Counting On Cole (Wilde Ways #8) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,83
for this mess. Since Robert already had those photos of Cole, it’s perfect. We’ll be able to walk away. As for you—”
Cole leapt to his feet.
Unhurt, no signs of blood on him, he leapt to his feet. He grabbed Stephen.
No, first he grabbed Stephen’s gun from the back of the guy’s waistband in a lightning-fast move, then Cole whipped Stephen around to face him. “There is no fucking way I would ever leave Evie.” Then he drove his fist into Stephen’s face, a blow that had Stephen’s head snapping back and the other man staggering.
When Stephen tried to surge toward him, Cole aimed a gun at him. Evie had no idea if that was the gun he’d taken from Stephen or if it was Cole’s own weapon. Didn’t really matter. The result was the same.
Stephen froze.
“Go ahead, come at me,” Cole dared him. “Because we both know that if you so much as twitch toward me or Evie, I will pull this trigger.”
Stephen didn’t twitch.
Cole’s gaze darted to her face. Then it raced over her body. “Baby, are you okay?”
She nodded, dazed. “I thought you’d been shot.” Her words came out oddly calm. Way, way too calm. When what she’d wanted to yell was…
I thought you’d been killed! I thought I’d lost you! I heard a shot. I heard a thud. You were on the floor, and you weren’t moving, and I think I went crazy because I had to live without you for two miserable years, and I don’t want to do that again, not ever.
“I wasn’t stalking you,” Cole said quickly.
What?
“I know the pics look bad.”
The pics. Right.
Stephen still wasn’t moving.
Neither was Evie. She felt rooted to the spot.
“But I…I just came to see you. I missed you, and I just—I’d missed my chance with you, but I wanted to make sure you were happy. Safe. That’s all. I swear it. I wasn’t behind anything—”
“He’s lying, Evie,” Stephen snarled. “Robert and I haven’t been behind any attacks on you, I swear it. We wanted you kept out of things. It was only about Harrison.”
Her mouth dropped. “Does it look like I’m out of things? You pulled a gun on me!”
Cole advanced on Stephen. “I told you not to even twitch.”
“But—”
Cole’s punch sent Stephen sprawling on the floor. Cole followed up that hit with several more brutal blows. Stephen didn’t put up a fight. His body went limp as he passed out. Cole grabbed him, flipped him over, and slapped cuffs on Stephen. Cole searched him quickly, but turned up no other weapons. Then he left Stephen in a heap, and Cole’s stare flew to Evie once more. “Evie, I am so freaking sorry. I wanted to explain everything to you before—”
She ran to him. Threw her arms around him. “I love you, but I have to find my brother.”
“Evie, wait, you…believe me?”
She paused long enough to stare into his eyes. “Are you asking me if I bought the line about you being a stalker who arranged for someone to kidnap me? If I believe that you did all of that so you could play hero for me?”
A muscle flexed in his jaw.
“First, you don’t play hero. You are a hero.” They needed to get that shit straight. “And second, hell, no, I don’t believe him. I believe you. Because I love you.”
Stark and savage emotion flashed on Cole’s face.
“Now, I have to go and find my brother because he needs me.” But she grabbed Cole’s jaw and she pulled him down toward her. Evie pressed a hard, frantic kiss to his lips. “But hold whatever awesome thought just passed through your head, okay?”
Then she rushed to the doorway.
A groan had her looking down the stairs.
James was at the bottom of the stairs, and he had his gun pressed to the head of Robert Demakis. A Robert Demakis who was bleeding pretty heavily from an injury to his side.
“He didn’t get the chance to shoot,” Cole told her softly as he slid up behind her. “James had my six.”
“Fucking assholes!” Robert snapped.
James raised his eyebrows at Evie and Cole. “Everything okay up there?”
“Stephen’s cuffed and unconscious. I’ve got his weapon. And we’ve got Harrison’s location.”
James smiled. “I have this prick under control. The guard you knocked out earlier is cuffed and in the corner.” He inclined his head to the right. “Additional agents will be pulling in any moment. Harvey is closing in with them. Of course, they missed the party. We’ve got these bastards.”