“I did,” she whispered.
“You’re sure?”
“Colt, why are you acting this –?”
“Answer me,” he clipped.
She nodded. “I was looking for you, asking around. Craig Lansdon told me –”
Colt’s muscles got so tight he thought they’d snap.
“Craig Lansdon?”
He watched the color leak from her face. She remembered.
Craig Lansdon was Denny Lowe’s best friend.
“No.” She reeled back, her arm out, searching for purchase. Finding none, she kept going until her legs hit the couch and she stopped.
The whole time, her eyes stayed locked with his.
“I don’t remember anything that night,” Colt told her.
“You said that before,” she whispered, the weight of understanding heavy in her voice.
“Because it’s true.”
She was still whispering and tears were shimmering in her eyes when she said, “They slipped you something.”
“Amy too.”
He watched as she visibly started shaking.
“Amy too,” she nodded, “Amy too. Oh my God,” her hands went to her head, her fingers ripping into her hair, her palms resting against her forehead, “Amy,” her eyes were glued to him, “I thought it was weird, even then, thinking…” She stopped. “You looked at me like you could see through me. Amy looked…”
She stopped talking, pulled her hands out of her hair and started running. He bolted after her and caught her in the hall but she fought him and he had to pin her against the wall to get her under control, his hands at her wrists, her hands pressed to the wall at the side of her head.
“I asked Craig,” she shouted in his face, “where you were! He said he saw you upstairs, I should go upstairs. I’ll never forget it, he said to me, ‘He’s upstairs, Feb, saw Colt upstairs. Didn’t look right, you should check on him.’ He seemed concerned. That dick!”
“Feb –”
She struggled against his hold. “Sent me up after you. Him and Denny. Those f**king dicks!” She stopped struggling and stared at him. “Ruined my life. Broke my heart. Tore me apart,” she shrieked. “And you! And Amy!”
Amy.
Colt let her go and took a step away, a big one. He felt his shoulders hit the opposite wall.
Amy had had a child. She’d had his child.
“Holy f**k,” he whispered.
“What?” Feb snapped.
“Holy f**k.”
“Colt.”
He lifted his head and looked at her. “Amy had a kid, put him up for adoption.”
He watched Feb’s head jerked back with such force, her hair flew about her shoulders at the same time he saw her body jolt.
“What?” she whispered but he didn’t hear her because that’s when he lost control.
* * * * *
I watched as Colt stalked into the living room, straight to his gun holster on the dining room table.
I ran after him shouting, “Colt!”
“Call your father, get him to come over, lock up after me.”
Frantic, I got between him and the door. I’d seen his face in the second before he headed to the living room and I’d seen that look on his face before.
He’d just figured out he’d been drugged against his will, violated someone at the same time he’d been violated and apparently had a child. No way was I letting him out of the house.
“Colt, stay with me,” I begged, as he shrugged on the holster and reached for his jacket, “let’s talk this through.”
“Outta my way Feb.”
I was jockeying in front of him, hands up, eyes glued to him, trying to gauge which way he’d go to dodge me as he went toward the door.
He didn’t try to dodge me, he came straight at me, my hands hit his chest and he pushed me back as he kept moving.
“Colt, where you goin’?” I asked.
“Craig Lansdon.”
“No! Colt, no.”
My back hit the door, he reached around me, put his hand to the lock and I heard it click. “Call your Dad.”
“Colt, don’t.”
Colt shoved me out of the way. I came right back, sliding between him and the partially opened door. I pushed against it with my back, closing it again before I wrapped both arms around him, holding tight.
“Stay with me,” I pleaded.
“Got a kid. A boy.”
I shook my head, fast and rough, not able to think about that just yet. “Stay with me, babe.”
“He had a hand in it. He helped take you from me, do that to Amy, do that to me, he’s gonna answer for it.”
“Colt, calm down first. Let me call Dad.”
“Get away, baby, before I set you away.”
I squeezed him tight, hard as I could, got up on my toes so my face was close to his, and begged, “Don’t do this.”
He pulled back fast, out of my arms. Then he leaned down and put a shoulder to my belly. I was up over his shoulder and Colt was across the room in a flash. He dipped his shoulder, dropped me on the couch and before I got back up and was halfway across the room he was out the door.
I followed him.
“Colt, stop!” I shouted, running across the yard.
He was in his truck and slamming the door. I hit it with both hands up, still on the run then tried the handle. It was locked.
Colt started the truck, it roared to life, his foot heavy on the gas.
At the sound I jumped away from the truck. When he backed out of the drive, I turned tail and ran to the house, locked the door behind me and ran to my phone on the kitchen counter.
I called Morrie. It took me three goes to scroll down then up when I passed his name in my phonebook then down again, my hands were shaking so hard.
I put the cell to my ear.
“Whas’ up?” Morrie asked, I’d woken him.
“Morrie, you gotta get to Craig Lansdon. I don’t know where he is, but you gotta get to him. Call Sully. Colt’s gonna hurt him.”
“What?”
“Craig and Denny Lowe slipped him a mickey. I… it was… way back, at Sherry and Sheila’s party. He… something happened. They slipped one to Amy Harris too. They had sex.”
“What?”
“It doesn’t matter what!” I shouted. “Denny or Craig or both of them drugged him and Amy. I caught them in the act, I thought it was something else but they were out of it.”
“Holy shit.”
“Morrie!” I screeched, out of my mind.
“You’re sure?”
“Colt, why are you acting this –?”
“Answer me,” he clipped.
She nodded. “I was looking for you, asking around. Craig Lansdon told me –”
Colt’s muscles got so tight he thought they’d snap.
“Craig Lansdon?”
He watched the color leak from her face. She remembered.
Craig Lansdon was Denny Lowe’s best friend.
“No.” She reeled back, her arm out, searching for purchase. Finding none, she kept going until her legs hit the couch and she stopped.
The whole time, her eyes stayed locked with his.
“I don’t remember anything that night,” Colt told her.
“You said that before,” she whispered, the weight of understanding heavy in her voice.
“Because it’s true.”
She was still whispering and tears were shimmering in her eyes when she said, “They slipped you something.”
“Amy too.”
He watched as she visibly started shaking.
“Amy too,” she nodded, “Amy too. Oh my God,” her hands went to her head, her fingers ripping into her hair, her palms resting against her forehead, “Amy,” her eyes were glued to him, “I thought it was weird, even then, thinking…” She stopped. “You looked at me like you could see through me. Amy looked…”
She stopped talking, pulled her hands out of her hair and started running. He bolted after her and caught her in the hall but she fought him and he had to pin her against the wall to get her under control, his hands at her wrists, her hands pressed to the wall at the side of her head.
“I asked Craig,” she shouted in his face, “where you were! He said he saw you upstairs, I should go upstairs. I’ll never forget it, he said to me, ‘He’s upstairs, Feb, saw Colt upstairs. Didn’t look right, you should check on him.’ He seemed concerned. That dick!”
“Feb –”
She struggled against his hold. “Sent me up after you. Him and Denny. Those f**king dicks!” She stopped struggling and stared at him. “Ruined my life. Broke my heart. Tore me apart,” she shrieked. “And you! And Amy!”
Amy.
Colt let her go and took a step away, a big one. He felt his shoulders hit the opposite wall.
Amy had had a child. She’d had his child.
“Holy f**k,” he whispered.
“What?” Feb snapped.
“Holy f**k.”
“Colt.”
He lifted his head and looked at her. “Amy had a kid, put him up for adoption.”
He watched Feb’s head jerked back with such force, her hair flew about her shoulders at the same time he saw her body jolt.
“What?” she whispered but he didn’t hear her because that’s when he lost control.
* * * * *
I watched as Colt stalked into the living room, straight to his gun holster on the dining room table.
I ran after him shouting, “Colt!”
“Call your father, get him to come over, lock up after me.”
Frantic, I got between him and the door. I’d seen his face in the second before he headed to the living room and I’d seen that look on his face before.
He’d just figured out he’d been drugged against his will, violated someone at the same time he’d been violated and apparently had a child. No way was I letting him out of the house.
“Colt, stay with me,” I begged, as he shrugged on the holster and reached for his jacket, “let’s talk this through.”
“Outta my way Feb.”
I was jockeying in front of him, hands up, eyes glued to him, trying to gauge which way he’d go to dodge me as he went toward the door.
He didn’t try to dodge me, he came straight at me, my hands hit his chest and he pushed me back as he kept moving.
“Colt, where you goin’?” I asked.
“Craig Lansdon.”
“No! Colt, no.”
My back hit the door, he reached around me, put his hand to the lock and I heard it click. “Call your Dad.”
“Colt, don’t.”
Colt shoved me out of the way. I came right back, sliding between him and the partially opened door. I pushed against it with my back, closing it again before I wrapped both arms around him, holding tight.
“Stay with me,” I pleaded.
“Got a kid. A boy.”
I shook my head, fast and rough, not able to think about that just yet. “Stay with me, babe.”
“He had a hand in it. He helped take you from me, do that to Amy, do that to me, he’s gonna answer for it.”
“Colt, calm down first. Let me call Dad.”
“Get away, baby, before I set you away.”
I squeezed him tight, hard as I could, got up on my toes so my face was close to his, and begged, “Don’t do this.”
He pulled back fast, out of my arms. Then he leaned down and put a shoulder to my belly. I was up over his shoulder and Colt was across the room in a flash. He dipped his shoulder, dropped me on the couch and before I got back up and was halfway across the room he was out the door.
I followed him.
“Colt, stop!” I shouted, running across the yard.
He was in his truck and slamming the door. I hit it with both hands up, still on the run then tried the handle. It was locked.
Colt started the truck, it roared to life, his foot heavy on the gas.
At the sound I jumped away from the truck. When he backed out of the drive, I turned tail and ran to the house, locked the door behind me and ran to my phone on the kitchen counter.
I called Morrie. It took me three goes to scroll down then up when I passed his name in my phonebook then down again, my hands were shaking so hard.
I put the cell to my ear.
“Whas’ up?” Morrie asked, I’d woken him.
“Morrie, you gotta get to Craig Lansdon. I don’t know where he is, but you gotta get to him. Call Sully. Colt’s gonna hurt him.”
“What?”
“Craig and Denny Lowe slipped him a mickey. I… it was… way back, at Sherry and Sheila’s party. He… something happened. They slipped one to Amy Harris too. They had sex.”
“What?”
“It doesn’t matter what!” I shouted. “Denny or Craig or both of them drugged him and Amy. I caught them in the act, I thought it was something else but they were out of it.”
“Holy shit.”
“Morrie!” I screeched, out of my mind.
