Page 36 of The Allure of Ruins

“Smart.”

Colton shrugged. “I try.”

“What were you going to do when we got away clean?” Walker whispered to Hall.

“I don’t know, but then we were on our way here, to the office, making better time than I thought we would, and then I got a text from you, sir, saying you were sending reinforcements and that you were tracking our phones… I knew it was done.”

“Well, even though you were still a few minutes out, I wanted you to think you were closer than you were so you wouldn’t hurt your partner or Mr. Gates here.”

“What happened?” Walker barked at him. “You were so good for so long. You went through rehab and kicked⁠—”

“It was the money, Veda,” he rasped. “This has nothing to do with drugs. I couldn’t get out from under it. Every time I was sure I could clear the debt on a sure thing⁠—”

“Oh my God,” she groaned, turning away from him. “You were gambling again?”

“Antonov said he had the money to give me, and more, if I would bring him his favorite piece of ass.”

Without warning, Colton was up and around the table, ready, I was sure, to pulverize Hall. But two of the agents stopped him as the third put handcuffs on the disgraced agent.

“Get the fuck off me,” Colton warned them, yanking free, shaking off the hand that again tried to grab him.

“Leave him alone,” Calhoun ordered, and I gestured for him to come to me.

Moving quickly, Colton was in front of me in moments, slipping his hand around the side of my neck, yanking me forward to him, pressing my forehead to his chest.

I was trembling hard.

“I’m not gonna stand here and tell you that everything is gonna be great—this whole thing might get kinda sticky—but…I’m here. We’re together, so we’ll figure this out.”

“Hall texted Gen about me,” I said, like saying it out loud was going to mean something. The feeling of abandonment, of being alone, all of it whirled through my head. And it was ridiculous. I shouldn’t have been so hurt. I barely knew the man. But it was his job to protect me, and he had instead made the decision to simply hand me over to a man who wanted what I’d stolen and would then leave me for dead. He didn’t care about me, never had. To both men, I was merely a means to an end.

I gasped, and Colton’s hands were on my face, tipping my head up so he could see my eyes, staring down into them.

“I figured out it’s not Hall who hurt my feelings.”

“I’m sorry, did he say something about his feelings?” I heard Walker ask.

Colton shushed her and then smiled. “How could it have been Hall who hurt your feelings? You don’t even know him.”

“Yeah, but he’s supposed to be the good guy,” I said, watching as two of the three agents walked the cuffed, dejected Hall out of the room. The third one was standing there, looking at Walker, as though waiting.

“I’m the only good guy you should worry about,” Colton said, and the tenderness in his voice brought my attention back to him.

“You’re right,” I said, smiling.

“And there’s no way you could have ever loved Antonov. You know better, and I’m certain you and Dr. Butler have covered this.”

“Yes, but it’s one thing to know and another to feel, and of course, the allure of ruins, as you pointed out.”

“How old were you the last time you saw him?”

“I was nineteen.”

“You were just a baby.”

“That’s true.”

He shrugged. “It’s time to cut it all loose, don’t you think?”