“Any requests for dinner?” I asked in an upbeat voice.
Jenna shot me a glare.
Abby smiled and looked at Jenna. “What do you like?”
“I’m fine with anything.”
I cleared my throat. “I have some Hamburger Helper or mac and cheese.”
Her eyeroll was practically audible. “I guess Hamburger Helper it is.”
Abby didn’t seem to notice the underlying tension in the room. That was a good thing. I was glad she was oblivious to what was happening around her.
I stayed out of the living room and as far from Jenna as possible while I made dinner. I knew I had to tell her, and I dreaded the moment. She’d likely run screaming for the hills or maybe even call the police. I couldn’t let Abby be put into foster care while I went through a long trial. I had technically done nothing wrong, but I had a feeling the law wouldn’t see it that way. Not to mention, Axel was connected. He’d pin the murder on me and I would never see my baby girl again.
Chapter 22
Jenna
I decided I was too old to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor. Last night, Colton had been kind enough to offer me the couch after nearly forcing me to stay the night at his house. All I could think about while I tossed and turned on the hard floor was the fact that my bed was literally a one-minute walk across the yard.
Why am I staying here again? Oh, yes. Because I am in danger.
Danger from an alien invasion or a swarm of killer bees, I had no idea. It was all still a mystery. Abby was glued to me most of the night, leaving no privacy for me and Colton to talk, and oh boy, did we ever need to talk.
I could smell coffee and knew he was up. Now was my chance to corner him while we were alone.
Wearing my favorite sleep pants and shirt, which were technically G-rated, I still didn’t want to give him the wrong idea and quickly put my bra on. The man had a way of making my nipples hard and that was the last thing I wanted to happen when we had important matters to discuss.
The first thing I heard was Abby’s voice.
“Shit,” I muttered, knowing he was going to use it as an excuse.
I walked into the kitchen and found him pouring a bowl of cereal for her and sent him a glare that could have peeled paint. I saw him visibly flinch.
“Sorry, did we wake you?” he asked.
“I’m not used to sleeping on the floor, especially when my very comfy bed is a minute away,” I snarled.
“Coffee’s ready if you want some,” was his only response.
I wanted to claw his eyes out, but of course, he looked sexy as hell, standing there in his kitchen, his hair a little tousled and that permanent five o’clock shadow a little more unkempt than it usually was. I knew my libido would interfere with my anger.
“Yes, I want some,” I grumbled. “I didn’t sleep well.”
“I’m sorry. The couch is probably far more comfortable. Tonight, I’ll make it up for you. Or I can put you in Abby’s bed and we can put Abby on the floor next to me.”
“Or I could just sleep in my own bed.”
“Jenna,” he said, his voice full of warning.
I gestured with my head, ordering his fine ass down the hall. He hesitated. I opened my eyes wider, insisting he move out of the kitchen. He must have realized I was contemplating giving him a coffee shower, and he put the bowl in front of Abby.
“I’m going to get changed. Sit tight,” he told her before heading down the hall like a man walking to his own execution.
I followed him down the hall, ready to pounce the second we were out of earshot.
“What the hell?” I hissed.
He took a deep breath. “It really is a long story. Suffice it to say, there are some guys making threats toward you.”
“What? Aaron? Pfft. I am not afraid of him.”
He shook his head. “No. Someone from my past.”
“And they want to hurt me?” I asked, suddenly feeling very nervous.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea they’d find me here. I should have known. I’m so sorry. Please, just stay here today. I’m trying to figure out what to do next.”
“How is it any safer for me here? I’m in your house. They want you.”
He sighed. “You’re right. Is there anywhere you can go with Abby? I know that’s a lot to ask of you, but I want to keep you safe.”
I shook my head, still in complete disbelief over what was happening. “You trust me with Abby?” I asked, the realization of what he said just sinking in.
He nodded. “I do.”
I sighed. “I’ll call Rose and see if we can crash at her house.”
“That would be great. I’ll take you there.”
“I can’t drive either?” I asked, feeling a little trapped.
He looked down at my bare feet. “I think they’re following you.”
He said the words so softly, I almost fooled myself into believing I heard him wrong. In the back of my mind, I knew better. Someone knew where I lived, was following me, and wanted to hurt me because of my association with Colton. That was some shit.
I shook my head. “You owe me an explanation, Colton. A long one. For now, I believe you. I’m going to call Rose and then I want to get the hell out of here. Being here in your house, so close to you, is giving me the heebie jeebies.”
The look on his face almost made me feel bad for him. Almost.
I spun around, went back to the spare room, and quickly dressed before calling Rose. Rose suggested something that got me to thinking.
“Hey, we’re going to hang out at Rose’s place today,” I told Abby, knowing Colton was in the shower. “Can you pack your favorite toys and get dressed?”
Abby smiled. “Do you want to help me pick out my dress?”
I gave her a big smile. “I do! I’m so excited. Today is going to be warm, so I’m thinking that pretty sun dress with the purple flowers!”
Abby was grinning, clearly very happy to have someone appreciate the big decision over what to wear for the day. I followed her to her room and got the dress out of the closet, laying it on the bed for her.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Remember, get all the toys you need.”
She nodded, already stripping out of her pajamas. I closed the door behind her and headed into Colton’s room. I burst through the door to find him standing in front of his dresser in just his briefs. The look of surprise on his face gave me more satisfaction than it should have.
I closed the door behind me and folded my arms over my chest. Good God Almighty, the man was fucking built. I couldn’t believe I’d had that. He was too good to be true. When I looked at his face, he was smirking. Quickly, I schooled my features and returned to my angry face.
“Does this whole thing have to do with Abby’s mother? Did you kidnap Abby over some custody agreement and now the police or a private investigator is on your tail? I will not be an accessory to your crime!” I said it all with far more force than I meant.
The look on his face was unexpected. I was expecting guilt or maybe an uh-oh expression. Instead, there was grief and shame.
“No. It has nothing to do with Abby’s mother. Her mother is dead. I killed her.”
My heart lurched as the words sank in. I was in the same house as a killer. My mouth went dry as I thought about the fastest way to escape. I knew there was something wrong with him! I knew it and I ignored the feeling!
“You killed her?” I whispered, saying the words to make them real.
He looked pained as he nodded. “It was after my fight. I was tired and shouldn’t have been driving. I failed to make a corner in the road. The car rolled before slamming into a tree on the passenger side. Cara was killed instantly, and Abby—she was in a coma for two weeks.”
My heart hurt for him as I listened to his story. It explained so much. “I am so sorry,” I said, for lack of anything better to say.
He turned his back to me, pulling a pair of socks out of the drawer before moving to his bed
to sit down and pull them on. I wanted to go to him, hug him, and tell him it was all okay. I couldn’t. He had another secret to tell and that was the secret that was putting us all in jeopardy.
“Is Abby ready to go?” he asked, his voice gruff.
I bit my lower lip. He had told me one element, but I was still searching for answers. I studied his face and could see the pain and guilt. I was pissed and scared, but I didn’t want to make things worse for him. I could wait until after he got off work.
“I’ll check,” I said, spinning on my heel and leaving the room.
Once in the hallway, I took a deep breath before heading into Abby’s room to check on her. She was already in the living room, waiting with her backpack, quietly sitting on the couch and talking to one of her dolls.
I looked at her pretty brown hair flowing down around her shoulders. I thought about what it must have been like those two long weeks when she was in a coma and Colton didn’t know if she would live. I couldn’t imagine the world without Abby in it and I barely knew her. It was yet another piece of the puzzle that was Colton. It explained so much, but still left so many questions.
Colton came into the room behind me. “You two ready to go?”
I nodded. “We are. Do we walk right out the front door?” I asked in a low voice, unsure of how serious he was about us hiding.
“I’m going to pull in the garage. Sit tight.”
I looked at Abby and smiled. “Did you get all your dolls?”
She nodded. “I like Rose.”
“Good. She likes you.”
I grabbed my purse and gestured for Abby to walk with me into the kitchen so we could exit through the garage. I opened the door, waiting for the door to come down before stepping into the garage. I noticed a pile of what I thought was metal and vaguely remembered he mentioned he made metal art.
“Both of you get in the back,” he mumbled.
I nodded, knowing what he meant. The dark tinted windows would shield us from view. Once Abby was buckled in, we left the garage. I held my breath, half expecting men to be lying in wait. Colton drove down the street, and instead of taking a left, he went right. It took twice as long to reach Rose’s apartment and there were a lot of turns before we got there.
“Are we good?” I asked when he finally brought the SUV to a stop.
“Yes. I’ll walk you up.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“Yes.”
He quickly ushered us up to Rose’s second-floor apartment before giving us strict instructions to stay put.
Once he was gone, Rose turned to me, one eyebrow raised. I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. What I do know, I’ll explain later.” I used my head to gesture toward Abby.
She nodded. “Got it. I’m out of here. You know where everything is. Be careful.”
“Thank you. I’ll call you tonight, hopefully, once I know what is going on.”
“You better. This is crazy stuff.”
I laughed. “I know.”
She left Abby and I alone in her apartment and I suddenly felt the pressure of keeping the little girl safe. I was flattered Colton trusted me to do so but scared at the same time. I thought about how weird he was being and the sense of danger that surrounded us.
I quickly called my mom, needing to make sure she was okay and that I hadn’t somehow put her in danger with my visit the other night.
“Mom?” I asked when she answered the phone with what sounded like airport noise in the background.
“Oh, Jenna, I was just going to call you.”
“You were? Are you at the airport?” I heard a flight boarding call in the background.
“Actually, yes we are. Dale and I are escaping to Vegas for the weekend.” Her voice was giddy with excitement.
“You are?” I asked, completely stunned.
She giggled. “Yes. It was a spur of the moment decision. I’ll be back in a few days. Can you keep an eye on the house?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Take care, hon, I’ll see you soon,” she said in sing-song voice before ending the call.
I stared at the phone in my hand. That had been unexpected. My mother never did anything spur of the moment. I hadn’t talked to her about losing my job yet. I figured it could wait. She deserved to have a little fun.
“All right, Miss Abby, what should we do first?” I asked her, flopping down next to her on the couch.
She turned and grinned at me. “Play?”
I laughed. “Sounds good to me!”
Chapter 23
Colton
After a tense but uneventful day, I picked Jenna and Abby up from Rose’s place and took them back home with me. That night, Jenna slept in Abby’s room, and Abby stayed in my bed, where I could keep her safe. I would have asked Jenna to join us so I could keep an eye on her, but her stormy expression told me she needed space.
She wasn’t going to take much more. I knew that. I could feel it in the looks and the way she was avoiding me like the plague. The very fact that she’d come home with me told me she believed me enough to trust me to keep her safe.
The next morning, I planned on telling her the whole story. I wasn’t going to work. I’d find some time after breakfast when Abby was playing. For now, I wanted to stay in bed and put off that discussion for as long as possible.
“Colton!” I heard Jenna’s call, laced with fear.
I darted out of my bedroom, ready to battle. “What is it?”
“I heard a car door.”
“Take her into the bathroom and lock the door,” I ordered.
I moved to the window with the curtains drawn tightly closed and peered outside. I breathed a sigh of relief and went to the door.
“Wow, you are fast!” I said, opening the door and greeting Kevin.
He smiled. “I told you I’d be on the first plane out here if you called. Here I am.”
I shut the door behind him, locking the deadbolt. “It’s just Kevin,” I called.
“Hey, what do you mean, just Kevin?”
I smirked. “Jenna heard the car door. Wait, how did you get here?”
“Uber. I didn’t know you guys had them here in your little town, but you do, and he was fast.”
Jenna and Abby came into the living room. Abby raced toward him. “Uncle Kevin!” she squealed.
Kevin reached down and picked her up, hugging her close against him. “I missed you!” he told her.
Jenna was watching the scene with a smile on her face.
“Kevin decided to come for a visit,” I said, hoping she would understand the underlying meaning.
She nodded. “That’s nice.”
I walked over to her. “I need his help.”
“You still haven’t told me why.”
I sighed. “I know. Please trust me when I say this is for the best. Can you stay here with Abby while we go out for a bit?”
“Go out?” she asked, one brow raised into a high arch.
I nodded. “Yes.”
I knew she expected more, but it would have to wait.
“You have to explain this. Seriously, this is the last time you are getting out of it,” she whispered, her eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed.
“I promise. I will.”
Kevin put down Abby and looked at me expectantly. “We going for a drive?” he asked, not saying too much.
I nodded. “Yep. Let’s do this.”
“You’ll be back soon?” Jenna asked.
I nodded. “I need to check out a few things. I don’t expect to be gone long.”
She let out a long sigh. “Okay.”
“Thank you. I owe you. I know that, and I promise to explain everything.”
She didn’t say anything. Kevin and I left with the intention of hunting down Axel. With a town this small, I didn’t think it would be too hard to find them. They’d likely be holed up in one of the motels that didn’t ask questions.
We stopped at several, asking for my brother and found nothing. Eit
her the clerks at the motels we checked weren’t saying or the guys had never checked in.
“Are you sure he isn’t just yanking your chain?” Kevin asked after we left the fourth motel.
I shook my head. “He knew they were at the bakery. He saw them.”
“Where else could they be?”
I shook my head, getting on the highway and heading out of town. “I don’t know. It would make sense they’d want to avoid attracting any attention.”
Kevin nodded. “Outskirts of town is where I’d be.”
“Exactly. Keep your eyes open for cars with Massachusetts plates.”
“Wouldn’t that be a little too obvious?” Kevin asked.
“Maybe, but I don’t think Axel is all that concerned with getting caught. He isn’t worried. It’ll never get traced back to him.”
“Do you think he’s in town with his guys?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I have no idea. I don’t put much past him.”
We drove along the highway, more corn fields on either side as we headed out of town.
“What’s that?” Kevin asked, pointing to a large warehouse.
I slowed the SUV and looked at the building. I could see a couple cars parked out front, but the warehouse looked like it was out of commission. I turned off the highway, following a gravel road that ran past the warehouse.
“Son of a bitch,” I mumbled. “Isn’t that Zane?” I pointed to a dude that had to weigh close to four hundred pounds.
“Looks like him,” Kevin said, confirming the identity of one of Axel’s right-hand men. “I guess we know where they’re hiding out.”
“How many do you think there are?” I asked the question knowing he wouldn’t have an answer.
“I only see two cars. Hopefully, that means only a few of them.”
“Shit!”
“What are we going to do?” Kevin asked.
“I have to get rid of them.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
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