“I don’t understand,” she says, still not getting it.
“In order for me to take Devon out of the past, I need to take someone with me and leave them there. Two to go in, two to come out. Do you see?”
“Oh,” she says and nods. “That won’t be a problem.”
“You do understand me, don’t you? They will have to stay there, in the past,” I press because I’m not sure she gets it.
“Yes, I understand. I said it won’t be a problem,” she says with an annoyed look at me. Well, fair enough then. I feel for the poor soul she is so willing to abandon. That of course throws up its own issues, but again, not my problem, I guess.
“Very well, I will come to you tomorrow morning. Be ready. Where are you staying?” I ask.
“I am in London with Cole,” she says. “Claridges.”
I nod again at her and she returns it and throws me a warning before she vanishes. “If you don’t stick to your word, I will come back here and blow your World to Hell and back. Do you understand me?”
I gulp as I am sure she would have no qualms about destroying me. I don’t blame her after what I have just learned. I sigh and exit the library to look for Esther, wondering what I am going to say to everyone about me going off for the day on my own.
Chapter 5
Buckinghamshire, England, June 2013 – Cole
He just stares at Devon over the billiards table. He has no idea what to say to him.
“Devon,” he starts, but Devon just shakes his head at him.
“This is a betrayal,” Devon hisses. “You knew that I wanted this with her. With you. You had absolutely no right to make that arrangement with him.”
Cole frowns at him and says, “I know. I know, Devon. I didn’t set out to betray you. I knew as soon as she said she was going for him, that I had to make a choice to keep us together. He’d already gone to her, weeks ago, with a proposal that would have cut both of us out eventually. I knew she wanted to accept it, I could see it on her face when she told me, even though she tried to hide it. I did what I had to, to ensure that it didn’t happen on his terms. I did what was best for us and for our relationship with her.”
“No,” Devon says. “Don’t you get it? The only one who gets anything out of this is him. He will take her from you now, he will push you out and then me. Don’t fool yourself, Cole, into thinking that you made the right decision here.”
“You need to tell her how you feel, what you want from her. She will want it. He won’t be able to stop it if it is what she wants. Together, we can then cut him out. I was buying us time until you got your shit sorted. Don’t read anything more into it than that.”
Devon glowers at him. He has never seen his friend so furious. “What did he suggest to her?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes,” he spits out. “I want to know if what you did is worse.”
“Ouch,” Cole mutters, but then sighs, “He told her that he wanted her to move to Italy with him, and to bring me. But he wanted her in his bed every night. Alone.”
Devon stares at him for the longest time. “Oh,” he says and turns away from him. “No mention of me?”
“No,” Cole says.
“Not even from her?” Devon’s voice cracks.
“She didn’t go into the details. And I didn’t ask. Look, Dev. Speak to her, soon. We need to come up with a plan because I am not sitting around here watching the two of them be all loved up now that they are married. It makes me fucking sick.”
“Should have thought about that before then, shouldn’t you,” Devon snarls at him, still not ready to forgive.
“Don’t, Dev. Don’t be pissed with me. I had no idea what you were doing. She wanted you and you wouldn’t even touch her. You weren’t talking so I had to act, fast.”
“She was raped!” he roars and then slams his lips shut. “How could I ask her to just get over it and be with me?”
“She was ready,” Cole insists.
“With you, maybe. I know it took her longer with Lincoln. I wasn’t putting pressure on her when she needed time to heal.”