He stared at her, his brown eyes filled with dismay. “You don’t trust much, do you?”
His words were true if unwelcome. “I’ve never had much reason to trust easily.”
“Well, you can trust me, Laura.”
She wanted to believe that, but she’d been burned too many times before.
“I’ve already moved my stuff downstairs. I’ll be sleeping on the couch while you’re here, so you’ll have the entire upstairs. If you need anything, holler.”
After he left, Laura locked the bedroom door. She glanced around at the room. This was her safe haven for now. No one knew where she was or what had happened to her. A phone sat on the end table and she considered phoning her father to let him know she was safe, but she decided against it. Would her father worry about her? A part of her was happy to think that he might spend a few restless nights fretting about her. Or would he simply assume she’d taken care of his debt? No, Colton had said her father had been the one to hire him. He was trying to fix the mess he’d gotten her into.
It was small consolation.
She shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to her if Colton Blackwell hadn’t been there. And, despite the fact that she didn’t know if she could really trust him, she was thankful for his help.
* * *
Colton headed downstairs. He felt better having Laura under his roof. If anyone was coming after her, they would have to face him on his own turf.
He hated how distrustful she seemed, unwilling to believe that anyone would want to help her without asking for something in return. She was clearly so used to being disappointed that she couldn’t imagine things going any other way.
God, please help her to believe that I only want to protect her. And grant me the strength and discernment to keep her safe from harm.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Bill Jackson’s number, his stomach turning as he made the call. This was the man who had caused Laura so much pain and grief. It was too real seeing the pain in her face. He knew that look. Oh, how well he knew that look.
“It’s me,” he said when Bill answered. “I have her. She’s safe.”
He listened to the rush of thanks and gratitude from the other end but soon cut him off. He hadn’t intervened for this man’s sake, regardless of how thankful he was. He’d done it for Laura and to make up in some way for the mistakes he’d made. Laura Jackson represented to him every person his own gambling addiction had hurt. If he could keep her safe, maybe he could make up for his past, even if just a little.
* * *
Laura’s mind raced. Sleep was impossible. Thoughts of the night’s events kept playing over and over again, reminding her that she was in a stranger’s home. How had she just gotten into the man’s truck and driven away with him? Away from everything and everyone familiar to her? Yes, she’d been under attack. Those men had been out to get her. But how did she know Colton Blackwell wasn’t one of Randall’s men, as well? For all she knew, his intervention had been planned, premeditated, to get her right where Randall wanted her—alone, frightened, vulnerable...and looking for a hero.
She stopped that line of thinking before she made herself crazy. Randall’s men had been after her and Colton had rescued her. She’d acted on instinct, going along with him because she’d had no choice. But that didn’t mean she had to remain with him now that the moment of danger had passed.
She picked up the phone to call for help, then realized she had no idea where she was...except for the city. Compton. That was, of course, assuming he’d been telling her the truth. She couldn’t trust him. After all, the only thing she knew about Colton Blackwell was that he’d said he had been watching her. What if he was worse than Randall? There was no telling what this man wanted from her.
Certainly she’d been acting purely on adrenaline before. But now that she’d had plenty of time to digest what was happening, she realized she had to get away from him. Now. Tonight. She would sneak out and flag down a car for help.
She slipped back into her shoes and quietly unlocked the bedroom door. Opening it softly, she walked to the top of the stairs and peeked down. The house looked dark except for the dim light above the kitchen range. She glanced at the sofa bed where Colton said he would be sleeping and saw a figure wrapped in a blanket. Now was her time to escape—while he was asleep. Hopefully she would be well out of his grasp before he awakened in the morning.
She tiptoed across the floor and quietly pulled open the door.
“Don’t move!” Colton hollered, leaping from the sofa bed and pointing a gun at her.
“Please don’t hurt me,” Laura cried out. Her heart raced with fear at the sight of Colton’s gun trained on her. This only confirmed what she’d been afraid of: Colton Blackwell was not her friend.
He flipped on the light and the intensity of his expression fell. “Laura, I nearly shot you.” Lowering the gun, he rasped, “What are you doing?”
She pressed herself against the door and tried to breathe. No telling what he might do to her now that he’d caught her trying to sneak away. Would he continue with the charade of trying to protect her? She struggled to find her voice against the rapid shaking of her muscles. “Please, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone who you are.” Tears streamed down her face. “Please. I just want to go home.”
His expression softened and he nodded. “Okay, Laura. Okay.” He placed the gun on the table and then turned to her. “I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to help you.”
But all the reasons why she couldn’t trust him kept flittering through her mind. She didn’t know him. She didn’t know his intentions. How could she really believe him? And why would someone like him want to help someone like her?
He gave a resigned sigh. “Let’s try this another way.” He grabbed the truck keys from the end table and held them out to her. “Take these. Take the truck. Take my phone. Call your father and confirm my story, but don’t tell him where you are. If he knows, Randall could force him to tell.” He pulled cash from his wallet. “Take this money. Find a hotel and hole up there for a few days. But don’t go home, Laura. You’re not safe at home.”
The keys shook in her hand. “You...you’re letting me go?”
“You’re not my prisoner. If you don’t want my protection, fine. I get it. You don’t know me. If this is the only way you’ll allow me to help you, then take it.”
She turned and ran to the truck, certain he would be right behind her to stop her, certain this was all a sick trick to make her trust him. But he was offering her a way out and she was going to take it.
She climbed into the truck and started the engine. Colton was still on the porch, standing, watching her, making no move to stop her. She jammed the truck into gear and sped up the drive. She saw him in the mirror, still watching, making no move to stop her or to follow her.
She stopped at the end of the drive. The house was no longer visible and the darkness of the road stretched in front of her. She had no idea where she was going or what she was going to do. Her pulse was slowing; fear of the unknown replacing her need to flee. If she left Colton, she had no idea what she was getting into. Randall and his men were still coming for her, and if they’d tried to abduct her once, they would do it again.
She leaned against the steering wheel as confusion confounded her. Was it really possible that Colton was just who he’d said he was and that all he wanted was to help her? All she knew for certain was that bad men were after her and that Colton had done nothing but protect her from them.
She glanced at his cell phone on the seat beside her. Colton had said her father had hired him and that would be easy enough to confirm. She picked up his phone and recognized her dad’s number listed under his recent calls.
She pressed the number and waited. He answered on the third ring.
“Dad, something happened t
onight.”
“I know, Laura. Colton already called me. Are you okay, honey?”
“I—I don’t know. Who is this guy, Dad? How do I know I can trust him?”
There was a long pause. “You can trust him, Laura. I believe he really wants to help.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she snapped. “I can’t believe you did this to me.”
She heard the catch in his voice as he rushed to apologize. “Laura, I’m sorry. I never thought this would happen.”
She caught herself before she said what she was really thinking. You never thought about me, only about yourself.
“Well, it’s a little too late for regrets now, don’t you think?”
“Laura, please, I—”
Satisfied that the army ranger had indeed been hired by her father and unwilling to stomach any more of Bill Jackson’s lame excuses, Laura clicked off the phone.
She needed to trust Colton Blackwell—and pray he was the good guy he appeared to be.
Taking a deep, bolstering breath, she put the truck into Reverse, turned around and headed back toward the house.
He was still on the porch, barefoot, his dark hair disheveled, as if he’d been running his hands through it. He’d obviously not made a move even to put his boots on. She pulled up to the porch and stopped the truck.
She stared at him through the open window, glad she’d returned, because no matter what her overly analytical mind said, she needed to trust this man with her life.
* * *
She was shivering when Colton led her into the house. He doubted it was from the slight breeze in the night air, though, as much as the threats against her. He ushered her into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. She sat watching him as he turned on the coffee and let it brew, then lowered his large, muscular frame into an adjacent chair and got down to business. “Let’s talk about who is after you, Laura. Your father already gave me the basics, but I’d like to hear it from you. Who were those men tonight?”
Her chin quivered as the weight of her situation settled into her. “They work for a man named Chuck Randall.”
“The loan shark?”
“You know him?”
Colton knew him well. He’d had dealings with him once or twice back in his gambling days. “I’ve heard of him. He prowls the casinos in River City looking for souls desperate enough to utilize his services. But what does he want with you?”
Her face reddened and she lowered her head, shame coloring her face. “My father is indebted to him.”
“And he wants to use you as leverage to get your father to pay?”
“Not exactly. It started with him wanting me to cover my dad’s bills. I refused, but he kept hassling me. He threatened me. He said my father would die if I didn’t pay. Finally he said he would wipe out my father’s debt if I did something for him.”
“What does he want you to do, Laura?” Colton asked, his face already grim in anticipation of her response.
A sob caught in her throat and her calm began to unravel. Her hands shook and he could see voicing the truth was painful and bitter. “He wants me to marry him. And if I don’t, he will kill my father.”
Colton was stunned. This went beyond just getting payment for gambling debts. It had already escalated into something much more sinister. Money could be paid back, but if Randall had set his eyes on Laura and she’d rebuked him, she could be in real danger.
“I tried to tell him I wasn’t interested, but his advances only got worse. He phoned me constantly. He sent me flowers and gifts. He even showed up at my work. I begged him to leave me alone. Why would he want someone who doesn’t want him?”
Colton wasn’t surprised. “Randall is used to getting whatever he wants. He’s used to owning people through his money. It’s about power. When he couldn’t control you with money or threats or gifts, he became obsessed with having you. He sent men after you, which means either he’s decided to take you by force or else he wants you to pay for what he would consider the ultimate betrayal.”
She shuddered, rightly frightened by the situation she was in, and he had the sudden urge to take her into his arms and comfort her. He pushed back that feeling and instead steeled himself with determination to keep her safe from Randall and his crazy demands.
“How do I convince him to stop? I’ll give him the money. I’ll pay him whatever he wants to leave me alone.”
“You can’t, Laura. It’s no longer about money. It’s about control.”
She shuddered again and he rushed to reassure her, placing his hand over hers and relishing the softness of her skin. “I told you, Laura, this is what I do, and I’m good at my job. Don’t worry. We’ll find you a way out of this mess.”
She turned those wide green eyes full of hope on him. He’d seen situations like this before and knew they didn’t often work out well, but he didn’t let that sway his resolve. He would keep her safe no matter what it took.
“What about my father?”
“Randall will put pressure on him to uncover your whereabouts, but he can’t tell what he doesn’t know. Bill doesn’t know where I live. I never even told him my last name. Did you call him?”
“Yes,” she replied.
Narrowing his eyes, he gave her a look. “You didn’t tell him where you are, did you?”
“No, I didn’t tell him.”
* * *
She shivered at the thought that Randall might hurt her dad just to get to her. A tear slipped from her eye. She wiped it away quickly. The last thing she wanted was for Colton to feel sorry for him.
“You’re worried about him?” he asked gently.
She pushed away that worry and shook her head. She was done crying for him. “He brought this on me. He placed my life in danger so he could try for his next big score. He stopped thinking of me as a daughter a long time ago.”
“Gambling is just like any other drug. It’s a crutch—”
Laura stopped him before he continued. She was sure he meant well, but she’d heard it all before. “Spare me the ‘gambling is an addiction’ spiel, Colton. I can’t tell you how many people have tried to tell me my dad has a sickness and that he can’t help himself. I tried to help him. I tried everything I knew to do to help him, but he didn’t want my help.” Her anger rising, she blew out a frustrated breath. “All he wanted from me was another handout, and when I stopped giving them, he stopped coming around. I’m sorry for the hole he’s dug himself into, but now he’s dragged me into it with him, and if only one of us can get out of it, it’s going to be me. I won’t continue to let his problem control me.”
She turned away from him, walked back into the den and plopped down on the couch, sinking into the cushions and hoping Colton wouldn’t continue to try to justify her father’s actions. She needed to stay mad at her dad. It was the only thing that was holding her together. But if Colton kept pulling at that string, her entire demeanor might unravel. She couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t do herself any good if she became a hysterical mess.
Colton obviously took the hint. “It’s late and I realize you haven’t had anything to eat since you got off work. Why don’t I whip you up some eggs?”
She appreciated all he’d done for her, all he was trying to do for her, but there was no point in him cooking for her. She hadn’t eaten since her lunch break, now nearly eight hours ago, but the pit in her stomach would prevent her from keeping anything down. “I appreciate the thought, but I’m just going to go upstairs and try to get some sleep.”
He was by her side in an instant. “Laura, I’m sorry if I upset you.” His handsome face was full of kindness and concern. For one crazy moment she imagined stepping into his embrace and weeping against his strong shoulders. But that was only a pipe dream.
“None of this is your fault, Colton. In fact
, you’re the one bright spot in all of this.”
In fact, she didn’t know what she would have done without him and his intervention. She should never have doubted him. She’d prayed for a way out of this mess, and God had sent her Colton. For that, she was grateful, although she would have preferred that God make the entire mess go away so she could continue on with her life.
Would she ever have a normal life again? She realized she’d taken normalcy for granted when she’d had it. When her mom had gotten sick and died, her father had turned to the casinos for comfort. Laura’s life had not been the same since.
She longed for the assurance of a job where no one knew how dysfunctional her family was, and the stability of a home that didn’t include having to sneak out in the middle of the night because her dad had gambled away the rent money. Mostly, she longed for a loving relationship. That one day she’d have someone who would stand beside her and share her burdens, and she could share his... A lump rose to her throat. But who would ever want to share the burdens she carried? Any man in his right mind would run screaming for the hills when he discovered her twisted family ties.
She swallowed hard, determined not to let her vulnerability show. For now, she had Colton, and she would take what she could get for as long as she could. Because eventually he would realize the depth of the hole her father had dug for her, and he would realize the futility of trying to help her out of it. He would be gone, just like the rest, because the load she carried was too heavy for anyone else to bear.
He stopped her before she reached the stairs. “Laura, we all make choices that have consequences. Some of those consequences are worse than others. I’m sure your father never meant to do anything to cause you harm.”
“He’s getting what he deserves. He brought this on, not me. I can’t concern myself with him right now.” She rushed up the stairs and locked herself in the bedroom before the tears began to fall.
* * *
Colton leaned against the sink. Laura might as well have punched him in the gut. It felt the same. Her words had hit him. Hard. She didn’t know it, but she could have been talking about him when she’d spoken about her father. She was a living, breathing, in-your-face reminder of all the people he’d hurt through his dark time.
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