The Dividing Line: ABSOLUTION #COMPLETED (Book 3)

24 ѱ REJECTION (BWWM)

(Thursday, 08/08/2019 3:33 am)

COLE

Missing her was a weight he carried with him no matter where he found himself. All too frequently, Cole prepared himself to do anything that would help change her mind and let him back in her life. Angel did nothing wrong. She brought so much positive energy and joy into his life. It was unfair that she saved him only for the singular act that introduced all of this madness into her life.

     Lately, his insistence on spending more time with her met with nothing but disdain. Whenever he tried to visit her at the hospital, the nursing staff and her friends politely encouraged him to be patient. But, unfortunately, Angel was still in too much pain; she wasn't yet prepared to accommodate him in her suffering.

     With that knowledge in mind, Cole lay across their bed, scouring his brain for solutions to their problems.

     He made a few moves to locate Bruce and his men. His efforts instantly triggered the detectives and a few of the police officers involved with their case to reach out to him, advising him that his every step was under surveillance. They even went so far as to warn him that if he stepped out of line, they would arrest him without fail.

     Their attempts to convince him they were on top of things fell on deaf ears as the distress of Angel's rejection began to wear heavily on his heart. Finally, Cole reasoned that he would be a fool if he allowed her to disappear from his life because of the asshole who killed their baby.

     He concluded that the best way to end this was to reach out to the one person he believed could locate Bruce no matter where that insignificant little shit tried to hide.

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(Thursday, 08/08/2019 12:06 pm)

BOILING POINT

"We had a motherfucking deal." He hissed through gritted teeth.

     "What made you think for even one second that you could just disappear and break ties with everything as if it never existed and you never had a hand in the growth of this family. You live for the Brotherhood, and you die for that motherfucker. You should have been honest with that sweet little piece of black ass you done snagged for yourself, and she could've saved her money. Money can't buy your way out. Only blood can release you from the compact you made with this organization. Even if she were a white woman, that wouldn't change this little shit show you created for yourself." The matter-of-fact tone of his voice scratched Cole's brain as he allowed the nauseous words to penetrate his anger.

     Edvard wasn't lying.

     When pledgers swore to give their lives to the cause, they already knew there was no going back.

     Because Bruce chose to hold him to his oath, the family had no obligation to help Cole in any way. His knowledge of the truth did nothing to ease the anguish and hell he suffered, making his blood boil hotter than ever because of the nonstop image of how Angel blamed him for the death of their son. As much as he fought to distance himself from that accusation, deep down, Cole agreed that she was right.

     "He killed my son who had absolutely nothing to do with any of this. He came for me twice and failed twice. Instead of leading with protocol to take me out, Bruce decided to go against everything that once made this clan stronger than others. If he had a grudge with me, why didn't he bring it before the four of you?" The older leaders said nothing.

     "Why did he snatch my ole lady from the hospital and beat her so severely he killed our child?" Those words shut everything down.

     There was a long uncomfortable silence as Cole listened for their replies.