Page 69 of Colton Family Bodyguard (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

Hazel went with Callum to check on his father. There was still no change in his condition. Callum wanted to sit in the room awhile. Hazel sat on the couch, her bodyguard in a chair beside the bed, just watching his father’s still and pale face. Machines hummed around him and lines hung from Payne’s body.

Hazel could see Callum genuinely needed another chance to be close to Payne Colton. His tense mouth and eyes said that his thoughts ventured beyond worry.

“Who besides Ace do police think may have shot him?” she asked.

He looked at her, coming out of his deep thoughts. “They considered many, most in the family. They even considered Marlowe, since she is now CEO.”

Hazel wondered if all of this was related to Ace being switched at birth. “It seems like too much of a coincidence that he was shot so soon after that email was sent about Ace not being a Colton by blood.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I thought about that myself. We’re all trying to figure out who switched him—and if that same person sent that email via the Dark Web. Marlowe and I tried to find hospital records, but a hospital administrator told us there was a fire on Christmas morning, the morning Ace was born. All the records were destroyed. We thought it too much of a coincidence that the fire broke out then.”

“The person who did the switch must have set it,” she said.

“Yes. It would seem that way. What we all can’t understand is, why anyone would switch a healthy baby with one who wasn’t?”

“The real Colton baby wasn’t healthy?”

“No. He wasn’t doing well. That’s why Ace was called a Christmas miracle, because none of his symptoms were present the next day.”

Further proof—if the DNA wasn’t enough—that Ace had been switched. Someone really unbalanced must have done it. Hazel could see no other motive for Ace to shoot Payne than anger over being cast out of Colton Oil. Whoever had shot Payne had to have another reason—one related to the baby switching. Maybe she was wrong, she was no detective, but the motive had to be more complicated than that.

“Is there any evidence supporting Ace’s innocence?” she asked. All the times she’d encountered him, he had not struck her as a violent man. She had a good barometer when it came to judging people. In the last two weeks they’d stopped by his room four times. Ace had never been anything but kind and gracious when she and Callum had delivered food.

“Not really,” he said. “There’s video footage showing a person who’s around five-nine wearing a ski mask and black clothes near the crime scene. If it’s a man he’s not very big. Ace also doesn’t own a gun. If anything, the evidence points toward him. It might not be Ace in the video but Ace had the resources and the motive to hire someone to shoot Payne. There’s no video showing him coming home the night of the shooting but there is video showing other Coltons arriving home at the mansion.”

“So, there was nothing wrong with the surveillance equipment.” If Ace claimed to be home, which he must be doing, then the video evidence contradicted that. “And then there’s the threat that the board all witnessed.”

“Yes, the threat. And a cleaning woman named Joanne Bates, who found Payne’s body, heard someone say mom just before he was shot.” He looked back at his father, clearly frustrated that his brother had to be in such a perilous situation.

Hazel stood and went to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He looked up and put his right hand over hers. Warm tingles spread through her as their gazes met and locked. She could feel him returning what she felt. With just a touch and the invisible energy linking them in a look, she fell into the magic of their chemistry.

If Evie had been there, she’d have acted as a buffer. Without her, there was none. Hazel might as well be floating through rapids toward a waterfall ahead. As soon as she reached the edge, there’d be no turning back.

* * *

Callum spent the next two days thinking about what he and Hazel had discussed about going to talk with Annabel’s parents. Avoiding them had been a burden in and of itself. Not telling anyone about Annabel’s death had, too. He had to agree it was long past due that he go and see them.

He had just finished making a delivery for Hazel. Driving in the car gave him more time to solidify his decision. He h

ad also had time to make a few calls.

Entering the suite, he found Hazel relaxing on the sofa with her feet up. Something smelled really good.

“What’s for dinner?”

“Truffled bay scallops with celery purée, buttery potatoes and snap peas.”

“You’re going to make me fat.” He went to her, bent and planted a kiss on her mouth. It was something he had never done before—come home and kiss her, first thing. She looked up at him with startled but heated eyes.

“I made arrangements to fly to San Francisco to go see Annabel’s parents. I decided not to tell them I’m coming.”

After surprise turned to a warm glow of appreciation, she reached up and touched his cheek. “That’s good, Callum.”

“You’re coming with me.” He wouldn’t let her out of his sight. “We’ll be safer if we aren’t here anyway.”

“How long will we be there?”

“I got open tickets so we can come back when we need to. In case they aren’t home when we go there.”

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