Colters' Gift

CHAPTER 22

IT was nearly eight thirty when Lauren, Noah and Liam pulled up to the Colters’ home. Max and Callie as well as Lily, Seth, Michael and Dillon were already there.

Butterflies stumbled around her stomach as she sat in the front seat, staring through the windshield to the front porch. Liam reached across the seat and squeezed her hand.

“Ready for this? It’s not too late to back out. No phone calls have been made.”

It shamed her that for a brief moment, she considered doing just that. It was instinctive to want to run and hide, but then that’s what she’d been doing for far too long.

Taking a calming breath, she shook her head. “No, I need to do this. Not just for the women he’s brutalized and murdered, but I need to do it for me.”

Noah shifted forward from the backseat. “Just remember that Liam and I are behind you. Always. No matter what goes on in here, no matter if emotions run high. We support you one hundred percent, no matter what you choose to do.”

She turned, allowing her love for both men to shine in her eyes. She only hoped he could see it. That he knew it and felt it. The words had come easily with Liam because he’d given them first. She needed to give them to Noah. And she would, as soon as they got through the meeting with her family.

“Thank you,” she choked out.

“Ready?” Liam said as he opened his door.

Taking one more deep breath, she opened her door and stepped into the sunlight, allowing it to remove the chill deep inside her chest.

Noah and Liam flanked her as they walked toward the porch. The door was opened by Holly, who immediately pulled Lauren into her firm embrace.

“How are you, baby?” Holly asked in her sweet, motherly voice that always made Lauren feel as though she’d come home.

“I’m fine, Mama C. Or I will be,” she amended.

Holly pulled away, her eyes worried and dark. “Max is upset. I thought you should know so you don’t get blindsided.”

Lauren’s stomach somersaulted, and she glanced anxiously up at Noah and Liam.

“It’ll be fine, honey,” Noah soothed. “We’ll get through this together.”

Holly took her hand and pulled her into the house, leaving the men to follow.

“They’re right,” Holly said. “We’ll get through this together. Just like we always do. Max was just caught off guard and he’s not taking it well.”

As they entered the living room, everyone turned to look in Lauren’s direction. Max, who’d been sitting beside Callie on the couch, shot to his feet, his expression dark.

Callie put her hand up to his arm and murmured something to him, but he shook her off and advanced toward Lauren. But it wasn’t her he was intent on questioning. He stopped a short distance away, his angry gaze finding Noah and Liam.

“Do one of you want to explain why I’m getting information from Seth and not either of you? Last time I checked, I was signing your checks. Your job is to protect my sister and report to me. I didn’t know of any of this and I should have been the first to know,” he seethed.

Even as he spoke, he pulled Lauren into his side, wrapping a protective arm around her. She could feel the anger—and the tension—vibrating from him.

Noah’s eyes narrowed and Liam’s lip curled into a snarl.

“When have you received a bill from us ever?” Noah snapped. “Better check your records, Wilder, because we haven’t asked you for a cent. Lauren isn’t a damn job to us. Our priority is keeping her safe, not keeping you posted on every detail we have before we even know if it’s an issue. We spoke to Seth last night and then set up this morning’s meeting so we could plan accordingly.”

Max stiffened even further, apparently not appeased by Noah’s explanation.

“What the hell are you saying?” Max asked softly. “Just what is the nature of your relationship with my sister? I damn sure didn’t hire you to take advantage of her.”

Lauren jerked away from Max’s hold. “Max, stop it. Please.”

“I’d say that’s none of your damn business,” Liam said in an equally soft, dangerous tone.

“The hell it’s not!” Max burst out.

“Max, enough, son,” Adam Colter said firmly as he inserted himself between Max and where Noah and Liam stood. “We aren’t going to get anywhere with you and Noah and Liam snarling at each other like a bunch of pit bulls.”

Holly put her arm around Lauren and led her beyond Max and farther into the living room where the others sat.

Dillon and Michael were both perched on the hearth, while Lily sat next to Callie on one of the sofas. Seth, Ryan and Ethan occupied the other couch, and two armchairs were vacant. Chairs from the dining room had been brought into the living room to accommodate more people and were staggered between the couches and armchairs.

Holly led Lauren to the couch to sit with Lily and Callie. Lauren settled next to Callie, who immediately took her hand, holding tightly in support. Holly took position on Lauren’s other side and wrapped an arm around Lauren’s shoulders.

Lauren couldn’t help but smile. The Colter women had closed ranks around her. Not even Max would dare to take on Mama C, much less her and Callie and Lily.

“Have a seat,” Adam instructed Noah and Liam. “According to Seth, we have a lot to discuss.”

Noah and Liam walked past Max, who was still standing and seething with anger. Max’s jaw was drawn tight when he turned to follow the others into the living room. He glanced toward the couch where the women sat, clearly not happy that he was being blocked by both his wife and his mother-in-law.

“He’ll get over it,” Callie murmured. “He’s just worried about you.”

“I know,” Lauren whispered back.

When Max had settled onto one of the dining room tables—across from where Noah and Liam had taken their seats in armchairs—Adam turned one of the wooden chairs around and straddled it so he could take in everyone.

Seth leaned forward, his hands clasped together as his elbows pressed into his knees. “I took the liberty of bringing everyone up to date on what we discussed last night. I figured it would save time so that we could move forward once you all arrived.”

Noah and Liam both nodded their agreement.

“I waited for you to arrive to give you the rundown on the women you wanted me to run through the system.” Seth’s lips thinned as he continued. “It’s not good.”

Lauren’s heart plummeted. “Are they dead?” she choked out.

Seth grimaced. “Yes, honey, I’m sorry.”

All the blood drained from her face. Noah and Liam swore.

“What women?” Ryan Colter demanded. “What are we talking about here?”

“The disk that has the information Lauren copied from Knight’s computer has a list of the women who work or worked for him. Some had notations by their names that sounded ominous,” Noah said. “We had Seth check to see if he could find any information about them. Mainly whether they were still alive.”

“How did they die?” Liam asked bluntly.

Seth merely shook his head. His silence spoke volumes, and it was obvious he didn’t want to go into details in front of Lauren and the other women.

Callie’s hold on Lauren’s hand tightened, and Holly hugged her closer to her side.

“Something has to be done about this bastard,” Max said grimly. “I won’t allow a threat to my family to exist.”

“I am doing something,” Lauren said softly, drawing the attention of every occupant of the room.

She was done having Seth or even Noah and Liam do her talking for her. This was on her. She was the only person who could stand up and take Joel Knight down. Not Liam. Not Noah. Not her brother. Not Seth or any of the other Colters.

Max’s stare hardened, and he paled as he took in the determination in Lauren’s voice.

“What do you mean by that, Lauren?” Max asked, alarm clear in his voice.

The older Colter men frowned. Ryan and Ethan sat forward, casting worried glances in her direction. Callie had a death grip on Lauren’s hand, and she could feel the same worried gazes from the women on either side of her.

Her nostrils flared as she inhaled sharply. She glanced at Noah and Liam, bolstered by the support in their eyes.

“I’m going to turn in the evidence I have and testify if necessary, which I’m sure it will be.”

The explosive responses were immediate.

“The hell you are!” Max shouted, bolting to his feet.

“Lauren, I’m not sure you should make that decision so quickly,” Adam said, a frown marring his face.

“Do you think that’s best?” Ryan asked, his expression a mirror of Adam’s.

There were more questions. Exclamations of worry. A volley of conversation between the dads and Seth, and then Max and Noah and Liam. It was all a dull roar that made her head ache.

Only the women remained quiet. Callie gripped Lauren’s hand so tightly that her fingers were starting to tingle. Holly had gone completely still next to Lauren, and Lily leaned forward, her worried gaze seeking out Lauren’s.

“I’m scared for you, Lauren,” Callie whispered.

“So am I,” Lily said just as quietly.

Holly reached across Lauren’s lap, holding out her hand to both Lily and Callie until all four women were connected. Lauren allowed the quiet strength of these women—survivors—bleed into her soul.

“I’m scared too,” Lauren admitted. “But the one thing you’ve all taught me is that I have to do the right thing. A woman—women—are dead because of me.”

She shook her head when they would have refuted her statement.

“Not because of me. I know that I’m not responsible for Joel’s actions. But I could have prevented at least some of their deaths. Maybe I could have only prevented one. But how many more will die or be abused or degraded because I’m afraid? I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hiding. I don’t want to forever be looking over my shoulder. I just want . . . peace.”

It was only at the end of her impassioned speech that she realized her voice had carried beyond the scope of the other women, and that everyone else had quieted to listen to what she was saying.

As she glanced up, every single one of the Colters—and Max—were staring at her with gentle understanding, worry, fear and . . . pride.

She swallowed, and then again as the knot swelled in her throat and tears burned her eyelids.

“I want to be somebody you can all be proud of,” she choked out. “And right now I’m not proud of myself, so how can I expect anyone else to be?”

“Oh honey,” Holly said, emotion clouding her voice.

She hugged Lauren to her and rocked back and forth, stroking her hair.

“Listen to me, baby. I want you to look at me.”

Lauren reluctantly lifted her gaze to the older woman and was taken aback at the pride and consternation in her eyes.

“We are proud of you. So very proud. Now it’s time to forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made. You can’t continue to beat yourself up over choices you’ve made. You have to be willing to let go and forgive yourself. No one else blames you. Only you. I look at you and see a beautiful, kind young lady with a heart as big as these mountains. I couldn’t be more proud of you even if I’d given birth to you. You’re one of mine. Never doubt that. And as anyone will tell you, what’s mine is mine, and I love what’s mine fiercely and without reserve or condition.”

Tears slid down Lauren’s cheeks and a sob hiccupped from her throat. “I love you too,” she whispered. “All of you.”

Holly hugged her again, squeezing her until she was breathless. After a moment, she gently separated herself from Lauren and stroked the hair from Lauren’s face. Then she turned to Noah and Liam, all business.

“What is your plan for this?” she demanded.