This truth would get watered down if she didn’t tell Cole now. Immediately. Right this second.Amanda shoved a hand into her bag, fingers fumbling, eyes still on the road. She pulled out her phone and hit speed dial without thinking.Cole answered on the first ring—like he’d been waiting all day.“You’re so freaking lucky to have me!” she blurted the second the call connected.“Where are you?” he asked instead.“I’ll be home soon, but listen to me, Cole—there is something I have to tell you right now. If you’re driving, please park the car. Right now,” she ordered.“Amanda, listen to me first,” Cole said, breathless. “I want you to look into your mirror now and tell me what you see.”Amanda frowned but glanced at the mirror anyway.Nothing.“Are you messing with me?” she snapped.“What did you see? I’ll be with you in a short while.”“I can’t see anything, and I don’t know what you expect me to see other than moving cars, but I have something more impor—”“Pull over,” Cole cut in shar

Amanda was still slightly out of breath, a smile glued to her face—when she unexpectedly walked straight into Cole.She froze.He didn’t look at her immediately.Instead, he scanned the sitting room, his gaze drifting to the walls. To the pictures.Adam L. Everywhere.It looked like a teenager’s bedroom.Not her vibe. But she would’ve decorated the moon like this if it meant protecting Cole.“Oh. Yeah.” She laughed awkwardly, like this wasn’t already a crime against dignity. “I’m a fan of Adam. I can see the judgment forming on your face, but I’ve been one for three years now. Don’t you think he’s cool?”Just… silence.Cole finally looked at her, but not the way she and Bella had predicted. He didn’t snap. Didn’t scoff. Didn’t accuse her of being a fangirl menace.He just said calmly, “We need to talk. Yeah?”Her heart skipped.“Of course we need to talk,” she rushed in, choosing chaos as her direction. “About Dre. About who he really is, what kind of guy he is, and what he’s planning

Amanda pulled back, wiping her tears. “You have to see the danger he’s building around you.”“Who?” Cole asked quietly, steadying her. “Wright?”She nodded fast. “Yes. He said he’s one of the mentors, right? Cole, he’s creepy. I swear to you—something about him is off.”“He told you he’s one of them?”Amanda froze.She didn’t like the look on Cole’s face now. It wasn’t confusion. It wasn’t doubt.It was calculation.“Don’t worry,” she said quickly, more to calm herself than him.Cole didn’t blink.“Tell me everything he told you,” he said.Before Amanda could even pause, she was off—ranting everything that had happened, every little scariness, every move that had freaked her out. She loved the way Cole’s brows rose and fell as she described the moments that had terrified her. The way his gaze darkened, like he could burn down the entire world if Wright tried anything. Not exactly a vibe she’d want to ride, but… exhilarating in a completely insane way.“And then,” she said, catching h

One minute later, Tiffany walked into the house, and Cole felt like he’d just received a lifetime of life lessons in one minute—from Amanda—on how he was supposed to act when Tiffany was around.They were standing arms-in-arms in the sitting room, which looked way more awkward than Cole thought Amanda was trying to pass off.“How do you do, darling?” Tiffany called, flashing a huge smile as she entered.“Cole and I were in the middle of…uh, important business when you called,” Amanda rattled off, lines that could’ve been smoother if she’d just shut her mouth. Tiffany’s smile didn’t falter, but the look in her eyes said she already knew Amanda was lying. Cole could roast Amanda silently in his head, but the last thing he’d let happen was this little brat trying to embarrass her.“I don’t think you should be doing that when you’re pregnant,” Tiffany said, her disgust barely hidden behind a fake, horrible smile. “I mean, you’re not trying to prove a point, right?”“Ever heard of pregnan

He pulled back just enough to rasp an “Okay,” before hanging up. Tossed the phone onto the sofa. No interruptions tonight. Nothing would stop them from… tonight.Cole swept her up effortlessly, making her chuckle mid-kiss as he carried her toward the room. Except, by the time he looked around, they weren’t in the bedroom—they were in the kitchen. Close enough. He set her gently on the counter. It was going to be tonight.Amanda met his energy fully, until a sudden crash at the door made them pause.Cole would have ignored it if he could, but for the sake of decency, he pulled back as Amanda signaled.It was just some fallen ceramics.Cole glanced back at Amanda, cupping her face in his hands—but she stopped him.“Your feet… they’re bleeding. I think the ceramics fell on you,” she whispered.“I don’t feel any pain,” he said, brushing it off.“Bacteria and infection, Cole. Let’s treat it,” she whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before getting off the counter.You’d think once A