by Nicole York
He wished he was with Cameron right then.
Since the dream, that was all he’d been able to think about. If he was always with her, then nobody could steal her away. Nobody could hurt her.
But that wasn’t realistic.
She’d been busy all week working on preparations for her shelter. She’d finalized things with contractors and city officials, and zoning had already begun. Cole was proud of her and impressed by her grit. She’d handled herself well in the face of men who didn’t take her seriously when she showed up with blueprints of what she’d wanted for the shelter. She’d handled herself better still when they began offering her words of advice, telling her she should keep things simpler for her first project so she didn’t get in over her head.
Cameron had told them to stick their opinions up their asses, reminded them who was writing their checks, and asked if she needed to find someone else who’d be more willing to nod their heads and say, “Yes, ma’am.”
She was all fire and passion—exactly what the women fleeing from unsafe situations needed.
And yet he still felt like he had to protect her.
The air began to feel too stuffy and Cole decided to slip away for five minutes for some fresh air. Before he made his way to the side exit, he made another pass of the club, checking all the floors, studying every person he passed, looking for trouble.
He found something troubling, but it wasn’t the kind of trouble he’d expected to find.
On the second floor, Cole spotted Zak standing by the railing. He had a look on his face unlike any Cole had ever seen, and for a moment, he hardly recognized the man he’d come to know quite well. Zak’s shoulders were tense and he gripped the railing so hard his knuckles had turned white. His lips were pressed together in a fine line and his stare was blank.
His body was there, but his mind wasn’t.
Cole stepped up beside him and leaned on the railing, turning his back on the club below so he could look Zak in the eyes. “What’s going on with you, man? You’re not yourself lately.”
Zak hadn’t even realized Cole was there until he spoke. He blinked, clearing away whatever memory he was seeing, and straightened up. When he released the railing, he shook out his hands. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
Zak rolled his shoulders. “I thought I saw someone I used to know. It was a mistake.”
“You’re sure?”
Zak nodded. “You don’t have to look out for me, kid. Finish your rounds.”
With that, Zak pushed away from the railing and slipped away, vanishing among the throngs of people on the second floor. Cole didn’t feel any more at ease after their brief conversation than he had prior, but it was clear that the Russian didn’t want to talk, so Cole finished his rounds and returned to the first floor to make his way outside.
He strolled past the bar, exchanged a nod with Keesha, who was pouring rum and cokes behind the bar, and moved down the long dark hall toward the exit. He passed the storage room and thought fondly of the time Cameron had cornered him in there and demanded he fuck her.
His woman was not someone to be toyed with. She knew what she wanted and went for it. There was nothing sexier in his eyes than that.
He remembered how good her body had felt pressed up against his and how the thrill of it all had made him throw caution to the wind. He hadn’t cared if they got caught—hadn’t cared if it was unprofessional. All he’d cared about was fucking her the way she’d demanded.
Cole pushed through the exit door into the alley. The air was crisp and dry, and he pulled it into his lungs, letting it clear away all the thoughts that fought for attention in his mind. He closed his eyes as he exhaled.
He caught a whiff of cigarette smoke and smiled.
Without opening his eyes, Cole said, “Do you ever actually do your job, or do you spend your entire shift punishing your lungs with that shit?”
Vance chuckled deeply. “We all have our vices.”
Cole cracked open one eye and peered at the other bodyguard. “Some are healthier than others.”
“What? Like how you go down into the underground club and let strangers beat the shit out of you?”
Cole shrugged. “Better than poisoning myself.”
“Concussions are dangerous, brother.”
“So is nicotine.”
Vance took a long draw of his cigarette. He exhaled through his mouth and breathed it back in through his nose. A cool trick. “Let me worry about the lung cancer. You worry about your own shit.”
It wasn’t his shit Cole was worried about. He frowned. “Have you talked to Zak tonight?”
Vance flicked his cigarette. It continued to burn on the asphalt. “Talked is a generous word. I tried to get something out of him tonight but he was off in his own world. Dreaming about naked women and the old days, I assume.”
“I don’t think it’s just that.”
“You think something is going on we don’t know about?”
“Maybe.”
Vance sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Why is it every time shit settles down around here, one of these fuckers stirs something else up? We just got through Adam Cooper’s mess with our heads on our shoulders. What could have the Russian spooked like this?”
“Beats me, but I think we should find out. He’s getting worse.”
Vance nodded at the door. “Do you think the boss has picked up on this?”
There was no way this had gone over Marcus’s head. He heard and saw all things in his club. For all Cole knew, Marcus was in the know but he was playing things close to the vest. Perhaps this was none of Cole’s business.
“I’m sure he knows,” Cole said.
“Then why the hell isn’t he doing something about it?”
That was a good question.
“Cover the first floor,” Cole said. “I’m going upstairs to talk to the boss. Zak’s gut usually isn’t wrong, and if something is going on, we need to know about it.”
Vance followed Cole back into the club without a word. They parted ways at the end of the hall. Vance made for the dance floor and Cole hooked a right to take the stairs to the second floor two at a time. He passed servers, dancers, and patrons alike, and was forced to turn himself sideways so he didn’t bowl anyone over with his shoulders.
He hurried across the second floor to the other set of stairs and climbed to the third floor. As he passed the doors to the private rooms, one of them opened and a drunken man and a beautiful woman stumbled out. Her lipstick was smeared all over both of their faces and she was midway through pulling her panties back up when they walked smack into Cole’s chest.
The man stumbled back against the doorframe. The woman apologized and straightened her man out, who blinked up at Cole, dazed.
Zandra had been at work in that room. That was for sure.
Cole continued past them down the long hall to the last door—Marcus’s office. He knocked, waited a beat, and let himself in.
Marcus stood behind his desk looking out the floor-to-ceiling one-way window. His back was turned to Cole, who shut the door behind him, and Cole knew the boss was surveying his territory.
“Yes?” Marcus asked without turning around.
“I need to speak with you,” Cole said.
“Is this business related?”
“I’m not sure.”
Marcus sighed.
Cole saw a flash from his dream of Marcus lying in a pool of water and his own blood. As the big man turned around, Cole found himself relieved to find his skin and bald head free of blood.
“What is it?” Marcus asked.
Cole clasped his hands behind his back. “It’s Zak.”
For a moment, Marcus didn’t say anything. He stared impassively back at Cole. A beat passed, followed by another, and Marcus moved to the liquor cart where he poured himself a drink and finished it in three easy gulps. He set the glass down. “I’ve noticed.”
Fuck.
Co
le had been hoping Marcus would blow it all off. Hoping he’d say there was nothing to worry about, and that he’d handle it, and that it wasn’t Kadia business.
But that wasn’t the feeling that crept through Cole’s gut. Perhaps this was a darker mess than he realized.
“What should we do?” Cole asked.
Marcus sighed. “I’ve been wondering the same thing for over a week. I tried to get him to talk to me but he gets all bent out of shape anytime I bring up his behavior.”
“He blew me off just now when I asked what was going on,” Cole said. “If something is going on, we need to know.”
“Agreed.” Marcus crossed his office and stepped out into the hall. Cole followed, making sure to close the door behind him. The club swallowed him up as they made their way down the stairs to the first floor.
Marcus’s head moved on a swivel as he searched the place for the Russian. Cole searched too, but Kadia was busy, and one person blended into the next. They passed Vance, who arched an eyebrow at Cole as he passed, and fell into step with them.
The entourage of three large, powerful, dangerous men drew the attention of everyone they passed. They didn’t have to slip past people or make themselves small in order to squeeze through gaps on the dance floor. The sea of people parted for them as they searched the faces of strangers for the tattooed Russian with the thick beard.
He was there somewhere.
27
Cameron
Cameron
Pauline curled up like a cat on the window seat in Cameron’s bedroom. It had started raining out, and long streaks of water ran down the window at her back. The lamppost down below that lit up the pull-around driveway made the raindrops change color, like little teardrop-shaped rainbows running down the glass.
Pauline tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pulled the white fluffy blanket she had over her lap up higher. “So this thing between you and Cole is getting serious, isn’t it?”
Cameron, who lay on her stomach on her bed, clasped her hands under her chin. “Definitely serious. I think…”
Pauline sat up a little straighter. The blanket fell back down to gather at her waist. “Yes?”
“I think I might be falling in love with him.”
Pauline’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
Cameron giggled as her cheeks burned. “I know it sounds crazy. And I know he’s the exact opposite kind of guy I should fall for. But it’s true. We’re compatible. He gets me and I get him. And we make each other better. At least, I know he makes me better. He makes me feel so safe and loved and like I can do anything I set my mind to. I think being with him made me braver to keep my chin up and handle those asshole contractors earlier this week.”
Pauline looked thoughtful for a moment. “I guess that makes sense. I mean, I’ve always thought you were a bad-ass bitch, but maybe you didn’t believe that yourself?”
“Guess not. But Cole makes me feel that way—among the other things he makes me feel.”
Pauline rolled her eyes but giggled. “Oh God, girl. Well, I’m happy for you. I didn’t expect things to work out like this but I’m glad you’re happy.”
“I am.”
“Do you think he feels the same way?”
Now that was the million-dollar question. Cameron could make assumptions about how Cole was feeling but she couldn’t be a hundred percent sure that said assumptions would be right. “I don’t know. I hope so. But he’s not the kind of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, if you know what I mean.”
Pauline snickered. “Oh? You mean the stone-cold Kadia bodyguard doesn’t make it a habit to talk about his feelings?”
A floorboard out in the hallway creaked softly.
Cameron looked toward her bedroom door. When she saw her father standing on the threshold to her bedroom with one hand raised to rap his knuckles on the doorframe, her heart constricted in her chest.
Did he hear what Pauline just said? Her stomach churned.
Wayne looked from Cameron to Pauline and back to his daughter. “You’re seeing a bodyguard at Kadia?”
“Seeing is a generous word,” Cameron said, trying to backpedal. How had she been foolish enough to leave the door wide open? She knew they’d be talking about sensitive things. She and Pauline always got to talking about stuff she’d rather her parents not overhear, like every woman who was almost thirty would.
I need my own damn place.
Wayne’s eyes flicked to Pauline. “I’d like to speak with my daughter in private.”
Pauline’s face had drained of color. She peeled the fluffy white blanket away and swung her legs down from the window seat. Her feet got caught up on the blanket and she stumbled, nearly pitching forward onto her knees. “Sorry,” Pauline muttered, glancing up at me from beneath her brows as she untangled herself from the blankets. “I’m such an idiot, Cam. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay,” Cameron assured her. “I’ll call you later?”
Pauline gave her friend a tight-lipped nod before hurrying out of the bedroom. Wayne stepped aside so she could pass but she didn’t look up at him. He leaned back, peering down the hall to watch the young woman until she disappeared around the corner and down the stairs. Wayne turned back to his daughter, clasped his hands behind his back, and stepped into her bedroom.
“Why is my beautiful, intelligent, bold daughter stooping so low as to date the likes of a bodyguard?”
Cameron licked her lips. “I don’t see him as just a bodyguard, Daddy.”
“How do you see him?” Wayne stood at the foot of her bed, looking down at her.
From where she lay on her belly, her father seemed intimidating and tall. She was reminded of being a young girl. She used to get in trouble from time to time. Not too often, but often enough to have memories of her father looking over her like this, talking to her in this very same voice with an air of disapproval and disappointment.
It hadn’t felt good then and didn’t feel good now.
Cameron wanted to tell her father that she saw Cole as a good man, but she wasn’t necessarily sure that was the truth. She knew there was darkness in him. She understood it. She accepted it. Her father on the other hand? There was no way he’d come to terms with it. In fact, there was no doubt in her mind her father would take the law into his own hands if he found out Cole had committed crimes.
“I trust him,” Cameron said, finally finding a tether to grab hold of that she knew to be the truth. “I trust him and I care about him. He makes me feel safe and strong.”
“Do you need a man to make you feel those things?”
“No. That’s not the point.”
“So you’re with him why then?”
“Daddy, I—”
“Answer the question,” Wayne said sharply.
Cameron pushed herself up so she was sitting, not lying down. She gazed unblinking up at her father. “Daddy, I understand that you’re concerned and it’s your job to look out for me. But I get to choose who I want to be with. And right now, I want to be with Cole.”
The corner of Wayne’s lips twitched. “A lowly bodyguard at a bottom-feeding nightclub? Cameron, where is your presence of mind? This is reckless. This is not the kind of thing a White does. Has it not occurred to you that a man so below your station is only with you because of what he can gain because of you?”
“He doesn’t want our money, Daddy,” Cameron said flatly, sensing where this was going.
Her father shook his head and closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, his stare narrowed on her. “We offer more than just money, Cameron. We offer status. Stability. Respect. Social attention. Why wouldn’t a man want those things?”
“Cole isn’t like that.”
“How would you know? Have you asked him?”
Cameron rolled her eyes and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up. “You don’t know him, Daddy. I do. He’s with me because he cares about me. Besides, he’s not the one who made the
move on me. I started the relationship.”
“Relationship?”
Cameron nodded.
“How long has this been going on?” Wayne asked.
“I don’t know. A few weeks? A month?”
“A month?” he asked incredulously. He shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Cameron, this is nonsense. You have more responsibility now than you ever had. This is not the time to be carelessly sharing your time with swamp mud like a Kadia bodyguard. I won’t stand for it.”
Cameron blinked at her father. “Why are you speaking so horribly about a man you don’t even know?”
“Because you are mine,” Wayne said desperately. He moved forward to take his daughter’s hands in his. His palms were warm and soft. He patted the back of her hand as he looked into her eyes. “You have always been mine to protect. Being a father is not easy, Cameron. I worry about you every day, even when I have no reason to. And when I find out something like this? I won’t allow it.”
“Won’t allow it?” she breathed.
He nodded and released her hands. “This family can’t afford the potential risk this man poses. You have to keep your eyes on the prize—your shelter. That’s where your focus must remain. At the very least, this man is a distraction. At the worst? He wants something more from you that you have not realized. I know what it means to have someone take advantage of you because of your name, Cameron. It is something you’re going to have to take in stride and learn to see in people who hide their intentions from you. This bodyguard—”
“His name is Cole.”
“I don’t give a damn what his name is, Cameron. You’re through with him. Do you understand me?”
Cameron hadn’t realized how quickly her heart was racing. Her mouth had gone dry and she was suddenly aware of the tingle in the tips of her fingers and the rush of her blood in her own ears.
She couldn’t remember the last time she was so angry.
“I can’t do this with you right now,” she said.
If she continued this conversation with her father, she was going to say something she would regret. She could feel it. And she didn’t want to let that happen. So she wove around him and marched out into the hall, turned left, and made for the stairs.