The Promise (Wolfe Creek Duet #2)

14

THEA

Cassie: Guest list is finalized. Invitations have been ordered. Dress appointment booked. Makeup artist and hair stylist test runs scheduled.

Me: Uhhhh… Is there anything left for me to do???

Cassie: Yes! I’m glad you asked. Can you find a wholesale company we can buy chairs, tables, and linens from? We’ll need them for the events we have at Olive Way Events, anyway. Just use the business card.

Me: Of course, I’m on it.

Cassie: Thx, you’re the best!

I set my phone down on the nightstand. It all feels too real—everything’s moving so fast. I’m happy, of course, but it’s a lot right now. And I can’t tell anyone that. Not without giving away my secrets.

When I got home earlier, Damian was so distracted with cashing in on our deal that I didn’t have to worry about being shaken up about the detective ambushing me. He didn’t even notice that anything was wrong.

The rest of the night went smoothly. I was able to keep up appearances and thanks to Adrian, our tension and barbs seemed to help keep me being in the spotlight.

Halloween is tomorrow and I don’t know what the plan is. The guys don’t really celebrate much, it seems, so it should be a quiet night. But I’m not taking any chances. My visit with Cole will have to be tonight. Then, I should be able to avoid sleeping in my room for a few days to keep him at bay.

I didn’t get any push back when I mentioned sleeping on my own. My romp with Damian earlier was exhausting—he agreed I should get to bed when I excused myself after dinner.

I’m not sure what I was fully expecting with Damian’s deal. It wasn’t that. The mask, the hoodie, and him taking me by surprise—I liked it… a lot. I liked him holding me down and talking to me the way he did even more. Slipping into a role that wasn’t me felt good. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to him doing it again.

Although he was in a position of power, taking mine from me, I knew the whole time I was in control. That felt liberating—knowing I could let go and still call the shots if I needed to. Pushing myself to the limit with him was empowering. I felt something deep inside of me unfurl, yet I don’t know exactly what it is. I’m eager to explore it, though.

My aching wrists pull at my attention. Hopefully they won’t bruise, I don’t want to have to explain that to Cass. It’s not like it wasn’t consensual. However, she might worry and I don’t need any additional eyes on me. Every muscle in my body hurts—I can’t tell if it’s from Damian or my morning workouts with Wes.

Hitting the gym started out as a way to release the stress I was feeling after Cole kidnapped me. It helped. But once he started visiting me, my motivation changed. I don’t know when or if he’ll snap, so I needed to be cautious. I needed to be prepared.

When all I have is my body as a weapon, I have to make sure it’s strong enough to fight back if… no, when Cole hurts me.

I’m not where I need to be. Wes and Damian’s encounters lately have shown me that. I’m a little more powerful, but I have a long way to go. I just need Cole to hold off until I get there.

Thinking of Cole and his impending visit tonight makes anxiety grip my chest. The ache is so bad that I’m in physical pain. I mistook it for a heart attack the first time it happened. Now, I just deal with it until it passes.

I’ve tried breathing and grounding and redirecting my thoughts. Nothing fucking works, it’s all bullshit. Or maybe my trauma is so bad that nothing will work for me. Maybe I’m too broken… too damaged. It doesn’t really matter—it is what it is.

In the silence of my room, I hear the distinct creek of the closet door sliding open. Damn it. I’d be lying if I said I hoped I was wrong about tonight. I hoped he wouldn’t come, but I almost never get that lucky.

His footsteps echo in the darkness. Then I feel my bed dip as he gets into it.

A wave of nausea hits. Then his warm amber scent surrounds me and something in me reacts. That foolish part of me that can’t seem to separate the monster from the man I thought he was. I hate myself for it.

“Hello, Thea,” he whispers softly into my ear. It takes everything in me to not shudder at his closeness. His fingers drift down my arm as he places a kiss on the nape of my neck.

This game of acting sweet is pointless. His last visit told me everything I needed to know. He wants to ruin me—there’s nothing sweet about that. I don’t know if he’s trying to fuck with my mind or if some twisted part of him still desires to be that for me. I don’t care to try to figure it out.

“Don’t act like you’re not awake. You’re not fooling me—I know you better than you think. I know the pattern of your breathing and the way you twitch while you sleep. I’ve always known if you’ve been asleep during my visits. I choose to let you believe you’re in control.” His words make my blood run cold. “But it’s always been me, love. I think you need some reminding of that.”

His hand slips from my arm to my waist. My breath catches. Then he tries to push beneath the waistband of my pants. “Stop,” I hiss. I may not have meant it with Damian earlier, however, I wholeheartedly mean it with Cole.

“Make me,” he challenges. Grabbing his hand, I try to shove it off of me. “Uh uh. You wouldn’t want to upset me. I might just accidentally send the pictures of you with that detective to Damian. I wonder what he’d think of your secret meetings.” I have no words. He’s always watching, so why wouldn’t he have caught that? And he’s right. He knows me too well. Of course I haven’t told anyone. He laughs. “Thea, c’mon, we both know how you love to keep your secrets. You haven’t changed at all.”

My head snaps to look behind me. I’m laying eyes directly on Cole for the first time since the night at the cabin. He doesn’t look any different. He still looks like the same sweet guy I fell for all those months ago. And I’m angry that he looks fine.

“What do you want, Cole?”

He smirks. “Is that any way to talk to the man who’s not killing off your best friend and who’s keeping your little secret?” Cole shakes his head as if he’s bewildered. “A thank you would go a long way, love.”

My teeth grind together. What are my options here? Play into this weird power trip or challenge him and deal with the consequences. There’s only one right answer.

“Thank you.” He’ll get the words, but I’m not faking sincerity.

Coles pushes his hand farther into my pants until it’s resting gently between my legs. I try to swallow around the thick knot in my throat and steel myself for whatever’s coming next.

“Such a good girl for me,” he taunts, then pulls his hand out of my pants.

A wave of relief washes over me. I can’t help the trembling that takes over my body and the subsequent shame that he can feel the fear that he’s instilled in me.

The bed shifts and the weight of his body disappears. I don’t dare glance back at him again. “I’ll be back on my birthday to collect my gift from you,” Cole promises. “Make sure to wear something pretty for me. Sleep well.”

The closet door creaks closed. He’s gone, yet the weight of his presence lingers. His words hang heavy in the air. What gift? It’s a stupid thought. I know what it is. Me.

That abstract, distant thought that I need to kill Cole feels all too real now. He needs to go. Soon. I still don’t know how I’m going to pull it off, but sitting around waiting for a plan to land in my lap is only going to be my downfall. I need to act now.

Detective Williams is hellbent on taking someone down for Gavin’s disappearance and now Rob and Matt’s as well. Like he said, I’m the primary suspect. I do have a problem going down for something I didn’t do. So I might as well make it count.

If I’m going to be guilty of anything, I’ll be guilty of taking down the man who’s tormenting everyone I love. I can take the fall and spare Damian, Wes, and Sutton of that. It’s the least I can do for everything they’ve done for me.

I can kill their brother, so that they don’t have to. And because I deserve to get my revenge.