Author: Teresa Mummert

“We can’t stop this. It’s going to be dangerous and we are going to have to fight for us if we want it, but you don’t have to be afraid. You can choose to be fearless. I will walk through hell and back for you, Rose, and I know you would do the same for me. I trust you.”

“I trust you too.” She pulled her head back and looked up at me through damp eyes. “I love you so much, Cole.”

I clutched her tighter, resting my cheek on the top of her head. I had everything in my hands right now. I had every reason in the world to fight and I would, no matter what it took.

“Promise me that no matter what happens, if it gets too tough for you, if you feel like you want to leave me, let me know.”

She nodded against my chest.

“I love you more than anything, Rose.”

Chapter Twelve

Walk through Hell

“If you don’t tell me what is going on, I can’t help you.” Brock was livid and I knew he could pull some strings, but Rose would never be safe. If I didn’t end this, we would always be running.

“I’ll let you know when it is over.” I tossed my phone on the seat between me and Rose. I wrapped my hand around hers, and she turned to me with a smile as her long hair blew wildly in the wind.

“No one will ever hurt you again. I promise.”

She nodded and turned to look out the window as we sped down the main road, turning off into alleyways whenever possible.

The trip took nearly forty minutes, and I was grateful when we finally hit the dirt road leading back to my childhood home. I hated this place and paid someone to maintain it just so I could avoid the painful memories of my past. It was the only place I had left that was mine alone.

We parked outside and my body stiffened. My fists clenched involuntarily and Rose yelped as I squeezed her hand too tightly.

“I’m sorry.” I looked down at her small hand in mine and slowly unwrapped my fingers from hers. I hated not to be touching her. It was the only time I was certain she was real. I needed to know she was really there, and I had not lost my mind completely.

“Come on. Let’s get you inside.” I opened my door and made my way around the car to Rose. She had already opened her door so I held out my hand to help her stand. She stretched, looking up at the sun and closing her eyes.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” a voice called from the porch, and Rose’s eyes snapped open and locked on the blonde who stood holding the screen door open.

“Special circumstances,” I called back to Amber as I swallowed hard. I pulled Rose by the hand toward the front porch, stopping just before the steps. “This is Rose.”

Amber smiled brightly down at us as she pulled the door open farther. She was wearing a tiny little white knitted dress that reminded me of a blanket someone’s grandmother would knit. She looked anything but old in it. It stopped just below her ass and dipped down dangerously low between her breasts. Rose was still wearing my clothes, and I hoped that Amber could lend her something a little more tasteful than her normal attire.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Amber.” Her eyes flicked from mine back to Rose. “Let’s get you inside before we let all the bought air out.” I gave her a grateful smile and drudged up the steps, hating the tightening in my chest that I felt whenever I came back home.

The house still smelled the same, even with the scented candles that Amber was fond of. It brought me right back to a time when I had never felt so helpless, which was fitting, given the reason we were here.

“So you live here?” Rose’s voice cracked as she avoided looking at Amber, instead eyeing the old family photographs that lined the entryway table.

“I help keep it maintained. I stay here every few days when I don’t have somewhere else to go.” Amber answered Rose, but her eyes were on me. Rose didn’t miss it and followed Amber’s gaze to mine. I shoved my hands in my jeans pockets as I let out a long breath.

“I don’t like to come back here. Too many memories. Amber needed a place to stay, so it was only right to help each other out.”

Rose smiled. She hadn’t expected me to have a friend, no doubt. But the way her eyes danced over Amber, I knew she was worried there was something more between us. I cared for Amber as a friend, and even though we had crossed the line into something more on occasion, I could never want to be with her that way. I was emotionally unavailable for anyone who wasn’t Rose.

“So…you hungry?” Amber asked as she made her way into the kitchen. I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck as I waited for Rose to follow her. My eyes took in the knickknacks that had been there since before my mother passed away. I wanted to throw it all away, but Amber refused. She was certain that one day I would regret it. The only thing I regretted was not burning this place to the ground years ago.

“Amber. Do you think you can find something for Rose to wear? Something comfortable.” I hoped she understood that I didn’t want Rose walking around like a piece of fucking eye candy. I had enough to worry about and didn’t need the distraction of a hard-on every time I looked at her.

“Sure,” she called over her shoulder as I stepped inside the kitchen. Rose sat at the small oak kitchen table with a glass of water in her hands. Amber placed a pot of hot water on the stove and turned it on before sliding by me with a smirk on her face. I was glad she found this whole thing amusing, because sharing a meal with these two women was the last thing I wanted to do today. At least I knew they were both safe.

I crossed the room and sat opposite Rose. Her eyes flicked up to mine, and she sucked her lower lip between her teeth.

“What is it?” I asked, knowing damn well she wanted to know if Amber and I were sleeping together.

“Nothing.” She shrugged and took a sip from her glass. I hoped she would let us make it through this crisis before throwing another shit storm on my plate.

“I’ve known Amber for years. She’s a friend. You can trust her,” I said as Amber entered the kitchen with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt in her hands.

“This should fit you.” She held them out to Rose who stood, giving her a grateful smile.

“Thanks. These sweatpants in this hot weather are killing me.”

Amber smiled back and slid into her seat as Rose took off to find a place to change.

“You wanna tell me what is going on?” she asked as she nervously adjusted her loose ponytail.

“You know it can’t be good if it brought me back here.” I grabbed Rose’s glass and swallowed a swig of her water.

“Does she know?”

I didn’t say anything as I slid my thumb down the length of the glass, collecting the condensation with my thumb. Amber sighed dramatically and leaned back in her seat as she grabbed her pack of cigarettes on the table and pulled one out.

“Those things will kill you.” I smirked, remembering my pack-a-day habit.

“I can promise you that hanging around the likes of you will get me killed long before these.” She laughed as she held the lighter to the end and sucked in a deep breath.

“I saved you once.” I smiled, looking over at her as she stretched her legs out past the table.

“That you did. That why she is here? You saving her too?” Her eyebrow cocked up, but there was a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. She knew what Rose meant to me. It was painfully obvious that from day one I’d left my heart with someone else.

“I hope.”

Rose came into the kitchen wearing dark-wash jeans that hung low on her hips with a tiny T-shirt stretched dangerously tight across her chest. Amber looked between us and laughed, shaking her head as she got up to continue cooking her food.

“So…what is the plan?” Rose asked as she slid her hands into her pockets, shoving her jeans down a fraction of an inch.

“This is it. You stay here with Amber and I will fix this shit.”

“You just want me to sit around and hope everything works out okay?” She scoffed, and I could tell Amber was laughing, even as she stood with her back to us at the stove.

“That is exactly what you are going to do. It isn’t up for debate.”

Rose furrowed her brow and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. God her mouth was so fucking sexy.

“I hope you like macaroni and cheese. I didn’t do much shopping since the last time I was here,” Amber called to us. Rose walked past me to her seat and I grabbed hold of her hips, pulling her back onto my lap. Her hair fell into my face and I brushed it aside so I could whisper in her ear.

“Those jeans look fucking amazing on you.”

“Yeah, well, maybe if we live through this you will get to take them off me again.”

“Is that how this works? You are telling me what to do now?” I gripped her hips harder and pressed her ass down roughly against my cock.

There was a splash followed by a sizzling sound as Amber grabbed her hand, bending over in pain.

“Ow! Fuck!” she cried out as she danced around the kitchen. I helped Rose off my lap and went to the sink. I grabbed an old dish towel and soaked it in cold water before taking Amber’s hand and inspecting the red splotch that stretched over her palm.

“Shh…it’s okay. Not that bad,” I said in a hushed tone as I pressed the cold rag against the burn.

I watched Rose leave from the corner of my eye, but Amber had tears threatening to spill over, and I needed to make sure she was all right.

“Is there still a first-aid kit in the bathroom?” I asked as I pulled the rag away and inspected the wound.

“I’ll be fine.” She pulled back her hand and wiped her cheek to remove the wayward tear that had fallen. She stood up on her toes and looped her arms around my neck. “Thank you for taking care of me,” she said.

Rose cleared her throat. I pulled back from the embrace to see Rose with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face.

“Thought you might need this, but looks like you got what you need.” She held out a small first-aid kit. I took it from her, wondering what I had done to upset her so much. Her eyes narrowed at Amber before she took off out the front door.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath. “I have to go get her. Amber nodded and took the kit from my hands so I could jog after Rose.

I headed out the front door and scanned the yard. I watched her disappear into the woods. I had an eerie sense of déjà vu as I jogged to catch up with her, calling her name as I ran. This wasn’t a dream though, and my feet moved swiftly across the lawn to catch her. She sat just behind an old tree, picking at a loose seam on her jeans.

“I don’t know what I did to upset you, but you can’t fucking run away from me like that. It’s not safe and I won’t lose you again. Do you hear me?”

She looked up at me through swollen, damp eyes and my heart broke. I sank down to her eye level and lifted her chin with my fingers.

“What did I do?”

“Are you sleeping with her?”

I didn’t know how to respond. After I opened my heart to Rose, she was the only woman I could ever see myself with again. She really couldn’t have expected me to stay single all of these years while she got engaged to that fuckhead lawyer, did she? I didn’t want to lie to her. I knew starting our relationship off that way would only end in disaster. But I couldn’t risk her flipping out and trying to leave when so many people had her on their hit lists. The details could wait until she was safe and I knew the danger had passed.

“I have not touched another woman since I touched you. I wouldn’t do that to you.” I used the pad of my thumb to wipe away a tear that fell down her cheek.

“I see the way she looks at you.”

“Can you blame her?” Rose giggled at my joke. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you something to eat.” I held out my hand and she glanced down at it for a moment before slipping her fingers inside mine. I stood, pulling her to her feet and immediately pinning her between me and the tree.