Page 48 of The Unknown Colton
People were naturally drawn to Lakin’s kindness and her beauty. He was lucky that he hadn’t already lost her to someone who could give her more time and attention. Fortunately for him Lakin was as loyal and loving as she was beautiful.
Troy leaned closer to the counter. “Will you letme know if you see that guy around here again? Or anywhere?” he asked. “I really want to talk to him.”
“No.” The deep voice that answered wasn’t the barista’s.
Troy turned around to find Lakin’s oldest brother, Eli, standing behind him. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he didn’t look happy.
But Troy wasn’t particularly happy with him, either. Lakin had reached out to him for help, but things were still happening, like that broken window at the hotel.
Officer Reynolds might believe it was teenagers, but Troy didn’t. Lakin was in danger, and Troy felt like he was the only one doing anything to protect her. He was afraid it still wasn’t enough…
* * *
Eli was apparently at Roasters for the same reason that his sister’s boyfriend was, and it wasn’t for the coffee although it did smell damn good in the café.
“No,” he repeated. “If she sees Jasper Whitlaw around again, she’s going to call me.” He passed the barista a card as she handed a coffee over the counter for him. He laid down some bills and turned toward Troy again. “Do you want anything?”
Troy stepped away from the counter. “Not coffee. I want answers.”
Eli sighed. “Don’t we all?” He had so many questions and not just about Whitlaw.
“So you haven’t found out anything more about that man who accosted Lakin?” Troy asked.
Eli had, but he intended to tell Lakin first and definitely not in a public place. “I know he’s dangerous,” he said. “And that you shouldn’t be looking to confront him.”
Troy sucked in a breath, looking like Eli had punched him. “So Lakin really is in danger.”
“I don’t know that he would hurt her,” Eli said. “He won’t be able to get money out of her if he does.” Though he wasn’t certain that was all Whitlaw wanted from her or why he’d turned up in Shelby when he had. “But I don’t think he would hesitate to hurt you if you get in his way,” Eli warned the younger man. He’d always liked Troy Amos; the guy was a hard worker who clearly worshipped Lakin. If something happened to him, Lakin probably wouldn’t get over it.
“I don’t care what he does to me,” Troy said. “I just want to make sure he doesn’t hurt Lakin.”
Eli figured it was already too late for that. Whitlaw’s sudden appearance with the photograph had stirred up a lot of emotions for Lakin and a lot of questions about her past. Eli understood that only too well; the Fiancée Killer was stirring up a lot of memories and nightmares for him and undoubtedly for the rest of his family, too.
The last thing any of them needed was someone trying to hurt another one of their family.
“I’m on it,” Eli promised him. “I’m looking for the guy, and when I find him, I’ll make sure that he knows he’s not getting anything out of Lakin.”
“You might want to check out a couple of other guys that seem to keep turning up around her,” Troy remarked.
Eli felt a smile twitch his lips. “Lakin is beautiful. I’m sure there are a lot of guys who keep turning up.”
Troy looked again as if Eli had struck him.
“Didn’t it occur to you that other men might find her attractive?”
“Of course,” Troy said. “I’m not talking about that kind of attention. I’m talking about her old school bully, Billy Hoover, showing up here and other places unexpectedly. And then there’s some RTA client, Something Seller, that seems a little too interested in her.”
Eli tensed. The thought that the serial killer could be targeting someone in his family was keeping him awake nights. Why else were the murders so similar to his aunt’s death? But who in Shelby really knew about his aunt Caroline and his family’s reasons for moving here from California all those years ago?
“I’ll check into them, too,” Eli assured him. “But you need to stay out of this.”
Troy shook his head. “Not until I know she’s safe.”
Troy Amos obviously loved Lakin a lot, so much so that he was more concerned about her life than his. But if he really knew Lakin well, he would know that she wouldn’t want him getting hurt because of her.
And Eli had a feeling that, as determined as Troy was to protect her, he probably was going to wind up getting hurt or worse.
CHAPTER 15
