by Taylor Anne
Kayla tensed when Sawyer stood next to her. She didn’t look at him, but could imagine the smirk that would be on his face. “Told you not to trust him.”
The ambulance arrived, and the next several minutes went by in a rush of activity. Medics tended to Mags, Sawyer and Miller detained Colton, and Alec jumped in the ambulance with his bride-to-be.
While the law enforcement officers were conversing, Colton stepped closer to Kayla. She shivered at the sight of him. He was drenched with Maggie’s blood.
“Kayla,” he whispered.
She stiffened. “Don’t.”
“Look at me. I didn’t do this. Let me explain. I found her in the storage room like that. I was trying to save her.”
Kayla shook her head. She didn’t know what to believe. Not only had she trusted Colton, but she slept with him. Gave him her body, mind, and soul. He knew her inside and out. There was no way he could be responsible for the attacks on these women. However, seeing this scene in front of her had her doubting even herself. Had Sawyer been right all along? Why else would they cuff and arrest Colton?
She looked him in the eye. “You used me. Betrayed me.” Tears slipped down her face. She swiped at them, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. “So tell me, when was my turn? When were you going to attack me? Or were you just going to keep attacking women to sabotage my wedding business?”
“No, baby. You have it wrong. I love you. I would never hurt you, or your business.”
What did his words mean to her now? She couldn’t trust him.
Sawyer joined them, catching the last words Colton spoke. “Love. Right. Just like you loved Andrea. And we know what happened to her.”
“Bastard.” Colton lunged toward the detective. He raised his handcuffed hands above his head and slammed them into Sawyer’s face. The detective’s cheek swelled instantly, blood oozed from the cut. He grabbed Colton and threw him to the ground.
“I knew I should’ve cuffed your hands behind you.” Sawyer bent down and grabbed Colton by the shoulder, jerking him back to his feet. “Let’s go.”
Colton looked back over his shoulder, locking eyes with Kayla. “Top desk drawer there’s a card for my lawyer. Call him.” She simply stared at him. Her body was too numb to move. “Please.”
Kayla rushed to the hospital to check on her friend. Maggie was highly sedated and couldn’t give much detail about what happened. Her words slurred, “I was… in storage… hit me… Colton…”
“Maggie, are you saying Colton hit you?” Kayla’s nerves could not take much more. “Mags, talk to me.”
“It’s no use, Kayla. She’s been mumbling the same thing since they sedated her.” Alec’s hand trembled as he rubbed Maggie’s arms. His compassion was endearing.
“Oh, Alec. I am so sorry about this.” Kayla hugged her arms around her waist.
“It’s not your fault,” he said. He smoothed Maggie’s hair off her face. “The doctor said she will be fine. Only bruising. They gave her something so she could rest for a few hours. I should be able to take her home tomorrow.”
“You take care of her.” Kayla gave them both a hug. Her renewed spirit hit her full force. She would beat whoever was trying to stop her. Even if it was Colton. “I’m going to clean up the bar and get ready. We have a wedding in five days.”
Two hours later, she had the bar stocked, cleaned, and ready for the next week’s business. She walked out to the storage building and held her breath before swinging the door open. She was not prepared for what hit her.
Her stomach clenched and roiled. Blood splatters decorated the crates of alcohol. Several smaller boxes were strewn about, obviously thrown around during the struggle. The desk, normally covered with papers, was wiped clean, almost like someone swiped the contents aside. Making room for what? Her heart sank at the thought of what could have happened here. Thankfully, the doctors confirmed there had been no sexual assault.
Kayla went to the desk and tentatively opened the top side drawer. Surely Colton had the opportunity to contact his lawyer by now, but she felt compelled to do what he asked of her. Her mind wavered with the argument that she should not contact Colton’s lawyer. Let him ride it out and suffer the consequences. However, if he was guilty, she wanted to know. That would be a total game changer. Grandpa Earl would have to turn one hundred percent of the business over to her. He wouldn’t want a criminal running his business. Too many thoughts crowded her mind. Too many questions that had no answers.
And if by chance Colton was innocent, well, she wanted to know that as well. With her heart jumbled up, she didn’t know if she could go forward with a relationship, business or personal.
She pilfered through the drawer. There were no business cards. She pushed aside a pair of sunglasses, a small bottle of Black Ice cologne, pens, and notepads. She closed the drawer and opened the long middle top drawer. There she found a stack of cards, the top one being for the attorney. She shoved the card in her pocket.
She put her hand on the drawer that contained the personal items. Just another peek. She wanted to feel a connection to the man. She needed confirmation that he was not the type of man who would harm a woman. She picked up the cologne and inhaled the brisk scent. Colton’s scent. She set it back down and ran her fingers over the neat handwriting on the papers. She couldn’t resist the urge to read what was written.
“Oh my God.” Bile rose in her throat. She clenched her teeth together and pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, all in an attempt to keep from vomiting.
Colton sat in the small cubicle of a room, sweating, not only because it was sweltering in there, but because Kayla was waiting outside to see him. Why had it taken her so long to get there? How much of that time had she spent with Sawyer? Did Sawyer tell her everything? Colton’s fists clenched at the thought. He slammed his hands on the top of the desk. He hoped Kayla called his lawyer as he asked. More than anything, he hoped Kayla listened to the lawyer, and believed him. He would have told her the truth that she needed to hear.
He held his breath when the door opened. She walked inside alone. The metal clicked behind her as she shut the door. Instead of sitting, she stood with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Kayla.”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say right now.” She took a piece of paper out of her back pocket and shoved it in front of him. “I found this in your desk.”
Colton stared at the words written in his own handwriting. Shit. He had not thought about her finding that when she looked for the business card. Obviously, she looked through his entire desk. He was ruined in her eyes. “Let me explain.”
“Read it,” she instructed. “Out loud.”
He eyed her. Her face was stoic and unreadable. He lifted the paper with both hands and read the words. “Here comes the bride, dressed all in white. Radiant and lovely, she shines in his sight.” He stopped and shook his head.
“Continue.”
“Love have they waited, long have they planned. Life goes before them, opening her hand.” He threw the paper at her. “I can’t do this.”
She bent to the floor, picked up the paper, and thrust it back at him. “Finish it. Read the last line.”
He locked gazes with her. His jaw clenched so hard it was giving him a headache. “Kayla, don’t do this.”
She reached out and grabbed the paper, reading it aloud, “Life with new meaning, life shared as one. Promise each other to have and to hold.” The white note slipped out of her hand and feathered down to the table. She turned on her heel, her hand on the doorknob. She was going to leave him.
“Kayla, stop,” he bellowed. She tensed. The harshness in his voice would’ve stopped even the strongest of men. She turned to face him, emptiness in her eyes. “I was a Perdido Key detective several years ago. Sawyer was my partner. Now I’m working undercover. That is why I have that rhyme written down. I’m trying to find out who is doing this to you.” He was under strict orders not t
o reveal any of this to her, but he couldn’t take the look of mistrust in her eyes.
“Really.” She advanced on him then. Her brisk stride took her around the desk until she stood in front of him. She pointed a finger into his chest. “Then tell me how you had the last line already written. Words that were just delivered to me with Mags’ ring. How did you know the ending of the rhyme?”
As much as he wanted to tell her the truth, he couldn’t. His research turned up the full poem where the words came from. She wouldn’t believe him. She was too distraught to hear and comprehend anything he said. He pinned her with a stare that he only used on hardened criminals. He didn’t know any other way to get through to her. She actually flinched and took a step back from him. “I can’t say anything except that I am working undercover. Ask Sergeant.”
“If that’s true, then why are you still here? Seems to me they would not have arrested you. Or would’ve at least let you go by now.”
“It’s part of the plan. I need to be out of the picture for now. Did you call my attorney? He should’ve explained everything to you.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t call him. I really don’t see that it matters.”
He eyes held her gaze as he advanced on her. He did not stop until they were toe-to-toe, face-to-face. The microphone that was recording everything they said could not detect his whispered words. “Stop pulling on your ear, and for God’s sake, stop biting your damn lip. You’re driving me crazy.”
Kayla turned and walked out of the room.
Colton slammed his hands against the hard concrete walls. “Dammit!”
Kayla was giddy with excitement for Maggie and Alec. It had been a rough week, but they were there at Gracie’s Place, joined as husband and wife. With all of the drama going on, Kayla was thankful for Maggie’s and Christi’s help in transforming the deli bar into a wedding chapel and reception hall. It took a little more makeup to cover the bruises on Maggie’s face than the young girl cared for, but the outcome was beautiful.
Guests filled the inside and helped themselves to the buffet-style reception dinner. Music played softly in the background. The evening ocean breeze flowed through the open windows, tangy salt clinging to everything it touched. The red and orange sunset cast a warm glow over the beige linen-covered tables. Maggie and Alec mingled as the newly wed couple. Most of the people there were family and friends of the couple, but Maggie insisted on keeping the bar open for business. Several customers stopped by to show their support and party while they were there.
Kayla leaned back against the bar, taking it all in. This was her dream. Uniting two people who loved each other beyond comprehension. Making their first day as a team a reality. Her heart twisted at the thought that she would never experience that kind of bliss of her own. She thought she had found that connection with Colton, but …
The back door opened. Grandpa Earl entered in his wheelchair. Pushing him was the woman he had come to care for in the last weeks. Kayla knew she would never take the place of Grandma Gracie, but Maw Bea, as she was known, was certainly doing her best to take care of Grandpa. That’s all that mattered.
“Grandpa, you're looking good.” Kayla hugged him and kissed his cheek.
“Feeling good too. Fine job here, Gracie. Grandma would be proud.” He squeezed her hand, then headed straight for the happy couple on the dance floor.
The door swished open. Kayla tensed, sensing another presence. The door clicked shut. She looked over to see Colton standing in the doorway. Her heart stopped beating. She leaned against the bar to stop from falling. Her knees were too weak to hold her up.
She didn’t need to depend on her body, Colton’s strong arms were there to catch her and tug her to him.
Kayla shook her head and pulled away from him. “What are you doing here?” Her voice couldn’t hide her anger. She hadn’t seen or heard from him all week. She didn’t know if he was still in jail, or if he was just avoiding her. When she spoke to the sergeant, he would not confirm or deny anything because the investigation was still open.
“Earl and Bea wanted to come.” He stroked her cheek, but withdrew his hand when she shook her head. “Dammit, Kayla. Do not be scared of me. You have to let me explain.”
She backed away, not trusting her own emotions. The door opened again. This time Detective Sawyer sauntered in, his eyes pinned on Colton. Next to him was Officer Banks.
“Oh God,” Kayla moaned. This was not going to be good.
Sawyer stepped around the two of them and strode onto the dance floor. Banks followed. The officers handcuffed a couple and pulled them to the side. Kayla recognized Beth and Randy from the first time she sat at the bar.
Colton nodded at Sawyer and opened the door for them. What the hell was going on?
“Man, I didn’t do this. You have to believe me.” Randy’s eyes pleaded with Colton as Sawyer hauled him outside. Banks had Beth by both arms. As she was walking out, she turned back and pinned Colton with a hard stare. Her eyes were wild. After a few moments of confusion, the crowd went about celebrating Maggie and Alec, barely giving any attention to the brief ruckus that interrupted their party.
Kayla strode out of the bar, down to the water’s edge. She needed to be alone to think. She needed some fresh air to clear her head. Sandals in hand, she let the water flow over her bare feet. Sand squished between her toes. She turned her face up to the moonlight, letting it soak into her skin. Refreshing. Where things would go from there, she had no idea. For now, she was going to relish the open air of the night.
Standing at the edge of the water, she closed her eyes. The night was silent, other than the waves crashing ashore. She never heard his approach, but he was there. Behind her. He didn’t speak. His warm breath tingled on her neck. His head rubbed against hers, like a primitive animal with his mate. His arms cradled her against his hard body.
Kayla started to pull away, but resisted when he whispered, “No more running, fireball.”
She was defeated. In a good way. Whatever the explanation was, she knew in her heart that it was the truth. She trusted Colton. Without looking at him, she said, “Explain.”
He hugged her tighter. Her head rested against his chest, his heart beating a steady rhythm. “Sawyer will always be an ass. Don’t trust him. But he is a damn good detective and when things started happening with those women, Sergeant threw us together. Almost pitted us against each other because of our history. Yes, Andrea and I were engaged when I caught her and Sawyer together. That ended our relationship. I didn’t kill her. Her death was a suicide, but Sawyer won’t believe it.”
Kayla sucked in a heavy breath. “Why would she kill herself?”
“She had issues that went pretty deep. Family problems all around. Then we found out she was pregnant, but lost the baby early. When I left her, because of her infidelity, she went off the deep end. Overdosed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Especially about the baby.” Colton groaned, and Kayla felt his grief deep inside. She wanted to console him, but before she could fully give herself over, she had to know the rest of the story. “Sawyer seems really bitter about the situation.”
“Yeah, I think he really loved her. More than I did. Anyway, we can discuss that some other time.”
“Tell me about Randy and Beth. Why did they get arrested?” Kayla wanted to know more about Andrea, but there would be time for that another day.
“Right after Andrea’s death, I resigned from the force and went undercover. That’s when Beth and Randy entered the picture. Randy was under surveillance by the Feds for drug and rape charges. He and Beth were engaged at the time. It took several months, but we finally had enough evidence to put him away. Sometime during his stay, he and Beth got married. He was released from prison a few months ago and apparently, they decided it was payback time.”
“Payback for what? I don’t know those people.”
“No. But remember they were engaged?”
Kayla nodded.
“Well
, Randy went to prison a week before their wedding. Beth took it hard. She got herself arrested on various misdemeanor charges and ended up with some hefty fines. It wasn’t long before she disappeared from this area.”
“Oh, wow. Didn’t you recognize them? They sat with me that first day at the bar.” If she had known this at the time, she would not have associated herself with them.
“I did, but didn’t think anything of it. Then when these cases started, Sergeant called for a full investigation. Sawyer worked it on the force, me undercover. Someone tipped Sergeant off, and he was able to gather some hard evidence against them. Well, mostly against Beth. But we couldn’t make a move until it was confirmed.”
“That day in the bar, you had words with him.”
“Yeah. He came to me for a job. As if.” His jaw clenched.
“Why would they do this? Why involve me and my career?” Kayla turned in his arms so they were facing each other. The moonlight lit his chiseled features. They were hard, but his eyes were soft.
“It really had nothing to do with you. When Beth disappeared from here, she moved to her hometown in Alabama and went on a spree of hurting brides-to-be. She felt slighted when Randy was arrested, and she went a little crazy. From what we have found, Marcy was the first person she murdered.”
“What about Randy? Is he involved also?”
Colton shook his head. “He’s claiming he had nothing to do with this. Swears that he is a changed person since his incarceration. Said that when he got out of prison, Beth wasn’t the same.” He shrugged. “Whether or not that’s true, it will come out in the investigation.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”
Colton kissed her lips. The spray from the ocean made his taste salty. “Just say you believe me. That’s all that matters. You have to know I would never hurt you.”
Kayla touched his face, kissed him deeply, then hugged him. “It’s all been so crazy. There were times I didn’t know what to think.”
“Kayla, I--”
