Page 78 of Beautiful Secrets

Derek and the third man wrestle on the ground until Cole goes over and kicks the stranger in the head. He goes limp.

“Okay, okay,” I murmur, hugging Sarah a little tighter. She grips me back, burrowing her head into my neck.

“Oh my God,” she whispers. “Oh my God.”

Cole looks up. Our eyes lock.

His chest rises and falls as he watches at me. Then he shakes out his hand like he’s emerging from a trance and says, “Let’s get them home.” Directing his voice at Derek, but staring straight at me.

Straightat me.

27

Cole

Christ, when is my heart going to stop beating so hard? Or am I getting to that age where I should seriously start worrying about heart attacks and shit?

I have Mika’s hand in my fist, and I’m probably crushing her bones, but I refuse to let go.

And since she’s not complaining, I’m assuming the feeling is mutual.

Is it because she knows I was about to hand her off to Derek?

He and Sarah are in the car in front of mine—they’ve moved out of Sarah’s old place. Something a little bigger for the kid on the way.

Sarah. Pregnant.

I saw it the moment I stepped into Asylum’s office, but Christ I didn’t believe it until Derek told me straight up he hoped they had a boy.

What does it say about me that I’m constantly shocked everyone around me is popping out kids and moving into white-picket-fence houses with crappy paintings on their fridge doors?

That I’m probably getting too old for this whole kidnapping shit. That, like Kill said, I should probably get a fucking wife, make a fucking family.

But it still sounds like I’m getting the short end of the stick.

Because unless I find someone who is if not quite as stark raving mad as I am, then at least on the spectrum, that shit sounds like as fun as moving back to the nuthouse and marrying one of those dike nurses who give patients enemas just for shits and giggles.

More shits than giggles, obviously.

Sarah.Pregnant.

And she almost got fucked up by those Neanderthals. If it hadn’t been for us walking out that door—

I glance across at Mika. She’s staring straight ahead with empty eyes—not even noticing.

No, if it hadn’t been for Mika.

Because it fucking hurts to say it, but in that split second I was standing at the door while my brain processed what my eyes saw…every instinct had me pointed at Mika.

It didn’t matter that I know Sarah—fuck, that I dated her—or that she was kinda sorta the reason I went to the facility, and kinda sorta the reason I got my life the fuck back together, or that she was pregnant, or that she was now Derek’s wife—

None of that shit even registered.

All I saw was Mika.

And she was in trouble.

And I already knew I was going to break someone’s skull.