Page 35 of No Turning Back
“It was them,” Sydney says, and her mom’s body goes tight.
“Who?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Sydney whispers and goes quiet.
The state trooper I threatened moves next to me. Lydia is standing next to him and is crying too. His arm goes around her, but she pulls away. I watch as his jaw locks tight.
“I think this was Colton,” Lydia says, and we all turn to her.
“Why do you think that?” the trooper asks.
“Who else could it be? He’s mad because he knows Sydney and Sharon are helping me. He was at her house last month and threatened her and Poseidon. Right?” She looks over at us.
I nod at him, confirming he was there.
Sydney doesn’t say anything. She just keeps looking at the car. I’m sure she’s hiding something. I know in my gut this has nothing to do with Lydia.
Finally, we load up, and I take my girls home, with my brother and father following behind in their truck with my nephew.
The next day I take off from work so I can be with Sydney. She’s at her counseling appointment right now, so I’m sitting at the Drago Defiance garage across from my best friend. Sydney had nightmares all night long and clung to me through most of it.
I take in Aries as he talks on the phone with his wife. He’s changed so much in the last few years since he met and married Wrenn. I remember how he was with his ex-wife. He was into his job until he wanted to retire, and she was all about his job. But Wrenn completes him. They want the same things in life. He’s more relaxed around her. He wants to be with her all the time. Just like I want to be with Sydney. The thought of her doing something dangerous or being away from me makes my heart pound. I’m still not over what happened yesterday. All that red paint looked like blood.
I’ve been looking at floor plans for my house, making sure there is room for Mari to grow, and any other children I can get into Sydney, and still have room for animals, photos, and life. I want to move on to the next stage of our relationship and become a family.
“How are you doing after last night?” Aries breaks through my thoughts. I realize he hung up the phone and is watching me.
“She won’t open up to me. I know she’s hiding things. I know there is more to last night than it possibly being Lydia’s ex,” I say. He leans back in his chair and looks me over for a moment. “Maverick said the same thing. He was going to call today and find out Colton’s location.”
“Maverick?”
“Sergeant Maverick Whitlock. He’s a state trooper who seems to like Lydia. She called him yesterday, and he’s helping with the investigation. Seems like a stand-up guy.”
“You’ve heard us talk about the ‘one look,’ but has anyone else told you about the Williamson’s curse?”
I shake my head. I can believe in the ‘one look’ because I’ve seen proof of it. I’ve felt it. But a curse?
“Stop. I’m being serious.”
“So am I. The Williamsons attract problems. Look at what happened to Wrenn and then her cousin Killian, not to mention Drea.” He’s right about that.
“But Syd isn’t a Williamson.”
“Yeah, well, she grew up with them and was friends with them for most of her life.”
“That doesn’t mean shit.” I stand up, not wanting to hear any more about a curse.
“I’m just saying. Keep an eye on her. I also heard Hot Head has a crush on your girl.”
“Yeah, I got that too. She told me last night he asked her out, and she let him down by telling him she was too old for him. So, he had no clue we were dating, but he does now.”
“That’s funny, though.” He chuckles before he sobers up. “You need help, just ask. You know Cronus won’t mind the team helping you out.”
“I messaged Hawkeye already. He’s going to try to take some time off. He said Ghost can’t come. He’s busy with his new family.”
Hawkeye was in our unit for a bit before he got hurt and had to get out. His name is Carter, but we call him Hawkeye. His best friend, Ghost, is another former teammate of ours. They both live somewhere in the United Kingdom. They can’t tell anyone exactly where because of security. They work for a company called Securities International.
“He’ll be good. She won’t recognize him.”
