Counting On Cole (Wilde Ways #8) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,22
have a deal.”
Some of the tension slid from his shoulders. He let out a quick breath.
“Good.” His voice was still grim. Rough. “Now let’s talk logistics.”
***
Evie huddled close to her brother. Their heads pressed together as Harrison whispered something to her. From across the room, Cole’s eyes narrowed.
“You could’ve mentioned to me that you were involved with our new client.”
He didn’t turn his head at Chase’s low words. “Didn’t see it as relevant.”
“Huh.”
“I hate it when you say that. You know that instead of saying ‘huh’ you’re supposed to tell me what you really think. We’ve gone over this before.”
“You slept with her.”
“Don’t see how you need to know that. FYI, Chase, I don’t kiss and tell. That shit isn’t cool. Should’ve learned that in high school.”
“You still want her.”
I will always want her. “What I want right now is for you to shut your—”
“I can see it when you look at her. If you don’t want the world knowing, you might want to get better at hiding how you feel.”
Finally, Cole glanced his way. “Just how do I look at her?”
Chase lifted his eyebrows. “Like you’re starving, and she’s the best feast you’ve ever seen.”
“You’re telling me that I look at her like I want to eat her?” His voice carried only to Chase.
“Eat her. Fuck her. Own her.”
Cole locked his back teeth. “Watch it,” he gritted out. His hands fisted.
“No, you need to watch it. I don’t trust the brother, and I don’t think you do, either.” A pause. “I think he might hate you, by the way.”
Cole looked back at Evie and Harrison. “The feeling could be mutual.”
“Then explain to me why he called you in. I don’t buy his BS about her not trusting anyone else—”
“It’s simple,” Cole responded quietly. “Harrison knows that when it comes to Evie, I would kill anyone who tried to hurt her.” Because, once upon a time, he’d gone to Harrison and Cole had said…
I fucking love Evie. I want a second chance.
He hadn’t gotten that chance, not back then.
I’m taking it now.
Chapter Four
Or…second chance fun, anyone? AKA…the time Cole tried ever so hard not to be an asshole.
“I want a list of your enemies.”
Evie stiffened at Cole’s words. Harrison had been whispering to her, making sure she was okay and that she wasn’t super pissed that he’d gone behind her back to get Cole.
Super pissed? Really? Ya think?
But at Cole’s curt order, she cleared her throat. “I don’t…I mean, there are some dancers and actors who might say I’m a bitch because I can be pretty demanding when I’m working a choreography set, but I don’t think I really have any enemies. Certainly not someone who would hate me enough to try and kidnap me.” God, she hoped no one hated her that much. If so, that was a whole load of hate.
Cole shook his head. “I’m not just talking about you, Evie. I’m also talking about your brother.”
Harrison had been touching her shoulder. Now his hand tightened on her. “The email referenced my father. My dead father. This is about him, not me or Evie.”
“Could be.” It was Chase who agreed. Chase stood next to Cole, with his arms crossed over his chest. His golden eyes gleamed. “But in cases like this one, it’s standard procedure to investigate other avenues. The perps could be trying to throw us off by mentioning your dad. So we need to know who you’ve pissed off recently. Who you’ve both angered.”
Evie took a steadying breath. “What are you asking for…exactly? Like the names of ex boyfriends?”
Cole nodded. “We already have a list going on them, but more information would help the investigation.”
Helpful, huh? Why did it just feel like humiliation for her? “I haven’t dated anyone in probably about six months. I was working on a production that just wrapped, and I didn’t exactly have a lot of time for extra things.”
His stare glittered at her. “I need the names of the guys you’ve rejected.”
“Some men can’t take that shit,” Chase agreed flatly. “Dicks.”
“I don’t think this is about rejection.” Evie shook her head. “This ties back to the first abduction. It’s about money, not about someone’s feelings for me.”
“We can’t overlook any avenue of investigation.” Cole didn’t look away from her. “We have to be thorough. Yes, it seems that it’s the same. But we have to rule out that it’s not some new bastard who knows about what happened to you before—”
“And sees an opportunity to imitate the crime,” Chase finished