8. Cole
COLE
Lili had just watched me kill one man and injure another, yet she’d still leaped into my arms.
Holding her tight and lifting her off her feet, I turned and headed back to the stairs. She buried her face in my neck. Alessio and Rafe stood nearby, guns in their hands.
“Two in the hall upstairs,” I murmured.
Alessio eyed Lili, then gave me a nod.
“We’ll take care of it and clear the other rooms,” Rafe said.
I carried her down the stairs.
“I can walk.” She lifted her head, her eyes underscored by dark circles.
My arms tightened.
“Please. I…need to walk.”
God, so much strength in such a delicate body. I set her down, hating that her feet were bare and her wrists handcuffed. I also hated seeing the swelling on her face.
Wrapping my arm around her, I led her through the living room. She glanced at the bodies of the unmoving guards on the floor before looking away.
Nash, Bastian, and Landon stood there.
“She okay?” Nash asked.
I lifted my chin. “Got a handcuff key?”
Nash fished one out. I quickly removed the handcuffs, then took one of her hands. When her fingers tightened on mine, my chest felt tight.
“Lili, you’ve met Landon. These are my friends, Nash Oakley and Bastian Thorne. Alessio and Rafe are upstairs. You’ll meet them later.”
“Hi,” she murmured.
“Hi, Lili,” Bastian said.
Nash nodded. I could see him trying to keep a lock on his anger as he took in Lili’s face.
“Everyone’s neutralized,” Landon added quietly. “You take one of the Range Rovers and get Lili out of here.”
I slipped my jacket off and wrapped it around her. That’s when she started shaking.
Fuck, she’d been through so much. It was my fault she’d once again been taken against her will.
I led her outside. One of the black Range Rovers was in the driveaway, another at the curb. I knew Nash would have fake plates on them, which we’d switch over later. Just in case anyone reported the vehicles to the cops.
Lili was shaking so hard, her teeth chattered. I didn’t let myself think. Stopping beside the vehicle, I pulled her into my arms.
“You’re safe now. I promise.”
“You…came for me. Again. I…” Tears welled in her eyes and she started crying. “I thought no one was coming.”
Fuck. Her tears were like a burn to my gut. I pressed a hand to the back of her head and pulled her closer. She buried her face against my chest.
I opened the back door of the SUV, then pulled her away enough to get us both inside. She climbed onto my lap, like she needed to keep holding me in order to survive. Like I was the damn thing holding her together.
Gripping her tightly, I rocked her a little. It wasn’t something I was used to, but I’d hold her for as long as she needed.
I’d killed. I’d been a killer one way or another my entire life—a good soldier, an excellent merc, a really good hitman. I’d never been the person someone depended on emotionally.
I’d never had anyone hold onto me the way she did.
Slipping my hand into my pocket, I pulled out my phone, and one-handed, sent Alessio a message.
Lili kept quietly crying, her tears soaking into my shirt, tearing my insides to shreds.
Alessio appeared a moment later and slipped into the driver’s seat. I met his gaze in the rearview mirror as he started the engine.
“You’re safe, sunshine,” I murmured. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again.”
She lifted her head, rubbing at her cheek. Then her brown eyes widened. “Wait! My friend was in the house. Ava-Jane. Goodyear kidnapped her and is…” She swallowed. “She said there are three other women as well, he’s trafficking them. Taking them to parties and…”
When she trailed off, I didn’t need her to continue. I cursed. “Alessio?”
My friend shook his head. “We searched the house. Apart from the guards, there was no one else there.”
“She was there,” Lili insisted. “She brought me food.” A stricken look crossed her features. “God, where is she?”
“Hey.” I gripped her chin. “We’ll look into it. For now, you need to focus on you.”
I saw the struggle in her eyes, then she nodded. “Anton was coming to get me. The guards told me.”
Fucking Kamensky. I ground my teeth together until my jaw throbbed. I was going to take the asshole out, once and for all.
Clearly Lili read me. Alarm skittered across her face and she cupped my cheek. “Cole, you can’t do anything that will get you into trouble.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
She swallowed. “Back at that…place. Those guards…You…”
“I killed them.”
She stared at me, unblinking. I had no idea what was going through her head, but she needed to know who I was.
“Will you get into trouble?”
I froze. No panic, no fear, or disgust. “No.” Right now, Nash, Bastian, Rafe, and Landon would be clearing the scene. We were all retired assassins. If we didn’t want a body found, it wouldn’t be found.
She relaxed. “Good.”
She had to be in shock, and not fully comprehending the situation.
“Lili…I used to work as a mercenary.”
She watched me with big eyes. “Okay.”
“But then, I worked as an assassin.”
She looked at me for a beat, then glanced toward Alessio and back. “You were all assassins.”
She wasn’t asking a question, but I nodded.
“Did you kill women and children?”
“Fuck, no.”
“Did you kill bad people? Like Goodyear.”
“Sometimes.”
“Okay.” Then, she pressed her face to my chest and stayed quiet. Hugging was not a skill I was familiar with, but I held her tight.
Not long later, Alessio drove us through the back gate on the Avernus grounds. He pulled up beside my villa.
“Thanks, Alessio.” I helped Lili out of the SUV.
With a chin lift, he disappeared.
I unlocked the door to my place and led Lili inside. She stood there, looking lost and disheveled, wearing only my T-shirt. She twisted her hands together. “Are you going to get me another room in the casino?”
“Hell, no.” I tossed my keys down. “You’re staying here, with me, until I know you’re safe.”
Relief crossed her face. “Okay.”
“I won’t fail you again, Lili.”
Her face softened and she closed the distance between us. “You didn’t fail me, Cole. What Goodyear and Anton did isn’t on you.”
I didn’t agree. At all. I cupped her cheek. “You need some ice on this.”
“One of the guys hit me, but it doesn’t actually feel too bad.”
I strode to my freezer and pulled out an ice pack. I wrapped it in a clean dish towel. Gently, I pressed it to her cheek. “I’ll get Landon to check you out again.”
“No! He’s already done so much.”
“Lili, I saw the blood on the wall in that hotel room.” And just like that, my simmering rage flared up, straining the chains I’d put on it.
“Oh, my head bled a little, but it stopped. And I didn’t lose consciousness or anything.” Her nose wrinkled. “I had a concussion once when I slipped and hit my head in the shower.” She lifted my hand and pressed it to the back of her head.
I felt the small scrape through her hair. It wasn’t bleeding.
“Please, I don’t need medical attention.”
Those big brown eyes looked up at me.
Shit. “Okay, but I reserve the right to change my mind later. And you’re keeping this ice pack on for a while.”
She smiled. “Deal.”
“Why don’t you take a shower? I’ll find something for you to wear, then we can visit the stores in the casino and get you some clothes.”
“I don’t have much money—”
“You won’t need any,” I growled. “And I’m not arguing about it.”
She released a breath. “Fine, but I can’t go shopping when I know that Ava-Jane is out there, somewhere—” Her voice cracked.
“I’m going to contact Nash when you’re in the shower. We’ll find her. I promise.”
She nodded. “Thanks for saving me again, Cole.”
“Bathroom’s off my bedroom. At the end of the hall. There are fresh towels on the shelf.”
She took my jacket off, then still holding the ice pack to her face, she followed my directions to my bedroom.
Lili was going to be getting naked in my shower.
“Fuck, get a grip.” She’d been abducted, held against her will, terrified, and discovered her friend was being abused. The last thing she needed was me drooling over her.
I quickly sent a text message to Georgie asking if she had some clothes and shoes for Lili. Unsurprisingly, Nash’s woman promised she’d drop something off shortly.
I’ll leave them at your door. Take care of her and I look forward to meeting her soon.
Nash was a lucky fuck, scoring a woman like Georgie. She’d been through some tough times, but was still happy and friendly, on top of being beautiful.
Once Georgie had left the clothes—a long brown skirt and long-sleeved top in deep green—I left them outside the bathroom.
I knocked once. “Clothes are on the bed.”
“Thanks.”
I checked in with Nash and Landon. They’d cleared the scene and done some surveillance. I knew that meant no one had seen them. Both of them were good at being smoke when needed.
Nash’s message pinged on my phone.
Kamensky came by. No one answered. He looked pissed.
My lips twitched.
Good.
After that, a few guys who had to belong to Goodyear turned up and went in. They came out looking spooked.
That made me smile. Yeah, Goodyear was going to wonder where the hell his men had gone to.
Lili’s friend Ava-Jane was in the house. She’s being held captive and sexually abused by Goodyear.
What the fuck?
She told Lili there are three other women as well. We need to find them.
Tell Lili I’m on it.
I heard footsteps and looked up. My heart kicked my ribs.
The skirt looked great on her, and the T-shirt was a shade tight, so it hugged every inch of her chest. One thing I’d notice plenty of times was that Lili had been blessed in the chest department. She’d left her hair loose, and her cheek didn’t look any worse than earlier.
“I feel much better.” She smiled and plucked at the skirt. “And thanks for these.”
“There’re from Georgie.”
Her smile slowly faded. “Who’s Georgie?” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“What? No. She’s Nash’s woman.”
Her face brightened. “Oh, great. Well, tell her thank you.”
“I’m going to take you to get some clothes. A few days’ worth of things, and whatever else you need.”
“Cole, you don’t have to—”