Anxiety and tension and pure, raw emotions are washed away, literally and figuratively down the drain, leaving nothing in its wake besides exhaustion.
Still, Cole doesn’t put me down and he doesn’t pull out.
“If it weren’t for Abbott coming to look for us, I wouldn’t move an inch. Right here, me fucking you into next week, with no one else messing with our shit, so we can settle and live.”
When I exhale, my body slumps and he shifts me, but he must be serious about fucking me into next week because he doesn’t pull out.
I put my lips to his stubbled jaw. “There are moments of hope—flickers of light at the end of the tunnel. Then the universe kicks our legs out from under us and we have to start from scratch.”
“There’s going to be a light. I swear. It’s so fucking dark right now but we’ve come too far.” He squeezes my abused bum and leans back, leveling his beautiful dark eyes on mine. “We deserve a perfect life, dammit. I’m going to give it to you and to Abbott and the rest of the superhumans who grace us with their presence.”
I swipe the water from his face and lean in to press my lips to his, letting my kiss linger as the water starts to run cold. “As long as I’m with you, Officer Carson, life will be perfect.”
Cole
I’m accustomed to waking in strange places. Hell, I made a career out of traveling the world. It wasn’t unusual to see the sun rise in a different city every day. You get used to it.
Though I can say the times I opened my eyes with Bella in my bed, I didn’t give a shit where I was or what was on the agenda. Those are the days shit felt right.
Today, I think I woke up in the damn Twilight Zone—in a strange place where my past mingles with my miserable present. I support Bella’s weight, something that has become a habit for us since I brought her home from the hospital. It’s ironic since she’s one of the strongest humans I know and needs no help to survive on a daily basis. I’m lucky she gets off on my cocky and winning personality, because she certainly doesn’t need my talents. She’s that fucking good.
But I sure as hell need her.
My gut sinks as everything from yesterday slams into my recollection and my brain clears from a dead sleep.
Red is gone.
My Abbott … her heart is broken.
Bella wants to soothe everyone’s pain.
And I’m still fucking exhausted after six hours of dead-ass sleep.
I reach over and grab the culprit that kept me from a full seven hours. I read the message and have to tamp down my anticipation.
Because I’ve been kicked in the ass enough times in the last few weeks—carrots dangled in front of me, and then ripped away, leading me to wait for more.
Jarvis – Sorry for the early text but I’m manning the control room. Our favorite Floridian has been busy. Finally, a money transfer.
Shit.
I slide away from Bella but don’t dare kiss her. If I can sneak out of bed without her waking, it’ll be a miracle.
Maybe … just maybe, the gods are on my side for the first time in a long time. I’m dressed and out of the bedroom without her rolling. I walk through the house of the man who used to hate me, out his front door, and through a vineyard.
Chapter 37
Charlie Daniels
Cole
“Someone will access the account soon. It’s too much cash to leave there for long. Especially when we know this isn’t fun money. This,” Jarvis nods to the open laptop in front of him, referring to the really big fucking balance that was transferred from an account linked straight from Randolph’s phone, “is too big to sit in a simple savings account which sees a lot of movement.”
I take a sip of coffee. It was the first thing I smelled when I walked in the door of Crew’s farmhouse headquarters. I feel the need to brace for whatever the world wants to throw at us next and I need to be alert. It’s no shot of espresso but it’ll do.
“Where is the bank registered?” I ask.
Jarvis flips through a couple screens and scrolls miles before he lands on an address. “There—Amsterdam.”
“What do you want to bet it’s not an actual place of business?”