Page 80 of Lethal Threat

“I shouldn’t have told you,” Cole says with a voice fullof self-loathing. “I definitely shouldn’t have told you the way I did. That was heartless of me.”

“No. You did the right thing.”

My legs tremble as I push up off of the chair. “I need space. Time to accept that I’m truly alone in the world. A girl with no roots. Space to accept that I don’t even feel grief for the people who created me.”

He moves toward me. His eyes are shining. “You’re not alone, Sierra.”

I wrap my arms around myself. “You can’t know what this is like. You’re never going to be alone.”

“Sierra—”

His fist clenches at his sides, he swallows hard. “I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Stop, Cole. You can’t protect me.”

Stepping back, his gaze turns as stormy as hurricane skies. “Alright. I—I’m sorry. If you need to talk. I’m here.”

I take a stumbling step toward the kitchen door. But I don’t walk out of the room. Instead, I turn back to find him watching me.

“Am I an only child?”

His throat tenses again as he swallows roughly. The shutters drop hard and fast.

Anger flares hot in my veins. I hate this, dammit. I hate not knowing and him knowing everything. My voice comes out as a shout.“Tell me!”

His jaw hardens. His exhale fills the silent room. “No.”

“No, I’m not an only child or no, you’re not telling me?”

“I’m not talking about this right now.”

Fury tears through me. “You have no right to keep this from me.”

Ramming a hand into his hair, he studies me. “It’s a can of fucking worms.”

“Dammit, Cole! You have no right?—”

Déjà vu hits me.

My insides start to shake like there’s an earthquake. We’ve fought like this before. I feel it in my marrow. And the rage is still burning inside of me from something in the past.

Something so hot flashes through me that I lose all control. I lash out at the first thing I see. The stainless trash can.

My bare foot slams into the thing, sending it across the floor in a horrendous crash.

Cole’s on me the next instant, grabbing my wrist and backing me into the corner with his gigantic body.

I’m soon blocked in, trapped by that gigantic brick wall of muscle. “Slow down there, Stinger. Get that red-headed temper under control. I know you’re upset, but I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

I try to wiggle free. “Go screw yourself, Cole. Let me go.”

“No. We’re going to talk about this like adults.”

I turn my face away from his. Fury boils in my veins.

The child in me wants to pummel him with my fists. Which I know is stupid and irrational. The adult in me wants to get in his truck and leave.

Energy crackles between us. Deadly as lightning. I can’t take it anymore. I snap. He’s close, but I still shout at him. “Tell me!”