Page 12 of Seeking Vengeance

“Please,Cole.” I grab his wrist. “I’m begging you. My daughter was already stolen from me once. I can’t spend each day thinking it could happen again.”

He keeps that hard stare on me, his judgment building.

“I’ll do anything,” I plead. “Whatever you ask, I’ll do it. Just don’t break this family more than it already is. Don’t risk their lives like I did.Please. I’ll never ask anything of you again.”

His lip curls in a snarl as he switches his attention to the backyard.

For long moments there’s silence between us, the murmur of conversation in the background becoming static when pitted against the punishing heartbeats in my ears.

“I don’t want to put those kids at risk any more than you do.” He addresses the glass, not meeting my gaze. “But if I don’t retaliate I’ll be seen as weak. We all will.”

“By who?” I step closer. “Nobody knows what happened.”

Spiteful eyes find mine, the palpable hostility daunting me. “Theyknow.”

They—the family who pulled the trigger. The people who held my daughter and Tobias hostage.

“And they got away with murder.” I lower my voice, making sure the children don’t overhear. “They’ll never make it public knowledge. We all know they made a mistake in targeting us. They learned their lesson. If you let this go, at least temporarily, nobody will find out what truly happened. Our enemies won’t know how easy it was to bring us to our knees.”

“And nobody would need to learn how much of a snake you’ve been,” he hisses.

I snap rigid, every muscle pulled so tight the slightest touch could sever me in half. “That’s not what this is about.”

He scoffs. “It’s just a bonus, right? If I sweep this under the rug, nobody will learn the part you played.”

I crinkle my nose, willing the threat of tears away. I can’t deny that hiding my crimes is also part of my plea. If Stella finds out about my actions I’ll lose her, too.

I’ll lose everything.

“I’m begging you.” The words push their way through the bile rising at the back of my throat. “Please.” The first tear falls, burning a trail down my cheek.

Cole follows the path of moisture with his gaze, the muscles in his jaw flexing as he clenches his teeth. “If I do this, you’ll owe me. I’m not talking about a family-friendly debt either, Layla. You’ll owe me like everyone else. And when it comes time to pay, you’ll hate the price.”

Fear trickles its way into my chest, adding to the hollow beat of my heart.

It’s what I deserve. My penance.

I nod. “I understand.”

His eyes narrow in scorn. “Well, then, sister, I’ll think on it. But I’m not making any promises.”

5

Layla

Present Day

I attemptto convince myself I’m not making a mistake as we walk side by side along the footpath toward the hotel. It isn’t easy when his buddy follows behind us in the distance like an imminent threat.

“Ignore Bishop. Deep down, he’s a puppy.”

“He didn’t act like a puppy when he interrogated me.” He resembles the exact opposite actually. Broad and menacing. “Is he a bodyguard?”

“Of sorts.”

That means Matthew is someone important. Or a target. I can’t tell which.

I slow as we reach the hotel, my stomach filling with butterflies as the bellhop pulls open the towering glass door for us to proceed. “Who are you exactly?”

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