by Alicia Rae
He swiftly raised his hand and waved it at the waitress as she passed by.
She came to our table. “Can I get you something, sir?”
His hot molten eyes were focused on me as he answered, “Yes, our bill, please.”
“Of course, sir,” she said before walking away.
I knew what he was thinking about without him voicing it aloud, yet I still asked him anyway, “Why are we leaving so soon?”
“I’m ready to take my girl home, so I can strip her out of those sexy heels and make love to her into the morning hours until I have her convinced to marry me…soon.” He smiled boyishly.
After Colton settled the bill, he took my hand in his and led me to the front doors without breaking his stride. We walked outside into the night where we made an immediate left down the sidewalk and continued down the side of the stone building.
Colton retrieved his keys and unlocked his truck where he guided me toward the passenger door and opened it.
Wanting to show him my appreciation for this evening out on the town, I surprised him with a sneak attack. I gathered my hands around his nape and yanked his face closer to mine. The scent of his shaving cream and cologne filled my senses, overwhelming me.
“Thank you for dinner.” I smiled before kissing him.
“You’re more than welcome,” he said against my mouth before taking it again.
I squinted as bright headlights slowly started to pull into the space next to us. Without breaking our connection, Colton eased us toward the truck, so he could shut the door fractionally and allow the vehicle to enter the vacant space.
Laughing, he drew back. “All right, lady, in you go. The faster we leave, the faster I can get you home and naked.”
“Sounds good to me,” I replied. I pivoted to face the inside of his truck, so I could hop up.
“Ah, Colton, what are you doing to that poor woman besides mauling her in a public place?” Hank purred.
My stomach recoiled. I slightly glanced back at him over my shoulder. Hank’s attention was focused on us, and even in the dim lighting, I could see the venom dripping from his face.
“Paige, get in the car—now,” Colton demanded at my back in a tone not to be argued with.
At the same time, Hank said, “Colton, Paige, leaving so soon?” He sighed. “But, Paige, I haven’t had time to ask how Sadie’s doing?”
My heart splintered as my body froze.
“Get in the fucking truck, Paige,” Colton pleaded on a low whisper, snapping me into action.
I hastily climbed into the truck and sat on the seat. Colton’s hand lifted to the side of his vehicle, preparing to shut the door.
“Aw, come on. Don’t be like that. You should know, she didn’t even have time to run or whimper. It was painless,” Hank pushed.
And that was it.
The air was sucked from my lungs as the next few seconds happened so fast. I barely had time to let out a small cry as Colton pivoted on his feet and launched himself at Hank, going straight for the throat.
I flung myself out of the truck and went after Colton as Hank fell backward into his Mercedes. Colton lifted his arm and connected his fist with Hank’s face, causing a distinctive cracking noise to fill the air.
“Call the police!” someone shouted as a few screams filled the background.
I grabbed Colton by the back of his shirt and tugged on him with all my might. “Colton, stop!”
“Why can’t you just leave us alone?” Colton roared as he continued to pound his fist into Hank’s jaw over and over again.
Blood streamed from Hank’s nose and mouth, and I knew I had to do something, anything to stop Colton.
I threw myself around Colton’s shoulders where I locked my arms around him and yanked him back hard. “Colton, please stop! It’s what he wants. Stop!”
Colton must have finally heard me, or he let me win because I ended up flat on my ass in between two cars with him on top of me.
Colton immediately sat up and pulled me with him while scanning my body for injuries. “Oh my God, Paige. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” At the disbelief in his face, I repeated, “I’m fine.” My bottom lip quivered as I briefly glanced at his hand covered in blood. “I’m more worried about you.”
Drawing me into his chest, he slightly lifted me and scooted us across the pavement to rest his back against his truck. “If you’re fine, I’ll be fine. That’s all that matters.”
I turned to bury my face in Colton’s warmth, and I nuzzled my nose into his chest, slipping into my own private bubble with Colton. I knew I had only a few minutes with him as I heard sirens sounding from a distance.
Colton’s arms tightened around me. I tuned out the noise around me as I focused my attention on the drumming of Colton’s heart by my ear.
Our chests heaved for air as the last couple of minutes replayed in my mind. Screams and shouting continued around us.
This is bad.
People rushed in to help Hank, but his menacing eyes were locked on us.
“Looks like your temper just sealed your coffin, Colton. Or should I say jail cell?”
Colton went rigid beneath me as Hank made a smug expression.
The motion caused him to squeal in pain and throw his hands over his face. “I think you broke my damn nose!”
“Keep talking, and I’ll break every bone in your fucking body,” Colton growled.
Red and blue lights came into view, blinding me, and I knew my time with Colton was up. I tilted my gaze up to his, my body trembling—or maybe it was Colton who was shaking. Shit, it could very well be both of us.
Knowing I only had seconds before the police handcuffed Colton and took my cowboy away from me, I told him, “I love you.”
Colton closed his eyes, hiding his emotions, as he lowered his lips to my forehead and kissed me. “I love you, too, Paige. No one and nothing will ever take that from me.”
The squad car skidded to a halt with two more sounding behind the first. Footsteps hit the pavement and headed right for us.
“There! That’s the man!” a man shouted.
“Yes, that’s him. He just attacked that helpless old man on the ground for no reason! Arrest him!” a woman called.
Colton helped me to my feet and resumed hugging me as officers began to question witnesses. I clung to him so tightly that my arms began to shake.
“Sir, you are under arrest. I’m going to need you to slowly lift your hands in the air and step backward to me with your face toward the building,” a stocky short officer told Colton.
With tears in my eyes, I watched Colton as he followed the instructions. His expression was somber.
A second officer came around the sidewalk and gently pulled on my arm. “Ma’am, we need you to step back this way.”
At the same time, Colton’s eyes flickered to life, and he quietly growled, “Get your hands off of her.”
I lightly shooed at the officer’s hand on my arm, so Colton would calm down.
I did what the man had asked of me while looking up at him. “You don’t understand. This wasn’t his fault,” I pleaded with the officer.
“Ma’am, we are going to need you to come with us down to the police station for questioning.”
All I could do was nod my head as I watched in utter horror while Colton was searched, handcuffed, and hauled to the police car.
AFTER THE NEXT THREE HOURS of sitting at the police station and being hammered with questions, the officer who had brought me in informed me that I was free to go. I asked about when Colton would be released, but they wouldn’t tell me anything specific about his bail.
I headed for the exit without delay and pulled my cell phone from my pocket. There were a few people congregating around the entrance, so I made my way to the side of the building while searching through my Contacts list, wondering who I could call. I didn’t want to call my parents and worry them over tonight’s events, and it was too late to ask Ashlee to drive th
is far. Kyle’s name scrolled into view, and I hit the Call button.
Once out of sight, my legs gave out, and I sank down on the edge of the sidewalk.
Kyle answered on the third ring, “Hello?”
His voice brought a wave of tears to my eyes.
“Kyle, can you please come pick me up from the police station?” I cried.
“Paige, are you all right?” he asked, panic evident in his tone. “You just stay put. I’m on my way.”
I opened my mouth to speak when a sharp object was pointed at my lower back, earning a yelp to seep out of my lungs. At the same time, the phone was seized from my hand.
From the corner of my eye, I watched a finger click the End button, and Kyle’s frantic voice was cut off by the man crouched down behind me.
“Not another sound, or I’ll put a bullet in your back,” said a voice I instantly knew belonged to Eddie.
My eyes darted from left to right, not seeing a single soul within earshot who could help me. All the chattering came from the front of the building where I had so carelessly wandered from. I inwardly chastised myself for being so foolish.
“What do you want from me?” I whispered.
He pressed the tip of the gun harder against my spine. “I want you to get up, very slowly, and walk with me to the end of the parking lot.”
Trembling, I did as he’d instructed while gradually rotating my head to face the man I’d believed loved my family.
He concealed his gun by slipping it inside his jacket, still pointing it at me. “Walk.”
I hadn’t realized I hesitated, but I found the courage to stand my ground. “How could you betray my father, Colton, and me like this?” I asked, making sure I didn’t disobey him by speaking too loudly.
“I’ve been given no choice but to follow orders. You two are the ones who made enemies with the wrong person, not me. I’m just doing my job.” He shoved me forward, hard. “Quit talking, and walk.”
I began to take gradual steps, praying someone would discover us and come to my rescue.
No one did.
We passed three police cars before he pushed me, causing me to stumble in my heels. I landed on the pavement in between two cars. He grasped the back of my dress, catching a handful of my hair. I cried out, but there wasn’t anyone to hear me.
“Quiet!” he exclaimed on a hiss. He pushed me a few more feet until he unlocked the back door to a car and shoved me inside.
Ducking his head, he snapped a set of handcuffs over my wrists. My hands began to shake uncontrollably at the idea of being restrained.
He reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun.
“Please don’t,” I cried as my blood pumped heavily with fear.
Bringing his hand toward my face, he said, “Now, lie down.” He cracked the gun against my temple.
An unconceivable wave of pain ignited in my skull as everything went pitch-black.
“Wake up!” Eddie snapped.
I cried out at the noise, not seeing anything at first. My vision was blurry, so I blinked hastily, bidding the fogginess to leave my eyes.
A hand grasped my arm and yanked me. I felt weightless as I flew to the ground, gravel biting into my palms and knees and shins.
“Please let me go,” I begged. I gasped for air as I tried to see while hoping Eddie would show me mercy. “Don’t do this.”
“Reynolds, you got her?” another man asked.
The voice wasn’t familiar to me.
“What does it look like?” Eddie countered.
“Don’t get cocky with me, Reynolds, or I’ll set you straight. Get her inside before the boss gets here,” the other man demanded.
Eddie grabbed the back of my dress as I scrambled on weak limbs. “Get up!” he shouted.
Footsteps hit the gravel while I tried to steady my eyes as I failed to stand.
“Motherfucking hell, what did you do to her?” the man yelled.
My eyes began to focus on the ground, confirming it was gravel beneath me.
“I had to get her here somehow, didn’t I?” Eddie retorted.
“Yes, but you didn’t have to hurt her.”
Eddie laughed amusingly. “Wait till you see what the boss will do to her for her man breaking his nose. He’s already on his way from the hospital.”
“Get out of my way, and go open the door,” the guy said as he lowered to his haunches beside me.
I slightly turned my head and took in his dark brown hair and green eyes.
“Get away from me,” I cried, prepared to crawl in the opposite direction.
Suddenly, he picked me up and cradled me in his arms. A second wave of dizziness rolled through me from the rapid motion. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and acid churned in my stomach.
“Put me down!” I tried to scream, but it came out as a dull shriek from the dryness in my throat. My head throbbed in pain as I thrashed in his arms.
“Quit it, or I’ll drop you flat on your ass.”
Jingling sounded in front of me, and I turned my head to the right. Utter shock took my breath away at seeing we were at Colton’s house.
“The door won’t open. It’s locked.” Eddie turned to face us. “You’d better hope she has the keys.”
The man holding me sighed. “We are in the middle of nowhere. Use your common sense, and kick the fucking thing down.”
“Yeah, right,” Eddie bit out.
“Move,” the guy shouted, making me jump.
I was swayed backward into his chest and then jolted forward. Wood splintered, and the house alarm assaulted my sensitive ears. I dry-heaved, and my head screamed in pain.
Eddie stepped around us. “Fuck, it’s an alarm.”
I was tossed to my feet, and I barely caught myself before my face hit the hardwood.
The guy said, “No shit.”
“What do we do? Make a run for it?” Eddie asked in panic.
The guy grabbed my arm and pulled me up while spinning me to face him. His bright green eyes burned into me as he demanded, “Turn it off.”
Police would come if it stayed on, so I forced my spine straight and met his stare. “No.”
He dived into his back pocket, pulled out a silver gun, and pressed it to my forehead. “Don’t fuck with me. Turn it off.”
My heart felt like it doubled in size and then slammed into my rib cage with every beat. Knowing I could either choose to end my life here or give in to the possibility that someone might save me, I took my chances and directed my attention to the alarm where I pressed the code into the keypad with shaky fingers.
When the beeping stopped, I felt as though my heart did, too, because I’d just ended my own chance at being rescued.
Then, I turned back to the man with green eyes who I’d thought showed me a sliver of compassion on the gravel driveway, but that had been squashed into thin air. He’d kill me just as fast as Eddie or Hank.
“Congratulations. You just saved your life.”
For some reason, I doubted that.
AFTER POSTING BAIL AND RETRIEVING MY BELONGINGS, I fired up my cell phone. It immediately dinged with six text messages and a voice mail from Kyle as I walked out the front entrance of the police station. I clicked on his name to dial his number, and he answered right away.
“Jesus, man. Where are you?” Kyle’s voice was frantic.
“I’m at the police station. Where’s Paige?” I asked without delay.
“I’m almost there. Give me thirty seconds. Get to the front curb.” He paused a brief second before shouting, “Fuck, she’s not with you?”
Knowing Kyle didn’t shake easily, hot and heavy fear sliced through me, ripping me in two, as I followed his instructions. “No. Kyle, tell me what you know,” I demanded, barely maintaining control. “They brought Paige in for questioning, but she should have left by now.”
“She called me about fifteen minutes ago when I was at the hotel and asked me to pick her up from the police station,” he said.
I saw his black Suburban flying down the street from a distance. I crossed the road, so I would be on the passenger side. Kyle slowed the vehicle as he neared. Once he stopped, I opened the door and jumped inside the truck.
Kyle’s face was distraught when he looked over at me, and my anxieties reached an all-time high. I was about to fucking burst at the seams.
“I think someone’s got her, man,” Kyle said, putting the truck into motion again. He drove slowly since we were in front of the police station. “She was in the middle of talking, and something scared her and caused her to…”
He went quiet, and I glanced up at him. His eyes bounced between me and the road.
“Caused her to what?” I probed between clenched teeth.
Kyle sighed. “To cry out into the line, like someone startled her.” He shook his head at the stoplight. “My gut instinct tells me something is wrong.”
If I’d thought watching my barn go up in flames and burn to the ground had caused me a profound agony of loss, it was a pinprick compared to what I felt in this moment. I wanted blood at the idea of someone hurting Paige. I was scared out of my fucking mind. I had to quickly think of a way to find her.
“Colton,” Kyle snapped me back to the present.
I whipped my gaze back to his to see his eyes full of determination.
“I need you to focus and tell me who could have snatched her from the police station.”
There was only one person, so I answered, “Eddie.”
He hit the gas when the light turned green. “Okay, and we know Hank is at the root of this. Where would they have taken her?”
“I’m not sure,” I rushed out, shaking my head. “They both have wives at home, so they couldn’t go to their houses, and Hank’s probably still at the hospital.”
“It’s got to be somewhere remote and discreet, a place they believe no one will look. Think, damn it.”
The wheels in my mind turned through all the possibilities and landed on one. “My house,” I answered confidently. “Eddie knows I’m not home, and it’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s quiet. Plus, it’s the only place Hank has openly sought retaliation on me.”