Under the Midnight Stars (14 page)

“In three quarters of a mile, turn right,”
a woman’s deep robotic voice instructed from the small computer screen in the middle of the dashboard console.

The sound of it annoyed her. She’d be sure to download a different voice from the Internet once she had the chance.

She turned right into Dallas, following the woman’s instructions through the maze of streets. She was intimidated by the conglomerate of gray concrete overpasses and underpasses and towering buildings blocking the sunlight. The city appeared cold and gloomy and congested.

“Why in the hell would anyone want to live here? Why in the hell did
I
want to live here?” She shook her head at her own stupidity.

An impatient driver behind her honked.

Brielle’s heart began to race nervously.

“Turn right ahead. Turn right,”
the annoying woman’s voice repeated.

The angry driver honked again.

She looked down at her speed, not realizing she’d slowed below the speed limit.

“Turn right.”

“Okay, okay!” she shouted, flustered. She slammed her foot on the gas pedal and turned right onto Oak Street, screeching her tires around the corner. Hands trembling, she pulled over next to an empty curb to gather her emotions.

“Turn right. Destination reached.”

“Shut up!” she shouted at the unseen woman.
“Why in the hell did you do this, Brielle?”
she scolded herself. She looked over at the house she’d parked in front of, recognizing the numbers on the slanted porch railing. “This is it!” She smiled, and sighed with relief.

She glanced around the neighborhood. Most of the cars were older and run-down, looking as if they were on their last miles. Many houses were in the same condition. Windows boarded, paint peeling, roofs covered with black lawn bags weighted down with bricks. Lawns were either dead or a patchy mixture of grass and dirt. Quite a few front yards were nothing but dirt. And most yards were cluttered with old children’s toys or litter, or both.

The road was cracked and the sidewalks uneven with dandelions sprouting through gaps. The dandelions’ yellow was the only hint of color in this outcast forgotten world.

Nervously she sighed, feeling completely out of her element here. She wished she’d taken Jack up on his offer to accompany her. With a shaky hand she grabbed her cell phone and called him. It rang, but there was no answer. His voicemail clicked on.

“Jack,” she said, trying to sound confident. “It’s me. I’m here, at Colt’s old house. I shouldn’t be too long. I’m just gonna grab a couple of things that might be important. I’ll call you when I’m done — maybe half an hour, at most.”

Brielle unbuckled her seatbelt and sat forward to shove her cell phone in the back pocket of her jeans. Then she patted her front pocket, smiling with confidence when she felt the bulge from her tube of pepper spray. Taking in a deep breath, she climbed out of the car and proceeded up the cracked walkway to the front door.

When he saw Jack’s car pull up, Colt stepped out from under the hood of his truck. He grabbed his hat off the front seat and put it on. He couldn’t wait to see Brielle again.

“Colt.” Jack shut his car door and lifted the brim of his hat, his expression serious. “Gabby’s got some errands to do today. Said she’d be back before sundown.”

“Oh.” Colt was disappointed, but he couldn’t let Jack know that. “Really? She didn’t mention anything about it yesterday. But I’ll probably get more done today without her distraction anyhow.”

Jack approached the truck. “Engine problems?”

“Yep. The distributor went out.”

“That’s too bad. Need a ride into town for another one?”

“I’d appreciate that, Jack. Just let me lock up first.”

Colt went to the porch to lock the front door. He couldn’t keep his thoughts off Brielle. He was curious to know exactly what she was out doing.

“So,” he turned to Jack, “what kind of errands take all day to run?”

Jack followed him to the base of the steps. He placed one boot on the first step and propped his arm on the porch railing. He stared at his boot, deep in thought.

Colt watched Jack curiously. Something wasn’t right. He could sense it.

“Oh hell,” Jack belted out. “She isn’t running errands.” He took off his hat and smacked it against his thigh.

His gut knotting, Colt leaned against the post and waited calmly for the details.

“She went to Dallas.”

“What?” Colt asked in disbelief. “What kind of business does she have in Dallas?”

“You,” Jack replied apologetically. “Sorry. She wanted to surprise you. She went to your old place to see if your roommate would let her get some of your things. She thinks you need ’em.”

Colt sighed heavily, wishing Brielle would’ve called him. He’d worked with Steve at the garage in Dallas for over a year. Though Steve was harmless, the neighborhood wasn’t. He sighed again and rubbed his chin, pondering what to do next. He decided to check his cell phone for messages.

He retrieved it from his pocket, smiling when he saw the tiny envelope icon in the left corner of the screen. Hoping it was from Brielle, he eagerly dialed his voice mail.

“Dude, it’s Steve. Your friend Roy stopped by. He’s bad news. Your ass better get back here and settle your debt! He threatened to rape Kelly and kick my ass if you don’t. We’re supposed to contact him as soon as you or anyone else comes to get your stuff. My hands are tied on this one. Don’t leave us hanging, bro.”

Colt’s heart dropped as a jolt of fear surged through his veins. “Son of a bitch!”

Jack grew wary. “What? Is it Gabby? What?”

Colt quickly dialed Brielle’s cell phone. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. Her voice mail clicked on.

He said anxiously, “Brielle, it’s Colt. If you get this message, please do
not
go to my old place. It’s dangerous for you there. Just turn around and come back home!”

He hung up the phone and clenched his jaw. “Dammit! She must’ve accidentally turned her ringer off last night when she reset the volume.”

He wished he could kick his own ass for being so naïve as to have left that one loose end untied. Of course Roy would make
someone
pay for his mistake.

“Why in the hell is my sister in danger?” Jack asked angrily.

Colt looked at Jack. “Do you have a gun?”

Jack’s eyes widened. “What the hell, Colt?
Yeah,
I have a gun. It’s in the glove box.
Why?
”

“We’re going to Dallas, and we’re taking your car. I’ll explain on the way.”

Colt rushed upstairs to his bedroom. He dragged the nightstand away from the corner it was tucked into and lifted the loose floorboard. From the hole in the floor he withdrew an envelope. He counted out three thousand dollars and shoved it back into the envelope. Then he tossed the rest of the money back into the hole and quickly replaced the floorboard and nightstand. Shoving the envelope into the back of his jeans, he raced back downstairs, slammed the front door, and bolted down the porch steps to Jack’s car.

“How long ago did she leave?” He hurried past Jack and climbed into the driver’s seat of the sports car.

“About an hour and a half.” Jack jumped into the passenger’s side. “What’s going on?”

Colt sent gravel flying as he backed out of the driveway. “Just give me a minute to get through these narrow roads. I’ll tell you everything as soon as we get to the highway.” As fast as he planned to drive, he didn’t need any distractions. And he knew that what he was about to tell Jack could easily spark a heated argument.

Jack braced himself.

Wasting no time, Colt sped along the road to the outskirts of town. When he finally entered the highway he pushed harder on the gas pedal. Thankfully, the early morning rush to work was light. Colt welcomed it with a lead foot.

Jack turned to Colt. “You mind telling me what in the hell this is all about now?”

Colt sighed at his own stupidity. He should’ve taken care of Roy before he had left Dallas. Been honest with Brielle about his past from the start. For eleven years he’d worked hard to gain back the life he’d lost, and now he risked losing it all. But none of it mattered. Not the farm, not starting his own business, nothing. All that mattered was ensuring the safety of Steve and Kelly, and even more importantly, the woman who owned his heart.

“You’re pissin’ me off, dammit!” Jack snapped after a brief moment of silence.

Colt cleared his throat before he finally spoke. “There’s a drug dealer that’s been after me since I got out of jail. And some people I know, and Brielle, are in danger.”

Jack shot Colt a panicked look. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “This can’t happen again,” he said angrily. “Two years ago I found my mom’s body in a field. I can’t go through that again, dammit! If anything happens to my sister, I swear to God you’re gonna regret it!” He clenched his jaw.

“I’m sorry about what happened to your mom, Jack. And all you had to go through. But Brielle’s gonna be okay.”

“Son of a bitch, Colt! We trusted you! We thought you were an ordinary good ol’ country boy! But
hell
no! You have to go and be some drug addict con who shoved city trouble up our stupid asses!” He slammed his fist into his palm. “Dammit! Pull over!”

Colt knew he deserved every degrading blow thrown his way. He wished he could pull over and let Jack beat him to a bloody pulp. But all he could do was remain silent, letting Jack release his pent-up steam.

“You better hope you have a good explanation for all this! ’Cause if you don’t, and we make it outta this alive, I’m gonna shoot you myself!” He sat back and began to nervously bounce his knee up and down, as if he were trying to pound a nail into the floorboard with the heel of his boot. “So why can’t we call the police? Huh? So you don’t have to go back to jail?”

Though Colt had bit his tongue, Jack had just stepped too far over the line. How dare Jack think he’d risk the life of the people he cared about, or
anyone
for that matter, just to save his own skin.

“You’d do best to pipe down, Jack. I’d happily go back to jail to save your sister. And
you
for that matter. I may’ve made some mistakes in the past, but that doesn’t make me a bad guy — just a stupid one. Now will you shut your jaw long enough for me to explain myself? I wasn’t gonna explain myself. I know as well as anyone that ignorance of the law is no excuse. But I don’t want you going on thinking that I’d ever put your sister in harm’s way to save my own ass. So let’s start with, we can’t call the police. If not Roy, then his pals will hunt us down until they find us. And he has a lotta them. There’s only one thing that’ll appease the bastard, and it’s money. Lots of it. And second, I’m not a drug addict. Hell, aside from an occasional beer, I’ve never done a drug in my life and I damned sure don’t intend to start.”

Chagrined, Jack kept quiet while Colt sped across the open highway, explaining all the sordid details of his troubled past.

Brielle swallowed nervously and knocked on the worn front door. She yanked her hand back as a sliver of wood pricked her knuckle. With a shaky hand, she pinched the sliver between two fingers and slid it out. A drop of blood spread in the creases of skin. She sucked it clean and held her breath as footsteps approached from within.

The door opened, and a skinny brown-haired woman wearing cut-off shorts and a red tank top eyed Brielle suspiciously. “Who are you?” She glanced around the front porch to see if she had come alone.

“I…” Brielle was unexpectedly shaken by the unfriendly woman. She reached up and twirled her finger into a lock of hair. “My name is Gabrielle. I’m a friend of Colt’s. I talked to Steve last night on the phone. He said it’d be okay if I came by today.”

The woman’s suspicious demeanor softened. “Oh. He didn’t mention you were coming … He probably just forgot — he got called into work this morning.” She forced an awkward smile. “I’m Kelly. My boyfriend and Colt used to work together.”

Brielle’s heart rate stabilized. She pulled her hand away from her hair and reached it out to Kelly. “It’s nice to meet you, Kelly.”

The other woman looked at Brielle’s hand strangely, as if the simple ritual of shaking hands were a foreign mode of conduct. Cautiously she returned the gesture. “You too.”