Chapter 15 #2
Even if he promised no more oil rigs, he couldn’t promise no more danger. Nobody could. But Hetty rushed off again before he could point that out to her. Hell, not too long ago she’d been shot. She knew as did everyone who watched the news that Shelby wasn’t safe at all anymore.
Once Lakin had a free moment, Troy told her about his conversation with Eli.
She nodded, unsurprised. “He texted me earlier. He’s going to come by later this afternoon and fill me in,” she said.
“Good.”
“That means that you don’t have to babysit me,” she said. “You must be bored sitting around all day watching me.”
“Never,” he said. And it was true. He missed her so much when he was gone that he could never see enough of her to make up for it.
Maybe Hetty was right; maybe it was time that he gave up working on the oil rigs.
But what could he do in Shelby that would make enough money to help his family and Lakin with her business?
“Seriously, Troy, you don’t need to be here,” Lakin said. “There are a lot of people coming and going, and Eli will be here soon.”
“Sounds like she’s trying to get rid of you,” Parker remarked when he stepped out of his office.
“That goes for you, too,” she said. “You’ve been hovering.”
“After that conversation this morning, I don’t think you should be alone.”
“Conversation?” Troy repeated. “What conversation? With Seller? What happened?”
Lakin sighed. “I don’t want to rehash all this. And Eli is on his way. You can both take off. Go get a beer. Something.”
It was obvious she didn’t want him or Parker around when she talked to the ABI lieutenant. Or maybe she didn’t want Troy around at all anymore. Maybe last night had been a goodbye. A last time…
The thought jabbed his heart with a sudden pain.
“You look like you could use a beer,” Parker said. “And I know I could, too. Let’s go.”
Troy hesitated. “You won’t leave on your own again?” he asked Lakin. “You’ll have Eli see you safely back to the cabin?”
She sighed but nodded.
“She said she would be careful,” Parker said, as if vouching for her. Or maybe he was trying to convince himself.
He repeated the same words just a short while later when they settled on stools at the bar.
“What did Seller say that rattled you so much?” Troy asked. It was clear that Parker and Lakin had both been rattled.
“He just kept talking about her being single and the damn serial killer.” Parker shuddered.
Troy grimaced. “I’m glad I mentioned him to Eli.”
“I texted Eli, too, to check out the guy,” Parker admitted.
“I thought he was a great customer for RTA,” Troy said.
“You know I love my sister more than I care about business,” Parker said.
Troy clasped the man’s shoulder. “I know.”
“What about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“She told me about the hotel, but it doesn’t sound like you’re doing it with her,” Parker said.
“I…”
“I know you got hurt on the oil rig the last time you were gone,” Parker said. “But that’s just another reason you shouldn’t go back.”
“Wow, everyone’s piling on today about that,” Troy said. “My sister, apparently my mother and now you.”
“You can understand why we all want you to stay in Shelby,” Parker said. “Especially now.”
Troy sighed. “With that serial killer and Jasper Whitlaw running around…”
“Jasper Whitlaw?” Parker asked. “Who’s that?”
Troy grimaced again. “I thought Lakin or Eli might have told you.”
“About this Whitlaw person?”
Troy nodded. “I guess I should have known Lakin wouldn’t tell you.”
“So Eli knows about him,” Parker said. “But why wouldn’t Lakin tell me?”
“Because she doesn’t want your mom and dad to know,” Troy said. “And I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“But now that you have, you’re going to have to spill,” Parker said.
“Eli knows more than I do,” Troy said.
“That’s why he’s coming by the office to talk to Lakin,” Parker said. “It’s about Whitlaw.”
Troy nodded. “Yeah…” And it was killing him to not be part of that conversation. He had to know exactly how dangerous Jasper Whitlaw was. “Maybe we should go back and make Eli tell us, too.”
“You heard Lakin,” Parker said. “She didn’t want us there.” He looked over at Troy, his brow wrinkled with suspicion. “What’s going on with you two? She doesn’t seem really happy with you.”
“She’s not,” Troy admitted.
“And here I thought you would do anything to make her happy.”
Anything but burden her with a cripple or with debt that he couldn’t help her pay off. He remembered all too well how his mother had struggled after his dad died. He didn’t want to put Lakin through that; he loved her too much.
Maybe he had to accept that he wasn’t what would make her happy.
* * *
The boyfriend wasn’t playing watchdog at the moment. Which was too bad because the gun lay on the seat next to him, and he couldn’t wait to use it.
The boyfriend hadn’t been around as much today as he usually was. When he was, he’d been with too many other people.
Unlike Lakin, who was alone right now. There wasn’t another Colton anywhere around her as she sat alone in that office, watching the door, as if expecting someone to show up.
But he’d seen the others leave not long ago. The boyfriend and her brother were gone.
The others were as well.
She was all alone.
It was finally time to show little Miss Lakin just how much danger she was in…