Page 167 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“Can I go upstairs?” I said, my voice barely a whisper. If I spoke any louder, I was afraid I’d start sobbing.

“Come here.” He picked me up, lifting me in his arms like a groom carrying his bride.

Any other time, I’d have felt ridiculous, but at that moment, I was grateful to him. Resting my cheek on his shoulder, I allowed him to carry me upstairs. As we ascended, the noise of the others faded away.

“You need to relax,” Cole said as he entered the bedroom. “How about a hot shower?”

I didn’t risk speaking—tears still threatened to shatter me—so I nodded instead. Swallowing hard to keep the sobs at bay, I sat on the bed while he turned the shower on. When he came back, he undressed me, quickly yet gently. In a blink, he was naked, too, leading me to the shower. When I stepped under the near-scalding water, I released a shuddering moan. Cole wrapped his arms around me, and we stood there for several minutes, letting the water cascade over us.

Safe in his arms, I finally let the floodgates open. I cried like a child—hiccupping, groaning, and sobbing. Had he not been holding me, I would have collapsed. Cole comforted me, murmuring in my ear, stroking my back, and allowing me these moments of despair.

After what seemed like years, I managed to get myself under control.

“Sorry. I guess I needed that,” I said. “Between Ashton being gone and worrying about you, I was sort of falling apart.”

He gave me a sad smile. “It’s normal. I’m not happy about that psycho having our son, either, but we’re going to figure it out. We still have a plan, it’s just changed a bit. That’s what matters. We’ll get that guy to talk.”

“Oh, shit,” I hissed, blinking in surprise. “Shouldn’t you be down with them interrogating that guy? Instead of being here… ugh,babyingme?” Shame flashed through me. I was being selfish. Cole had more important responsibilities than to sit in a shower and listen to his mate cry like a child.

“We’ve got time. You said Kyle would be in contact, so there’s no hurry just yet. Plus, I want that guy to sit alone for a bit. Make him sweat and allow his imagination to take over. That way, when we start, he’ll already be on the verge of panic. He won’t be able to think about lying. And even if he does, I’ve got some ideas on how to make him talk.”

I could imagine what Cole had planned, especially with Trent and Langston’s help. As much as I wanted revenge for my son being taken, I didn’t think I had the stomach to watch whatever violence the three men would have to exact on the poor bastard in the basement.

“Let’s get out of here,” Cole said, turning the water off.

Once we’d both dried off, we got into bed. Sunlight still streamed in through the windows, but every muscle in my body ached with exhaustion.

“How bad is it going to be?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“With the guy,” I explained. “Are you going to hurt him?”

Cole blew out a long breath. “I don’t want violence. Never have, but when it comes to my child, I’ll do anything and everything I need to ensure he gets home safe. If that means hurting a guilty party? So be it. Anything to ease the guilt.”

“Guilt?” I sat up. “You feel guilty?”

“Seeing you like this, all torn up? It’s hard to not feel like it’s all my fault. Without me, you and Ashton would probably be living happy lives.”

That very thought had wormed its way into my mind in the aftermath of Ashton’s kidnapping. It was partly why I’d had a hard time letting Cole back into my heart. In hindsight, it was as childish as his jealousy of Langston. We’d both done and thought things that made no sense.

“You had nothing to do with this,” I said. “The only person to blame is Kyle. Webothneed to understand that.”

Before he could say anything in response, I planted a kiss on his lips. It wasn’t a lustful, urgent kiss but sweet and consoling. When I pulled away, my eyelids were heavy. It had been a long day.

“I’m going to take a nap, if that’s okay?”

“You sleep,” Cole said. “I’ll watch over you.”

Sliding under the covers, I sighed contentedly as Cole wrapped his arm around me. Within seconds, I’d slipped into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

My eyes fluttered open. The late afternoon sunlight had morphed into the bright, angled light of early morning. The sky outside the window was a pale blue. Apparently, I’d slept through the night. The empty bed beside me told me Cole was no longer with me. Rolling over, I ran a hand over the sheets. Cool. He’d been gone a while.

My phone was on the bedside table, plugged into a charger. Frowning, I sat up. I was sure I’d left it downstairs. On a plug-in mug warmer beside the phone sat a steaming cup of tea. I smiled and unplugged my phone.

I’d left Stormy all alone with a bunch of people she barely knew, and now I felt bad about it. Dialing her number, I took the mug and nestled it on my lap.

“Did Sleeping Beauty finally wake up?” she said when she answered.

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