Movement behind us alerts me to the fact that Donny’s goons are hiding in the shadows, but I don’t turn. I don’t want them to be aware that I know they’re there, waiting to jump in to protect their boss.
“What are you—” Ace starts, but James doesn't let him finish.
“Protecting my own.” James looks from Ace directly to me. He nods once, and my lips curl.
He moves faster than I thought he was capable of, Ace and I do the exact same thing, and seconds after James’ gun sounds out, so do ours.
His two goons don’t stand a chance. Both of them hit the wall before slumping to the floor. One of them groans in pain, but the other is already dead. Donny, however, is staring at James with wide eyes as blood spews from his chest. His hand covers the gunshot wound, but it does nothing to keep him from bleeding to death.
“You think you hold all the power? Think you can run rings around my boys and hurt those they care about? You are fucking wrong,” James spits, standing from the chair he was still lounging in, tucking his gun back into his waistband. “You might think your name earns you respect, and I’m sure it does with some. But not as much as mine. This is over. You’re done, Lopez.”
Donny’s eyes still remain trained on James, the life is quickly draining out of them—although not quite quick enough, because his arm lifts, the flash of metal catching my eye a second before I fire off my second shot of the night, straight through Donny Lopez’s head.
That was for Hadley, you motherfucker.
“Boys,” James says, nodding at both of us. He moves toward the door, stepping over one of the bodies on his way out.
Ace and I fall into step behind him, but not before we exchange a confused look.
Why was he here? How did he know?
Nothing is said as the three of us make our way outside.
The goon who was at the entrance is long gone. It’s a shame. I can’t help feeling like I could add another body to the count we’ve already clocked up tonight.
James comes to a stop in the middle of the lot and turns to us. His eyes soften as he takes us both in, but they linger on Ace a little longer than me. It’s understandable—his face is black from the fire and he’s sporting a swollen eye and split lip.
“How’d you…”
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters right now is that it’s over. Fresh start from here on out, yeah?”
I open my mouth to respond, but I have no words. I’m too fucking stunned that James had that in him in the first place.
“T-thanks, I guess,” Ace mutters, sounding as confused as I feel.
“Go back to your girls. They need you. Both of you. Go, I’ll take care of this.” He nods at us, spins on his heels and marches toward the Town Car hidden in the shadows.
“What the fuck was that?” I whisper, more to myself than Ace, but he responds nonetheless.
“I have no fucking idea. But we should do as he says. They’re going to be going out of their minds right now.”
Chapter Five
Hadley
Voices startle me. I strain to listen, but they’re muted, and I can only make out the odd word.
Donny...
James...
Dead.
Part of me wants to rip out the IV and go and see what’s happening, but I’m too exhausted and weak to move.
It’s late, long past midnight. Remi said Ellen’s doctor friend wanted to take me to the ER and get me checked out, but Remi and Conner had managed to talk him out of it. I must have been out of it because I can’t remember anything.
The door creaks open, and I half expect to see Remi, but Cole stands there, his expression hard.
“You’re okay,” I breathe.
He steps into the room, giving me a small nod. “How are you feeling?” It comes out clipped.
“Tired, a little sore... nothing that won’t heal in a few days. What happened with Donny?”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Cole perches on the edge of the bed, but he doesn’t look at me.
Part of me wonders if he can’t, now he knows I might be pregnant.
“What does that mean?” I ask, forcing down the building tears.
“It means he’s no longer a threat.”
“Did you—”
His eyes snap to mine, pinning me to the bed. He looks so haunted... so lost. I want nothing more than to reach out and hold him, but I sense his hostility from here.
“You’re safe now, that’s all that matters.” He gets up, running a hand down his face. Cole looks like something out of a horror movie. Blood stains his hands and smoke and dust cling to his hoodie.
He moves to the door, but I blurt out, “Wait.”
Releasing a strained breath, Cole slowly turns around to face me. “You should get some sleep.”
“Stay with me.”
“Hadley, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Hadley.
Not Dove.
God, a name shouldn’t hurt so much, but it does. Because I don’t need Cole to say the words to know that he’s pulling away. There’s already a sheet of ice between us, and I hate it.
I hate that we’re over before we ever really got started.
Tears run freely down my cheeks, because I can’t hold in the pain any longer.
I almost died tonight.
I almost never got to say the words.
And now Cole is taking away that choice again.
And yet, I can’t let him go. Even though I know he’s about to break my heart, I still can’t set him free.
“Please, Cole. I need this.” My voice cracks.
His eyes shutter, his Adam’s apple pressing against his throat.
“Just hold me, please.” He winces at the desperation in my voice, but I don’t care. I’ll beg until he can’t refuse me because I can’t accept that this is it.
Letting out a small groan, Cole yanks off his hoodie and t-shirt, a cloud of dust and soot rising from the fabric as he does so, then unbuttons his pants, letting them slide to the floor. Without a word, he climbs into bed beside me and hits the lamp switch, plunging the room into darkness.
We lie there, silent and still, until I can’t take it anymore.
“Thank you.” I sniffle as the tears begin to subside. His body vibrates with anger, but I don’t let it deter me as I reach for him. “You saved me, Cole.”
“No, I didn’t,” he grits out. “If it wasn’t for me, you would never have been on Donny’s radar. This is… All. My. Fault.”
“No,” I argue, but his expression is unmoving as I peek over at him.
“Go to sleep, Hadley.”
“But—“
“Sleep,” he orders, “or I’ll leave.”
Pain coils around my heart. Cole has already pulled away. He might be here physically, but emotionally he’s gone.
I know I shouldn’t say the next words, but if I don’t, I might never get to. And he should know.
Cole should know that he’s worthy of something good.
“I love you, Cole Jagger. I don’t know how or when it happened, but I do.” I peek over at him again, but he isn’t looking at me, and it hurts. It hurts so much that I feel my chest crack wide open.