Page 38

Cole

“Yes,” Rose says, nodding immediately, reaching for the gun I hold out to her. “My daddy raised me right.”

I unloop the strap from my shoulder, pointing out the basic features of the gun to her as I put my flashlight down and hand it over. “I’m going to shift,” I say. “My nose works better that way. Don’t shoot me.”

Rose gives me a cutesy salute and then holds the rifle with both hands across her body, looking completely at ease. I nod and turn, shifting into my large black wolf in an instant, shaking my fur out even as my paws hit the ground.

“Hey wolfie,” Rose says, sing-song and teasing. “Missed you.”

I glance at her over my shoulder, shaking my wolf head before I move closer to the stairs, scenting the air, ensuring that I get all of the information I can.

I send out my hearing too, looking for anything – breathing, heartbeats, movement.

Besides something tiny in the kitchen – a mouse, a roach – there’s nothing.

I shift back, walking back over to Rose.

She holds out the gun, and I take it. “What’s the news?”

“We’re alone,” I say, looking at her evenly. “So, we can proceed. But whatever was in the basement is burned to shit.”

“What do you think?” she asks, her inner journalist coming out alongside her curiosity. “The Children of Solace covering their tracks? Something else?”

“One way to find out,” I say, nodding to the door that heads downstairs.

Rose nods and follows me down to the basement, letting me go first to check the stability of the stairs.

But everything stays steady as we descend.

I immediately look to the right when my feet hit the dirt floor, my eyes seeking the mattresses.

As I kind of expected, they’re all burned to ash, a couple of ruined springs sticking up from the wreckage.

“How did they do that?” Rose whispers, raising her camera and starting to take photos, “without burning the whole house down?”

“Controlled burn,” I murmur, stepping closer, noting the places where the ashes are soggy. Someone put it out when they were finished. “So yeah, I’d say intentional.”

She takes a few more pictures before turning back to me, lowering her camera. “Cole,” she says quietly. “You know what this means, right?”

My jaw is tense as I nod to her.

We were watched. People knew we were here, knew we went into the house – maybe even saw our light in the basement. Decided that whatever we saw here, we can’t see it again.

Implying that…maybe we missed something.

Or that they’re sending a message.

That they’re still here.

Fuck.

Fuck .

People from the Children of Solace saw Nadia – had their damn eyes on her.

I turn from Rose, scanning the basement again, ensuring that she can’t see the frustration on my face. God damn it, I should have been more careful –

Why did I let Nadia come here? The risk…and I just let her talk me into it. Why do I let her boss me around like that?

Because she’s so pretty , my wolf whispers, pressing himself against my heart, sensing my worry and my frustration and wanting to calm me. We just want her to be happy –

We want her to be safe, I growl back.

He lifts his snout to the sky and lets out a tiny howl as I turn back to Rose, who watches me.

“Come on,” I say, nodding towards the steps. “This could be a trap, Rose – I want to get out of here –“

“But –“

“Let’s go ,” I snap.

She sighs and nods, following me up and out of the basement. I sweep my eyes and senses over the house again. I still sense nothing but…that doesn’t mean there aren’t eyes on us, and who knows how many. I didn’t sense anyone before, did I?

I start for the main door, but Rose heads for the stairs.

“Rose!”

“Cole, I was told to get pictures of all the documents!”

“Fuck the documents!” I bite out. “This is no longer secure! We can come back with a larger team if my father thinks it’s that important – we’re out of our element, you and me here alone –“

Rose bites her lip, my anxiety rubbing off on her as she steps to my side. “Okay.”

“Okay,” I snap, nodding to her and then starting for the door. She stays close as we step outside. “Take pictures of everything,” I murmur. “Flash off.”

“Why?” she whispers, raising her camera and beginning to do as I say, not raising the camera to her eye but still taking pictures of everything in sight – almost at random.

“Bushes too,” I murmur, my head swiveling to keep an eye on everything. “If there’s something to see, I want a record of it.”

I can almost smell Rose’s fear ratcheting up as I walk her around to her side of the Jeep, ensuring that she gets in safely before walking around and getting in the driver’s side. I start the car, handing the gun over to her.

“You shoot at anything that moves, all right?” I murmur. “But not the windshield.”

“Okay,” Rose whispers.

I start the car and slam on the gas, not caring that we make a ton of noise on our exit.

If anyone’s watching, they already know we’re here.

Secrecy isn’t important anymore.

We ride all the way back to the camp in silence, Rose not messing with the radio this time. My shoulders start to unwind as we get closer, though I keep a keen eye on the rearview mirror.

If they’re following us, and I just lead them directly back to my camp, to where my vulnerable mate is living…

I grit my teeth, hating the idea, wanting immediate precautions against this. There is no way – absolutely no way – that I’m sleeping tonight, or at all, until we get a more complete military presence up here.

By the time I pull into the camp, I’m honestly wondering if it’s a better choice to just pack Nadia and Shayne and Grace into this car tonight and drive them back home – if it’s worth it to put their lives at risk when the Children of Solace could be aware of our location…

But my wolf nips me at the thought, reminding me that Nadia knows the risks.

And that she came here by choice, like all the other nurses whom I’m not considering escorting out by hand.

And that she’ll cut my head off – or worse – if I try to bustle her out of here to keep her safe.

I growl as I step out of the car, slamming the door behind me.

“Cole,” Rose calls, her voice worried and disappointed. But I ignore her, striding immediately toward the command tent. She tries again.

“Upload the pictures, Rose!” I bite out, not looking back at her. “That’s an order!”

If she replies, I don’t hear it as I smack the flap of General Amir’s tent aside and step in.

He looks up at me in surprise, and I check my step suddenly, realizing that I’m an Alpha on the edge of rage storming into his office. Which is probably not something he’s used to.

“I’m sorry,” I snap, meaning it but probably sounding like I don’t.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice steady, putting his pen down.

I take a deep breath and start to lay out everything, but he puts a hand up about thirty seconds in. “Let’s call your father,” General Amir murmurs, turning to his computer. “He’ll want to hear this.”

I nod, agreeing to it, trying to be as patient as I can as the call goes through.

It takes about two hours to get everything sorted. After I’m done explaining the situation and making my case for increased troops, we spend a great deal of time debating our options and laying out protocols for what to do when the new troops come. At the end of it all I am…

Fucking beat.

My head hangs as I walk back to my tent, rubbing a hand over the back of my aching neck, wishing desperately for a shower – a real one, not this nonsense dribble they call a shower in this damn camp.

I slowly exhale, considering the things I’d give in exchange for a hot, steamy shower right now, with all of the nice, smelly soaps and oils that my mom gets that I pretend to ignore and secretly enjoy.

Jude, for one. I’d certainly sell my damn brother to the circus for that kind of luxury.

I’d probably throw Iris in as a bonus, too, at this point – even if she is my favorite family member.

I smirk as I push into my tent, thinking that mom would probably be pissed if she knew Iris is my favorite –

But my face falls, my feet coming to a stuttering stop as I see the blonde on my bed.

Topless.

“What?” I sputter out on my final huff of breath, completely unable to inhale after the word leaves my mouth.

“Hey, baby,” Rose coos, sliding a hand up over her flat stomach to cup her breast, moving her legs languidly as she turns to me.

I inhale sharply as I spin, slapping a hand over my eyes, and then let all my breath out in a roar. “Get the fuck OUT!”

“Cole!”

“Out! Get out! ”

“Baby!” Her word isn’t sweet and sultry anymore – an angry snap.

“Rose, I swear to god!” I spin again, dropping my hand, feeling foolish for raising it in the first place. I’ve seen her more naked before than she is now, after all – and, plus! I don’t even care! It’s not like her being topless is any sort of temptation I have to resist at this point.

She sits up on the bed, frowning at me, a blush on her cheeks. “Cole, you’re being ridiculous!”

“Did you seriously think that this was going to work?” I sputter out, leaning toward her, keeping my eyes assiduously on hers lest she feel any sort of encouragement. “Rose, I have told you time and again that I am not interested!”

“If you just come sit with me Cole, I’ll show you –“

“Get! Out!” I shout, pointing again towards the tent flap.

Rose’s face gets all scrunchy and small like it does when she’s truly livid – an expression I know she hates because it’s not her most attractive look. She’s a beautiful girl, but when she gets really mad, there is a very stark resemblance to a very small, very angry chihuahua.

“Would you lower your voice, Cole?” she snarls. “You are embarrassing me!”

I laugh at her – I can’t help it – a huffing, frustrated sound as I raise my hands to my hair and knot my fingers in it. “I don’t give a shit, Rose! If that’s what it takes to get you out of here –“

She leaps to her feet, her hand reaching for my face, eager to cover my mouth and shut me up while she brings her body close.

My hand whips down, intent on smacking her hand away, but some miraculous part of me slows my movement at the last second, my wolf snarling and reminding me of all of my mother’s lessons about recognizing my strength, remembering that my bigger body comes with responsibilities as well as privileges, and how to treat women.

Even when they’re being fucking nightmares.

My palm blocks her wrist, and her arm falls down. “Ow!” she cries.

But I ignore the sound, knowing it didn’t hurt.

“Rose,” I say, taking two steps back and holding my hand flat out towards her. “This is bordering on sexual harassment.”

Her face drops in horror at the accusation. But honestly? It’s not even bordering anymore – I’m just being fucking nice.

“I have made it clear,” I continue, my voice shaking, trying to be as even as I can, “that I am not interested in any advances from you beyond friendship. And quite frankly at this point – friendship is off the table for me as well. If you push again, even an inch, I will ask for you to be reassigned – and my father will listen to me.”

Rose takes a step away, her face fully red now, her expression slack with shock and embarrassment. “But we –“

“Are nothing,” I say, fighting a snarl, finishing her thought for her. “Now get. The fuck. OUT! ”

Rose stares at me for a second before she turns in a huff, snatching her bra up from its place on my camp chair and hastily throwing it on before she grabs her shirt and storms out of the tent without another word.

My breath still heaves in my chest for a solid thirty seconds after she goes. I just stare at the door, waiting for her to come back – because that is so something Rose would do –

God, how did I ever…like this? This kind of dogged persistence, these damn…games.

I sigh, my shoulders slumping, suddenly grateful that that phase of my life is over .

I turn and sink onto my bed at the thought, putting my head in my hands, trying to recover my composure. Because I’m so fucking tired – and pissed off – and confused –

Honestly, should I ask dad to just reassign her now? I mean, I know she’s good – and she has the photographs from tonight that I want to see – but this level of persistence....

She’s clearly trouble, but is she actually dangerous ? Am I…overlooking what she would do if she found out about Nadia? Just because Rose is no threat to me doesn’t mean that she –

I inhale sharply at the thought, sitting up straight and tilting my head back, suddenly overwhelmed.

I am just…the worst fucking mate. God, why didn’t I see it sooner? I groan, feeling quite suddenly very warm and panicked, loathing myself completely for wanting to protect Nadia so much but simultaneously failing to see that a sincere threat to her is right here and I’ve been –

I stand up sharply, my head banging against the pole at the top of the tent. I hiss, glaring up at it, cursing being so fucking tall as I move for the front of the tent – wanting…air. Wanting fresh, cold air in my lungs – and on my face –

I take a deep breath as I step out, relishing the crisp desert breeze –

But the air sticks in my throat as my eyes focus on the sight immediately before me.

A gorgeous brunette in medical scrubs and a zip-up hoodie, quietly pouring some gummy candy from a commissary packet into her hand as she sits in a camp chair about ten feet away from my tent’s door.

“Hey, Cole,” Nadia says, grinning wickedly at me. “Want some? I always like something sweet to go along with a show. And that was…one hell of a show.”

Her smile spreads wide over her cheeks, and I groan, my knees going weak, threatening to toss me right to the ground.