and not back at Crew and Addy’s. They arranged a meal in honor of your father. Everyone is there and I told them I’d bring you back but they said they understood we need to be here. Still, I think you should make an appearance. They worked so hard—the food smells amazing.”
“Baby.” My voice doesn’t sound like my own and I put my hands on her shoulders, turning us one-eighty so her back is to the screens. I look over her shoulder and Ozzy is frowning, wondering what the fuck is going on.
Bella gives her head a shake. “Why are you acting like an odd duck?”
I’m not sure I’ve ever been at a loss for words in my entire life. But I know the moment she learns the truth, her world will shift and never be the same again.
“Cole,” she bites. “What in the ever-loving hell is wrong with you?”
I pull in a deep breath but make a mistake. It’s instinctive and maybe even a form of self-preservation, but I glance at the screen that’s zoomed in, displayed in the highest definition currently on the market. Internally, I curse Crew for having so much money he does not fuck around when it comes to quality.
I dip my head, cutting the few inches that separate us, and level my eyes on hers. I keep my tone even and calm. “I need to talk to you, but I need you to put the food down and sit.”
She tries to pull away but my fingers flex on her biceps. Her eyes go big, sensing the difference in my touch, and she grits her teeth. “Dammit, Cole. Let go.”
“No,” I snap. “I need to talk to you first.”
“What in the fuck is going on?” she demands, and for the first time ever I regret falling in love with a woman who’s as tough as nails with a will as strong as steel. Because unlike every other woman I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing, she doesn’t panic. She’s intense, all-business, and ready to kick someone’s ass.
Right now, it looks like that ass might be mine.
“Sweetness.” I try to calm her but her eyes narrow and I can see this is not going to fly. “Okay, at least put the food down.”
Her pink, plump lips flatten, and before I know it, I catch her heel in my shin. It’s enough for her to twist out of my hold and move away from me.
“What the hell is going on with you two?” Ozzy asks.
My hand is on her bicep again but I’m too late. She’s already scanned every screen, her eyes settling on the one in the middle. I feel it under my touch when it sinks in. She freezes.
Her body goes totally and absolutely rigid.
I move in behind her. “Bella—”
She exhales on a whisper. “It can’t be.”
“There has to be an explanation,” I try, praying there is but not sure how. “We’ll figure it out.”
Her breaths become labored. “Fuck me.”
For once in my life, I have no smartass comment for that.
Ozzy still has no clue of the significance of what’s happening but keeps the camera zeroed in on the man who’s now standing in the gravel parking lot, openly talking with Wendy Sisson and Nick Peterson.
She shakes her head. “Why?”
“Baby, sit down—”
And that’s when it happens.
Food hits the floor—the smell of fried chicken, baked beans, and rich, thick macaroni and cheese fill the command room like a greasy-spoon diner. Some remote part of my brain comprehends the combination of muck on the floor is an ode to my late father.
“What the—” Ozzy yells but I ignore him and reach for her.
She’s around me and out the door before I can grab her hand. My foot slips on beans and melted cheese, putting me behind her at least four paces. By the time I catch up and get an arm around her waist, we’re in the entryway of the old house.
I try to get her feet off the ground but she kicks, catching my bullet graze, causing me to buckle a knee. That’s when her elbow catches my jaw.
Dammit—she knows my face is off limits.
“Fuck, Bella. Stop it,” I growl.
“Let me go! I’m going to kick his fucking arse—”
She spins, flattens her hand, and smacks my temple.
She’s lost her mind.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I rumble and try to lift her to steal her footing.
The back of her head connects with my forehead and I’m forced to blink away stars. “I bloody well am. I’m going to