“You won’t,” he said, and I lifted my gaze to his.“I’m notgoing to lie to you.It’s going to hang with you.Seeing death like that isn’teasy.It’s a darkness you just can’t explain and can’t understand.”
That was so true.“You see it a lot?”
His head tilted to the side.“I’ve seen enough, Abby.Enough.”
The need to apologize again rose, but I squelched it now.Itwas a terrible habit of mine.Apologizing for things I had no control over.Without apologizing, I had no idea what to say to him.
“I need to ask you one more time,” he said, all softnessgone from his eyes.They were like chips of blue ice.“Are you positive youdidn’t hear any of their names?”
“The one guy was talking—the one with the scar, but I didn’thear what he was saying.I was too…shocked by what I was seeing.I wish I did,but I couldn’t make any of it out, but I got this impression that he…I don’tknow.”
“What impression?”He leaned forward, gaze sharpening.
Unsure if what I was saying was correct or more of just afeeling, I squirmed a little in my chair.“I got this feeling that he wasn’tokay with what was happening.He appeared upset.Like he had his hands in hishair.Like this.”I raised my hands to my shoulder-length hair and scrubbed myfingers through it.“He seemed upset.I know that’s not much—”
“No, that’s definitely something.That’s good.”
“How?”
Colton smiled tightly.No dimple.“Because if this guydidn’t like what was going down, then he could turn against the one who pulledthe trigger.”
“Oh.”I thought that made sense.
He was quiet for a moment.“What a horrible way for you andI to run into each other again, huh?”
My answering smile didn’t feel as forced as the one before.“Yeah.Not the greatest circumstances.”I reached up, tucking my hair behind myear.I started to yawn, weary with exhaustion, but the stretching of my facecaused me to wince.“Ow.”
Colton had somehow moved closer and before I knew it, Icould catch the scent of his cologne.It was crisp, reminding me of mountainair.A single finger curved under my chin, startling me.The touch was simplyelectrifying, like a jolt of pure caffeine to the nervous system.The grasp wassurprisingly tender.That softness was back in his gaze.
And it had been so long since I’d been touched in what feltlike such an intimate way.
For some god-awful reason, tears started climbing the backof my throat.Granted, there were currently a lot of reasons to begin sobbinghysterically, but the last thing I needed to do was cry over Colton.
I knew I should pull away from him because the comfort hisslight touch offered was too much.The wall I had built around the nearlyconsuming terror started to crumble.“That man…that murderer?He saw me,” Irepeated in a hushed voice.“If I can describe him, he can describe me.”Myvoice caught, cracked a little.“That’s terrifying.”
“I know how scary that is, but trust me, Abby.”The hardglint was back in his icy eyes as his hand shifted slightly and his thumbsmoothed under the tiny cut along my cheek.“I’m going to make sure you’resafe.”
Chapter 3
None of the pictures that had been splayed out infront of me or had been included in the most disturbing photo album ever wereof the men I’d seen in the alley.
Strangely, I felt like I had failed.
I wanted to be able to point at someone and say that wasthem.The bad guys would be found, and all of this would be over.I wanted thatso badly.
But that was not what happened.
Colton had been called out toward the end and even thoughhe’d said he’d be back, I hadn’t seen him while I was ushered out of the policestation and guided to my car by Detective Hart.
They’d be in touch.
I had no idea what that meant and I was too exhausted tofigure it out.The drive from the city to the townhouse I’d purchased when Imoved back wasn’t particularly quick, even at damn near close to three in themorning.By some kind of miracle, I made it home, parked my car, and hobbled upthe steps and let myself in.It was only then that I remembered that my oneheel was broken.I didn’t recall how I got the shoe back.Maybe Officer Hun?
Or was it Colton?
God.
Please not Colton.
