn’t Gavin. It was their own brother.

“Damian’s computer.” I replay that day over in my head. I remember Sutton comforting his brother while Cole stood back and didn’t say a thing. It’s all making sense now.

He nods. “And Wesley’s reviews. Those are the things you knew about. But there’s other shit I did. I tried keeping Damian tied up with the finances at the bakery being off and stealing Wesley’s meds. I wanted their attention on anything but you.”

My mouth is suddenly dry, and it’s hard to swallow.

“Sutton…how?”

I think I might be sick if he tells me the details, although I need to know for sure.

“When you and Sutton confessed your feelings, something inside of me snapped. I knew it was only a matter of time before the others fell too, if they hadn’t already. All of my efforts to show you I was your perfect match backfired. It drove you to become closer with all of us. I knew if you didn’t feel the same way about my brothers yet, it would eventually happen. So there was only one logical thing left to do.”

I’m silent. My body’s trembling and I’m not sure if it’s shock from my head injury or his words. Keeping my emotions stifled is becoming harder. I want to lash out at him for his lies. I want to cry because I should have been smarter than this and I’m fucking heartbroken that Cole isn’t who I thought he was. I want to scream because I have no control right now. I’ve given all of it to him—willingly.

“Sutton had to be the first to go. He was too close to you and it had to look like an accident. That was simple enough. Motorcycles are inherently dangerous, especially up here in the mountains. All I had to do was weaken the chain of his bike. Eventually, it’d give out. I honestly expected to take longer.”

No. No. No. I thought his admission would be enough for me to come to terms with what he’s done, but it’s not. I can’t wrap my head around Cole trying to kill Sutton because of me. How could anyone ever do something like that, especially to their family?

“We don’t know if he’s dead. He might pull through,” I say weakly.

Cole shrugs. “He might, but if he’s incapacitated in the hospital, he’ll be easy to finish off.”

I try to control my quivering lip. Cole has truly gone off the deep end. There’s no bringing him back. The only way I’m surviving this is if I convince him I can be just as psychotic…no, more. He needs to believe that I’ll do anything to be with him.

Swallowing, I prepare myself for what I’m about to say. “If we get rid of them, everything will be ours? The house, the businesses, the money?”

He doesn’t answer right away. I think he’s evaluating my words, my intentions—aligning them with his. His eyes squint as he processes it all.

“Yes. All of it,” he confirms, his voice heavy with suspicion.

Nodding, I offer my advice. “If Sutton pulls through, we can read over his chart and see what meds they’re giving him. I’m sure we can get our hands on something and give him a little too much in his IV. They’ll think a tired nurse gave him the wrong dosage.” Cole eyes me in disbelief. “I can convince Wes to take me on the same hike we went on before. There’s a ledge there that’s pretty dangerous. He could have an accident. He could fall. Damian might be the hardest, although with two of his brothers dead, it might not be too far off that he didn’t want to live anymore.”

All the scenarios hurt to speak of. It hurts even more making Cole believe I would do these things to them. However, I need him to be completely convinced. “You need me, Cole. It’s this or a life on the run. If you kill me or they think you took me against my will, they won’t stop chasing you until they find you. Our only way out is to fight. And you need my help with that. They still trust me. I can get close to them. Then, when they’re gone, it’s all ours.” I let a grin creep over my mouth.

Cole turns his head away. I can tell that he’s fighting against what his heart wants and what his head is telling him. I shrug and nonchalantly say. “Up to you. But if I were you, I’d take the money and the girl.”

He looks back at me, trying to detect any lies. “There’s no coming back from killing family. Are you good with that?”

“Cole, they’re your family, not mine.”