Cold Cole Heart Read online

  I walk over to the end table beside the bed where a container of sewing needles sits. Two hundred of them. Much less now. Still plenty to do the job. I pluck one up and revel in the way Alan fights against his restraints. Once I slide on a rubber thimble over my thumb, I glance over at Cole. He’s leaned against the doorframe looking super dangerous. All decked out in black. Crazy hair. Evil glinting in his eyes. My dark, beautiful monster.

  Biting on my lip, I suppress a grin.

  His gaze softens for me and he winks at me. “Let’s see, honey.”

  Nodding, I settle beside Alan, who cries and begs. It’s hard to understand him, though, with the five needles puncturing his tongue and the ghastly way the coat hanger hangs from his cheek.

  “You do it where they can’t see,” I murmur. I hold the needle up and it catches the overhead light, glistening. “Like here…” I run my fingertip over the one, two, three, four needles sticking out of his urethral opening. I scrape the sharp end of the needle down the underside of his shaft to his balls. Three more are pushed into the loose skin there. “Do you think anyone will see it here?” I push at the tender skin between his balls and anus. His sobs become uncontrollable. He doesn’t dare thrash, though. I look into the eyes of the man who hurt me every day for years as I poke the soft flesh there. It takes some effort to push through the muscle and tissue, but I manage to get it all the way in as far as I can.

  He passes out.

  “Are you going to kill him?” Cole asks.

  “Like you killed those girls?” I challenge back, tilting my head to regard the man I love. “Yes.”

  “You know.” Not a question. A relieved sigh.

  “You thought it was real when you took me. You thought you did it,” I whisper as I stand.

  He nods. “Everything was so murky.” The utter look of confusion in his eyes breaks my heart. “I still don’t know all the details. It just all feels clearer with you, honey.”

  I walk over to him and stand on my toes to kiss his mouth. “I need pliers to pull all these out. Then, I want you to take me to the police station. I have to talk to them. Once we’re done, let’s leave. I’m ready to leave all this behind.”

  “You think he’ll try to come back after you?”

  “It’ll be hard to do that from jail.”

  His brow lifts. “Oh?”

  “His safe in his office was his awful little trinket hiding place. There are videos of things he did to me. Incriminating pictures. I even found a video with my mother’s name on it and dated the day of her death. I’ll hand it all over to them along with my own statement.”

  He runs his fingers along the side of my face and I wince at the bruise there. “You show them all these marks too.”

  Tears pool in my eyes and leak down my cheeks. “He tried to take our baby.”

  “It was self-defense,” he agrees.

  I let out a ragged sigh. “I’m tired. I don’t want to do this anymore. I just want to go home…wherever that is.”

  “Home is with me. Now go lie down on the couch and let me pull out these needles. We’ll get the hell out of here after that.”

  “Promise?”

  “You fucking bet, honey.”

  I couldn’t watch the video. The one where the man spoke to Alan as he loomed over my mother’s dead body and uttered, “Proof. I want my money.”

  What I could do, though, was recount every horrifying thing Alan ever did to me. Nina, the woman who questioned me from before, was incredibly helpful once she realized I had a story hiding inside me that needed telling. Cole waited patiently for me at the hotel. Even though he technically was off the hook—aside from having to be psychologically evaluated and then put back on the medication originally prescribed by his psychiatrist—we didn’t want to invite trouble. He’d apparently stopped taking the medication months and months ago, but now that he has me, he wants to try and get better.

  And after hours of answering questions, I learned that Alan had been arrested. I confessed to defending myself against his attempted abortion with the coat hanger and it was the reason he had the hole in his cheek. No one blamed me. They stood by my side and brought the animal in.

  Best part is, he doesn’t have my money anymore. While he remained my captive the day he tried to abort my baby, I made a trip to his office to collect my identification documents, including my birth certificate from his safe. Documents he held hostage from me. Once I had what I needed, I went down to the attorney’s office and then to the bank to deposit my inheritance. Alone.

  Whatever money he has will dry up as he tries to get off from hiring my mother’s killer, keeping me captive and abusing me, and then attempting to assault me with the coat hanger. Not even a sly attorney can get himself out of that heap of trouble. Especially without the millions he thought was all worth torturing and murdering for.

  I hope every time he pees, he realizes it was not worth it.

  “What I said wasn’t exactly true,” Cole says in the dark, stroking his fingers through my hair.

  “About what?”

  “I said it was murky and confusing. It was.” His body tenses. “I remember most of it. Sure, many times I got caught up in it…” He lets out a heavy sigh. “But mostly, I remember how much it wasn’t real. Everything they said or did was a reminder. I never got so caught up with any of them like I did you.”

  “You didn’t hurt them?”

  “Not like I hurt you.”

  This should upset me that I’m the only one he lost his mind over, but in some sick way, I’m happy. Only I get to have all the complicated parts of this man.

  “With you,” he utters. “It all came to a head. My anger and frustration. My humiliation. I was determined to do what I’d set out to do. But you weren’t like them. You weren’t like Anta. It only fucked my mind that much more.”

  I kiss his chest. “I’m glad you captured me. I’m glad I was different.”

  “I hurt you…”

  He’s disgusted with himself. I can always tell when the guilt attacks him.

  “Did you like fucking those women?” I ask, a jealous bite to my voice.

  “It was mindless and stupid. I hated myself during and after. I wanted something more.”

  “Something darker and demented,” I whisper. “You wanted me.”

  “I wanted you,” he agrees. His fingers tighten in my hair and he pulls my head back. “I still want you. You got inside my head and made a fucking mess of things.”

  “Good,” I breathe.

  “Good.”

  His mouth punishes mine with a kiss. I melt under his domineering presence. I’m sure normal people would think we were beyond screwed up. Well, screw normal people. I think what we have is perfect.

  Three months later…

  I lock the door behind Cole and admire the space. I thought he’d laugh at me or deny me of the very thing I wanted. Turns out, he loves to indulge me. He picks up an old book and dusts it off before handing it to me.

  I’m smiling as I admire the book.

  “Don’t eat it.” His smirk is my undoing.

  “Ha,” I deadpan. I set the book down and then grab his hand. Together we walk through the ancient but charming bookstore. Once we make it over to the windows that overlook Goosefare Bay, Cole hugs me from behind. Kennebunkport, Maine, has been good to us. We found the cutest house within walking distance of all the downtown shops and an awesome view of the bay.

  “I can see the charm,” he says, his palms cupping my belly in a protective way. “It smells like old books, but something tells me that’s part of what you like about it.”

  I smile, nodding. “That’s the best part. You don’t find old bookstores anymore. They’re dying out, and”—I shrug and let out a sigh—“I want to bring at least one back to life. This is what I want.”

  “Then this is what I want too,” he agrees.

  “Good,” I say, turning to face him. “Because I already bought it.”

  He laughs and shakes his h
ead at me. “I guess that means I’m about to be put to work.”

  “You guessed right,” I sass.

  His dark eyes glint evilly at me and I tense. Not in a bad way—in a way that says my predator is about to devour me. Tugging from his arms, I start walking away. But he’s quick and pounces on me. He hooks an arm around my middle, mindful of my belly, and tugs my dress up over my hips. My panties are jerked down and then he pulls out his cock. Within seconds, he’s thrusting deep inside of me just shy of the window where people passing by could see.

  I struggle.

  But never hard enough.

  I scream.

  But never loud enough.

  I call him every name in the book.

  But never “monster.”

  Because I don’t want him to stop. I never want him to stop. I want him to hunt and haunt and hurt me in the delicious way I crave until the day we die.

  “Heart,” I cry out, my fingernails scratching down the old wallpaper on the wall that has to go anyway. “I love you.”

  He bites my ear and slaps my ass. “I love you too, honey.”

  My Heart with the cold, cold heart, owns me heart and soul.

  Three years later…

  “FLOWER FOR MOMMY?” SOFIA ASKS, pointing to the rose bush near our mailbox.

  I squat beside my daughter with the soft, dark brown hair and soulful gray eyes. The moment I held this child in my arms for the first time, I knew every awful thing I’d ever experienced was gone from my mind in the blink of an eye. She would fill every ounce of heartache with love and happiness.

  “Sure, honeybee,” I tell her, smiling. “Which one do you want her to have?”

  Sofia takes this decision seriously and touches the soft petals of each white rose as she compares them. Then, she sniffs each one. Finally, with her chubby toddler finger, she points at the best one. “That one, Daddy.”

  I reach for it and pluck it from the bush. A thorn punctures my thumb and it stings. Sofia is horrified because she lets out a squeal.

  “Daddy! You got a boo-boo!”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Nana will get me a Band-Aid,” she assures me and pats me on the shoulder. Then, she takes off running back up the walk to the house.

  I watch from the sidewalk as she runs inside to find her grandma. Not long after we moved to Maine, Natalie encouraged me to reach out to Mom. I’d been embarrassed for pushing her away, but my mother was thrilled to be allowed back into my life. We’ve talked a lot about what happened overseas and then my psychological issues since, and Mom has been there for me through it all. She took to Natalie straight away and sometimes I think they tag team when they’re worried about me. Mom moved out here to be closer to us and it’s the happiest I’ve been in years.

  A fresh start.

  I admire our modest home. With Natalie’s fortune, we could afford much more, but it’s not what we wanted. We wanted something that felt safe and comfortable. Nothing too big. I’ve enjoyed fixing up the house and restoring it. My favorite part was the addition of a white picket fence—just like the one I’d hoped for when all hope was nearly lost. Mom lives nearby and keeps the kids as much as we’ll allow.

  A few minutes later, Sofia—named after her deceased grandmother—runs back outside to meet me by the rose bush. Mom, with our infant son Rhett, stands in the doorway as she feeds him a bottle. I wave to her and she smiles back.

  “Daddy, let me fix it,” Sofia says, tugging at my shirt.

  I crouch in front of her and let her bandage me up with a Disney princess Band-Aid. It has Belle—I know the names of every goddamn one because Sofia quizzes me—on it. Belle always reminds me of Natalie. I’m the beast, naturally.

  Sofia kisses me over the Band-Aid and then beams at me. Such a gorgeous kid. I don’t even know how I got so lucky to have her. To have any of this. Sometimes I feel like I’m in some fucked up dream where I’ll wake only to find myself in that cold, dark cell. Anta still haunts me. Sometimes, I wake in a panic, frantically thrashing in the bedsheets. All it takes is the soothing whispers of my sweet Natalie to chase all the demons back into their dark corners.

  “You ready to bring this flower to Mommy, honeybee?”

  She nods and takes my hand she just fixed up. Together, we take our daily walk down to Natalie’s bookstore. Sofia pets a dog along the way. Picks up a lucky penny. Waves to Mr. Brown who owns the hardware shop. When we pass the candy store, she presses her nose to the glass and waves at Mrs. McMillan. The old woman sneaks her a lollipop and then we’re on our way again.

  The Italian restaurant next to the bookstore is smelling fucking divine today. My mouth waters, but we pass it and step inside the shop. I can hear Natalie’s laughter from behind one of the shelves. This place makes her incredibly happy. It took several months, but we fixed it up after she bought it and she’s been improving it ever since. Recently, she’s even brought in some local authors for event signings.

  Sofia bounces over to the kids’ section and settles in one of the bean bags. With her lollipop and a book in her lap, she’s cute as fucking ever. I’m staring at her when a pair of familiar arms encircle my waist from behind.

  “Mmm, you smell good,” Natalie says, kissing my back through my T-shirt. “But whatever Leo’s cooking next door smells better.”

  “Craving Italian?” I ask with a chuckle.

  I turn in her arms and kiss her forehead.

  “How can I not? It smells so good,” she groans.

  “Anything for my baby,” I say, grinning.

  She steps away and affectionately pats the small bump under her dress. Natalie likes being pregnant and I like knocking her up. It definitely works for our relationship.

  “Which baby?” she teases.

  “Why, you, of course,” I jest. “This is for you, baby.”

  Her smile is wide and borderline goofy. This woman is so easy to please. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.” She sniffs the flower and sighs happily. “I prefer when you call me honey, though.”

  I peek over at our daughter, who’s now pretending to read to a stuffed monkey. The customer Natalie was helping has her nose buried in a book. I take the moment and steal a kiss.

  Not a sweet or a simple one.

  A dangerous kiss. A decadent kiss. A devious kiss.

  With a nip on her lip and a hand gripping her ass, I kiss my wife like she deserves to be kissed.

  Deeply.

  Dirtily.

  Desperately.

  Darkly.

  With my heart and soul.

  Our kisses never last forever, but our love does.

  The End

  If you loved Cold Cole Heart, then you’ll love Sweet Jayne, another thrilling psychological romance by K Webster!

  Listen on Spotify here.

  “Dig Down” by Muse

  “Change (In the House of Flies)” by Deftones

  “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed

  “Monster” by Meg Myers

  “Make Me Wanna Die” by The Pretty Reckless

  “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem and Rihanna

  “War of Hearts” by Ruelle

  “Game of Survival” by Ruelle

  “Monsters” by Ruelle

  “Marked for Death” by Emma Ruth Rundle

  “Madness” by Muse

  “R U Mine?” by Arctic Monkeys

  “Sucker for Pain” by Lil Wayne and Imagine Dragons

  “Sail” by AWOLNATION

  “Alive” by Sia

  “Dark Side” by Bishop Briggs

  “Gasoline” by Halsey

  “Afraid” by The Neighbourhood

  “A Little Death” by The Neighbourhood

  “I Really Want You to Hate Me” by Meg Myers

  “Violet” by Hole

  “Cupid Carries a Gun” by Marilyn Manson

  “Devil Side” by Foxes

  “Homemade Dynamite” by Lorde

  “Sympathy for The Devil” The Rolling Stones

 
“Everything in Its Right Place” by Radiohead

  “Psycho” by Muse

  “Sleep” by The Dandy Warhols

  “I’d Die Without You” by P.M. Dawn

  “Jealous Sea” by Meg Myers

  “Hi-Lo (Hollow)” by Bishop Briggs

  “Feather” by Meg Myers

  “Conscious” by Broods

  “Bury Me Face Down” by Grandson

  “White Noise” by Badflower

  “Down to the Bottom” by Dorothy

  “Dead Man’s Arms” by Bishop Briggs

  The Breaking the Rules Series:

  Broken (Book 1)

  Wrong (Book 2)

  Scarred (Book 3)

  Mistake (Book 4)

  Crushed (Book 5 – a novella)

  The Vegas Aces Series:

  Rock Country (Book 1)

  Rock Heart (Book 2)

  Rock Bottom (Book 3)

  The Becoming Her Series:

  Becoming Lady Thomas (Book 1)

  Becoming Countess Dumont (Book 2)

  Becoming Mrs. Benedict (Book 3)

  War & Peace Series:

  This is War, Baby (Book 1)—BANNED (only sold on K Webster’s website)

  This is Love, Baby (Book 2)

  This Isn’t Over, Baby (Book 3)

  This Isn’t You, Baby (Book 4)

  This is Me, Baby (Book 5)

  This Isn’t Fair, Baby (Book 6)

  This is the End, Baby (Book 7—a novella)

  2 Lovers Series:

  Text 2 Lovers (Book 1)

  Hate 2 Lovers (Book 2)

  Thieves 2 Lovers (Book 3)

  Alpha & Omega Duet:

  Alpha & Omega (Book 1)

  Omega & Love (Book 2)

  Pretty Stolen Dolls Series:

  Pretty Stolen Dolls (Book 1)

  Pretty Lost Dolls (Book 2)

  Pretty New Doll (Book 3)

  Pretty Broken Dolls (Book 4)

  The V Games Series:

  Vlad (Book 1)

  Ven (Book 2)

  Taboo Treats:

  Bad Bad Bad BANNED (only sold on K Webster’s website)