Page 67 of Marked

He cleared his throat. “Hey.” He kept his voice low so as not to disturb Bella. “Why don’t you guys come to my place?”

Sophia’s gaze sharpened on his in the mirror. “We can get a hotel.”

His insides tensed. Did she want space from him already? Fighting the part of him that stung like hell... Jesus, were his feelings hurt? How dumb. “Look, I don’t think a hotel is a great idea. Odds are Lionsgate will have a lot of men looking for you.”

Sophia lowered her gaze to Bella’s face, then nodded. “Ok. If you don’t mind, yes. We’ll stay.”

“Not at all.” Some of the agitation left his muscles, and he opened and closed his fist on the steering wheel to loosen the rest of his tension.

It didn’t help.

At least he’d have Sophia and Bella under his roof tonight. But he had to be sure everyone who was responsible was dead or no longer a threat before he could willingly let Sophia leave.

Irritation touched the back of his neck. This wasn’t who he was. He didn’t worry about other people. Sure as hell didn’t open up his bachelor pad to a woman and her kid. Hell, he wouldn’t even let one of his brothers stay at his place unless it was life or death.

His apartment was exactly that—his. Entertaining wasn’t his deal. But sitting at home knowing the sonsofbitches who’d taken Bella the first time, who’d tormented Sophia, were still out there didn’t sit well with him either.

Besides. How bad could it be to have a kid hanging around?

***

Sophia juggled Bella through Cole’s apartment door while he held it wide open. He’d offered to carry Bella, but putting her down for even a second just wasn’t possible yet.

Cole shut the door, and she removed her shoes and walked through the living room she’d spent the last day and night in. Had it really only been hours since they left to retrieve Bella?

It seemed like ages. Like so much time had passed since she’d been without her daughter. And now she was here.

Cole led her to the small hallway and cracked open the door to the spare bedroom. A queen-sized bed covered in white linens took up the space, and steel-gray paint covered the blank walls. A TV was mounted across from the bed, and there was a dresser and a nightstand that matched the white-washed bedframe. Simple, but neat and clean.

She turned to face him. “Thank you,” she mouthed.

He nodded and went to the closet. After pulling down an extra flannel blanket, he peeled back the covers and shook out the pillows. The action was oddly homey for a man of his size and MO.

He stepped away from the bed and she inched forward swaying Bella, a motion deeply engrained in her psyche. “I’m going to stay with her for a little bit,” she told him.

He went to the door. “Take your time. I’ll need a couple of hours to wind down anyway.”

Sophia lowered herself to the mattress and swept up her legs then transferred Bella’s head to the pillow. Bella squeezed her eyes against the glow of the light but quickly turned to snuggle into Sophia’s arms.

Cole clicked off the light, and darkness fell around the room. The hinges squeaked as he shut the bedroom door, leaving it open just a crack.

Sophia pulled the covers up to Bella’s chin and held her daughter. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. Disbelief had her resting her knuckles on Bella’s smooth baby skin. She needed a bath and some soap. The scent of hay clung to her hair.

Oh, honey. How I failed you.

She’d never forgive herself for the trauma that had been inflicted on Bella. The terror and pain she must have endured from being kidnapped and separated from her mother—it was unfathomable.

Sophia embraced Bella, and as her emotions finally settled and reality sank in, her mind drifted to Cole.

He wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t a saint either. But surely if God planned to punish him for his deeds in this life, the act of pure selflessness he’d committed—saving the life of a child he’d never met—had to count for something.

Her belly clenched. If she’d succeeded in arresting Cole, things would have ended very differently for Bella. For her.

The kidnapping would’ve still happened. But she wouldn’t have found Bella. The police would still be looking—

The police.

She jerked, and her movement made Bella groan. Patting her daughter’s back and muttering soothing words, Sophia gave herself a mental kick in the ass.

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