J
Throwing the covers off, I slide to the edge of the bed and grab my head. Holy hell, I have a headache. I reach for the Tylenol and water Cole left me earlier. Downing two more pills, I stand and head for the bathroom. Cole had left me a t-shirt and cutoff sweatpants to wear. I had to pull the strings pretty tightly to get them to stay up, but they are comfortable as hell. I look into the mirror. Jesus, I look like shit. My right eye is almost swollen completely shut. My lip is split and black with dried blood. Dark purple bruises cover most of the right side of my face. Gently, I splash some water on my face, then pat it dry. Sometime in the night, I lost the ponytail holder I had, so I run my fingers through my hair and head for the stairs.
When I hear voices, I freeze. Who the hell is Cole talking to? If that son of a bitch called the police, I am going to kill him. I walk down the steps as fast as I can, considering my legs are still aching. When I get to the living room, I see Cole talking to someone I don’t recognize. He’s not in a uniform, so that’s a plus.
He stands up. “Hi, J. How are you feeling?”
I look over at Cole, eyebrows raised.
“J, this is my friend I told you about. Asher.”
I quickly look over at Asher, then back at Cole, who’s avoiding my glare. “The detective? You told him?”
He stands up. “J, I had to. The DiMarcos are big time, fucking huge. We can’t do this alone.”
“We? When the fuck did this become we? I told you I got this.”
The thick tension rolls off Cole. “This became a fucking we when I untied your ass this morning.”
Asher steps in between Cole and me. “This is getting us nowhere. I get that you want to do this by yourself, J. You don’t want to involve your dad. But you are nowhere near ready to deal with this family. Like Cole said, they are big time. Please, just sit down. Let’s try and talk this out, figure out who is stealing from your dad and placing you in danger.” He touches my arm lightly. “Please, let’s just all take a breath, sit down, and you can eat while we talk.”
I take a huge breath, knowing he’s right. I am in way over my head here. Sitting on the couch beside Asher, I look at him. “Fine. We can talk this out, but I am not going to the station. I will not be filling out any paperwork, pressing any charges, nothing. If anyone questions me about this, I will deny everything. Nothing leaves this room. Understand?”
Cole sits on the edge of the other couch with his elbows on his knees and his head hanging as I explain everything that happened. When I am done, Asher nods.
“I understand why you don’t want to press charges, but this is some dangerous shit you are messing with. We have had the DiMarco boys on the radar for a while now. We have a man on the inside who is close to cracking a huge case for us. I can see what he knows about who is working at the shop.”
“That would be great. I can’t let this get back to Pop. He trusts these guys like family.” I look at Cole. When he meets my eyes, I can see he is pissed. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t want Pop involved or because I still don’t know if I can trust him.
Seeing my expression, Asher cocks his head. “You don’t trust them?”
“Yeah, I trust them…some more than others.” I glance at Cole.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he growls.
“Enough,” Ash interrupts, smirking at him. “Cole, it’s not going to do any good to get pissed off at her, and J…” He looks at me. “Cole is the most trustworthy person I know. He is risking everything, including his freedom, by helping you.”
“Ash…” Cole walks to the bay window and looks out the blinds.
“I told him I didn’t want his help. He doesn’t need to help me do anything. I don’t need him ‘risking’ anything for me. I never asked for that.”
“You see, that’s where you are wrong. Cole is the kind of guy who will not walk away when someone needs him. You may not trust him, but I’d trust him with my life. All I’m saying is you should consider it. If you want to know what he’s risking, ask him. That’s not my story to tell.
“Look, I will ask around and see if I can find out anything. In the meantime, be extra careful, don’t be at the shop alone, and if you insist on staying at home, make sure you lock up. I don’t think the DiMarcos were necessarily after you. It just sounds like you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now that you have seen them, there is no telling what they will do.”
I look over at Cole’s back. Can I trust him? I sigh is defeat. “Thanks, Asher. I’ll think about it. Let me know if you find out a name.”
“You are welcome. Don’t be the hero, okay? If you need anything, Cole has my number.”
Cole turns and heads to the door with Asher. I know he’s pissed, but I am not exactly sure why. I know I don’t need to do this alone. I know Pop would back me and fight like hell if someone is trying to take the shop from him. I hear Cole and Asher talking at the door, then the alarm beeping that signals it’s been reset. Cole walks back into the living room.
“Are you done eating? You barely touched anything.”
“Thanks, but I’m not hungry. I’ll just gather up my stuff and get out of your hair.”
Cole stops at the doorway to the kitchen. “I still don’t think that’s a good idea, J. At least I have an alarm system here. You shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’m not staying here, Cole. I’ll call Jules. She can stay with me.”
“Fine.” He walks into the kitchen and puts my untouched lunch in the fridge.
I don’t understand this man. I get that he is trying to help me, but why is he getting so angry? And what is he risking for me?
He walks back into the living room. “Let’s go. I’ll drop you off, then bring your Jeep out to you later.”
“I can—”
“J, please. If you insist on going home, I am taking you. I will check the apartment. You don’t know what you could be walking into.”
I stand up and throw the pillow back onto the couch. “Fine, but I can drive. Just follow me. I don’t like the idea of being without my Jeep.”
“Fine.” Cole heads toward the front door. Jesus, this man is exhausting.
*
When we pull up at my apartment building, he parks his truck next to my Jeep. I take a deep breath and get out, seeing Cole already waiting for me. Without a word, he follows me to the front door, then up to the first landing. I pull out the key to the security door, but when I put my hand on the knob, it opens without using the key. I look at Cole, who raises an eyebrow. Great. It’s not like this is the first time this has happened. Sometimes the door just doesn’t shut all the way, but I’m not in the mood to explain that to him right now. I walk down the hall to my apartment, then unlock the door as Cole stands beside me. When I open the door, he steps in front of me and starts searching the apartment, looking for… What? The boogieman? I know the DiMarcos aren’t going to be waiting for me. It’s not their style.
It doesn’t take him very long to get through the entire apartment. It only has one bedroom, a full bath at the end of the hall, the living and dining rooms, which share space, and the kitchen set off the dining room. It’s not big or showy, but it’s all mine.
When Cole walks back into the living room, I’m already sitting on the couch. He sits in the recliner and looks at me.
“What did Asher mean?” I ask before my brain has a chance to stop it.
“Nothing. He didn’t mean anything.” He stands up and heads for the door.
“Don’t do that!” I yell. “If you want me to trust you, you have to prove you trust me.” He stops and looks at me. “You keep to yourself, never really participating at family dinners. You’ve spent more time with a two-year-old than any of the adults. Just give me something.”
He sighs, walking back to the recliner and sitting. “Regardless of what I tell you, you already have it in your mind that I can’t be trusted. What about you, huh? I’ve tried to talk to you, but you just give me the cold shoulder. I’m not going to beg for your trust, J. Either you do or you don’t, but guess what, sweetheart? Either way, you are stuck with me.” He quickly stands and is out the door before I can utter a word.
I want to trust him, I really do, but I can’t. Doesn’t he understand that? Can’t he see how broken I am?