Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(77)

Sarah opened her mouth to answer, but Cole beat her to it.

“I will.”

Owen looked at him and narrowed his eyes. “I’ve seen you.”

Cole nodded. “You have. I love Sarah. She means the world to me . . . and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

Sarah tried not to wince. She knew Cole was threatening Owen. Hopefully he wouldn’t recognize the words for what they were.

“I love her too.”

“I know you do,” Cole said, in a voice that was way gentler than Sarah would have thought he could use with the man who’d kidnapped her. “But she’s going to have a baby with me, and I need to keep her close to make sure she and the baby are okay.”

Tears sprang to Sarah’s eyes. Neither of them knew if she was pregnant yet or not, but ultimately it didn’t matter. They both knew Cole would do whatever it took to keep her, and her child, safe.

“A baby?” Owen asked.

Sarah nodded. She hadn’t looked at Cole yet, more convinced than ever that if she did, she’d lose it. She needed his arms around her, telling her she was safe, more than anything. But Owen still had his hand on her arm, and she really didn’t want him to get hurt.

Owen grinned. “I like babies.” Then the smile left his face. “I’m scared,” he told her.

“I know, but you don’t need to be. Logan and the police officers will make sure you’re safe.”

His eyes went to the cards that were now strewn about the bed and on the floor. “We didn’t get to play Go Fish.”

“We can play when I come and visit.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” She was making a lot of promises to this man-boy, but after spending a week with him, she understood him a hell of a lot better.

“Okay,” Owen said. And he let go of her arm so suddenly, Sarah teetered.

But the second she thought she was going to fall over, she felt Cole’s arm snake around her waist, holding her safe and secure.

Logan and one of the police officers were there too. The cop took hold of Owen’s arm, much as he’d been holding her, and Logan made sure to put his body between him and Sarah.

Owen met her eyes, and he looked sad and regretful. “I didn’t know you had a baby in your belly, Sarah.”

“I know you didn’t.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he added.

“I know that too.”

“I can’t wait to see your baby and play Go Fish!” And just like that, he was back to being the carefree little boy.

“Me either. Go with the policeman and Logan now, Owen. They’ll take you to a place where people will play all the Go Fish you want, and they’ll take care of you and let you take care of them right back. Okay?”

“Okay. Bye!”

Sarah didn’t get a chance to say goodbye before she was cradled in Cole’s arms. She buried her face between his head and shoulder and held on to him as hard as she could.

“Sarah?” he asked, his voice tortured.

“I’m okay,” she managed before bursting into tears. She hadn’t cried in almost a week, but seeing Cole and being in his arms broke her.

“Is she gonna press charges?”

Sarah heard the officer’s question and immediately shook her head. Through her tears, she said, “Owen doesn’t belong in jail. He honestly doesn’t understand that what he did was wrong.”

“Fuck, I love you,” Cole said. He didn’t try to convince her to change her mind. Didn’t yell and tell her she was insane. He simply held her tighter against him. She heard him say, “Let me know when they’re gone.”

She didn’t understand the words for a second, then realized Cole was talking to the others still in the room. She didn’t pick up her head when she heard Blake taking pictures with his phone. She didn’t move when she heard Nathan swear at finding the towel in the bathroom she’d used to clean the blood from her head wound. And she refused to move when Ryder tried to talk to her about how badly her ankle was hurt.

She couldn’t do anything but sit on the bed and cling to Cole, so damn happy he was there and that he’d found her.

Cole didn’t try to speak, obviously as overcome with emotion as she was. But she only got to enjoy being with him for another minute or so before Cole pulled back. He looked into her eyes, drinking her in, as if seeing her for the first time. And in a way, he was. They’d gotten a second chance. One they were both very aware they were lucky to get.

“Are you really okay?” he whispered.

Sarah nodded. Her eyes wouldn’t stop leaking, but she barely even noticed. “He didn’t hurt me. Not once. I climbed into the attic, and he startled me. I fell. Caught my foot in one of the rungs of the ladder and hit my head when I landed. Didn’t wake up until I was here. I would’ve run, but with my ankle, I couldn’t.”

Cole’s eyes went to her wrapped ankle, then back to her face. “I was so scared.”

She nodded and whispered, “Me too. But you promised you wouldn’t stop looking for me. So I sucked it up and waited for you to show.”

“Sorry it took so long,” he said.

Sarah gave him a weak smile. “I love you.”

He put a hand on her stomach. “I love you too, angel.”