Hunted and Held

Chapter 003

Broken Trust

"Although you think you do, Avery, you do not know me. Not even only somewhat close.

His voice cut like a blade across the distance. Though all I could feel in my chest was the thudding of my heart, the words had more effect than they should have. How is he saying that? Cole, the man who had promised to protect me, who had pulled me into his world of danger and chaos, could suddenly see me as if I were just another pawn in his game?

Slung in the middle of the loft, the weight of the situation felt like a thousand pounds. Every second appeared to be causing the walls around me to close. I stayed still unable to run. Not in terms of physicality or emotions. Cole corned me, and even as I attempted to dismiss it, I knew.

I spat, "I don't want to play your games anymore," attempting to keep my voice strong and control my breathing. "Cole, you're not my rescuer. I never asked for your argument. I wanted nothing to be dragged into your turmoil.

His gaze softened momentarily then strengthened once more. His whole body stiffened with controlled fury as if every inch of him was battling the temptation to walk across the room and shake me until I understood. His jaw hardened. He did not, though. He stopped to study me with those ice eyes, unreadable, far-off.

"You are now, Avery, in this. There is no way out," Cole said, his voice a stifled rage. The second I drew you into this world should have been clear to you.

The words stung, but their implication caused more pain. He was correct. I could hardly have avoided him. No matter how much I opposed him or the strain between us, I had always been sucked back in. Too late now was the case. My heart was on the line; I was enmeshed in a world I did not belong in where the stakes were high and the hazards were real.

"I didn't ask for any of this," I said, my voice faltering slightly as the bitterness I had been holding slipped over. "You find me missing what is going on here? You think I lack awareness of your using me to get what you need? That you would set aside the second is helpful?

Out before I could stop them were hurt and doubt rushing to the surface, too fresh to ignore. Not meant to point to that, either. Though the weight of everything—all he had concealed from me, all he had lied about—finally spilled, I hadn't meant to accuse him like that.

He shook, his jaw tightened, and for the shortest of times I watched something flash in his eyes—something far more vulnerable than wrath. In shame? I was confused. But it disappeared as quickly as it had shown.

"Is that what you would have of me?" His deep, menacing voice cut the distance between us by means of consistent motions. "That I would like some pawn for a game? You think I want this? Of this, would you want any?

Right now he was just close. He was indeed stifling and overwhelming. I felt his heat; his worry came out like an electric current. Still, the connection between us—even with my anger and the way my chest stung—was irresistible. The way my body subverted my awareness.

"You are the one who dropped me in this state!" Hissed, his impassioned voice quivering. "You think I looked for this life? You would have me working for your company—your universe of lies, dishonesty, and danger?"

"I never wanted this life for you," Cole continued, his voice dark and slanted with something I quite identify with. But Avery, you have a performance to do now. Whether or not you like it.

I pushed back, my mind whirling. I let him treat me as if this were natural. Any more, I could not fit his skewed world of power and manipulation. Dream, life, and future free from Cole Westbrook were mine.

"You have wrecked my life," I murmured, hardly able to control the hurt in my voice. " I was good before you entered my life. I felt like I was... freed.

His eyes narrowed, a flash of something furious racing across his face. His voice was like ice, he asked, "You think you're free?" You think everyone is? No one gets to be free, Avery. Not while you're caught in this game. Not while you have competitors similar to mine.

I paused right at his words and let their weight sink in. Though I knew Cole was dangerous, the sheer extent of it—the enemies he fought every day in a world I knew nothing about—was something I hadn't completely appreciated.

The penthouse door sprang open, the loud noise breaking the delicate moment between us.

"Boss, we have a problem here." The voice was one of his men, eager and nervous right away.

Cole turned without thinking and fixed me from the door. His face tightened, the sensation from years past disappeared like smoke in the wind.

"Stay here," he urged, his voice razor-sharp cutting over the suspense. "Don't go around."

I opened my lips to argue and demand explanations, but his demeanor told me everything. It was not a call for help. It sounded as if it were a directive.

Cole went out the door, disappeared into the hall, his long strides carrying him quickly toward whatever issue had evolved before I could intervene.

Alone in the penthouse, I stood for a time until the emptiness sank into my bones. The quiet carried weight that seemed oppressive. I may have hurt someone. Not right here. hardly at all.

I noticed an unusual noise, a faint one coming from some distance down the penthouse. My pulse quickened and my back of the neck's hairs rose up. Though just a whisper, it was plenty to stop my blood cold.

My pulse hammering in my breast, I walked slowly towards the corridor. The sound grew more clear-cut and louder. Steps.

From the shadows came a man whose features perfectly matched those of another.

He stood there with a chilly, intentional stare, blocking my way. A smile drew at his lips, and I could feel his weight smothering me.

"You did Avery, you did not think this was over?" Liam's voice was soft, but it clearly carried danger.

From behind him, a great bang erupted, the sound of something hefty flung. prior to my answering. My breath stopped in my throat when I heard shouting—Cole's voice—far-off, strained.

Approaching closely, Liam bent in with a low, menacing, overwhelming voice. "This is just getting started, sweetheart. Cole cannot provide constant protection for you.

Understanding what that suggested, a shudder descended my spine. The game hardly seemed to be over. And the man who promised to be watching over me was about to fall.

As Liam advanced another stride, the sound of gunshots erupted—loud and unambiguous. My heart stopped, my breath seized, and I turned to search for Cole's slightest trace.

But all I could see was anarchy all around; the one thing I hadn't been ready to deal with: nobody was safe anymore.

And including me as well.

The gunshot still remained in my ears, locking me in place as Liam's smile darkened and his eyes sparkled. He realized something I lacked, something I was ready for.

"Don't panic, Avery," Liam said, his voice slow and mocking. "Cole isn't going to show up on time. He already runs far too late.

I shook my head trying to grasp his words, but dread was warping my concepts. For what reason? His intended meaning was what? Every sense in my body shouted for me to run, to move, but my feet felt as though they were rooted to the ground. My ears heard my pulse thump.

Liam went forward, and I moved back automatically. His very presence was authoritarian and stifling.

"I warned him," Liam responded, his voice cold. "He has always exuded too much confidence and arrogance. He feels he can control everything. Avery, though, I am not the one scheduled to miss this game.

I tried to focus, to arrange my thoughts, but the air seemed heavy, oppressive. Tight and unrelenting, the anxiety of the moment surrounded me drove my breath faster. Cole has always been my lighthouse among storms. Now, though, I thought I was drifting aimlessly among an unfathomable chaos.

"What are your upcoming plans, Liam?" I choked out, right above a whisper. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to listen to the reply.

He did not respond right away. Instead, he came another step forward, his eyes never wavering from mine. His black eyes brought me down from the top of his head.

"You believe Cole is the only one able to protect you?" Liam screamed. "You have no concept of what you are up against. You are just another object on the board.

My thoughts racing, my heart hammering, I automatically backed off. The air seemed charged, as though the earth had stopped to wait for the next move.

Then I heard it, almost drowned out by the hammering in my brain, but definite. a motor in an automotive engine. A tire shrieking. And then there was definitely the sound of something breaking.

That stillness that followed was unbearable.

Liam's speech stumbled and his eyes closed. He turned quickly, as though he sensed what I had.

Neither of us moved just momentarily. Then the penthouse door opened and Cole came in, his face a mask of fury. His eyes scanned the room, then turned deadly toward Liam.

Cole growled, his voice weighted with rage. You ought to have remained away, Liam.

But before he could advance, a great boom from behind him—a burst of glass—followed furious shrieking. Gunfire once again filled the air.

My heart in my throat, I gasped, whirled toward the sound.

Cole's eyes strayed from me to the music, and for the shortest of seconds his face softened. But his features hardened once again exactly as quickly.

Pulling me toward the floor as another series of gunshots began, he said, "Get down!"

The place seemed to explode in mayhem.

Looking up to find shadows of people passing through the gateway, the mist of horror veiled their faces. Though my thoughts whirled, nothing made sense. This far exceeded all I could have possibly imagined. This addressed more than just me right now. It was darker than I could have imagined and more vast.

And the earth seemed to blur as Cole covered me, his body tightly against mine. Is this actually happening?

Then, just as quickly, I heard low, mocking Liam's voice as he turned back.

"You can guard her, Cole," he said, his voice poisoned. " You cannot save her, though."

The door slams closed before I could answer. then still.

Everything halted.

Stillness, though, was only a transient experience as I knew it was not over. Still to be started was the actual game.