Saving Rose Red

by Maggie Dallen

  Meanwhile, Andie couldn’t get over the shock of seeing her reclusive best friend on her doorstep. “Seriously, Spencer, I can’t believe you’re here.”

  Cole was looking from her to her best friend who was still backing up and then wheeling forward trying to break through.

  Andie finally intervened. “Cole, he’s my friend. You can let him in.”

  Spencer was in the middle of another attempt to break down the door when Cole opened it and Spencer came racing in. That was when she saw that Spencer hadn’t come alone.

  His friend Hunter was behind him…and he did not look pleased. His glare wasn’t directed at her—in fact, he hadn’t even glanced her way. He seemed too busy giving Cole the evil eye to say hello his girlfriend’s sister.

  “Hunter, what a nice surprise.” It was a valiant, if unsuccessful, attempt to distract him from Cole. Not that much of anything could really distract from the big, brawny, tattoo-covered giant in her doorway. He didn’t exactly blend in to his surroundings. But then, she had to suppose that when he was working undercover, he fit in just fine.

  Yet another reminder that he wasn’t from her world and he wouldn’t be sticking around.

  Her stomach clenched making it temporarily difficult to catch her breath. Now was not the time to dwell on her new crush. She eyed Spencer and Hunter who were side by side in her hallway and now both glaring at Cole.

  “Um, do you guys want to come in?” Her voice sounded weak even to her own ears. But really, there was more raging testosterone in that one little hall than in the entire borough of Queens.

  “Andie,” Hunter said, his voice ominously low. “I need you to pack a bag. You’re coming home with me.”

  Cole shifted slightly but the movement was enough to block Andie from Hunter’s view. “She’s not going anywhere.”

  Yup, there was that growling, gravelly voice she loved. But right now it wasn’t exactly gruff in a good way. It sounded far more threatening when it was paired with that ferocious scowl.

  “Who’s going to stop her?” Wow. She didn’t know Hunter could be so tough. She’d come to think of him as her sister’s big, loveable, gruff private eye. But this guy in her hallway was way more Dirty Harry than Dick Tracy.

  “This man is not who he says he is.” Hunter’s accusation made Cole tense up and she could feel tension radiating off him. It sounded like Hunter knew more than he should and it was just a matter of time before Cole did something drastic to find out what he knew. Cole had no way of knowing who this guy was or what he was doing here.

  This could turn messy real quick and there was no way any of these three men would be calm, cool, or reasonable right now. Not when their manly hackles were all riled up trying to save poor, defenseless Andie. She let out a little snort of amusement at that thought. Men could be so dumb sometimes.

  Slipping around Cole, she put one hand on his arm as she faced her friends. “Everybody in this hallway needs to take a beat and count to ten.”

  They all stared at her like she’d lost her mind. She was used to it.

  “Everyone calm now?” She met each of their gazes in turn. When she was done, she gestured toward the living room. “Great, now let’s chat.”

  She led the way to the living room and ordered Hunter and Cole to sit. They sat across from one another, still glaring like two boxers in their corners waiting to go at it. Spencer parked his wheelchair in the center of the room and crossed his arms.

  Andie assessed all three ultra-high-strung men in her apartment and let out a sigh. Lord save her from drowning in testosterone.

  “All right, now that everyone is calm. Let’s start at the beginning.” She turned to Cole, who seemed most likely to lose his cool and she couldn’t totally blame him considering what was at stake. “Cole, this is my friend Spencer who I told you about. He’s the one I showed the picture to, the one who I’d trust with my life.”

  That last part she directed to Spencer before turning back to Cole. “I told Spencer he could show Hunter the photo—” She held up a hand before he could argue with her. “Hunter is my sister Jenna’s boyfriend and I would also trust him with my life.”

  She heaved a weary sigh, hoping she thoroughly conveyed her impatience with these three. Turning to Hunter and Spencer, she said, “Cole is my new friend and he’s been honest with me.” She took a deep breath but said the words she realized were true. “I would trust him with my life.”

  For a moment the silence was deafening. She didn’t dare risk a peek at Cole. It didn’t take a psychologist to see that the man had some trust issues. Probably for the best considering his line of work. But she had a feeling he wasn’t used to people putting their trust in him quite so easily and she half wondered if he even believed her statement.

  But it was the truth. Kisses and attraction aside, she trusted him.

  As she faced down the stares of these three jaded men, she knew without a doubt that they thought she was crazy. Or, at the very least, naïve to the point of idiocy. She could try to correct them, but what would be the point? All three of them were too stubborn to see what was right in front of their faces so it would seem it was up to her to spell it all out.

  Hunter broke the silence first, his hands balled up in fists on his lap. “Andie, I don’t know what this guy told you, but you need to listen to me. I looked into this Dagger from the tattoo shop.”

  She could practically feel the tension oozing from Cole and guilt niggled at her gut. “How exactly did you look into him?” she asked Hunter.

  He and Spencer stared up at her with matching looks of surprise. “Are you listening to Hunter?” Spencer said. “This guy has been lying to you.”

  Hunter’s gaze never left hers and he started talking as if Cole wasn’t even in the room. “If this guy is connected to Anthony Gallagher or the Corada gang—”

  “Who did you talk to?” Cole’s gravelly voice shocked them all, Andie included. She’d never hear him sound so…scary. She whirled around to face him and saw the intensity that was written all over his face.

  When Hunter just glared at him, Cole stood, dwarfing Andie and the rest of the room with his size. “You spoke to your contacts at the police, correct?” He didn’t wait for confirmation. “Who did you talk to?”

  Andie shivered, fear coursing through her on Cole’s behalf. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like not knowing who you could trust—even among your own friends. Her expression as pleading when she turned to Hunter, “Please, just answer him.”

  Hunter glanced at Spencer before turning back to Cole, his expression guarded. “I called in a favor from my old partner, Eddie Gonzalez.”

  Andie was fairly certain she was the only one in the room who could see the change in Cole. The man was not exactly what anyone would call emotive but she could read him easily enough, and flicker in those gray eyes? That was relief. Not to mention the way his breathing evened out as some of the tension in his shoulders eased up.

  “So that’s a good thing?” she asked softly.

  He gave her a small nod. She meant to give him a reassuring smile—one that conveyed camaraderie. Instead her gaze met his and she had a terrible feeling that her smile turned just plain moony in the face of his hotness.

  Jeez, she had to get this crush under control before she did something really stupid and started falling for him.

  Spencer broke the silence. “Does someone want to tell me what is going on here?”

  Only for Andie. There was no way he would have explained himself or his assignment to these clowns if it wasn’t for Andie’s gentle persuasion and soulful, pleading looks.

  Who could say no to this woman? If he ever met that person, he would personally nominate him for a medal of honor.

  To be fair, her friends stopped seeming so utterly useless once he told them the truth. Six months of secrecy and here he was blabbing his secrets to three separate strangers in one day. Clearly he was losing his edge.

  But then, as a man on the run who had no
idea who he could trust, he couldn’t exactly be expected to play by the rules. The fact that Hunter was Eddie’s former partner helped seal the deal. He trusted Eddie—Eddie was just about the only person on the force he knew for a fact had his back. He’d heard Eddie talk about Hunter, though Hunter had left the department before he’d arrived in this city. He knew Eddie trusted him. If Eddie and Andie both spoke for this guy, then he supposed he had to trust him.

  As for Spencer? Well, he had to take Andie’s word for it that he was trustworthy. But, judging by the way he refused to leave Andie’s side—her own personal watchdog—he guessed the so-called tech whiz would keep his secrets for her sake, if for no other reason.

  In a few terse words, he laid it out for them. His assignment, the shooting, the picture—all of it. After he was done, he turned to Hunter. “What did Eddie tell you when you mentioned my name?” he asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

  Hunter gave a grudging, lopsided smile. “He said he’d look into it.”

  Cole let out a short laugh. “Gotta love that guy. He kept his mouth shut even when talking to his former partner.”

  Hunter nodded. “He’s a good cop. Loyal to a fault.”

  Just like that, he and the former cop had an understanding. Spencer was still scowling at him—clearly he would be a tough nut to crack. But Spencer was angry at him for bringing Andie into this and for that, he couldn’t blame him. Cole was angry too. He’d give anything to get her out of this. It seemed in that regard, at least, he and Spencer were on the same page.

  “Andie, you still need to get out of here.” Spencer’s tone wasn’t asking and if Andie’s petulant pout told him anything it was that she did not appreciate being told what to do.

  Hunter chimed in, which didn’t help matters. “Spencer is right, Andie. It really would be best if you came to stay with Jenna and me. Just until this gets sorted out.”

  Sure enough, Andie’s expression turned resolute as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And leave Cole here all alone to fend for himself?”

  She wanted to stay… for him? Cole was fairly certain he shared the same look of stunned speechlessness that Hunter and Spencer wore and he resented it. They looked like idiots. He shook his head and tried to think of something that would convince her that she was in danger. “Andie, Anthony has your cell number. If he starts to suspect you’re involved with the police or know anything about his involvement with the Coradas…” He didn’t want to finish. Much as he wanted to get through to her, he hated having to scare her.

  Spencer didn’t seem to share that concern. “He could track you by your phone number, Andie.”

  She shrugged. Shrugged! “Spence, you can make it so he can’t trace me, I know you can. Work your magic.” She tossed him her phone.

  “What if he already found out where you live?” Hunter asked before Cole had the chance.

  Cole chimed in before she could respond. “Even if he didn’t trace your phone, he could have asked around. Everyone knows you in that neighborhood, Andie. It wouldn’t be hard to learn your last name, where you moved….” When he saw that her expression didn’t soften in the slightest, he ruthlessly added, “who you’re related to.” Finally a flicker of uncertainty.

  He pointedly glanced in Spencer’s direction and added, “Who your friends are.”

  She frowned, her eyes narrowing on him in a look she probably thought was intimidating but was really just plain cute. She was too sweet for her own good.

  “I know what you’re doing,” she said. “And it’s not going to work. I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.”

  Much as her words irritated him, he would have been lying if he said they didn’t make his heart ache with something so unfamiliar he couldn’t even put a name to it. Whatever it was, it threatened to distract him from his goal. Luckily he had Spencer and Hunter to back him up.

  “Andie, you’re not being reasonable,” Spencer started.

  But Hunter intervened. “Fine.”

  Cole’s head swiveled to face the private investigator as Andie’s brows shot up in surprise. “Really?”

  Her shock matched his own.

  “What do you mean?” he asked slowly.

  Hunter stood and took a step toward Andie. “You are practically my sister. There’s no way I’m leaving you here alone with a man who has a target on his back.”

  Hunter glanced over at Cole. “And in all good conscience, I couldn’t walk away from Eddie’s colleague and a cop in danger.”

  Cole gave him a short nod that he hoped conveyed his appreciation.

  “For now, you’re both coming with me. We’ve got the room and we’ll figure out next steps once you’re out of immediate danger.”

  Cole looked to Andie and she met his gaze. He didn’t love the idea of going to a stranger’s place and involving more people in his trouble. But he also hated the idea of letting Andie out of his sight. Thanks to that picture, she was in this mess, like it or not.

  He nodded and that seemed to be her answer. She dropped her defensive posture with a sigh. “All right, I guess we’re taking this party to the Upper West Side then.”

  Spencer and Hunter waited in the living room as he and Andie went to her room and packed up her bag. Because he had no belongings to his name, he hovered in her doorway, unable to let her out of his sight.

  She turned and found him waiting there as she slung a backpack over her shoulder. Her face lit up with a grin as she crossed the room to where he stood leaning against the doorframe. With an ease he would never understand, she stood up on tiptoe and gave him a light peck on the cheek. “Cheer up, Cole. This’ll be fun.” She slipped past him, her hand trailing over his arms in a simple touch that slayed him with its casual intimacy. Like she had every right to touch him. As if he was hers to tease and touch and torment.

  Which meant that she was his, in return. The thought nearly crippled him. He stood there staring after her as she led the way down the hall, calling out “Slumber party!” in a ludicrously chipper tone. Apparently she was oblivious to the fact that she’d gutted him with images of what ifs.

  What if she could be his? Not just for one night but for the long haul?

  The thought made his heart ache even as it threatened to leap out of his chest. The visions that flooded his brain were too good to be true. They weren’t real. They weren’t an oasis in the desert—they were a mirage. Images created by a desperate man.

  That became abundantly clear as all four of them piled into Hunter’s car to head to his and Jenna’s apartment across town. The silence was heavy in the small space…until Andie started talking.

  “So…” Her voice was too casual, anyone with a half a brain could tell she was up to something. “Hunter.”

  Poor Hunter.

  He gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

  “You said before that I’m practically a sister.” She leaned forward in the backseat where she sat next to Cole so her face was right next to Hunter’s. “Is there an announcement coming that I should be aware of?”

  Spencer let out a snort of amusement in the front seat as Hunter growled in response.

  “That wasn’t actually an answer,” she said sweetly.

  “It’s not actually your business,” he responded. He sounded more amused than annoyed and Cole watched the exchange with a twinge of…something. Not jealousy because that would be ridiculous. But he felt like an outsider watching these three tease each other. Like they were a family, and he was the odd man out.

  “Aw come on, Hunter,” Spencer started in. “You can trust us. Do you need some help figuring out how to propose?”

  “As if I’d need help from you,” Hunter said. “When’s the last time you left your apartment, let alone went on a date?”

  “I left today, didn’t I?” Spencer shot back.

  Andie fell back in her seat beside him as she laughed at her friend. “Yes, because you thought my life was in mortal danger. Maybe next time you could go out for a re
ason a little less extreme.”

  “Like a doughnut run,” Hunter suggested.

  Cole was barely listening as the teasing banter went on around him. He was too busy studying Andie’s profile in the dim lights of the streetlamps as they made their way across town.

  She was so beautiful. So intrinsically happy. Joyful. So…the opposite of him in every way. For a little while there he’d managed to forget the world he came from. He’d found himself entranced by her smiles, sucked in by the cozy familiarity that came with the simple act of curling up on a couch with someone and watching TV. Somehow he’d let himself lose sight of real life.

  Andie’s voice cut into his thoughts. “Oh shoot!” Her features puckered up in consternation and Cole instantly went on high alert.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Hunter glanced back in the rearview mirror and Spencer turned in his seat to look at her.

  She let out a sad sigh. “Kate was at my place tonight and you missed her.”

  Spencer seemed to figure out what she was talking about before Cole or Hunter. “Andie, you can’t seriously be playing matchmaker at a time like this.”

  “A time like what?” she argued. “Hunter’s right. You never leave your house and tonight you finally did and you just missed her.” Her tone was so melodramatic. So sad. In light of everything going on in their lives her disappointment at missing a chance to set up her two lonely friends was just ludicrous.

  Hunter and Spencer started laughing—under their breath at first and then soon they were outright laughing.

  Cole turned to find Andie smiling at him. Clearly that had been her intention.

  Despite the lightened mood in the car, his heart was killing him. If he wasn’t relatively young and in good shape he would have seriously started to worry about his health. His chest ached like it was being crushed by something heavy. The weight of the world, maybe.

  This wasn’t his world. She wasn’t his to keep. She wasn’t even his for the moment. She lived in a different world. One where she had friends, a new family. One without danger.