FAYE
The way Cole sat there—arms crossed, jaw shifting slightly, eyes fixed on the table instead of on me—told me he was either trying to say something… or trying very hard not to.
I sighed. “Alright,” I said, leaning back in the chair. “Say it.”
Cole’s eyes finally lifted. He didn’t hesitate after that.
“I’m not trying to question your authority,” he started, which was funny, because whenever someone began with that line, questioning authority was exactly what they were about to do. But it was Cole.
He continued, “But ignoring Patrick’s threat completely? Faye… are you sure?”
I let him speak. Cole wasn’t like Mathias—he wasn’t trying to belittle me or undermine what I’d said. Cole’s concern came from loyalty, the kind that had teeth, the kind that had almost gotten him killed more t
