Page 75 of Tortured Tones

I was there—I was damn well going to enjoy myself.

“Care for a shot?” Cole asked. “What will it be? Vodka or bourbon?”

“Um . . . vodka.”

“Good choice. Let’s get this party rolling.”

We drank one shot. Then another. As we mingled with the guests, I talked to the girls and met the other ladies from the show and their celebrity friends. Aching in my high heels, I opted for a quick break and sat at our table with Tia. Her eyes swam with alcohol as she poured me another shot.

“So, what’s with you and my brother?” she asked.

“Nothing. Why?”

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you all night.”

“I don’t think so.” But yeah, I’d caught him staring on random occasions. “We’re just work colleagues.”

“Maybe. But I think he’s into you.”

Cole? Into me? “I doubt it. We have a love-hate relationship. I love keeping him in line, and he hates it.”

Tia knocked back her shot, giggled, and nodded. “You remind me of his ex, Priah.”

His old girlfriend? “How so?”

“You’re feisty and don’t fall for any of his bullshit. I like that. But you seem nice; Priah wasn’t.”

“You didn’t like her?”

“Hell no.” Tia had had way too much to drink, but I didn’t mind her spilling about his past. “Cole was madly, insanely in love with her. She was smart. Gorgeous. Ambitious. But I’m convinced she was just with him because she didn’t want anyone else to have him. I warned Cole, but he was too lovestruck. Her parents loathed him too. A musician wasn’t good enough for their future-doctor of a daughter. I won’t deny they loved each other, but her family always came first. She never told Cole about her arranged marriage. It broke him. He was an utter mess for months. He still hasn’t gotten over being hurt.”

Damn. His relationship sounded like mine. We’d been blind to see the truth, fallen for the lies, and had our hearts shattered. “Priah sounds like my ex. Luther was always jealous if I spoke to another guy. His parents didn’t approve of me either. I was a commoner, not from the elite social circles they associated with.”

“We came from nothing too.”

“I know. I’ve done my homework.”

“Cheers to that.” Tia refreshed our drinks then chinked her glass against mine. We knocked back the liquor, then smacked the empty shots onto the table. She grabbed the bottle of bourbon and topped up her glass, then poured a vodka for me. “Is it weird, studying people for security assignments?”

“No.” I opted for a glass of water. My head was spinning too fast. “We have to learn as much as possible about who our clients are and what they do each day in order to protect them.”

“Then you know Cole’s been through a lot.” Concern rippled through her eyes. “He’s a good person—just a bit messed up like the rest of us.”

So true. But how much did she know? Tia seemed like a good sister—she loved Cole. Perhaps she could help me help him. “Have you talked to him lately? He’s struggling at the moment. Not just with Charlotte.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” I followed her gaze over to him. He was having selfies with some girls by the overcrowded dance floor. “I’ve tried talking to him, but he bottles everything up inside. I can’t get through to him. Therapy has never worked for Cole. He’s never been the same since Aidan died.”

His high school boyfriend who committed suicide? “How so?”

She rested her elbow on the table and swayed toward me. “Would you believe Cole used to be super shy in school? He’d only come alive when he was behind the drums.”

Unable to drag my eyes away from him, I shook my head. These days he lit up the room. “I cannot picture Cole ever being like that.”

“Yep. He was.” She straightened, took a deep breath, and stared into her bourbon. “Losing Aidan and being fucked over by Priah brought out this need in him to be fiercely protective of those he loved and this drive to live life to the fullest. He wants to enjoy every party, play every gig, and will go out of his way to make sure everyone is happy. He lives for the band. He has glued the guys back together more than once, especially after Phil died. But he’s never gotten close to anyone since Priah.”

“Are you sure about that?” I grabbed my shot and raised it toward Tia. “Have you seen the girls he brings home? He gets close ... a lot.”

She giggled and play-punched my arm, spilling half my drink. I flicked the vodka from my fingertips, laughing along with her. She was wasted...and funny...and concerned for Cole too. “Yeah, but that’s just sex. Some stress relief. It’s not for intimacy or emotional connection. Or stable.”

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