Page 34 of Unlocking Hope

“What is worse than her getting out?”

“Nathan’s gone.”

“You think he helped her?” Cole was glad he’d kept an additional copy of the drive. Brock was still spending time going through everything, and maybe he could find something. He rolled his neck to release some of the tension, but it only worsened.

“Yes, I think he helped her, and I’m worried he said something about you. When they were arresting her, she made a comment to Dad that he needed to take out your girlfriend before she told anyone the info she had. Zoey has something else that we don’t know about. What is she keeping from us?”

“She helped you break into a building and steal data. Why the fuck do you think she has something else?”

Bryson pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. Hell, I don’t even know who to trust anymore.”

“That’s the thing—how do I know I can trust you?”

“You have no reason to trust me.” Bryson tilted his head to the side. “I thought I could trust Nathan, and I think I can. He’s doing something to protect us. Not sure what. But he always feels like he owes me, and I’m worried about what he got himself into.”

“Why does he owe you?”

Bryson shook his head. “Not my story to tell.”

“And you want me to trust you.” Cole narrowed his eyes and took another sip of beer. “It’s tough when you keep leaving shit out and only telling half the story.”

“Fuck!” Bryson took the last swig of his beer. “Everything will come out in time. I’m going to find them. I came to warn you to watch Zoey and tell her to watch her back.”

Bryson stood. “Don’t say anything over your phone. Hell, I would sweep your house for bugs, just to make sure.”

And he was gone as quickly as he’d come. Zoey was in danger again, and they had no clue what he was going to do. He knew he couldn’t order her to stay home and not go to work.

Zoey padded out into the kitchen and sat down on his lap. He spotted her out of the corner of his eye when his brother sat down. Cole was sure Bryson had heard her, but he didn’t call her out. He loved having his hand wrapped around her. She gently laid her head on his shoulder. “Well, that sucks.”

He burst out laughing. So many other words ran through his head, but “sucks” was accurate. “Yeah, I suppose I can’t talk you into quitting your job, moving into a safe room, and letting me lock the door.”

“Nope, but I’m racking my brain about what your mom thinks I have. You know your brother actually looked hurt.”

He scooped her up and headed to the bedroom as she squealed in his arms. “We can’t do anything now. I’ll make calls in the morning.”

15

ZOEY

Unable to believe her eyes, Zoey stared at the NASBA webpage. Ten days ago, she’d taken one of the exams for the CPA after two months of studying nonstop. Cole would stay up and quiz her each night. She wanted to take one exam at a time, and she was looking at her score—ninety-six percent.

She and Cole had fallen into a nice routine over the past couple of months. They hadn’t seen anything from Nathan or his mother. Work was amazing, and she couldn’t wait to tell her boss, Ivy. The previous week, Ivy had told her she had no doubt Zoey would pass and that when she did, they would go out and celebrate.

Zoey quickly took a snapshot of the screen and sent it to Cole. She didn’t expect him to answer; he was interviewing new employees. But she wanted him to be the first person she told. She couldn’t believe that four months had passed since Cole walked into her life, and each day, she fell farther for the man. She loved spending Friday nights lying on the couch in the media room, just cuddling.

Zoey couldn’t be happier about how their relationship was progressing. They had talked about kids, not something she’d ever really considered. Her life wasn’t the easiest growing up.Her mother had done a good job, but Zoey didn’t know how good of a mother she would be. Cole had the same feelings for another reason. His parents were the worst, but he and Zoey had decided that when the time was right, they would try. They weren’t in a rush, but someday, they wanted kids.

Almost every week, she and Bella got together, even if it was just to have a cup of coffee. She loved hanging out with Bella. They spent hours talking about Zoey’s plan for working with the Ross family to open a shelter in San Antonio. The only problem was her job—she couldn’t work full-time and run the shelter. Testing the waters with her boss, she’d mentioned her idea, and her boss had been encouraging, promising she could go part-time.

Next month, Kat and Antonio were flying to San Antonio to talk about options. Zoey had talked to Kat a few times on the phone and fallen in love with the woman. She was a spitfire. Over the weekend, Zoey and Cole were going to look for locations. Cole’s idea of the shelter was starting to come to fruition, and she was excited and nervous. Zoey was in shock how much her life had changed over the last few months.

It was almost lunchtime and Zoey was typing on her keyboard when Zoey heard the slight tap on her door. Without looking up, she told the person to come in. She heard the door click closed, followed by the sound of the lock engaging. Her spine stiffened, and she looked from the monitor to the woman standing in her office. Zoey immediately reached for her purse when the lady pointed the gun at her.

“Don’t even think about it, Zoey.”

Zoey clenched her fist around the arm of her chair as the woman dressed in a black pencil skirt and white blouse sat down. Her blond hair was perfectly done up. Even if she hadn’t seen photos of the woman, Zoey would’ve known who she wasthe first time meeting her. Those eyes were the same as Cole’s. The only difference was Cindy Walker’s were hollow.

Zoey’s building had tight security, so she had no clue how the woman had gotten into her office unescorted. No one was allowed to roam the halls. “Why are you here?”

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