Page 75 of Marked

He grabbed his phone and keys, slipped his feet into his shoes, and locked the door behind him. A pulling sensation in the center of his chest made him stop in the hallway and return to double-check he’d locked the door.

Shit.

Now he was becoming paranoid. All because of a four-year-old.

He needed help.

CHAPTER 19

Soft chattering made Sophia blink open her eyes. Sunlight lit the room, and she yanked herself into a sitting position.

Bella.

The events of the previous night rushed through her mind at warp speed, and she patted the vacant spot beside her.

The woods. The shots fired. Bella in her arms.

Cole between her legs.

Eeek. She couldn’t go there right now. She tossed back the blankets and leaped out of bed. Entering the living room, she found Bella sitting on the floor next to the coffee table, her legs tucked under her and peanut butter goo smeared on her cheeks. Pens and paper were scattered on Cole’s glass coffee table amid food and wrappers.

“Mommy!” She scrambled to her feet and ran the short distance separating them.

Sophia scooped her up and pressed a kiss to the softness of her cheeks. “Honey, how long have you been awake?”

She swung her gaze around the room and Cole padded out of the kitchen, paper coffee cup in hand. He passed it to her, and she lowered Bella to her feet and accepted the coffee gratefully.

Bella’s slight shoulder lifted. “I got up at six.”

A hint of a smile touched the corner of Cole’s mouth. “Actually, it was seven, and she scared the shit out of me.”

Sophia sipped the warm coffee and hid her grin behind the cup. “Oh yeah?” She winked at Bella.

“Yeah, and he said a bad word. And again,” she swung her gaze to him pointedly. “But it’s okay because he got us breakfast from the coffee shop.” She snagged Sophia’s hand and tugged her toward the spread of food. “Come and join us.”

Sophia smiled at the formal request Bella had learned at preschool then sat on the sofa and balanced the cup on her knee. “Oh my gosh, look at all this food.” She tilted her gaze up to Cole, who scooted an ottoman close to the coffee table, as if he didn’t want to crowd her and Bella, and sat.

Bella dropped to the ground next to him. “He got protein bites, muffins, fruit cups... oh! And you have to try this. It’s a tarfait.”

“A parfait?” Sophia said, as she leaned forward to look at the plastic cup containing layers of yogurt, granola, and berries. “My, that’s quite the breakfast.”

“I didn’t know what to get.” He shrugged. His arms hung loosely over his knees. Tattoos covered the exposed skin.

A little thrill ran through her as he stretched his fingers for a spoon and handed it to her. She picked up the parfait and took a bite. “You did good,” she assured him.

“Except you don’t let me eat sugar, though, right, Mom? But Cole said it’s a special occasion.”

A laugh tickled the back of her throat, and she brought her attention to the uber-masculine man seated across from her.

He rubbed his knuckles. “I’d say so.”

Sophia nodded. “Yes, I agree. Having you home is the best occasion we could ask for.”

Bella beamed. “Good, ’cause I didn’t like it there. Those men were scary and everything smelled really bad. And it was too loud. I couldn’t sleep.” Her chin dropped and her bottom lip stuck out. “I missed you, Mommy.”

Tears burned Sophia’s eyes and clogged her throat. She needed time to talk to Bella and find out every detail about what had happened while she was in the kidnappers’ possession.

Sophia opened her arms and Bella stood and climbed onto her lap. Pressing kisses to her daughter’s forehead, she mumbled some reassuring words. Tears rolled down Bella’s cheeks and she drew her knees up, making herself comfortable.

---