Cole walked up to the picnic table. “Hey, ladies. You doin’ okay?” He looked around the table. Some nodded. Some wouldn’t look at him. He leaned down on the end of the table, his palms flat, and looked in their eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. Real sorry. I’d give anything for it not to have happened. What that guy did…” Cole shook his head and continued. “What he was planning to do to beautiful, sweet young girls like you, he doesn’t deserve to walk the earth.”
“No, he doesn’t,” the blonde on the end agreed.
Cole’s gaze landed on her a moment, then continued around the table. “Women should be protected, taken care of. A man that abuses a woman, he’s the worse kind in my book.” He straightened up, his voice calm and quiet. “We’re gonna get you all home now. I just need to make one thing clear—it’s very important that you don’t say anything about what happened to you. Tell your families you went to a party and passed out or something. You can’t talk about this. To anyone. Do you understand?”
He looked around at all their faces. Most nodded, the one on the end did not. “I took a big risk getting involved in this shit. And I did it to save you. Because I couldn’t stand the thought of what that guy was going to do to all of you. Do you even understand what he had planned?” His gaze moved around the table, staring into each of their eyes. “He was going to sell you into white slavery. Do you know what that means? You’d have been beaten. Raped. Repeatedly. Most of you probably would have ended up dead.” He paused to let that sink in before he continued. “But if you talk, the cops will come here looking to pin this on us. I can’t let that happen. You understand? It would seem very ungrateful on your part.”
They all murmured that they wouldn’t say anything. All except the blonde. Cole walked around the table, talking as he walked. “If you talk, it will be the worse mistake you could make.” He reached the girl at the end, squatted down next to her and looked in her face. “What’s your name, darlin’?”
“Shannon.”
“Shannon. That’s a real pretty name. For a real pretty girl.” He brushed the back of his hand down her cheek. “Pretty girl like you should never be treated like that. I hate what happened to you. I’d hate for anything else bad to happen to you. But, Shannon, if you talk, I will find you, and I will kill you. Do you understand?”
She stared wide-eyed at him.
“Do you understand?” he shouted at her.
She jumped and nodded, shaking.
He stood and walked away.
He rejoined Angel on the porch. “How’d I do?” he asked her.
“I think you got your message across.”
He looked back. “I hope so. I don’t want to regret this.” He left her and went inside to talk to Wyatt.
***
Angel walked back to the table. “I think we are going to be leaving soon to take you all home.”
“How? On those bikes again?” the blonde asked.
“I guess so. I think it’s the only way. There aren’t any vehicles up here,” Angel answered her.
“The bikes weren’t so bad,” one of them added.
“What do you care how you get home? Just be grateful you’re not still in that van!” another girl turned and snapped at the blonde.
Cole walked out onto the porch with Wyatt. Angel watched as they slapped each other on the back. Cole walked toward her, the rest of the guys following.
“Ready, ladies?” he asked.
“Yes, they’re ready.” Angel spoke for them.
“Let’s ride.” He took Angel by the hand and headed to his bike. The rest of the guys followed, each with a girl.