Page 40 of The Unknown Colton
Eli’s grin slipped away. “What?”
“Can you find out what happened back then? Why I was left at the grocery store and what happened to her…” She pointed toward the photograph he held. “To my biological mother.”
“He didn’t tell you anything?”
She shook her head. “But he said he’s the only family I have left.”
“That’s bullshit. You have us.”
She hugged him and held on for a long moment. “I know. That’s what I told him.”
“And you have Troy and all of the Amos family, too,” Eli reminded her.
That was what Troy had told those playground bullies all those years ago. She smiled. “But I don’t want Troy fighting my battles anymore.” She didn’t want Eli fighting them, either, but at least he was armed. She wasn’t, and neither was Troy. And she had a feeling that Troy was right about Jasper Whitlaw being dangerous. At least to her and her family.
What about Troy? Was Whitlaw the one who’d run him off the road?
Was Troy in danger, too?
* * *
“So the honeymoon is over,” Hetty remarked as she joined Troy and Spence at the bar.
“Honeymoon?” Troy asked. Hetty had admittedshe’d fallen for her former nemesis, but he hadn’t thought they were doing more than dating right now.
She chuckled. “Metaphorically. Instead of rushing home to me, my man is out drinking in the bars.”
Spence chuckled, too, and looped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.
Troy shook his head. “I can’t believe you two are together. Not after all the trash you talked about him, Hetty.”
Instead of being embarrassed or remorseful, his sister laughed.
“She stills talks trash about me,” Spence said.
“No, I tell you to take out the trash,” she corrected him, but from the twinkle in both their eyes, it was clear they were teasing each other.
Maybe that was all they’d ever been doing even back when they fought with each other.
“She’s as bossy as ever,” Spence said.
Troy groaned. “Don’t I know it.”
“I wouldn’t have to be so bossy if you two would just do what I told you to,” she said.
Spence laughed, then saluted her. “Yes, ma’am, from now on.”
“Don’t encourage her,” Troy warned him. “She’ll just get worse.”
Hetty slapped his shoulder, and he flinched as his back muscles tightened. “Oh, God, I’m sorry, Troy!”
“I’m fine,” he said. “I just did a lot of physical therapy today.” He had been daily; he needed to get stronger.
“Is it going well?” she asked, her green eyes bright with concern.
“It’s getting better,” he said. He probably wouldn’t hurt like he did now if he wasn’t so tense from finding Lakin alone in the office with Whitlaw. And then the other guy, Seller, warning him about losing her…
“And your relationship with Lakin?” Troy probably flinched again because Hetty added, “That’s too bad.”
