Colters' Gift

Evie shooed her away. “Go on and take it. I’ll hit your tables for any refills. You’re caught up on your deliveries. As soon as I take my two out, I’ll be caught up and I’ll take any newcomers that walk in.”

Lauren flashed a grin. “Thanks, Evie. You’re the best.”

Clark gave them both indulgent smiles. “You two are the best waitresses I’ve ever had. Can’t begrudge you a break. You’ve earned it. We’ve been busting ass since opening time this morning.”

“Typical Monday,” Evie said with a shrug.

Lauren turned and hurried back to where Lily and Callie sat. She snagged a chair from a nearby empty table and parked it at the end of the two-person booth.

“So what are you two up to today? Just doing lunch? And where is Mama C?”

“She’s baby shopping. In Denver,” Callie added. “Which means the dads went with her because they still won’t let her drive pretty much anywhere by herself. She’s decided she needs to outfit an entire nursery at her house for when the baby stays over.”

Lauren chuckled. “I can only imagine.”

Lily smiled. “She’s been so wonderful to me. She’s already explained that she’s coming to stay with me for the entire week after the baby is born and that I won’t have to lift a single finger. She’s barked orders at the men. Dillon is on cooking duty. Michael and Seth are sharing diaper changing and bottle-feeding when I need a break from breast-feeding.”

Lily grew misty eyed. “I don’t know what I’d do without her. Or the entire Colter family. Even the dads have volunteered to come over so Seth, Dillon and Michael can get some rest. I can’t even explain how much just knowing that they’ll be right there, for however we need them, means to me. It’s like a huge weight off my shoulders.”

Callie reached over to squeeze her hand. “And you forget me and Max. We’ll be right here whenever you need us.”

“And me,” Lauren piped up.

Lily smiled. “Yes of course. You’ll be right here in the middle of all of us. It’s a pretty wonderful place to be, you know.”

Callie turned a purposeful stare in Lauren’s direction. “Okay, so, I’ll fully admit, Lily and I came here with a purpose, and we also waited until Noah and Liam left before we came in because we wanted to corner you and interrogate you mercilessly.”

“Uh-oh,” Lauren muttered.”

Lily laughed. “You have to tell us what’s going on with those two. And don’t give us the cock-and-bull story about how they’re just protecting you until things are resolved with Joel. Because the way they look at you? Makes me shiver. There’s definitely more to this story than you’re letting on.”

Lauren blushed, her face warming under their scrutiny.

“I knew it!” Callie crowed. “Look at her face! Totally busted.”

Lauren sighed. “Okay, okay. Yes, there’s something more than just a professional relationship.”

“Which one?” Lily said, pouncing on the subject. “My money is on Liam. He’s so dark and broody and delicious. And those tattoos. Yum. He totally reminds me of Dillon.”

Callie shook her head. “I’m betting Noah. His gaze never leaves her. He’s constantly watching her. Always looking for any kind of threat to her. But when he looks directly at her, I swear that man’s eyes just smolder. If you could bottle that look? We could make millions. He is sex in a can, I’m telling you.”

Lauren burst out laughing. “Oh my God, you two are killing me!”

“So which is it?” Lily demanded.

“Uhm, well . . . both,” she said, dropping her voice so there was no chance of being overheard.

“What?” Callie squeaked. “Oh my God, you lucky bitch.”

Lily’s eyes widened. “Really?

Lauren nodded.

“Wow,” Callie breathed. “I swear I’m the only one who took on one man.”

“Yeah, well, can you imagine two of Max?” Lily pointed out.

Callie rolled her eyes. “No kidding. I’d never survive. Max is like having three men. Still, there are times when I look at you and I look at mom and I think, wow, that must be so awesome to have three men who absolutely worship and adore you. And now you, Lauren. You have two drop-dead gorgeous, stacked guys who want to spend every waking moment cherishing and protecting you? Jealousy is going to eat me alive.”

Lauren blushed again. “We’re still working through some stuff. I mean this is completely brand new to all three of us. None of us have experience in this and we’re having to feel our way around.”

“None of us had experience with it either,” Lily said in a serious tone. “I know it sounds crazy because of the way Seth, Michael and Dillon grew up, but they never considered for a moment that they’d have the same kind of relationship their parents had. So when they met me, they had things they had to work out and we definitely had to be careful in the beginning. We’re still working at it.”

“Is it hard and stressful?” Lauren asked.

Lily smiled. “At times it can be, but the good times far outweigh the bad, and I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to have the love and devotion of three of the most terrific men I’ve ever met. I feel like I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

“I feel that way too,” Lauren said quietly. “It scares me to death and yet it’s thrilling all at the same time. I don’t want to mess this up and for it not to work out.”

Callie and Lily both reached for her hands.

“You’ll do just fine,” Callie said, her expression fierce. “They’re lucky to have you.”

Lauren grinned. “That’s what I love most about you guys. Even when I’m wrong, you still take my side.”

Callie sniffed. “Colters are never wrong. Just ask my mother.”

They all laughed. Evie brought out Lily’s and Callie’s plates, and the two women began eating.

After a moment, Lauren reluctantly rose, knowing she needed to get back to her tables so Evie wasn’t stuck covering the whole diner.

“I’ll see you two later, okay?”

Callie and Lily both waved a fork at her, and Lauren headed back to her section of tables.

Chapter 17

LAUREN knew something was wrong the moment Liam and Noah entered the diner at the end of her shift. She met them just a few feet inside the doorway, anxious as she surveyed their expressions.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Liam touched her elbow. “Are you finished?”

She hesitated. “I just need to go in back, put my apron up, collect tips and clock out.”

“Go on and get done,” Noah said. “We’ll wait for you here.”

She hurried away, dread tightening her chest. She hated the flutter of anxiety that bubbled in her stomach. What could possibly have happened in the short time they’d been gone?

She hastily untied her apron and threw it on the hook behind the kitchen door. Evie was already in the back counting out the totals, when Lauren hurried up.

“It was a good day, Lauren!” Evie exclaimed.

Lauren tried to smile. “I’m going to clock out, okay? Think you’ll be done by then?”

Evie frowned. “Is everything okay, hon?”

Lauren nodded. “Yeah, just need to go. I, uh, have plans. That’s all.”

Evie’s expression eased and her eyes gleamed. “Anything to do with those two hunky men who’ve been hanging around all day?”

Lauren pretended she didn’t hear as she went to do her time card. She called out a good-bye to Clark and hoped that Evie would be done with the tips when she got back.

Evie pushed a stack of bills across the small counter when Lauren returned.

“There you go. Have fun and I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Lauren smiled brightly and pocketed the bills, not even bothering to count as she usually would.

“See you tomorrow,” she said and headed out of the kitchen.

Liam and Noah were where she’d left them. She didn’t even worry over the scene they were causing. Every single person in the diner was staring hard at the two men, and even more so when they directed Lauren out the door to the street.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“We’ll talk in your apartment,” Noah said grimly.

They flanked her as they crossed the street and she noted that their gazes were scanning the sidewalks in both directions as they hustled her toward the steps to her apartment.

Only when she unlocked her door and they were inside did they seem to relax. But even then she could feel the tension radiating off them in waves.

Noah paced a circle in the tiny living room. Liam just stood to the side, his face so tight she could bounce a brick off it.

“You’re scaring me,” she said.

Noah immediately stopped his pacing and then pulled her into a fierce hug.

“I’m sorry. Sit down and we’ll talk.”

He guided her toward the couch and then took the seat next to her. Liam hunkered down into the armchair, but his expression hadn’t eased.

Noah ran a hand through his hair. “We made some calls today. Just trying to discreetly get some information. We have to be careful with who we trust because of what you’ve said about Joel having people on his payroll.”

She nodded.

“The thing is, the whole reason we found out about Joel and that you’d . . . misled us in the beginning was because we talked to a woman who I’m guessing is one of his girls.”

“She knew about me?” Lauren whispered.

“She knew enough that you and Joel were an item. She ID’d your photo and told us who Joel was. But she clammed up after that. Didn’t want anything to do with us. That’s when we came here to confront you with what we’d learned.”

“So what’s wrong now?” she asked with a frown. “I don’t understand. Does he know where I am?”

“She’s dead,” Liam said bluntly.

All the blood drained from Lauren’s face, and she swayed. Beside her, Noah cursed and wrapped his arm around her to steady her.

“Damn it, Liam,” Noah growled.

“What happened to her?” Lauren whispered.

“I spoke to a buddy of ours who’s a detective at NYPD. We took a risk, but we feel he’s trustworthy. In the course of our conversation, he informed us that this woman was found dead in her apartment. Someone beat her to death. It wasn’t pretty. Time of death puts it a day after we spoke to her in her apartment.”

“Oh God,” Lauren moaned. She put her face in her hands, Noah’s words echoing over and over in her mind.

“It doesn’t mean he knows where you are,” Liam said. “What it means, though, is that he likely knows we were asking questions about you and Joel Knight.”

“She died because of me,” Lauren said bleakly.

“Bullshit,” Liam bit out.

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I could have prevented this. It should have never happened.”

Noah took her shoulders in his hands and turned her to face him. His expression was hard and focused. “How was it your fault, Lauren? Is there something you’re not telling us? Now is not the time to be holding back anything. If you have information, then we need to goddamn well know about it.”

She shook away his hands and stood. “Please. Just leave me alone for a minute. God, I need to think.”

Without waiting for a response, she bolted from the living room into her bedroom. She closed the door and leaned heavily against it, her heart beating like the roar of a freight train.

Then she flew to the bed and lifted the mattress, reaching her hand frantically underneath it, reaching for the small memory card she’d taped to the underside.

She tore at it, the tape finally giving away. The plastic chip fell into her hand and she shakily peeled the tape away, staring at it in her palm.

Oh God. This was her fault. That woman had died because Lauren hadn’t had the courage to do what she should have done. How many other women had suffered because Lauren had only wanted to escape and to forget Joel Knight ever existed? And how selfish did it make her that she’d been so wrapped up in her own survival that she hadn’t given a single thought to women she could have protected and saved?

Poor little Lauren. So helpless and naïve. So damn stupid. This time she wouldn’t shake off the blame and tell herself that she’d made mistakes and that everyone made them. She couldn’t say that everything would be all right if she’d only had a fresh start and could forget her past.

Her past was there. Unchangeable. No matter how much she might wish differently. And it was affecting the lives of others. Her own. The women Joel used and abused. Murdered.

Revulsion gripped her.

She could have prevented this if she’d only been willing to stand up and do the right thing.