Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(37)

It was a switch in thinking for her. She’d always worried about what she would do if Owen decided to snatch her off the street or from her car or something, but now she was more confident in the plan to bring attention to her situation and run like hell, if at all possible.

“That was fun!” Joel said with a huge smile as they made their way back to the front of the gym. “The look on Cole’s face when you threw him over your shoulder was awesome!”

Sarah smiled at the little boy. She knew Cole had deliberately allowed her to grab him in the perfect spots, and had even given a little hop when she’d bent over to try to throw him. There was no way she’d be able to do that in real life, but hearing the laughter burst from Joel’s mouth had been the icing on the cake.

“It was, wasn’t it?” she asked. “Although I hope you aren’t practicing that stuff on kids at your school.”

Joel shook his head seriously. “No. Nathan says the stuff I’m learning should only be used in extreme situations. That I should use my brains instead of my fists when I can. That’s how we outsmarted Donovan. He was bigger and meaner, but me and Nathan took him down with our smarts. Right?”

Nathan looked down at the boy at his side and ruffled his hair. “Yup.”

Sarah had read the news stories about the gang member, and what had happened to him when he’d broken into Bailey’s house and tried to kidnap her little brother. It sounded awful, but Joel obviously hadn’t suffered any major mental anguish from the event.

“You ready to go pick up your sister?” Nathan asked him.

“Yup. Can I show her the thing with you grabbing me around the neck from behind?” he asked, jumping up and down as they walked.

“Yup.”

“Righto!” Joel yelled and ran ahead to get the door.

Sarah was still smiling when Nathan turned to her. “You did good today. Keep practicing, and it’ll become second nature. But what Joel said was right. Sometimes even when you know all the right things to do, things don’t work out the way you plan. That’s when you have to use your head. There’s no way Cole or me or any of my brothers could tell you exactly what you should do in any given situation. There are always variables that we can’t predict or analyze ahead of time. You have to play it by ear. Lie, cheat, steal . . . whatever it takes to keep yourself alive. Got it?”

Sarah knew her eyes were huge in her face, but she held Nathan’s gaze and nodded.

“Good,” he said, then nodded at her and Cole and made his way to Joel and the front door.

Sarah let out the breath she’d been holding in a whoosh.

“He’s right,” Cole said softly, walking her toward his office. “I can teach you every move in the book, and you could be an expert at them, but if someone catches you unawares, you might not have a chance to use them. But no matter what, you do not give up. You’ve got me and the others now; always know deep in your soul that we’re coming for you. Got it?”

They were at his office door now, and he turned her back to the wall and stood in front of her.

Sarah looked up at him. “Do you think he’s going to do something?” she asked quietly.

Cole didn’t say anything for a long moment, merely pressed his lips together. Finally, he said, “Yeah, angel. I do. I’m not saying that to scare you. I think you know as well as I do that he’s not right in the head. I don’t know what he’s planning or when he’s planning on doing it, but yeah . . . I think eventually, he’s going to need to act on this infatuation he seems to have with you.”

Sarah was glad Cole wasn’t sugarcoating her situation. Hearing someone say the very thing she was thinking was actually a relief. The cops had told her to be careful and had sent her on her way with a pat on the head. Her coworkers had thought his gifts were cute and thoughtful. Even Mrs. Grady had commented that she hadn’t received flowers in forever.

Cole was the first person to come right out and say that he thought Owen’s “little crush” wasn’t normal.

“Me too,” she whispered.

“I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe, but I can’t be with you twenty-four/seven, as much as that kills me,” Cole told her. “You’re an adult with your own life, and you can’t stop living it because you’re afraid.”

Sarah nodded.

“With that said, you do need to make sure you’re not taking unnecessary risks, and you need to do whatever you can to be careful and smart. I think moving into the apartments here in town is a great first step. You’ll feel much safer without having to worry about what gift might be on your doorstep when you get home . . . as will I.”

Sarah reached out and grabbed Cole’s arm. His skin was warm, and she had the momentary urge to lay her head on his chest, snuggle in, and beg him to take her to his apartment and watch over her for the rest of her life. She resisted.

But she did have the thought that with Cole by her side, no one would dare mess with her. If he’d already been her boyfriend when she’d met the Montrones, Owen wouldn’t have gotten so obsessed with her.

“What is it?” Cole asked when she didn’t say anything.

Shaking her head, she forced herself to stop thinking about what she wished had happened in the past, focusing on the man standing in front of her now. “Promise that you’ll find me if he does kidnap me?”