“What do you mean?” It’s so dark in here, but I remember the contents clearly. The forgeries of the Discovery collection are wrapped in blankets in the far-right corner, and behind them is the hard drive with all the information Colton had gathered against his father. I haven’t been here since the night I first opened the unit.
“You come to pick something up, you drop something else off.”
I turn and take a step toward the door, horrified of the idea of that door closing and him locking me in here.
“The cameras were tougher to deal with. People are always shocked at the number of cameras that can track you through town and watch you deliver someone to a storage unit. People think witnesses are their biggest concern, but there’s nothing as damning as digital footage. It took some work on my part to deal with the cameras so I could make this happen.”
I hear a sharp cry and turn to see the silhouette of a man in the corner. I step closer, but I know it’s Colton even before my eyes adjust enough to take in the duct tape over his mouth and the rope tethering his legs and wrists.
“Luckily, Levi helped me out by letting me know where I could find Colton. I reported it to my unit, of course, but only after I’d brought him here. I couldn’t have him telling my colleagues his secrets.”
I never saw Colton’s face the night he grabbed me in the woods, but I see it now, and the darkness can’t hide how awful he looks. Thin. Exhausted. But alive . . . for now. I lunge toward him. “Colton.”
“That’s right. Go be with your honey. It’s kind of tragic, really. You young lovers are finally reunited, only to have your story end with such a waste of life. Then again, the media always seems to gobble up the macabre beauty of murder-suicides. Just sit down, Ellie. Like I told you the night at your house, brutality isn’t my style. I was just trying to get some information, but you were stubborn. Too stubborn. I’m sure you’d agree now that withholding information from a police officer is never worth it in the end.”
“Why didn’t you just kill me, then?” I ask. “Why not just frame Colton? Everyone thought he hurt me. Why draw it out?”
“I needed you to find Colton, and I couldn’t risk the police finding Colton alive.”
“What about Nelson? Where’s he?” I ask, turning away from Colton to face this evil man with a badge. Over his shoulder, I spot Levi, a cadre of officers behind him with guns raised. Thank God.
“He was as hard to track as his son, but I took care of him. I imagine they’ll find his body in the lake soon, and everyone will be so glad that his evil son is already dead.” He gives a gleeful smile. “My secrets will die with you and Colton.”
I meet Levi’s eyes. “There’s no secret that time won’t reveal.”
“Unless you’re dead,” Huxley says cheerfully, waving the gun at me. “Now sit by your fiancé.”
“Hands up,” an officer says behind him.
Detective Huxley’s eyes go wide and he spins around. There are at least half a dozen guns aimed right at his chest, but Huxley aims his right back.
“Get down!” Levi shouts, and I drop to the floor just as bullets go flying all around me.
Ellie
Monday, October 29th
Detective Ben Huxley was arrested yesterday and is being held on multiple counts—including attempting to murder me, killing Colton’s father, extortion, and myriad other offenses the prosecutor listed. It turns out Nelson was bluffing when he told me he’d frame Colton for his death, but Nelson’s bluff was Huxley’s grand plan. He needed to get rid of anyone he thought might know what he’d done for Nelson, including the man himself.
I spent most of yesterday being interviewed at the police station, and when they finally let me go, I drove back to Dyer to see my mom. She wasn’t happy about letting me leave this morning, but she understands that I’m safe now and I need to go on with my life.
I walk quietly into Colton’s hospital room and my emotions go haywire, each trying to trample the others to take the spot front and center in my mind. I love this man, but I couldn’t protect him from his father or from addiction. We never should have tried to do either alone.
“Ellie,” Colton whispers, barely opening his eyes. He’s dehydrated and malnourished after weeks of hiding from the police. After all, he knew the evidence he had and that Detective Huxley was working with his father, and he didn’t trust anyone enough to turn over the evidence he found. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all month.”
I sit on the edge of his bed and take his hand in mine, careful not to move his IV. “I’ve been so worried about you,” I whisper, tracing his cracked cuticles with my fingertips.
“You almost died. I thought I could take Huxley down on my own, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do anything if they locked me up for hurting you.” He cups the side of my face. “You didn’t really believe I could have done that, did you?”
I shake my head. “Once I remembered you, I knew you wouldn’t have hurt me.”
He takes a lock of my hair and rubs it between his fingers. “I still want to marry you.”
My throat is so thick that it’s painful to swallow. Tears run in hot streaks down my face. “Colton . . .”
He shakes his head slowly, scanning my face like he’s trying to memorize it. “I already know. I even knew while you were wearing my ring.”
“You thought you could fight Nelson alone, and I thought we could save you from your addictions alone.” I draw in a ragged breath that sounds a little like a sob. “We were both wrong.”
“Nelson’s gone now.”
“But you will always be an addict.” The words hurt to say. I don’t think either of us was ever willing to believe that painful truth. “And I hope you’ll choose to be a sober addict, but it’s time to stop hiding it. If you want to get and stay sober, your family needs to know. No more secret rehab. No more pretending you’re fine when you need help.”
He leans back against his pillow and closes his eyes. “Is that why I lost you? The drugs?”
I squeeze his fingers. “I think we both know that question is too complicated for a yes or no answer. The drugs were a problem, but they weren’t our only problem.”
“You and Levi?”
I shrug, my emotions jumbled. “Maybe.”
“But no more you and me.” He pulls his hand to mine and drops it to the bed.
I meet his eyes and press my fist to the guilty ache in my chest. “Not in the way we used to be, but we’ll always be friends. I thought I had to stay with you to save you from the pills.” I swallow. “But I can’t save you, and I don’t have to marry you to be by your side as you take your life back.”
He searches my face, resignation written all over his. “When did I lose you?”
I shake my head. “Maybe you didn’t. Maybe I lost you. I should have seen the signs when you started spiraling, but I was so scared I was going to end up alone with a baby that I didn’t see anything but my biggest fears.” He goes blurry for a beat before I feel the hot roll of fresh tears down my cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“Nah, baby. You don’t owe me any apologies. I took my eyes off the prize.”
I laugh. “And what was that?”
“You. Us. I was looking for my father, blind in my rage, and I was too busy trying to deal with other people’s problems when Huxley hurt you. I should have been there. Instead, you were trying to protect me, and you almost died.”
“You can’t take on that guilt. Huxley is responsible for what he stole from us. No one else.” Would Huxley have spared me if I’d told him about the storage unit that night? Would he have spared my baby? I don’t believe he would have. The thing about digital information is that just because you have a copy of it, doesn’t mean you have control of it. Colton had digitized everything he had against his father and all the men in this town who’d helped him over the years. Including Detective Huxley, who’d covered up plenty along the way. Having the hard drive wouldn’t have been enough for Huxley.
Colton closes his eyes and gives a faint nod. “I love you.”
Standing, I kiss his forehead. “I love you too.”