She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to slow her racing heart. “Your dad was here. He did something to the engine.”
“What?” Colt’s voice was darker than she’d ever heard it before.
“Colt…I need you.”
An engine roared over the line. “Send me a pin of where you are, Cricket. I’m coming now.”
Colt pressedhis foot to the floor, rage battering his insides. His father had done something to her damn car? He’d approached her alone?
If the man was here right now, he’d be breathing his last damn breath. But he wasn’t, and in seconds, Colt was going to be with Indie. He needed to calm the hell down…for her.
“You still there, Cricket?” He kept his voice soft even though he wanted to fucking rage. She’d been on the line the entire drive because there was no way he was cutting contact with her.
“I’m still here.”
There was a tremor in her voice, and he hated it.
He forced his Audi faster until, finally, her car came into view. The smoke coming from the hood was thick, but it washerthat he focused on. The way she stood beside the Honda, arms wrapped around her waist in a protective gesture. Even in the approaching darkness he could see how pale she was. The fear in her eyes.
His fault. This washisdamn fault. Noah had said his father stopped by the park, wanting to talk to him. Colt had ignored it.Just like he’d ignored every call and voice message the second he realized the number was his father’s.
He pulled in right where Gordon had parked, and as soon as he reached her, he wrapped her in his arms.
She was shaking. He cursed and tugged his sweatshirt over his head before helping her into it. Then he cupped her cheeks. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Not true. Not even a little bit. “What did he say?”
“That he wants to talk to you. To tell you what he wants and if he doesn’t get it, bad things will start happening in this town.”
Air hissed between Colt’s teeth. He was going to kill him. Murder the fucker in broad daylight. “Did he touch you?”
“No. But he did say that if he wanted to hurt me, he could have already.”
The son of a bitch.
He lifted her camera bag. “Do you need anything else from the car?” He tried to keep his voice calm, even though calm was the last thing he felt.
“No.”
“Let’s go. I’ll call a tow on the way home.” He set a hand on the small of her back and led her toward his Audi. He set the camera in the back and had just opened the passenger door when he stepped on something that made a crackling sound.
He leaned down and picked it up. A wrapper.
“Big Sky Jerky,” he read, almost under his breath.
“It must have fallen out of your dad’s car. He parked in the same place as you.”
The chill hit him so fucking hard, it sank right down to his bones.
It wasn’t that homeless guy, Milo. It was his father.Hewas the person staying in the old cabin at the park.
Indie touched his arm. “Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” A damn lie if ever he’d told one. “Let’s get you home.”
He waited for her to climb in before he closed her door and looked at the wrapper again. Then he crushed it in his fist.
