Colters' Gift

CHAPTER 26

WHAT did he say?” Lauren asked anxiously as they pulled away from the Colter house.

“He’s very eager to talk to you,” Noah said. “Apparently they’ve been looking for you for some time. They were worried that you’d met a similar fate as some of the other women of Knight’s association.”

“They thought I was dead?” Lauren gasped.

“They weren’t sure what to think. Only that you’d disappeared and they were very interested in talking to you. They’ve been investigating Knight for over a year, but he’s squeaky clean and no one inside his organization will talk. They’ve been looking for any way in they can find.”

“So he believed you? I mean about the information we have?”

“We didn’t go into that kind of detail,” Liam said grimly

She frowned. “I don’t understand. What did you tell him then?”

“Just that we had incriminating evidence, detailed evidence, that he would be interested in,” Noah said. “I didn’t want to tip our hand this soon. He jumped on the opportunity. I could practically hear him drooling through the phone.”

Lauren went quiet, Holly Colter’s words echoing through her head.

“This could take a long time,” she finally murmured, her gaze sliding sideways so she could take in Noah’s and Liam’s expressions. “I was talking to Holly about when she was in protective custody. It was months before she saw Adam, Ethan and Ryan again, and it could have been much longer except her ex-husband pled out at the last minute instead of going to trial.”

Liam’s hand slid over her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. “No matter how long it takes, we’re going to be right there with you.”

“What about your family, though?” she asked anxiously. “This seems like an awful lot to spring on them. Not only are you and Noah involved with the same woman . . . me . . . but now you may have to disappear for months or longer because of what I’m doing.”

“I’ll call them before we go meet Castanetti,” Liam said. “I’ll explain everything to them then.”

Lauren twisted her hands in agitation. “I don’t want them to hate me before they ever even meet me.”

Noah smiled. “I can’t imagine the Prescotts hating anyone, and certainly not someone as sweet and beautiful as you are. They’re going to love you, Lauren. I admit, I was worried at first, but I was doing them a huge disservice. They’re some of the most loving, giving people I’ve ever met. I was fortunate enough to be able to call them my family.”

“We’re very lucky,” Liam said in a low voice. “We have your family solidly behind us and they’re obviously hugely loyal, and we have my family who I expect nothing less from. With families like ours, we can’t possibly lose.”

“I’d like to meet them,” she said wistfully.

Noah pulled her hand up to kiss it. “As soon as we can arrange it, we’ll absolutely take you to meet Liam’s parents. But you come first.”

When they reached town, Noah parked in front of the clinic in one of the on-street parking slots. He left the SUV running and Liam got out and opened Lauren’s door for her.

She frowned. “What’s going on? Where are you going?”

“It’s where we’re going,” Liam said, taking her hand. “You and I are going to run up to your apartment so you can pack a bag. We’ll tell you all about it and the plan. I promise.”

The blood drained from her face. “Do you think we’re in danger here?”

“We just don’t want to take any chances, honey,” Noah said gently. “Now that we’ve made the call to the D.A., we have to prepare for any eventuality. Now go on. I’ll wait here. Liam will go up with you.”

She turned and numbly allowed Liam to lead her up the stairs to her apartment door. Once there, he took the key from her hand and inserted it into the lock.

“Stay glued to my back,” he ordered tersely.

She pressed herself to his back as he pushed open the door. He drew his pistol and did a quick sweep of the room.

“Shut the door but don’t lock it,” Liam ordered. “Not yet. You stay here by the door and don’t make a move, while I check the other rooms. If I yell at you to get out or if you hear anything that sounds off, you hightail it back to Noah. Understand?”

She nodded.

He disappeared into her bedroom and returned mere seconds later, his gun down by his side.

“Okay, go in and get your bag packed. I’ll have mine and Noah’s stuff ready in just a few seconds.”

It was hard deciding what to pack and what to leave. What if she never came back to this apartment again? It was a hysterical thought, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Her decision had the power to alter the course of her entire life. Not only hers but Noah’s and Liam’s too. Her family’s as well.

She closed her eyes. Oh God, please let her have made the right decision. The right choice. Just once.

“Lauren?”

Liam’s call from the living room galvanized her to action. She hurriedly went through her closet and pulled several outfits from the hangers. She only had one suitcase, but she had a duffel bag that could carry quite a bit, so she used that for shoes, underwear and socks, and all her toiletries.

In the suitcase, she piled jeans, slacks, two skirts and all the tops she’d chosen. Her stomach churned when she realized that she would most certainly be expected to make a court appearance.

She went back to her closet and took three dresses from the end, and then made sure she had the matching shoes. How ironic would it be for her to wear one of the dresses Joel had bought for her to testify in the trial to convict him?

In the end, she couldn’t get her suitcase to zip. Frustrated, she leaned and pushed but couldn’t budge it. Knowing she needed help, she called for Liam.

“I can’t get it closed,” she said, flipping her hand impatiently at the open suitcase on her bed.

Liam’s eyebrow went up. “I can see why.”

“I wasn’t sure what to pack,” she said defensively. “I mean packing for an indeterminate amount of time is kind of daunting, you know?”

“Shhh, baby,” he soothed. “It’s fine. We’ll take what you’ve packed and if you need something later or if you figure out you’ve forgotten something, Noah and I will get it for you. Don’t let this stress you out.”

She took a deep breath. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I am kind of freaked out right now.”

He tugged her into his arms and kissed her brow. After a quick, fierce hug, he gently pulled himself away and went to close her suitcase.

His muscles bulging, he pushed down on it enough to get it zipped, and then he hefted it upward so he could get it off the bed and onto the floor so it could be rolled.

“All ready?” he asked.

She glanced around the room one last time and then nodded.

“Get your bag. I’ll take the suitcase. Once I get you into the car with Noah, I’ll come back up for mine and Noah’s bags.”

She grabbed the oversized duffel and hoisted the strap over her shoulder, and then followed Liam back through the living room and down the stairs to the street.

Noah got out to help put her bags in the back, and then he guided Lauren to the passenger seat while Liam sprinted back up the stairs for the other bags.

“Where are we going?” Lauren asked as they waited for Noah.

“We’re going to stay tonight in a hotel so we can talk about everything that’s going to go on and so you’re comfortable with the plan. Tomorrow we’ll drive back out to the Colters’, where we’ll stay until we fly out to Raleigh.”

Liam opened the door to the backseat and slid inside. “All set. Let’s roll.”

“You two don’t mind staying at the Colters’,” she asked as Noah pulled out of the parking spot.

Noah shook his head. “It’s isolated. It’s private. It comes with a hell of a lot of built-in protection. And they’re your family. That’s good enough for me.”

She smiled.

“But for tonight, we wanted you to ourselves,” Liam said from the backseat. “We have a lot to talk about, yes, but we also want a night with you where we aren’t concerned with what your family can or can’t hear or who’s right down the hall.”

Her cheeks grew warm, but she couldn’t control the shiver of delight at the veiled promise in his voice.

Noah reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

“We wanted one night—this night—to show you just what you mean to us before we have to deal with what’s coming down the road.”