Reis shakes his head. “Good Lord. I can only help you win her back so many times before I just say fuck it and keep her for myself.”
“If I get her back this time, I’m not letting her go.”
“How bad did you fuck up?” he asks, looking bored. He makes no effort to contain that he secretly likes my fuckups. They only increase his odds.
“I was with Samantha last night. Taylor, I don’t know, must have seen her or heard us.”
“Damn it, Colt. Grow up.”
“Nothing happened. She left after a little while. I didn’t touch her, I swear. What am I going to do?”
“Whatever it takes,” Reis mutters.
My cell phone chimes from my nightstand and I lunge for it, hopeful it could be Taylor. But it’s just an email from Geoffrey with a new case they need me to get started on right away.
The job is gathering intel on a few guys they’re tracking who are now in New Jersey. A few days on the road will be a good distraction for me.
Chapter 33
Taylor
After a leisurely shower, I finally face my cell phone. I plug it in and power it on. I have numerous missed calls and texts from Logan, Reis, Colt and MJ. I’m not ready to talk to anyone yet, but I don’t want anyone to worry. I send a text to MJ telling her I’m fine and I’m at home, then I turn the phone off again.
When my parents get home with takeout containers of Italian, I dress in fresh pajamas and make my way downstairs.
I set the table while my mom makes a pitcher of iced tea.
After dishing up a plate with pasta and a golden breaded chicken breast, my mom passes it to me with a wistful look. “We need to talk about this, Taylor. You need to be back in school.”
“I know. I want to transfer back here.”
“You can’t transfer back in the middle of the year,” my dad supplies around a bite of pasta.
“I can’t go back there. Mom…” I plead.
“Taylor, your dad and I talked and we think the right thing to do is to go back to the academy. It’s a good opportunity for you and we don’t want you to throw it away. You’re stronger than that.”
As excited as I was for my favorite meal tonight, I push away the plate, my appetite vanished. How could they do this to me? I cannot go back and face Colt every day. They don’t understand anything.
After that disappointing dinner, I decide to turn my cell phone back on. I can’t avoid my life forever. There’s several more missed calls and a text from Colt that says
Crap. I hate it when my parents are right. After four days at home, one thing is crystal clear. I don’t belong here anymore.
The moment I called Piper to tell her I was back in town, her endless questions pumped me for information. And her sympathy-laced voice made promises to set me up with useless high school boys I had no interest in whatsoever. My conversations with her, and then with MJ had me wondering if coming here was a mistake after all.
MJ confirms that Colt’s left on another field assignment and urges me to come back. And as busy as Colt is, I doubted I’d see much of him unless I made a deliberate effort, which I obviously wouldn’t be doing.
Even if I have to dodge Colt, I’d rather be back at the academy with friends who know what I’m going through and who won’t rehash every gritty detail, making me relive the pain all over again.
The call from Reis disrupts my reverie. “Hello?”
His breathing is frantic. “Something’s happened to Colt.”
That was all I needed to hear. I immediately pack my bags and jot a note for my parents, letting them know that I’m heading back to the school. It’s not far from the truth. I was going to Connecticut, but I was headed to Reis’ house to figure out what was going on.
Reis and I talk on the phone while I drive. Colt had left to work a case by himself two days ago. He’d insisted that he didn’t need back up, only telling Reis that he’d be in New Jersey overnight. He was due back yesterday, no one has heard from him and his cell phone has been turned off. It’s a nerve racking five hour drive to their house, and all the while I ponder various scenarios – all horrible, all involving Colt. There’s a million ways a field assignment could go wrong, and my mind works through all of them and then some.
When I finally pull into their driveway, I slam the truck into park and jog to the door. It swings open after several minutes of knocking and I expect to see Reis, or maybe Mrs. Lee, so it takes me a second to figure out that it’s McAllister standing in front of me.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt out, stunned.
“I live here,” he says, slowly.
“Oh. Of course, I mean, I thought you were in Brazil.”
“My initial plan was to come home to see Reis’ last soccer game. But when I got here – Reis’ got stitches in his face and Colt’s disappeared.” He rubs the back of his neck, looking wistful. “Seems I shouldn’t have stayed away so long.”
I nod in agreement. His hair is laced with more silver than I remember and his eyes look lined and tired.
“The better question is, what are you doing here?” he asks. His voice is direct, but not unkind, just curious at how I fit into this mess with his sons.
“I’m here to fix things.”
He smiles lightly. “Me too. Come inside.”
I follow him in through the foyer and into the kitchen. Reis is chatting with Mrs. Lee. He springs off the barstool when he sees me and lifts me from the floor in a hug.
McAllister and Mrs. Lee watch us. I can’t help but notice the way she narrows her eyes at me. Reis sets me on my feet a few moments later and pats the top of my head. “Shrimp,” he whispers, adoringly.
Reis stands by my side, keeping his arms around me, like now that I’m back, he’s afraid to let me go. It’s a little unnerving. Mrs. Lee clears her throat. “I bring in the groceries,” she says, leaving the three of us in the kitchen.
“Can you find him?” McAllister asks, his expression somber. Even though he’s a dirt bag, I can tell he loves his son. It softens me toward him the slightest bit.
“I’ll track him down.”
He nods. “Thank you.”
Reis holds my hand, petting his thumb across the back of my hand repeatedly.
McAllister watches us with a curious expression. “Reis, can I talk to you a minute?” he asks.
Reis gives my hand a squeeze and then follows his dad from the room.
I walk to the hutch at the other end of the kitchen and pick up the photo of Colt and Reis. He’s so insanely handsome.
I hear rustling behind me and turn to see Mrs. Lee wresting a bag of groceries bigger than her up onto the island. She watches me with a guarded expression.
She gestures to the photo in my hands. “You pick.”
I look down and return the picture to the shelf with trembling hands.
“You no toy with them.” She wags her finger at me.
I nod, stunned at her harshness.
When Reis and McAllister come back into the kitchen, Reis heads to me, but Mrs. Lee incepts him, fussing over his freshly removed stiches, lifting his chin to inspect the line of tender skin. She loudly kisses his cheek and pats his chest, giving me the evil eye as she examines him. Her warmth toward me from the homecoming dance as evaporated.
