Page 21 of First Bite
“So when are you going to fill me in?”
“Listen, this sucks, I know. The guys know. We’re not happy about it, but I really have to focus and make sure everything is taken care of before we land. Don’t take it the wrong way.”
“Whatever. You kissed me earlier like you were actually coming around, then you flip switches again, and we’re back to business Cole.”
He looked up at me. “Business Cole?” he scoffed. “Well,business Coleis not fucking around right now and is handling shit.”
“You really are a dick. I don’t get you. You can at least be nice if it’s not too much trouble.”
He sighed. “Like I said. I’m trying not to be a dick. I really do have to focus on this. I’m sorry, but this aircraft isn’t landing anywhere until I know you’re safe.”
“Do what you need to do. I can wait.”
I turned and left his area annoyed, frustrated, and confused. “Just trust he’s keeping you safe,” I said to reassure myself that I could wait to figure out what had happened overnight.
I didn’t see Cole again until we landed. We boarded a small propeller plane that I was sure would crash, solving the dilemma of having to worry about Enzo taking me captive.
I kept looking at Cole for reassurance, but as he flew the death trap, he was calm, cool, and collected.
We flew over sparkling turquoise water…water that reminded me of Braden’s eyes.Braden!I hoped they were all okay. If they weren’t, Cole would have been seeing red right about now instead of leisurely flying this plane that seemed to react to the smallest amount of turbulence we went through.
“Okay. Tropical island. Where the hell are we?” I asked when Cole led me to an SUV.
“Fiji,” he answered curtly.
“Fantastic,” I said dryly as I turned my attention to the view of the ocean outside my window as the sun sank below the horizon.
We drove under massive palm trees to a hidden road that was overgrown with foliage. It was fully dark when the road opened up to display a beach house with the ocean shimmering under the light of the moon.
The beach house was massive with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. I watched the white foam push into the shoreline, and my eyes grew even more tired.
“Where am I sleeping?” I asked.
“You want the view of the ocean or the room closest to mine until my cousins get here?” He looked down at me, “Wherever you’re most comfortable. Take your pick.”
“This must be a blast for you.” I eyed him. “Leaving me in the dark with what’s going on?”
“You can have the room with the ocean view,” he responded stiffly. “I’ll be able to hear everything anyway. We’re pretty sure you’ll be fine out here until everything settles down.”
“Everything settles down?” my voice rose. “What’s going on, Cole? Why are you acting like this?”
He let out a breath, and I could sense he wanted to tell me but was holding things back. I felt a sense of trust come over me, and it stopped me from demanding answers. There was no malice behind what he was doing, but damn it, I didn’t like being left in the dark.
“Elle,” his lips twisted, then his face fell back into his usual serious expression. “Until I get more answers, I don’t want to bring up shit that might end up being nothing. Just know that the guys are safe and taking care of some things, so there is no need to worry about them.”
His eyes bore into mine, and I conceded with a nod. “Hopefully, by morning you’ll have explanations as to why we up and vanished from the house so suddenly.”
“Yes.” His eyes went up to the ceiling as if he were pleading for something. “God, I fucking hope so.”
“Then I’ll see you later. If anything goes down with the guys, please wake me up and let me know. I’m worried about them too no matter what you say.”
“If that’s what you want, I will.”
“Night,” I said.
As I brushed past him, he caught my arm. I turned and locked eyes with his stunning emerald ones. Holy shit, he was so gorgeous.
“About those girl vamps we brought with us,” he rubbed his chin, “I’m sorry it upset you, but we hadn’t planned on leaving that hideout for a while. We needed them to build up our strength. Animal blood wasn’t working. They were only there to donate blood and keep us strong so we could defend ourselves if anything went down.”
