Chapter 6
I froze. The rage pulsing through Colt was a living, breathing thing. It swirled around him, permeating the air.
“No one. I fell.” The words tumbled out of my mouth on instinct. Years of reasoning away black and blue marks had ingrained the response.
Colt’s nostrils flared as he struggled to get his breathing under control. “There’s a shoe mark on your damn ribs.”
Shit. This was why I kept my distance from the people around me.
Then they couldn’t see what my life had become.
But Colt was different. He’d always seen more.
How Maryanne had never quite settled into the role of mother.
How her careless words cut me to the core. How I’d never felt as though I fit.
Even though we’d only seen Colt and Andrew when they’d spent their summers in a cottage not far from our house in Michigan, he could see it all.
But after my father’s funeral, Maryanne had moved us almost instantly.
I’d begged her to tell Andrew where we were going, but she’d refused, saying, “You think they want anything to do with you? They only cared about your father. We’re nothing to them. ”
And there was a part of me that had started to believe we had been nothing because this was the first time I’d seen any sign of the Carringtons. But as I took stock of the fury still raging in Colt’s expression, I knew that wasn’t true.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said softly. “I’m leaving.”
“Of course, it fucking matters,” Colt spat. “I’m going to end whoever put those marks on you.”
Panic dug its icy claws into me. “Don’t.”
If Colt got into trouble because of me, I’d never be able to live with myself. But he didn’t seem especially swayed by my request.
I moved closer to him, wanting to reach out and touch him, but it had been so long. It felt like I didn’t have the right anymore. “Please. I just want to go.”
Colt let out a ragged breath and then pulled me into his arms. The moment he encircled me, images flashed in my mind.
Colt and I when we were younger, playing in a creek near my old house, him splashing me with a wild laugh.
Then another image. Us, middle-aged, dressed in evening wear and dancing across a ballroom, the gold in his eyes glowing. “I love you, LeeLee.”
I blinked against Colt’s chest. I was officially losing it. I’d gone from imaginary friends to an entire imaginary life.
Colt’s arms didn’t loosen as he held on to me, and slowly, my body relaxed, melting into his embrace. For the first time in years, I felt safe.
His lips ghosted over my hair. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve been here.”
“There’s no way you could’ve known.” My voice was barely a whisper, but Colt clearly heard me because he only held me tighter.
“I promise, no one is going to hurt you again.”
But I knew that wasn’t the truth. Life was full of a million pains that were impossible to escape. So, I didn’t say a thing. I simply soaked in the warmth of Colt’s body pressed against mine. I reveled in that feeling of safety.
I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, but eventually, Colt peeled his arms off me. His eyes didn’t seem to be glowing anymore, that edge taken off his temper. “What else do you need?”
I crouched down, emptying the textbooks from my backpack and laying them on top of the makeshift dresser. I moved to the other end, pulling away one of the boxes to reveal a small hole in the wall. My hand reached inside and felt for the small box.
It was all I had left of my dad. A couple of photos and the only mementos Maryanne hadn’t stolen to be hocked or thrown away. My fingers closed around the ornate wooden box. I knew the feel of it by heart, taking it out every time I missed my dad.
I hurried to shove the box into my backpack and then turned to Colt. “I need to get Briar in her kennel.”
Colt eyed the cat dubiously. “Does she like her kennel?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Not particularly…”
He muttered a curse. “I should’ve brought armor.”
I chuckled. It wouldn’t have been a bad idea. “If you can hold the carrier steady, I’ll get her in there.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he argued.
“I won’t. I’ve done this before.” I’d found a vet that offered discounted vaccines to animals that had been adopted, and I took her there once a year.
Colt grabbed the kennel in the corner and opened it. “Ready.”
I scooped up Briar, but she was already eyeing the carrier, her fur bristling. I scratched behind her ear. “It’s okay. It’ll be worth it, I promise. We’re getting out of here.”
She let out a baleful moan as we approached Colt.
“I’m gonna move quick,” I said.
“Smart,” he agreed.
As fast as possible, I pushed Briar into the carrier. But she was quicker than me, hissing and swiping at Colt’s arm. He cursed as he shut the door to the kennel, locking it.
“I’m so sorry.” I winced as I took in the blood on his forearm.
Colt wiped it with the bottom of his T-shirt. “It’s nothing. I’ve had way worse than this.”
Guilt still pricked at me.
“Come on. Let’s get this stuff in the car,” Colt urged, as he grabbed my duffel and then the carrier.
“I can get Briar,” I said, picking up my backpack.
“I’ve got her.”
My cat hissed at that.
Colt just chuckled. “She really doesn’t like me.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “She hasn’t had much of a chance to meet other people.”
“She will now.”
My stomach twisted at that. I wasn’t used to people. How long had it been since I’d talked to anyone other than people at the diner or my mother when she was ordering me around or berating me? I honestly didn’t know.
I followed Colt through my maze of junk. He somehow already knew the way. By the time we got outside, the sun hung lower in the sky. Colt beeped the locks on a Range Rover SUV that was now parked in the driveway. He placed Briar’s carrier in the back seat, and we put my other bags in the trunk.
Anxiety swept through me. Was I really doing this?
Colt reached out and squeezed my hand. “This is going to be good.”
A buzz traveled up my arm like a low hum of energy. Colt’s eyes locked with mine, glowing again, and I sucked in a breath. I opened my mouth to say something, but a shriek cut me off.
Maryanne’s shrill voice cut through the air. “I’ll fucking kill you!”