by Brooke Page
Colt’s brows scrunched together. Scooting the chair closer to me, he set his hands on the edge of my bed. “I think it’s important that you rest for now.”
I scowled. “Answer my questions, Colt.”
He frowned, the normal spark in his eyes gone.
I sat up, fighting the horrific pain in my stomach. “You better start talking.”
“Hey, Vance.” A deep voice greeted from the opposite side of the room. Riley was there, dressed down in jeans and a Polo shirt from his normal out of office wear.
“What are you doing here?”
Riley smiled, casually walking toward a seat on the other side of my bed in the hospital. “Thought I’d come check on things. Congratulations, you made your sixth bust, kid.”
My head fell back against the bed and I closed my eyes.
Fuck, everywhere hurt.
I’d forgotten about the missing girls, and my original reason for coming to Harris.
“Jonah is in jail, along with a few others we got. The women that were locked up are now free.” Riley eyed me up and down. “Sorry we didn’t get there soon enough. Thankfully Colt made his way out there, otherwise that gunshot wound might have gotten the best of you.”
“I’ll be fine. Where is Lauren?”
Colt took a deep breath, his jaw set in a firm line. “She wasn’t there when I got to the compound.”
My eyes widened. “Tessa?”
I watched the lump in Colt’s neck bob when he swallowed. “She wasn’t there, either.” His eyes moistened. “Lauren called me. She hid Tessa and wanted me to come get her. I was maybe four minutes away, and the line on the phone went silent. I figured she’d accidently hit a button, but when I got to the location, only Lauren’s hoodie was left on the ground.”
“What are you saying?”
Colt paused and took a deep breath. “They’re missing.”
I squirmed in the bed, snatching at wires that were attached to me, desperate to get up and find them. This was my fault. If I would have just done the job, Lauren and Tessa would never have been involved.
Colt and Riley stood, both holding down my arms.
“You’re not getting up yet. You’ve had too much internal damage,” Colt warned.
“I’ll be fucking fine. I have to find them!”
“We’ve got men from all surrounding county’s searching, Marcy has been manning a location for volunteers to help find them. We’re doing all we can,” Colt informed, but it wasn’t good enough. No one could be good enough. Not with all of the information I knew.
“The best you can do to help find them, is to tell us what happened. Anything you can remember,” Colt spoke smoothly.
I ground my jaw. “Where’s Colby?”
Colt’s gaze found the ceiling then came back on me. “Can you please tell me what happened?”
Riley sat back down, letting go of my arm and patiently waited for my response. “Remember, you won’t be held accountable for anything you might have done. Especially if you or anyone else were in danger.”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to read Riley’s comment.
“Jonah knocked me out at the beach then took Lauren and Tessa. He brought them back to the cabin. When I went to save them, I let my guard down. I should have known, it was too easy. Jonah got me from behind, then Colby came in.”
“Jonah is in jail. Colby who?” Colt asked.
“Contrares! What other Colby would it be?”
Colt sat back in his chair. “And I thought he was dead this whole time.”
Riley brought his attention to Colt. “I’ve been following him since I knew he had been visiting Marcus Everett in prison.”
I glared at Riley. “That would have been nice to know. Thanks for the heads up,” I deadpanned. “He’s the fucker who shot me.”
Colt removed his hand from his mouth. “That makes sense. When Lauren called me, she was frantic, and mentioned Colby’s name.” He shook his head with irritation. “I always knew that death report was fudged.”
“How did you know to go to the cabin?” Riley asked.
Colt’s body tensed, probably worried I’d spill about his hidden weed habit, but a lightbulb clicked in my head.
“The tracking devices!” I swung my legs around, beginning to rip at the IVs. When I stepped down, the pain in my stomach was excruciating, but I had to fight it, needing to find Lauren and Tessa, and wished like hell they were at least together.
Colt and Riley jumped to their feet. Riley didn’t rush to stop me, only watched how I moved.
Once I was standing, I took a deep breath to gather my senses. The pain would be bearable once I knew where they were. The adrenaline would get me through. I had to find them.
“Vance, seriously, whatever you’re plotting in your head can wait until that gunshot wound is healed.”
Riley only smirked when I stalked toward a countertop, searching for my clothing.
“Riley, help me out here, would you?” Colt pleaded.
Riley laughed under his breath. He set a bag on the counter. “Now that I’ve seen him standing, my predictions were right. He’ll be fine. I brought you some clothing, and I paid the nurse off to buy you some time.”
Colt’s jaw dropped. “Are you shitting me?”
Riley shrugged. “He’s been in that bed for almost a week healing. As long as he lets me drive, he’ll be fine.” He brought his attention back toward me. I winced when bending down to pull on my boxers and sweat pants. My stomach burned underneath the bandages covering my assumed stitches. I was thankful for the elastic that hung low below the incisions. Pulling my head through the t-shirt was less painful.
“Vance, you can’t be serious?”
I slipped on my sandals. “I’ve already lost her once. I’m not losing her again.”
Riley’s hands were in his pockets while he waited. “I’ve already packed your things.”
“I need to get the tracking device...” My words faded into a grin. “You bastard, you already have it?”
He smirked. “Did you forget who you asked to make them?”
He held his hand out for me to lead the way out and set the pace, while Colt stood their dumbfounded. “This is a bad idea.”
“You wanna come?” Riley asked.
Colt’s jaw tensed, then he marched to my side. “I think I need to, since you obviously need a babysitter.”
Both Riley and I laughed, but the emotion caused pain in my stomach, and I slowed down my steps.
“You’ve got a long drive to recover,” Riley grinned, patiently waiting for me to pick up my pace again. “I’ve got pain killers, too.”
“I might need some of those,” Colt grumbled, consciously aware I was going against the doctor’s wishes and leaving the hospital before being approved.
We passed through the doors without anyone acknowledging us, and I maneuvered my way the best I could into the passenger seat of Riley’s SUV.
“Do you have any idea where they are?” Riley asked as if we were playing a game of Clue and he had set up the cards. He lived for this shit.
Picking up the tracking device he had placed in between the seats, I shook my head in disbelief. “No fucking way.”
Riley shrugged, not surprised.
“What? Where are they?” Colt asked after slamming the backseat door closed.
“The Shore.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Vance
Riley and Colt took turns driving south while I dozed in and out of consciousness from the pain killers. When I woke and was able to keep my eyes open, the sun was beginning to rise. Riley was driving, humming to the quiet radio.
“Where are we?” I asked, my voice groggy.
“About to cross the Alabama border. How you feeling?”
I stretched, and although it was painful, it wasn’t as bad as before. No doubt the painkillers were still working. “I’ll survive.”
“I knew that.”
I continued to test my limbs, cautiously liftin
g my seat to a sitting position. “You think of a game plan yet?”
Riley never took his eyes from the road. “I think that’s up to you, kid.”
“We’ll need reinforcements. I underestimated Colby Contreras.”
Riley checked the backseat in the rearview mirror. “You don’t need to worry about Colby.” I followed his gaze, noticing a sleeping Colt.
My forehead crinkled, not understanding. “He took—”
Riley’s even tone cut me off. “You obviously don’t remember stabbing him in the throat with a piece of glass.”
My jaw hung open, jogging my memory.
Riley continued to talk. “You got loose from your restraints, attacked Colby, and got shot in the process.”
My scowled deepened. That most definitely wasn’t what I remembered. Riley met my stumper with a glare. It was his warning to take his story, because he knew as well as I did that wasn’t what really happened.
“Did Colt?”
Riley shook his head. “Colt came to you slumped over in a chair, and Colby on the ground with his carotid artery spilling all over the floor.”
My head thudded against the headrest of the seat.
Lauren.
“There wasn’t a trace of Lauren or Tessa at the cabin, although, Colby was planning for them to reside there.”
I shuddered, images of Tessa and Lauren locked in one of those awful rooms. “He was going to fucking sell both of them, wasn’t he?”
Riley shook his head. “Lauren ran away. Do you understand? She was never there.” He reiterated. “She took her daughter and went on a vacation without telling a soul.”
I nodded, my heart beating wildly.
She called Colt to come and save me.
Then, she killed Colby.
I ran my hands over my face rapidly. “I understand,” I muffled into my hands.
Taking the tracker from between the seats, I found her and Tessa’s dots, brushing my finger over their location. I had comfort knowing they were together. They were near the beach along the touristy strip, in the little house on stilts.
“Did you know about Colby?” I asked quietly.
“I knew everything about him, and I’m sorry I kept it from you.”
“You knew he was my half-brother?”
Riley only sighed. “Yes.”
I couldn’t control my anger. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want it to mess with your head. Would you have arrested him if you had too? Would you have fallen apart if you knew he loved the same woman as you?”
My shoulders sagged. “I’m not sure.”
Riley put his hand on my shoulder, his eyes still on the road. “I’m sorry if that was insensitive, but well, I’ve grown a liking to you, Vance, and I was being protective along with helping you do your job.”
I shook my head. “I would have been more prepared.”
“We’ll never know, but right now, you need to think about how to get your happiness back.”
I snorted under my breath. “This seems out of your job description.”
He dug into his pocket, pulling out the leather and shell bracelet I’d given to Lauren, handing it to me. “Colt told me this was laced through your fingers when he found you.” Riley squeezed my shoulder. “You don’t need to be a bitter old man like me, stuck in this never-ending circle of taking down the bad guys. You’ve done your part, and now, it’s time to enjoy the life you’ve been given.”
I clenched the bracelet in palm, my anger lifted when I looked at the aging man. He had grown to care for me during our time working together, and I’d be forever grateful for all he had done for me. I could be sitting in a jail cell next to Marcus. It was my decision to choose the right path seven years ago, but Riley was the one who guided me through it.
“She knows I took part in killing her mom,” I murmured. “She probably wants nothing to do with me.”
“Her guilt might outweigh your past mistakes.”
“That’s a pretty big mistake.”
He dropped his hand from my shoulder, focusing on the road. “In less than five hours, you’ll be able to find out.”
***
Riley stopped in front of YaYa’s house, all three of us stepping out of the SUV. The Alabama sun was already stifling even though it was mid-morning, the only saving grace was the salty air from the ocean. It used to be a comforting environment, but all I could think about was Lauren. Her dot on the tracking device informed me she was on the beach, while Tessa’s was inside of YaYa’s.
Colt set his hand on my back. “You’ll be fine.”
Riley grabbed my other shoulder. “We’ll be right out here, no matter what.”
I nodded, turning toward the knee high grasses that separate the beach from the road. Just as I was about to take the first step, YaYa’s voice stopped me.
“It’s been too long in-between meals.”
My head snapped upward to her voice from the screened in porch. YaYa stood with her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
“It has.” I bit my bottom lip, turning and walking to the bottom of the steps across the gravel driveway.
“You’re too skinny,” she grumbled, going back inside the house then emerging from the side door. I was stuck in place, watching her take the railing of the steps, slowly coming down until she was at eye level with me. She studied me, then lifted my t-shirt. I winched when she touched the bandage. “Although you look on the verge of death, you’re very much alive.”
I held in my chuckle. “That I am.”
YaYa frowned, then to my surprise, she opened her arms to me, bringing me in for a hug.
Unexpectedly, I cowered into her, wrapping my arms around her small frame. It gave me hope. “Is she mad at me?”
“She feels guilt, as she should. She’s on the beach. Go tell her you love her, and find out for yourself. I’ll start the brisket. Tell Colt and your other friend to come inside. They can help cut vegetables. Colt has a lot of explaining to do about why he and Marcy haven’t visited in so long.”
YaYa dropped her arms and shooed me toward the ocean, then marched up the steps. “Don’t come back without my granddaughter in-law on your arm.”
I smiled, then crossed the road, my heart pounding with each step. Once I trekked through the grasses and over the hill of sand, I saw her, long blonde hair whipping in the wind, standing near the shore, gazing out at the ocean. With a racing heart and mind, I kicked off my shoes and trudged through the hot sand, ready to give her everything I had left.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lauren
I was supposed to be at peace when I stood in front of the reckless waves, no worry or doubts crossing my chaotic mind, but I only felt empty inside. I’d given up on love, the only version I had left to give inside of me was for Tessa. I’d never feel the rush of Vance Everett again.
Yanking the necklace he’d gifted me from my neck, I examined it for the last time, preparing to toss it into the waves. He was the holder of my heart, and the closest place after was the sea. I knew that’s where his spirit would settle for its final resting place.
I lifted my hand to throw it, but a deep timbre stopped me.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
I gasped, my heart pounding. Could it really be him? Slowly, I turned my head and looked over my shoulder.
Frozen in place, there he was, hands in his sweatpants’ pockets, hair tousling in the wind.
“Vance,” I choked, spinning and taking two steps to him, but then I halted in the sand.
He moved toward me, soft steps in the sand. He favored one side, moving cautiously. The closer he came, the faster my heart beat. He was really here; his face healing from the battering Colby put him through. This wasn’t a dream.
I closed my eyes, fighting back tears. “I’m so sorry,” my voice trembled, my arms curling around my waist, although they itched to hold him.
Vance was a foot away from me now, a scowl forming. “You’re so
rry? Why would you be sorry?”
I bit my quivering lip. “I left you.”
Vance’s head cocked to the side. “You saved my life. You called Colt. You stopped Colby from finishing the job. I can’t thank you enough for what you did.”
My whole body shook along with my head. “I should have stayed with you, but I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to make Colby stop…so I…” I couldn’t finish my sentence. I was so messed up, visions of the shard of glass jamming into Colby’s neck, watching the blood spirt from his body. Betrayal and fear flashed in his eyes that night, and he pleaded for me to help him, but the words never came out. I watched him bleed out, his eyes never leaving mine. It haunted me the past week whenever I’d close my eyes, and it would haunt me for the rest of my life.
Vance closed the gap between us, ignoring the awkward tension and pulled me into a tight embrace. My body weight fell into him and I cried into his chest, unable to control my sporadic emotions. He was really here and not a figment of my imagination. I had been so wrapped up in guilt for the selfish decisions I made back in Harris, that I shut down. I had to stay strong for Tessa, doing my damndest to control the guilt for killing her father. All of the pain and heartache was seeping out of me now, and I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
He held me in his arms, not asking questions or talking. His comfort helped the uncontrollable ache.
I pulled away from him, enough so I could meet his eyes. “I thought he took you from me, and I didn’t want to be caged to him. He was going to take Tessa if I didn’t go with him, and I was tired of running. I was sick of being dictated by fear. He wasn’t the Colby I loved, and I was so angry…”
Vance held my head in his hands, understanding written all over his sympathetic face.
“He was your brother,” I hiccupped, more guilt consuming me.
“I know,” he whispered, brushing his lips against my forehead. “Brother or not, he was a monster that needed to be stopped.”
He caught my tears with his thumbs. “I’m just as much of a monster,” I cried. “He didn’t deserve it. No one does.”
