Page 14 of Strip Search
Six hours later...
I’m standing in front of the mirror at home and wondering why I ever decided it would be a good idea to go against Cole’s wishes and sign up for this.
He was right. I am in over my head, but it’s too fucking late now, and I’m not about to let any of these guys down. I made the decision to do this for them. All of them. And Zoey. To get back at the group behind everything bad that has happened to Smitty, Zoey, Rhys, and Cole – they’ve all been caught up in bullshit because of this little group of assholes for far too long.
What Cole doesn’t know, is that Cody’s been backing up this idea of mine for a few weeks now. Unlike his big brother, Cody realized I wasn’t going to back down and figured it was much better to prepare me for what might happen next. Yet, I still don’t feel confident about this.
“You’re going to be late,” Cole sneers from the doorway. I didn’t even hear him come in. Though can’t say I’m surprised he’s here. “If you’re going to do this, you have to play by the rules, and that means you cannot draw any unwanted attention to yourself. You’re there to do a job. Keep your eyes and ears open. Being late on your first day is only going to piss Dallas off.”
“Jesus Christ. Can you stop?” The irritation in my voice is clear.
I’ve been listening to Cole’s lectures since we finished lunch earlier. He disappeared for two hours, likely to fuck out some of his aggression with Jade – his friend with benefits, came back and decided that maybe we should be coming up with a solid game plan. It was easy enough for me to keep up with his little crash course thanks to Cody, though my head was still spinning by the time we finished up.
I thought when I left the office, I’d have some breathing room. Clearly, I was wrong.
“You don’t have to do this.” Cole changes tactics with me.
“Yeah, so you’ve said.” I grab my small backpack with clothes in it and head for the front door. “Let me guess, you’re my bodyguard for the night?”
“Molly. Please. Stop testing my patience.”
He can beg all he wants. My sheer existence seems to test him, something I cannot change.
“Cole,” I say in a sweet voice as I bat my eyes at him. “Stop being an asshole. Please.”
“I swear to God if you were mine,” he mumbles under his breath, but I hear every word.
Spinning around, I face him one more time. “But I’m not. You’ve made sure of that. And even if I was, you still wouldn’t tell me what to do. Just so we’re clear.”
Before my resolve can fade any further. I slip out the door and hurry down the steps. Cole stops me in the lobby, just before I fade out into the parking lot.
“Run through it one last time.”
I roll my eyes but give him what he wants. “You’re following me. You’ll wait outside until they open, then you’ll take a seat at the bar. I do what’s asked of me tonight. Nothing more. If I see you, I’m to pretend we don’t know each other.”
“Thank you,” Cole says, his mouth forming a thin line. “And you know what to do if something goes wrong?”
“Yes. Have a little bit of trust in me, Cole.”