“What difference does it make?” she snapped, turning her head away.
Cole stared at her. She needed to learn who was in charge here. “I asked you a question.” She looked back at him when she heard the authoritative tone in his voice. He lowered his face, his eyes boring straight through her. “Answer. Me.”
She dropped her eyes from his, unable to maintain eye contact. She wasn’t the first one to falter under his look of death, as his brothers called it. He watched her swallow, and then she finally answered him.
“Two nights ago I was down at the beach with some friends. Then later, everyone was going to this party that one of them had heard about. When we got there, I had a drink, and the next thing I know I’m waking up in the back of a cargo van, handcuffed. I… I think someone put something in my drink.”
Cole frowned. “Chuck was driving the van?”
She shook her head. “No, some Asian guy was. He drove for hours. When we finally stopped driving, he sold me.”
“Sold you?” He raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“I saw Chuck give him some money, and then he pulled me out of the van. What would you call it?”
Cole put his elbows on his knees and ran his hands over his face. “Christ.”
“What… what are you going to do?” she asked hesitantly.
His eyes connected with hers, and then he leaned back, shaking his head. “I don’t know, babe. I don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do with you.”
She swallowed and started to tremble.
He studied her. “Your dad… you live with him?”
She shook her head. “No. I moved out a couple of months ago. I… I haven’t seen him since then. We had a falling out.”
Her cell phone chimed announcing a voicemail had been received. Cole’s eyes cut to the phone, and then to Angel. He picked it up and handed it to her. “Play the message for me.”
She made no move to comply.
He raised his eyebrows, staring her down. “Do it,” he ordered.
She punched in some numbers and put it on speaker. A man’s voice came across. “Angel, I know you’re angry, but I need to talk to you. You can’t keep avoiding me. Call me, please. Or I’m coming out there.”
Cole stared at her a long moment. “What jurisdiction?”
“Maricopa County.”
“Arizona?”
She nodded.
He blew out a breath. “Well, thank fuck he’s out of state.”
There was a knock on the door.
Cole got up and walked to the door. He unbolted and opened it.
Wyatt asked him, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He glanced back at Angel. “Hey, listen. I’m gonna need some boots or something for her. I don’t want her riding back down the mountain barefoot.”
Wyatt glanced at her and nodded. “Bozeman had a little tent set up. Selling leather and shit. Maybe he’s still here.”
“Okay. Thanks. Oh, and the cuffs. Wouldn’t happen to have any bolt cutters up here, would ya?” Cole asked with half a grin.
“No, but we could probably shoot the chain through,” Wyatt suggested with an answering grin.
Cole looked back at Angel and saw the terrified look on her face. “Naw. That’s okay. I’ll figure it out.”
“Okay. So I’ll see you in two weeks?”
Cole smiled. “Yeah, Brother. Two weeks.”
They slapped each other on the back, and then Cole turned to Angel. “Come on, darlin’.”