揅ole, it抯 a park. You know the place. You had Dess and her friends working with us before, so I didn抰 think it was an issue. It抯 fine during the day, too. Plenty of people around. For the record, she was ambushed a few blocks away...?
揟hat was a city sanctioned charity event. Most of the patrons weren抰 homeless.?He holds up a hand, his lip curled in anger. 揃efore you say any shit, I抦 not trashing homeless people. You damn well know bad actors infiltrate their spaces sometimes, and desperate people sometimes do desperate fucking things. And why did you bring her here梠f all places梐fter she was attacked??
For the first time, his look scares me. I抳e seen him look hurt and annoyed and angry before梑ut never this close to broken.
Never like I抦 the one responsible.
揑t was closer than your house, Cole. Jesus.?I pause, swiping a hand across my face. 揕ook, she was exhausted, stressed out, and scared. She needed water. I even had the cops drive us home so we didn抰 have to walk. But now I抦 curious梬hat抯 so wrong with this place??
He stares at me.
揈liza, goddammit. You live in spitting distance of weekly robberies, plus the occasional armed carjacking that gets somebody shot. This neighborhood is far from safe. Hell, you shouldn抰 be here. But you抮e a grown woman and you can make your own choices. My fifteen-year-old daughter damn sure can抰.?
Oh, the nerve.
I nod slowly, biting my tongue so hard I taste blood before I say, 揙kay. I didn抰 realize my locked, perfectly crime-free apartment isn抰 good enough to fix up your hurt kid while you were still at the office jacking yourself off.?
His eyes bulge and he opens his mouth to fire back, but a small voice cuts him off.
揈liza棓 Destiny starts.
Oh, crap. Since I normally don抰 have screaming matches here, it抯 easy to forget just how small this space is.
I hold up my hand.
揝orry. I shouldn抰 have said that.?I turn around and look at Destiny. 揧ou抮e always welcome here, if you抮e allowed. That wasn抰 directed at you, hon. But apparently, I made a big mistake by assuming you would be.?
Or I just didn抰 realize I抦 good enough to make your dad抯 coffee and ride his dick.
But somehow, I抦 not good enough in all the other ways a demanding, rich grump-ass like Cole Lancaster needs.
揕et me settle this for both of you,?he says softly, turning to Destiny. 揧ou, young lady, are not allowed here without my permission. You抳e already been robbed. You抮e not running around Seattle alone anymore in this crappy part of town or anywhere else.?
揋od, Dad. Are you implying the robbers were homeless??She looks at him with a brutal pout. 揊YI, they weren抰. They stank like cologne and there wasn抰 a speck of dirt on their white hoodies when they pushed me around.?
揘obody should抳e fucking pushed you at all,?he mutters under his breath. Then he looks at me and shrugs. 揝he抯 never been robbed outside my office or in our neighborhood. She always had Kate around, or Tom, or at least a friend.?
揧ou抮e right to wonder, but I抦 telling you, it抯 not a battlezone hellscape here,?I say. 揑 went to that camp a few times every month until I met you?I抳e never come close to being robbed.?
揧ou don抰 look like a target,?he snaps, looking away as soon as it抯 out.
My jaw drops.
揥hat? What does that mean, Cole??
He shrugs angrily, exuding pure insolence. 揙nly that if I were going to rob someone, I wouldn抰 expect to make a lot off of you. Don抰 take it personally. You travel light with your ID and a few mason jars of coffee, maybe a water bottle. You抮e not a flashy girl sporting anything valuable.?
Yeah, he抯 not explaining his way out of this hole.
My blood is about to froth over.
揑抣l have you know that Dakota freakin?Burns and her billionaire hubby are there at least once a month. More before they had their baby, even. Would they make better targets? Pretty sure she抯 walking around with six-figures of designer jewelry glued to her now.?
揕incoln抯 built like a fire truck and he never leaves her side. Your friend probably has enough sense not to go without him.?
My lips tense into a painful line. 揑抣l tell you what she has sense for. She抣l kick him in the balls if he抯 ever stupid enough to think she needs him like some sad little damsel in distress.?
揇ad, stop. You抮e being a jerk!?Destiny adds.
揝tay out of this!?Cole warns.
Yeah, I抳e officially had enough, short of the ball-kicking he so deserves.
I start moving to the front door, loudly unlatching it just to prove to him that I have locks, and swing it open.
揧ou should go. Get her home, before I lose my shit,?I say, waiting for them.
揧ou抮e kicking us out? Christ. Maybe you should calm down.?His voice is even, calm, and ice-cold as usual. He acts like I抦 the problem and he抯 not being a raging dick.
I glare at him and shake my head.
揗y name is on the lease, last I checked. I don抰 have to do anything you say in my place. Now go, before I rage-barf all over Dess. She doesn抰 need that after today...?
揈liza棓 he starts, but I point to the hallway, my hand shaking.
揋o! How many times do I have to say it??
He moves back to my sofa and scoops Destiny up again, settling her on her feet. She gives me an apologetic look as he ushers her to the door.
揅ole??I call.
He looks at me over his shoulder. 揧eah??
揋iven your background, I抎 think you might be more empathetic.?
揥hat抯 that mean??
揘ot everyone comes home from the military to rich parents. You were lucky, you know that, right??
He stares at me like he just doesn抰 get it.
Of course not.
Rich guys won抰.
揂 lot of the people down there we were serving coffee to came back hurt or had PTSD or both. Lincoln Burns?best friend lived there until Linc gave him a job. But not everyone has a best friend who can hire them. So, try to be a little more understanding. Also, get the hell out of my house.?You fucking snob, I add in my head.
揈liza, fuck. I didn抰 mean it the way it sounded. It抯 just棓
揌ow did you mean it? The same way you stopped just short of calling my place a shithole??I fold my arms, glaring.
揑 don抰 think bad things about you or people on the streets. I just don抰 need my teenage daughter taking any chances with her safety before she抯 old enough to decide what she wants.?He stuffs his hands in his pockets, fixing his gaze on me.
I scoff. 揥hatever. You know the biggest ways girls from affluent families get hurt is usually with an insider, right? A bad family member, a friend...?
揟hat抯 not what I meant. She just got robbed, Eliza. Can you cool it with your smartass lectures??He looks up at the ceiling, his jaw so tense it could pop. 揑 told you, I worry about you here, too. So, yeah, of course I wonder about my daughter抯 safety in this neighborhood. Today is proof I抦 right.?
揑 don抰 need to be rescued from poverty, Cole. Go use your superhero act on someone who cares.?I抳e been way more broke than this, but right now, I don抰 feel like saying it. I point to the hallway again. 揃ye.?
He starts walking, keeping his head down like a scolded cat.
I slam the door behind him and lock up, pressing my back to the thick wood.
There抯 only one thing left to do now.
Collapse on my bed and cry.
I am so, so stupid.
I knew better than to get involved with another stuck-up suit who thinks he craps diamonds. He didn抰 play me quite like Derek, but did he play me?
And wasn抰 it my own fault for ever thinking he抎 stoop down to care about an average, unfancy girl like me?
Why do I do it? Why?
I fell too hard, too fast, and with no idea how to pick myself up again.
An hour later, my phone pings.
Maybe it抯 Cole.
Though the logical part of my brain quickly remembers it抯 better if it isn抰.
I tap the screen anyway, holding my breath.
Cole: Will I see you at work on Monday?
Ah, work. His precious brand. That would be what he cares about and not the glass heart he just punched into dust.
Eliza: Who cares? Your scorched line梥orry 揷ampfire敆is basically good to go. Pat yourself on the back and call it a day.
Cole: So, you won抰 be in?