Liz smiled. “Of course, honey. My treat.”
Hours later, the movie about an alien spaceship found in a Florida suburb worked to take her mind off her troubles, and Jill and Liz ended the night with a drink at a different bar from where her troubles began in the first place. Still, just the atmosphere was enough to dredge the memories back up again.
Since she was obviously poor company, she ended the night early and let Liz go home. But Jill wasn’t ready to do the same, and she needed a few things from the store anyway. An hour later, mission almost accomplished, Jill headed home. After leaving her groceries in the kitchen, she headed straight to her bedroom then her bathroom, flicked the light on, and…
Someone shoved her hard. Crying out, she flew sideways, slamming into the bathroom counter, bouncing off, and hitting the floor sideways. Piercing pain shot through her face and arm.
The room spun. She tried to get her bearings. Tried to defend herself and scoot away from the door. But her body froze. Something crashed off a shelf, and a door slammed. She held her breath and listened for what seemed like years. When it was obvious her intruder was gone, she managed to pull her cell phone out and dial 911 with shaky fingers.
Even now, he was all she could think about. More than the police, more than anything, she wanted one person at her side—Cole.
Chapter Fifteen
After leaving his mom’s house and Jill behind, Cole spent the day at home researching Senator Taylor and the Staples Center layout. He could have gone into the office, but he knew the memories of Jill spread out on his desk would haunt him, and he wasn’t quite ready for that yet. Didn’t matter. Even in his own apartment, where Jill had never been, thoughts of her plagued him. He’d even started to see her figure and face in his favorite painting, and would stare at it for minutes on end like some lovesick fool.
When he left for his eight a.m. meeting with the senator the next morning, Cole was thinking of Jill yet again. Riding his bike through the city, he pictured having Jill with him, perched on the back. She’d loved riding the Hog. He could still hear her happy squeals when he took the corners hard and sharp. But he needed to stop thinking about her, get his head in the game again, score this job, and move forward with starting up the business in San Francisco. During the process, he’d arrange to take time off for the Ride Home.
For the first time since leaving Jill, he felt a tinge of interest in something outside of her. Riding the blacktop for weeks with his friends, with no responsibilities or difficult decisions to make, would be incredible. He needed something to look forward to.
He parked his bike in a garage and walked two blocks to the Hilton on Grand Avenue. When he entered the lobby, a woman in a black dress and heels paused on her way toward the bar and gave him an up-and-down look that took in his business suit clad body. She raised an appreciative eyebrow and stopped, standing straight in his path. She was slender with wavy, long dark hair that reminded him of Jill’s. A businesswoman, and a successful one, if he were to guess by the designer dress and shoes.
Cole slowed his pace. She was waiting for a sign—a subtle smile or nod. But he continued walking past her. Another woman didn’t interest him. All he’d do was compare her to Jill anyway, and that knowledge made him come to an abrupt halt. He found himself rethinking his stance about not seeing Jill. Again. Maybe he’d made a mistake. Maybe—
He shook his head.
Cut it out, Cole. Business. Keep your mind on business.
A simple life, attachment free. Who knew what kind of adventures awaited him in San Francisco and beyond? He wanted to explore the world, feel the rush of the wind against his face as he rode his bike on the open road. That was what he’d wanted his whole life and he finally had the opportunity to do it. If he tried to compromise for Jill, he’d only end up disappointing her.
Firming his jaw along with his resolve, he found the elevator and took it up to the top floor. He located the penthouse, tapping on the door. A few seconds later, Cole was escorted inside to wait in the living area, where he remained standing.
“Well, good morning.”
Cole looked up to see a sharply-dressed, very fit, middle-aged man with perfectly coiffed silver hair standing in the doorway of the bedroom.
“Good morning. I’m Cole Novak.” He extended his hand.
The man strolled forward and shook hands with him. “Leonard Taylor. I’m pleased to meet you, Cole. I’ve heard great things about you.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m pleased to meet you, too.”
“Leonard is fine while it’s just the two of us.”
“Yes, sir,” Cole said.
Senator Taylor grinned. At least the guy had a sense of humor. Cole liked him, and for the next half hour, they discussed the job. At one point, Taylor offered to order up breakfast, and Cole politely declined.
“You sure? A man needs his protein. From the looks of you, you’ll work it off before the week is over.”
Cole grinned. “Yes, sir. You look like you’re no stranger to the gym yourself.”
“I was a bit of a gym rat as a young man. Now I prefer my morning runs when I’m at home.”
“Is your home in Sacramento?” Cole asked.
“My primary home is there. I have one in Orange County as well. I normally stay there when I’m in town, but it’s going through some renovations at the moment, so it wasn’t ready for me. I grew up in OC. I’m a SoCal boy at heart. Dodger’s fan, USC alumnus, Laker’s fan, the whole nine yards.”
“I’m right there with you,” Cole said, nodding.
“You grew up here too?” the senator asked him.
“Yes, sir,” Cole said. “In Glendale, not Orange,” he clarified.
“Do you still have family in LA?”
“No, sir,” Cole said.
“Not even a girl?” The senator paused and shook his head. “I guess that’s a little personal for the first day, but the look on your face says it all.”
What look? Cole frowned, not about to discuss Jill with a stranger no matter how much Cole liked him.
“Forgive me. I’m just feeling nostalgic today. I had an amazing woman in my life at one time, two of them actually. One, I lost to divorce. The other to…circumstance. And my own cowardice. I don’t know why I’m telling you that,” he added with a bittersweet laugh. “The experience taught me a lesson, albeit a little late. Follow your heart. To hell with fear or worry or pride.”
The tangent the man had taken seemed a little unusual to Cole. As did the way he stared expectantly at Cole. As if he
really
wanted Cole to hear his message and apply it. If Cole didn’t know better, he’d think the senator was talking to him about Jill specifically. But that was impossible. Besides, following one’s heart had to be tempered by logic. And careful weighing of the risks and benefits to all persons involved, not just himself. “Right. Smart words, sir.” Cole stood. “Well, it’s been a pleasure talking to you. If you decide Frontline is right for the job—”
“Already have.” The senator smiled. “I’d love to work with you, Cole.”
Cole smiled, and though he should’ve felt a lot happier than he did, he couldn’t bring himself to completely feel it. In the lobby, Cole’s phone buzzed. He took a quick glance at the screen and recoiled when he saw Jill’s number. He immediately answered. “Jill?”
“This is Liz,” said a woman—Jill’s partner, he remembered. “Jill’s in the hospital. Someone broke into the daycare, into her house…”
It took him a moment to calm the blinding rage filling his mind and body. After getting as much information from Liz as he could, he took off faster than the cruiser was meant for—more like a crotch rocket speeding through the streets.
Chapter Sixteen
“You did what?” Jill croaked, aghast. “Why did you call Cole?”
Her body hurt all over, but now a different kind of pain jabbed into her heart.
“Jill, he cares about you,” Liz said. “He wanted to come.”
What?
“He’s coming here to the hospital?” Jill cried. She felt bad. She most likely looked bad. She hadn’t seen herself in the mirror yet, but her body and head throbbed even with the pain meds they’d given her.
It’d been a very long night. She’d already gone through a scan for her head and x-rays on her arm. Her arm was badly bruised but not broken. She’d had a mild concussion, however, so they’d had her stay overnight for observation.
“Were you able to call all the kids’ parents?” Jill asked Liz.
“Yes. I didn’t tell them what happened, just that we were going to have to close today due to an emergency.”
Jill sighed and closed her eyes, wanting to run from everything. Normally, she dealt with issues head on. But this? She felt violated. Invaded. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, scared. She didn’t feel safe in her own home anymore. That was too bad. She’d built a happy life in that house, baked cookies, taught the kids, played with them, even made love with Cole…
She started to drift off.
“Jill?” Liz’s voice sounded strange, a little different.
“Hmm?” She turned toward Liz’s voice, and in the low light of the room, she saw a very tall, broad figure dressed in a suit. At first she thought she was dreaming, but Cole really was standing at the end of the bed, staring at her in disbelief.
Liz quietly left the room.
“You didn’t have to come,” Jill whispered.
Shaking his head, he moved closer and pulled in a chair to sit by her bed. “Of course I did,” he said. “I wanted to come.”
“But what about your meeting?”
“I was done by the time I got Liz’s call.” Gently, he touched the unhurt side of her face while looking over her other side.
“It looks worse than it is.”
“I want to kill whoever did this,” he mumbled, the hand on his lap balling into a fist.
“Cole, it’s just a few bruises.”
“It’s not just bruises! That was your home, your safety. Your business. I shouldn’t have left…” He shook his head and turned his face away.
“What do you mean? How can you possibly be feeling guilty for this?”
He lifted her hand, pressing a single kiss on each knuckle then her entire hand to his mouth. “I’m just…I’m so sorry you got hurt.”
She sucked in a quick, shaky breath. “Cole…”
“Shh, it’s okay.” He soothed her hair back from her face. The gesture made her close her eyes. Sleep pulled at her again. “It’s okay, Jill. You can rest. Don’t worry about a thing. I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.”
* * *
Cole watched Jill’s facial muscles relax. He listened to her breathing even out. He held onto her hand, wishing he could kiss away her injuries. She looked so beautiful in sleep, but it pained him to see the purple bruises blooming up one side of her face. Her left eye was black and swollen, making his stomach flip over. Her left arm was in a sling to keep her from moving it.
Jill looked like a porcelain doll, one he’d break if he so much as bumped into her. Her hand felt so delicate in his. How could someone do this? Rage filled him, and he had to take deep, even breaths to control it.
His phone buzzed. He looked down, seeing it was Luke calling. “Hello?” he said softly.
“Hey, man,” Luke jumped right in. “Is Jill okay?”
After getting Liz’s call earlier, Cole had called Luke about the break in, but at the time he hadn’t known much.
“Hang on just a sec,” Cole said leaving the room so he wouldn’t disturb Jill’s sleep. “She doesn’t have a severe concussion or any broken bones, but she’s black and blue.”
“God, I’m sorry, man. Any leads?”
“No, but there was a daycare dad who seemed interested in her. I’m going to check it out. And Luke?”
“Yeah, buddy?”
“I’m not leaving her side until I know she’s safe,” Cole said.
There was the buzz of silence over the line before Luke said, “I’ll ask the senator if he’ll accept another body for the job since you’re out of commission at the moment.”
“Thanks.”
“You okay, man?”
“I…I don’t know.” Cole paced to the corner fifteen feet away and back. “It’s hard to handle. I should have done something to prevent this.”
“Cole, you didn’t know. If you had, there’s no way you would have left her.”
True. But same as with his mom, he hadn’t been there when Jill needed him most. “Yeah, well, I’m sticking close to Jill now. I don’t want her alone if there’s even the slightest chance that someone out there might come back to hurt her.”
“Well, don’t worry about things back here. We’ve got everything under control. Take as much time there as you need, okay?”
“Thanks, man.” Cole said goodbye and went back to Jill’s bedside.
Liz came into the room right behind him, and they nodded to each other. Liz sat down on the other side of the bed. “Seems like we’re all feeling guilty about this,” she said quietly.
He nodded, glad to have someone understand.
“I didn’t mean to, but I heard part of your conversation. You’re going to stay with her?”
“Yes. We’re also going to be upgrading security on the house, doing some investigation to make sure you’ll all be safe before opening your door again.”
Liz smiled slightly.
“What?” Cole asked, confused by her expression.
“You said
we
.
We’re
going to upgrade security. Are you and Jill a ‘we’ now?”
He remained silent, not sure how to respond.
Biting her lip, Liz looked torn. “She really cares about you, you know. It hurt her when you left.”
Cole clenched his jaw. “It hurt me to leave. I’m not in the best place right now. I’m confused about what’s right for both of us long term. But I’m not confused about what’s right for us at this moment. I’m not leaving her until I know she—and you—are going to be safe.”
Liz searched his face for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”
He watched her leave then sat at Jill’s bedside again. She rested peacefully, though at some points, she twitched and moaned. “Hey, shh, it’s all right. I’m here…” Cole took her hand, watching her sleep until she stirred again half an hour later. When her eyes opened, he bent close and whispered, “Morning.”