by Amy Hale
She sighed. “Sorry. I should have discussed an invitation with you first. I just thought…”
Colt smiled at her. “No, it’s fine, sweetheart. We can figure it out. I’m sure we can make room.”
Jeremy shook his head. “No, thanks. I prefer to stay here. Alone.” He gave Jane another look, and she felt shame race through her. She’d left him. She’d left them all.
Colt stood and stretched causing Jeremy to take a step backward. “Cool your jets, kid. I’m not out to hurt you. Any friend of Jane’s is a friend of mine.”
“Jane? Who’s Jane?”
Jane gave Jeremy a tight smile. “I am. I changed my name. It’s another long story.” She paused and looked around. “Do you need anything? Clothes? Food? A hot shower?”
He perked up at the mention of a shower. “A shower would be nice. I’ve been using wet wipes I stole from the market down the street. It’s better than nothing, but I’m tired of smelling like a baby.”
Jane looked at Colt and he nodded in agreement. Her shoulders relaxed. “I’ll give you the address. Come by when you’re ready.”
Jeremy shuffled his feet, outwardly uncomfortable with accepting any sort of charity. “Yeah. Okay.”
Jane sat at the kitchen table, maps spread out in front of her. Colt sat next to her and handed her one of two beers he’d just pulled from the fridge. She popped the tab and took a long drink before setting it down and picking up an ink pen. She circled a few smaller towns and two bigger cities that surrounded the wooded area.
“They could be anywhere, but hopefully they’ve chosen to stay close as Jeremy did.”
Colt bent over the map. “I’m guessing the bigger areas would be easier to hide in. They can blend in with the crowds and not stand out, unlike these smaller places where everyone knows everyone else’s business.”
Jane chuckled. “Are you still upset at Mrs. Foster? She was only trying to help.”
Colt stood up. “She needs to mind her own business.” Jane bit back a smile and he frowned. “You’d think after living next to her all these years she’d know me better than to accuse me of hurting a woman.”
“Well, in her defense, I was pretty loud.”
He smiled. “Yes. Yes, you were. And it was a huge turn on…until she came barging in the door and killed the mood.”
Jane put her hand over her mouth to hide the laughter that she knew would soon have her clutching her sides.
“It wasn’t that funny,” Colt muttered.
Her eyes went wide, and she bobbed her head up and down. “Oh, yes it was. Especially when she realized what was happening. I don’t know which I enjoyed more—your shocked reaction to an elderly lady watching us, or her parting comment about your cute butt.”
He groaned. “Oh hell. Don’t remind me. Now every time I see her she tries to pinch my ass.”
Jane couldn’t hold it in any longer and leaned back into the chair, tears running down her face as she struggled to breathe.
“Okay, that’s it.” Colt grabbed her at the waist and tossed her over his shoulder. She shrieked, and he playfully swatted her backside. “Shhh. Don’t give that handsy fossil an excuse to come back over here.”
She continued to snicker as he started down the hall, fully intent on taking her to bed. He wanted to keep her smiling. He missed this playful, carefree side of her and he felt no shame in taking advantage of the rare glimpses she gave him.
He’d just entered the bedroom when he heard a noise in the kitchen and he froze.
Jane stilled as well. “Colt? What it is?”
“Someone is in the kitchen.” He carefully slid her down his body until she reached the floor. “Brett’s not due back until tomorrow.” He narrowed his eyes. “I swear to… If Mrs. Foster is in our kitchen because of your little scream a moment ago, you get to be the one to walk her home. My ass is still tender from the last time.”
Jane didn’t smile. His words didn’t match his grim expression. He obviously didn’t think it was the neighbor.
He grabbed the shotgun he kept near the bed and quietly made his way down the hall with Jane close behind him. He stopped once he reached the kitchen entryway and raised the barrel, pointing it at the back of a man standing in front of the open refrigerator door. The intruder had something in one hand and appeared to be digging through the fridge with the other.
“You gonna shoot a hungry friend in the back?” Jeremy’s voice was sarcastic and he put a heavy emphasis on the word friend. He turned around and Colt lowered the gun.
“No, I don’t shoot friends, but our friends usually knock so they don’t accidentally get riddled with buckshot.”
Jeremy took a bite of an apple, then smiled as he shut the door to the fridge. “My bad. I’ll knock next time.”
Colt turned to walk back down the hall, throwing “I’d appreciate that” over his shoulder as he left to put the gun away.
Jane smiled and motioned for Jeremy to have a seat. “Would you like a hot meal? We don’t usually have dinner for another couple of hours, but I’d be glad to start it early. Or make you something else.”
Jeremy glanced at the empty doorway as if he was expecting Colt to pounce any moment. He took another bite of apple. “Nah, this’ll do for now.” Then, as if he’d just realized he’d forgotten his manners, he added, “Thank you, though.”
Colt walked back in and sat himself next to Jane, placing his arm on the back of her chair. Jeremy swallowed another bite of apple and then cleared his throat. “I want to… I want to say thanks. And also, I’m sorry.”
Jane frowned. “What could you possibly have to apologize for?”
Colt couldn’t help himself. “Being rude, maybe?”
She lightly smacked his chest. “Colt.”
Jeremy held up a hand. “No, he’s right. I’ve been rude. I barged in here without knocking and scared the crap out of you.”
Colt shifted in his seat. “Well, I don’t know if that’s an accurate statement, but yeah, we were concerned.”
Jeremy shook his head. “I was also rude to you this afternoon when you found me. You didn’t deserve that. You’ve always been kind to me.”
She reached for his hand, and he flinched a bit, then placed his palm against hers. She gave it a light squeeze. “We’ve been friends a long time, Jeremy. I owe you an apology as well. I should never have left without you.” Her voice cracked. “Without any of you. I should have stayed and helped you.”
Jeremy’s eyes filled with tears. “No. You’re wrong. You managed to do what no one thought was possible. You escaped. You have no idea the amount of hope that gave us. Professor and Julia tried to say they caught you and had you locked away as punishment, but we knew better. We knew you were gone. We could feel it.”
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Jeremy smiled at her and she saw the friend she remembered so fondly. “We did think that you’d come back for us with reinforcements, but when you didn’t, we all worried that something awful had happened. I want you to know we never blamed you, Alice. No, sorry. Jane.” He turned his head and studied her for a moment. “Funny, Jane suits you better now. I don’t know why, but it does.”
She wiped away another tear. “Thank you.”
He gave her hand one more squeeze and pulled his hand away. “When I heard you sing… I didn’t know what to believe. I knew it had to be you. It was your voice. It was the song you sang to many of us when we were too scared to sleep. But I’ll admit, I was also angry. You were alive, and you never came for us.” He stared at a small scratch on the table. “I realize now that was an unfair assumption. You would have come back for us if you could have.”
Colt pushed the maps in Jeremy’s direction. “We’ve been looking. Jane lost her memory for a time. Professor Russell found her. The big commotion that let you escape was our doing. We were there. She was fighting back.”
Jeremy’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “You fought back? Really?”
She nodded. “I’m not proud
of what I had to do, Jeremy, but Professor Russell won’t bother anyone ever again.”
The relief in Jeremy’s face was palpable as he slumped in his chair. “It’s over?”
Jane tried to think of a positive spin. “No, it’s not over. Not quite yet. But we’re working on it.” She pointed to the map. “We’ve been searching for you. All of you.” She leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. “I was hurt during the confrontation, and I needed time to heal. But by the time anyone had gone back to the compound, everything and everyone had been moved.”
Jeremy nodded in understanding. “I see. So nothing much has changed.”
Colt interrupted. “That’s where you’re wrong. The professor is gone, and two of his goons ran for their lives. They know what Jane can do and they are running scared. We just need to find them so we can put a stop to this once and for all.”
Her voice was soft, but confident. “We can beat them, Jeremy. We just need to build up our resources and find their hiding place. I won’t rest until The Curators are extinct.”
He looked at Colt and Jane, soaking in the gravity of what they intended to do. He put both palms on the table. “I’m in. Just tell me what you need from me.”
Jane had successfully talked Jeremy into staying with them, at least for the time being. He brought his few belongings back to the house and settled into the extra bedroom. Brett had his dorm at the college, so he didn’t sleep there often enough to warrant saving the room exclusively for him.
Jane was setting dinner on the table when Jeremy walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel.
“Hey, sorry to bother you. Does Colt have an extra razor I could borrow? I’d like to shave off this scruff.”
Jane was a bit uncomfortable with Jeremy’s state of undress, but she hid it well. “He probably does. Look in the lower left hand drawer of the cabinet just below the sink.”
Jeremy smiled at her. “Thanks.” He stood there a minute and watched her then turned and walked back down the hall.
“That was awkward,” Jane muttered to herself as she went out to the garage. Colt sat on a small step stool, polishing the chrome on his 2010 Harley Wide Glide. She stopped and observed him for a moment. His hair had grown longer since that first time he’d strolled into her hospital room. A blond lock fell across his forehead every time he bent forward and she found herself wishing she were close enough to brush it back from his perfect face.
He must have sensed her presence. A smirk formed on his lips as he picked up a rag and put it in a box with a bottle of polish and various other cleaning supplies. He kept his eyes on the bike as he stood up. “Miss me already?”
Jane rolled her eyes. “Yes, the last thirty minutes have been agonizing without you.” She walked down the two concrete stairs in front of the door then took the few remaining steps left to reach him. She raised her fingers to his hair and brushed it back from his face.
Colt closed his eyes. He loved it when she ran her fingers through his hair; it was the main reason he’d let it grow out. Normally, he preferred a shorter, spikier cut, but she seemed fascinated by the longer look, so he’d put off getting it trimmed.
He opened his eyes and stared into hers. He grasped her other hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm. She shivered. It was almost imperceptible, but Colt knew her well enough to catch those little reactions. He loved that he could still make her tremble with just a touch. He hoped that never changed.
Jane took a step closer, and they were touching chest to chest. Colt put an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him before kissing her soundly. He was just about to deepen the kiss when he heard Jeremy clear his throat.
Standing in the doorway, the young man was dressed in some of Brett’s older clothing and had showered and shaved. He was in better shape than she had originally assumed once all the baggy clothing was gone. Jane had feared he’d gone hungry and lost weight, but that turned out to actually be a loss of fat replaced by defined muscles. He was still a little lanky but resembled very little of the young man she’d last seen at the compound. He looked a little embarrassed to catch them kissing, and Colt realized that Jane was blushing as well.
Jeremy broke the short but awkward silence. “Thanks for the clean clothes. And the razor. I feel much better.”
Colt nodded. “Glad we can help.” He gave Jane a light squeeze. “Is dinner ready?”
“Oh, yes. That’s what I came out here to tell you. I guess I got…distracted.”
Colt couldn’t hide his satisfied grin and softly whispered, “Yeah, I guess you did.” She didn’t reply as she headed for the door, but he imagined she was rolling her gorgeous eyes at him once more.
Jeremy sat on the couch next to Jane. He was bouncing his leg nervously and staring at the map Colt and Jane had shown him the night before. She placed a hand on his in the hopes to calm some of his anxiety. He turned his palm up under hers and squeezed tightly.
“It’ll be fine, Jeremy.”
He glanced at her, then back at the map. “How can you be sure? What if they come back while we are there?”
“They won’t. The way they cleared out, I doubt they ever plan to return.”
“Then why go back to the compound? If they don’t plan to come back, they won’t leave anything behind worth finding.”
“Possibly. But I feel like we’ve missed something. We have very few leads, so it’s something I have to do. You are welcome to stay here of course. No one would blame you.”
Jeremy’s mouth formed a disapproving line, then looked down the empty hallway. “Is Colt going?”
“Yes. He’d never allow me to go alone. But I can defend myself very well, so I’m not worried either way.”
He straightened his spine, determination set in his eyes. “I should go. I’m a man, and I should act like it.”
She gave him a slight grin. “You just turned nineteen, right?”
“Yes, but age doesn’t matter. I can’t stay home hiding while you are out there risking your life.”
“You’re right. Age isn’t an issue. It’s character that counts, and you have good character, Jeremy. You always have.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to be scared or worried. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
He thought about that for a moment. “I guess so. Either way, I’m going. I need to face this too.”
Colt had just gotten home and walked in with white paper sacks in both hands. He raised them up. “I have donuts and coffee.” His eyes slipped to Jane and Jeremy’s joined hands, then her face. He turned and walked into the kitchen, placing the food on the table. He pulled out the coffee and sat it out along with the creamers and sweeteners. Placing the donuts beside them, he pulled some plates from the cabinet.
Jeremy and Jane entered the kitchen and sat at the table. They both helped themselves to breakfast while Colt stood at the counter looking out the window. Jane thought he seemed distracted.
“Colt, are we ready for the trip to the compound?” she asked.
He turned and sighed loudly. “Yeah. As ready as we’ll ever be, I guess. How about you? You seemed to sleep well last night. Are you rested and ready should we need to defend ourselves?”
Jeremy looked at Jane. “You said you didn’t think we’d have any problems.”
She shook her head. “I don’t, but it’s smart to be prepared.” She looked at Colt. “I’m ready.”
Colt doctored up his coffee and then took a sip. “Okay, we’ll leave after I get the truck loaded.” Then he grabbed a donut and walked out of the kitchen, heading to the garage.
Jeremy stuffed in his last two bites of donut then wiped his mouth. After another swig of coffee, he asked, “Is Colt scared?”
She gave him a tight smile. “Yes. He worries about me.”
“He looks older than us.”
Jane let a little laugh slip out. “He’s twenty-five, so not too much older. I’m twenty-two now.”
Jeremy smirked
. “Sheesh. When did you become such an old lady?”
She gave him a smack on the arm. “Hey! No old people jokes, or I’ll send you next door and let you meet Mrs. Foster.”
Jeremy looked confused. “Why is that a punishment?”
Her smile beamed as she held in her laughter. “You’ll have to ask Colt; he has first-hand experience with her.”
Colt put a few staples in the truck—water, food, tools, flashlights, and a few weapons should they be needed. He wasn’t planning to stay there any longer than necessary, but they needed to be ready for anything. According to the description Jane gave him, the compound was huge and could take a while to explore. The outside just looked like a small warehouse, but there were tunnels and rooms built underneath the main building. The underground areas were built specifically to hide the real reason The Curators were there.
He slammed the driver’s door and walked back into the house. He’d been in a surly mood ever since dinner the evening before. Jeremy and Jane were old friends and while he shouldn’t, at times he felt like the odd man out. Normally, he wouldn’t care about something like that, but when it came to Jane, his emotions were anything but normal. He was fiercely protective of her, and he realized last night that Jeremy was too. That should have made him happy, so why did it genuinely annoy him instead?
Colt had never been good at sharing. While she had made it clear that she wasn’t an object to be owned, he couldn’t help but think of Jane as his. If he was completely honest with himself, he was jealous of the bond Jeremy and Jane seemed to share. They were almost like family. Again, he knew he should have been glad, but his selfish side was fighting against it.
The subject of his frustration was leaning against the wall, looking out the window at the backyard. He was watching Jane pull laundry from a clothesline, then fold it and put it in a basket. Colt took that moment to observe Jeremy and realized the boy may have been a little smitten with her. He couldn’t blame him. Any man with eyes and half a brain tripped over himself to get her attention. She was unique and intoxicating. He promised himself that he’d cut the kid some slack. For all he knew, Jeremy hadn’t seen a woman of any sort for years, outside of the girls imprisoned with him. Although it’d only been a few months since Jeremy had seen her last, Jane had changed and matured physically, as well as mentally.