Dolphin stared back unflinchingly, and finally Steele loosened his hold and stepped back. Just as quickly, Steele collected himself and the cool facade was back in place. But now they all knew just how close he was to the edge.
Cole turned and rammed his fist into the wall. He couldn’t even think for imagining P.J. alone, feeling God knows what. She’d quit the f**king team. They were family. And she walked away.
He drew back to hit the wall again and was nearly tackled by Baker and Renshaw. They took him down, pinning him to the floor.
“Get off me!” Cole roared.
“Chill your ass out,” Renshaw barked. “None of this is helping.”
“Enough!” Steele bellowed.
Cole flipped Baker off his chest and then swung at Renshaw. Renshaw ducked the punch, but it was enough to unbalance him, and Cole was back on his feet and staring a hole through Steele.
“I agree with Dolphin on this one, ice man. You blew it.” He advanced on Steele until it was virtually only the two of them. The others faded into the background as Cole faced his team leader down.
“Goddamn you, Steele, you knew I was looking for her. You knew I’d been all over Denver. You knew how f**king worried I’ve been. And you just let her go and you get around to telling us two days later? What the f**k, man?”
Steele’s jaw tightened. “I hoped she’d change her mind.”
“Yeah, well, how did that work out for you? What the f**k are we supposed to do? Pretend nothing happened? Move on? Take another mission? Hell, why don’t we just replace her since she’s so goddamn expendable?”
“Enough, Cole,” Steele said, his voice as cold as ice.
“Enough is right,” Cole said, fury rising, sharper, harder with every breath.
He turned and stalked toward the door.
“Whoa, wait a minute,” Dolphin said. “Where the hell are you going?”
Cole turned and looked at his team,that was no longer the same. It never would be. It wasn’t a team without P.J.
“I’m out,” he clipped out. “I’m going after P.J. I’m not leaving her to shoulder this alone. She needs us.”
“Don’t be so damn hotheaded,” Steele growled.
Cole’s lip curled in disgust. “Yeah? Why don’t you stop being so f**king coldhearted. What you did was wrong and you damn well know it. You should have sat on her if you had to until we could hash this out as a team.”
“She came to me,” Steele snapped. “Not you. Not the team. She came to me, so I can only assume she wanted it that way.”
Steele’s words dug deep because he was right. It was obvious P.J. had no intention of facing Cole, and it gutted him.
“I don’t give a damn what she thinks she wanted,” Cole said softly. “She’s not thinking straight and we all know it. Sometimes doing the right thing is all wrong. Giving her space and time and all that other bullshit is great on paper, but you and I both know that the very last thing she needs is to be alone. We’re her family. Her only family. We’re supposed to give a damn. We’re supposed to stand up for her when no one else will. And we’re damn sure supposed to call her out when she’s making stupid choices and f**king up. That’s what family does. Live and die as a team, right? Well, you hung her out to dry, Steele. And you hung the rest of us out right along with her, because now we all look like a bunch of uncaring ass**les who just let her walk away without a fight.”
“Hooyah,” Dolphin said quietly.
Steele looked like he wanted to hit somebody. Cole stared challengingly at him because right now he’d love a good fight. Steele was rattled, and he didn’t often get rattled, but Cole didn’t give a shit.
“Her last team did the same goddamn thing we’re doing,” Cole said in disgust. He shouldn’t break P.J.’s confidence. She’d opened up to him when she hadn’t opened up to anyone else. But right now he’d fight dirty if that’s what it took. Steele and the others needed to know what they were dealing with.
“You talking about S.W.A.T.?” Renshaw asked.
“Yeah. She walked away because they hung her out to dry. She did the right thing and turned in a dirty cop. They turned on her and made her look like a vindictive ex-lover out for revenge. Not one of them fought for her. Over my dead body is that going to happen this time. We’re fighting for her. She deserves that much.”
“I’m with Cole on this one,” Baker said in a low voice.
“Me too,” Dolphin said.
“And me,” Renshaw echoed. “She’s one of us. When she goes down, we go down. We’re not picking up and moving on without her.”
“Hell no,” Cole snarled.
Cole stared at Steele for a long time before finally turning away. “I’m going to be gone. If you need me, I’ll have my cell.”
Then he turned back to Steele once more when he reached the doorway.
“Consider this my request for vacation time.”
CHAPTER 18
SIX MONTHS LATER . . .
COLE stepped out of his truck and inhaled the crisp air, trying to shake some of the fog from his mind. Steele had called him and tersely told him to report to the KGI compound. He hadn’t waited for confirmation. He’d just issued the order and hung up.
Given what little Cole had given his team since P.J.’s disappearance, Cole was surprised Steele bothered. He was even more surprised that he found himself here.