Colt must have thought the same thing, because he “hmmms” before releasing me and closing and locking the door behind us. “Pack a few bags.”
I turn with my hand on my hip. He’s crazy. I’m not just packing up and leaving. “No.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I can see you’re back to your old self now. Not going to let a few hitmen keep you down.”
“That’s not funny, Colt.”
He sighs and reaches for me, but I take a step back. He crosses his arms over his chest. “Look, all I meant was I’m glad you’re fighting back. Don’t let this get to you. We’re going to end this, and you’ll be back to living the life you want. But until then, I’m keeping you safe, and the only way to do that is to take you back to Tennessee with me.”
I tremble just thinking about it. “I haven’t been back to Tennessee...”
He nods. “I know. Since you moved six days after that morning I left you. I know exactly how long it’s been since you’ve been home, Kins.”
“How do you know that?”
He takes a few steps away from me and looks out the window. No doubt he’s looking for anything suspicious in the parking lot, and I’m afraid he won’t answer. When I’m about to walk away, he says, “Because as soon as I got done with that first mission, I came looking for you. I knew I’d made a mistake.”
I nod, knowing that Colt is above all else a good man. I knew he would regret the way he ended things. If nothing else, I know he wouldn’t want to hurt me. “You were coming to apologize?”
He shakes and drops his head. He takes a deep breath and turns around to face me. “No, I was coming to beg for your forgiveness. I was coming to see if there was any chance you would be with me.”
His eyes meet mine, and I can see the truth in them. “Three years ago, Colt. Three years and you never thought to come and find me.”
“I didn’t have to find you. I knew exactly where you were. I know about the man that lived in the apartment above you and kept asking you out, I know about the student that caused you problems when you gave him a failing grade. I know about your coworkers and the one that I thought you went on a date with. By the way, he’s only breathing because I found out you were trying to help him get sober. He’s in a rehab facility in Texas right now. I may not have come and disrupted your life, but I’ve been with you this whole time, Kins.”
I shake my head, staring at him. “What? I don’t even know what to say to that, Colt. We’re over. It’s too late for us. I’ve built a life here, and I’m not giving up my dreams because you suddenly decide you want to be in my life.”
His nostrils flare as he moves closer to me. He’s across the room and then right in front of me in an instant. “You can keep trying to convince yourself that we mean nothing to each other. Whatever you need to do to make yourself feel better. But the fact remains, I can’t keep you safe here. Obviously there’s a leak of information or a tracker of some sort. I’m taking you home with me where I know my men will keep you safe.”
“And then what? What happens then?”
“I’ll take care of hitman number four, and this will be over. You can come back here to the life you want.”
I take a deep breath. It would be so easy to just forget the past and beg him to love me, but I can’t do it. He’s hurt me before, and he’ll do it again. “Fine,” I tell him. “Where am I going to stay? My parents moved to Vegas after I left and...”
“You’ll stay with me.” He says it in a way to where I understand he doesn’t want me to argue with him.
“So you can protect me?” I ask. I don’t know what I’m hinting at. Maybe for him to tell me he wants something with me, but when he shrugs his shoulders and nods his head, I leave it alone.
He wants to question me, I can see it in his eyes, but he doesn’t. “Pack some bags.”
I walk a few feet away, and he stops me with his hands on my waist. “Let me go first.” He walks through the apartment, checking everything before he walks back out of my bedroom. “It’s clear.”
I nod and walk in. He stands at the door, his arms stretched over his head as he holds on to the door frame. I force myself to look away and put my head in the closet to find my suitcase. “How long should I pack for?”