Page 66 of Call Back

Exhaustion covered his face. “I’m tired of lying to you, Maggie. I don’t want to lie anymore.”

“You don’t have to lie anymore. We are no longer friends.” I reached for the door handle, but he pulled me back, more forceful this time. He grabbed my shoulders, turning me to face him. “You’re not safe, Magnolia, and not just from Frasier. You’ve stirred up a hell of a lot of shit that has been lying dormant for years. They’ve been waiting for you. You’re the trigger that started it all over again.”

I lost all my fight. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Your father.”

My anger resurfaced. “So your job is to spy on me? Find the gold and share it with your buddies?”

“It’s not that simple, Maggie.”

I pointed my finger in his face. “Don’t! Don’t you dare call me Maggie. Only my friends call me Maggie.”

“I am your friend,” he said, but he sounded tired. “I may be the only real friend you have in this whole mess.” He reached for my arm, but I jerked out of his reach.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Look,” he said as he ran his hand through his hair. “I know you’re pissed, and I understand, but I really do care about you. Think about it—why would I have saved you back there otherwise? I’m doing everything in my power to make sure you’re safe. I can’t say the same about everyone else in your life.”

The sad part was I suspected he was right. “Who are you?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“I’m exactly who I said I was. Colt Austin. Aspiring country music singer and song writer. Part-time employee for Southern Belles Catering.”

I shook my head. “No, you’re more than that. You’re leaving out a piece.”

“Your friend,” he said quietly, inching closer. “And more.” Before I could react, he lowered his mouth to mine, hauling me to his chest in a tight embrace. Maybe he expected me to resist—part of my brain screamed to resist—but my body disobeyed. I kissed him back with a desperation so deep I couldn’t find the bottom.

Desperation because I knew the truth, and I hated myself for it: I wanted Colt. I’d always wanted Colt. Brady was a kind and decent man who offered the promise of a good and normal life—the kind of life I’d once imagined with Tanner—but some screwed-up part of me didn’t want that. Instead, I wanted what I knew would ultimately end up hurting me, because I knew deep in my gut that Colt Austin would hurt me, yet some stupid part of me didn’t care.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Still, I kept right on kissing him, my lips begging him to be the man I needed. My heart told me that he cared about me—he’d risked his life for me—but my head insisted his actions might be driven by some ulterior motive he refused to share.

My head won out. I put my hands on his chest and shoved him away.

“Don’t.” I choked on the word as a sob bubbled up. “You used me. You betrayed me. But I guess I’m the fool, huh? Because I kissed you back, just like one of those stupid twits who follows you around.”

“No,” he said, anger in his eyes. “You’re not like them. You mean more.”

“Then prove it! Tell me what you’re doing.”

“I can’t.”

I wiped a tear from my cheek, some stupid part of me refusing to believe he was the bad guy here. Surely there was some explanation. Why would he be so invested in this investigation? My gut told me it was more than the gold. “Are you with the police? Undercover?”

“No, Maggie. I’m not an undercover cop.”

“Then what are you?”

“A man in shit so deep he can’t see any way out of it.”

And I was in there too, mucking around with him.

“What do you really plan to do with the gold?” I asked, sounding as weary as I felt.

“Honest to God, I want to take the gold and leave the country. With you, Maggie. I’m not leaving without you.” He paused and searched my face. “If you believe nothing else, believe this—I will never hurt you. And I won’t let anyone else hurt you either. I should have known Lopez would come looking for the gold, even though I have no idea how he tracked it to you. Rico was careful when he started digging.”

Holy shit.Colt knew details about my father. “Me,” I said in a whisper. “I asked him if the missing money could have been hidden in small packages. He said it was bigger than drugs. What was my father involved in?”

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