Page 100 of Call Back

“So is this a you’re not ready to live with him yet complicated, or a we’re taking a break?”

I wasn’t ready to tell him I was ending things with Brady, worried he’d read too much into the timing with his kiss.

“You’re not staying alone, are you?” he asked.

I almost gave him an answer, or something approaching one, when I realized why he was pressing me. “I’ll be fine.”

We rode in silence until he pulled into the parking lot behind Rebellious Rose a few minutes later. I started to open the door, but he stopped me.

“Maggie, wait.”

I let go of the handle and looked back at him. This was serious Colt again.

“You need to be careful, and you need to be able to protect yourself. Have you replaced the gun that got stolen?”

“No.”

Leaning over me, he opened the glove box and pulled out a towel-wrapped object. He placed the mystery thing in my open palm, and its weight and shape immediately erased the mystery.

“Keep this with you,” he said. “It’s loaded with a full clip, which means you have twelve bullets, so make them count if you need to use it. But you have no business getting into any gun battles, so it should be enough.” He grabbed my arm. “If you’re in danger, shoot to kill. Do you hear me? Don’t try to be a hero because that always bites you in the ass,” he said bitterly. “You kill the bastard and save yourself.”

I nodded absently as I stuffed the still-wrapped gun into my purse. He sounded like he was speaking from experience, which made me all the more curious about his past.

“You need to get a gun in your name as soon as possible. Today. See if Alvin will let you take a break to get one.”

“I don’t have my car, Colt. It’s still at the apartment.”

He groaned. “Shit. That’s right.”

I offered him a smile. “It’s okay. I’ll see if Belinda will take me to get it. She might ask questions, but she’ll drop it when I refuse to give her answers. I’ll go first thing in the morning.”

“Call me if you need me, but I’ll be busy tonight. I won’t be able to get away.” He paused. “Mags, I think you should stay at Bennett’s tonight. It will be safer if he’s with you.”

“I’ll be fine, but thanks for being concerned. I mean it.”

He gave a quick nod, his lips pressed into a tight line. I looked back a couple of times, even after I went through the back door of the shop, and he was still there, watching me with a blank face.

* * *

Turnedout my purse was big enough to accommodate my clothes. I explained the athletic shoes by telling Alvin about my plan to walk to Belinda’s store when I got off. Just like last week, he tried to pry information about Ava’s Bible study out of me, but I just grinned and told him tall tales that were obvious lies, like that Martians had crashed the party and spat their tea in Miss Ava’s face.

We were busy again—which was great for job security—but I didn’t have much time to check my phone. By the time we closed, Brady still hadn’t responded to my initial text, or the one I’d sent during a quick break a couple of hours earlier. In fact, I was beginning to worry about him. I still hadn’t told Belinda whether or not I was coming by her shop. When Alvin locked the door at five, I texted Belinda and told her that I still hadn’t heard from Brady, but I’d let her know as soon as I did.

I got started with my inventory count in the back of the store, quickly becoming so absorbed I’d lost track of time. So I was shocked when I heard Alvin say, “Magnolia, I thought you were going to Belinda’s shop.”

My head jerked up from my count of antique crystal drawer pulls. “I am.”

“She’s outside the front door.”

I climbed to my feet as Alvin let my sister-in-law in. She was wearing a pair of light-blue linen pants and a white button-down, short-sleeve blouse with light-blue buttons to match her pants.

I brushed off my hands as I walked toward her. “Belinda, I wasn’t expecting you.”

She offered me a sweet smile. “I finished up early, so I thought I’d drop by. This way I get to see Alvin too.”

Alvin beamed. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Belinda.”

“I know you’re working on inventory,” she said. “You can put me to work if you’d like. Free labor.”

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