Bride Interrupted (10 page)

A sick feeling drummed in the pit of her stomach as she pulled the engagement ring from the box. She gasped. Tears filled her eyes. She cradled the ring in her hand, not wanting to believe what was coming.

Kayla picked her phone up and dialed, waiting impatiently until the caller answered on the second ring. “Alec, where is Mags?”

“She is at the bar helping Colton stock for the week.” His voice was too cheerful. Of course, he was supposed to get married in one week, begin a new life, new job, with his new wife.

“When was the last time you talked to her?”

“Several hours ago, why?”

“Hang up and call her. Then call me back.” Her voice cracked as she barked out instructions.

“What’s wrong?” A hint of fear colored his tone

“Just do it. I’m calling Colton.” She disconnected the call and immediately dialed Colton. No answer. She ended the call and tried again. Voicemail. “Shit.”

Alec called her back to say he had no luck in contacting his fiancée. Kayla paced the floor, trying several more times to connect with Colton and Maggie. Finally, she dialed another number. As soon as the man’s voice answered, she bombarded him. “Sergeant Miller, I think there’s been another victim. When I got home there was a present. It’s… I know whose ring it is.”

“Whoa. Slow down, missy. Back up and give me details.”

Kayla inhaled a deep breath and related the incident to him. “I’m going to the bar. Meet me there.”

“Kayla, no wait…” She hung up on him and headed out the door. She jumped on the golf cart. She pulled up just as Alec, Sergeant, and Detective Sawyer were arriving.

The back door to the bar was open. Kayla peeked inside, but didn’t see anyone. “Colton. Maggie,” she called out. No answer.

A loud
thud
sounded from the storage building. Everyone turned their attention to the small wooden structure. Sawyer and Miller had their guns drawn. Kayla eyed the pistols and shivered at the sun glinting off the dark metal. More scuffling noises came from inside. The door creaked. A foot jutted out, stopping the door from shutting. Kayla’s heart quickened.

The tennis shoe foot swung the door open all the way. Colton stepped out, carrying Maggie in his arms. Kayla screamed. Alec’s wail filled the air around them.

Kayla couldn’t take her eyes off the man walking out. Blood smeared his face. His white t-shirt and khaki shorts were streaked red and brown. Sand clung to the wetness. Sweat dripped from his dark hair, down the chiseled features of his face.

In his arms lay Maggie’s limp body. Her arm dangled by her side, flopping with every step Colton took. Colton looked bad, Mags looked – well, barely alive. Beaten and bloody.

Alec stepped towards her, but the sergeant put a restraining hand on him. “Hold up.” Tears streamed down the young man’s face.

Sawyer’s snarky, condescending voice penetrated the area. “I had my suspicions it was you. Once wasn’t enough.” He aimed his gun at Colton.

Colton looked at Kayla. His eyes begged her not to listen to Sawyer. All she could do was stare. She didn’t know what her expression relayed to him, but he cringed as if she slapped him.

He turned hard eyes on Sawyer. “Fuck you. I didn’t do this.” He took another step forward. Maggie gasped for every breath. Kayla wanted to help her, but didn’t know how. “Get an ambulance here. Now,” Colton roared.

Kayla tensed when Sawyer stood next to her. She didn’t look at him, but could imagine the smirk that would be on his face. “Told you not to trust him.”

The ambulance arrived, and the next several minutes went by in a rush of activity. Medics tended to Mags, Sawyer and Miller detained Colton, and Alec jumped in the ambulance with his bride-to-be.

While the law enforcement officers were conversing, Colton stepped closer to Kayla. She shivered at the sight of him. He was drenched with Maggie’s blood.

“Kayla,” he whispered.

She stiffened. “Don’t.”

“Look at me. I didn’t do this. Let me explain. I found her in the storage room like that. I was trying to save her.”

Kayla shook her head. She didn’t know what to believe. Not only had she trusted Colton, but she slept with him. Gave him her body, mind, and soul. He knew her inside and out. There was no way he could be responsible for the attacks on these women. However, seeing this scene in front of her had her doubting even herself. Had Sawyer been right all along? Why else would they cuff and arrest Colton?

She looked him in the eye. “You used me. Betrayed me.” Tears slipped down her face. She swiped at them, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. “So tell me, when was my turn? When were you going to attack me? Or were you just going to keep attacking women to sabotage my wedding business?”

“No, baby. You have it wrong. I love you. I would never hurt you, or your business.”

What did his words mean to her now? She couldn’t trust him.

Sawyer joined them, catching the last words Colton spoke. “Love. Right. Just like you loved Andrea. And we know what happened to her.”

“Bastard.” Colton lunged toward the detective. He raised his handcuffed hands above his head and slammed them into Sawyer’s face. The detective’s cheek swelled instantly, blood oozed from the cut. He grabbed Colton and threw him to the ground.

“I knew I should’ve cuffed your hands behind you.” Sawyer bent down and grabbed Colton by the shoulder, jerking him back to his feet. “Let’s go.”

Colton looked back over his shoulder, locking eyes with Kayla. “Top desk drawer there’s a card for my lawyer. Call him.” She simply stared at him. Her body was too numb to move. “Please.”

Kayla rushed to the hospital to check on her friend. Maggie was highly sedated and couldn’t give much detail about what happened. Her words slurred, “I was… in storage… hit me… Colton…”

“Maggie, are you saying Colton hit you?” Kayla’s nerves could not take much more. “Mags, talk to me.”

“It’s no use, Kayla. She’s been mumbling the same thing since they sedated her.” Alec’s hand trembled as he rubbed Maggie’s arms. His compassion was endearing.

“Oh, Alec. I am so sorry about this.” Kayla hugged her arms around her waist.

“It’s not your fault,” he said. He smoothed Maggie’s hair off her face. “The doctor said she will be fine. Only bruising. They gave her something so she could rest for a few hours. I should be able to take her home tomorrow.”

“You take care of her.” Kayla gave them both a hug. Her renewed spirit hit her full force. She would beat whoever was trying to stop her. Even if it was Colton. “I’m going to clean up the bar and get ready. We have a wedding in five days.”

Two hours later, she had the bar stocked, cleaned, and ready for the next week’s business. She walked out to the storage building and held her breath before swinging the door open. She was not prepared for what hit her.

Her stomach clenched and roiled. Blood splatters decorated the crates of alcohol. Several smaller boxes were strewn about, obviously thrown around during the struggle. The desk, normally covered with papers, was wiped clean, almost like someone swiped the contents aside. Making room for what? Her heart sank at the thought of what could have happened here. Thankfully, the doctors confirmed there had been no sexual assault.

Kayla went to the desk and tentatively opened the top side drawer. Surely Colton had the opportunity to contact his lawyer by now, but she felt compelled to do what he asked of her. Her mind wavered with the argument that she should not contact Colton’s lawyer. Let him ride it out and suffer the consequences. However, if he was guilty, she wanted to know. That would be a total game changer. Grandpa Earl would have to turn one hundred percent of the business over to her. He wouldn’t want a criminal running his business. Too many thoughts crowded her mind. Too many questions that had no answers.

And if by chance Colton was innocent, well, she wanted to know that as well. With her heart jumbled up, she didn’t know if she could go forward with a relationship, business or personal.

She pilfered through the drawer. There were no business cards. She pushed aside a pair of sunglasses, a small bottle of Black Ice cologne, pens, and notepads. She closed the drawer and opened the long middle top drawer. There she found a stack of cards, the top one being for the attorney. She shoved the card in her pocket.

She put her hand on the drawer that contained the personal items. Just another peek. She wanted to feel a connection to the man. She needed confirmation that he was not the type of man who would harm a woman. She picked up the cologne and inhaled the brisk scent. Colton’s scent. She set it back down and ran her fingers over the neat handwriting on the papers. She couldn’t resist the urge to read what was written.

“Oh my God.” Bile rose in her throat. She clenched her teeth together and pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, all in an attempt to keep from vomiting.

Colton sat in the small cubicle of a room, sweating, not only because it was sweltering in there, but because Kayla was waiting outside to see him. Why had it taken her so long to get there? How much of that time had she spent with Sawyer? Did Sawyer tell her everything? Colton’s fists clenched at the thought. He slammed his hands on the top of the desk. He hoped Kayla called his lawyer as he asked. More than anything, he hoped Kayla listened to the lawyer, and believed him. He would have told her the truth that she needed to hear.

He held his breath when the door opened. She walked inside alone. The metal clicked behind her as she shut the door. Instead of sitting, she stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Kayla.”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say right now.” She took a piece of paper out of her back pocket and shoved it in front of him. “I found this in your desk.”

Colton stared at the words written in his own handwriting.
Shit
. He had not thought about her finding that when she looked for the business card. Obviously, she looked through his entire desk. He was ruined in her eyes. “Let me explain.”

“Read it,” she instructed. “Out loud.”

He eyed her. Her face was stoic and unreadable. He lifted the paper with both hands and read the words. “Here comes the bride, dressed all in white. Radiant and lovely, she shines in his sight.” He stopped and shook his head.

“Continue.”

“Love have they waited, long have they planned. Life goes before them, opening her hand.” He threw the paper at her. “I can’t do this.”

She bent to the floor, picked up the paper, and thrust it back at him. “Finish it. Read the last line.”

He locked gazes with her. His jaw clenched so hard it was giving him a headache. “Kayla, don’t do this.”

She reached out and grabbed the paper, reading it aloud, “Life with new meaning, life shared as one. Promise each other to have and to hold.” The white note slipped out of her hand and feathered down to the table. She turned on her heel, her hand on the doorknob. She was going to leave him.

“Kayla, stop,” he bellowed. She tensed. The harshness in his voice would’ve stopped even the strongest of men. She turned to face him, emptiness in her eyes. “I was a Perdido Key detective several years ago. Sawyer was my partner. Now I’m working undercover. That is why I have that rhyme written down. I’m trying to find out who is doing this to you.” He was under strict orders not to reveal any of this to her, but he couldn’t take the look of mistrust in her eyes.