Love and Dreams: The Coltrane Saga, Book 6 (42 page)

She did not respond.

He went away, returning an hour or so later to announce dinner was being served. Still she did not answer. She heard him sigh loudly, say he’d have a tray left outside her door. “We’ll talk tomorrow, when you’ve had time to think about how foolish you’re being, Jade. You can’t throw away what we’ve had together.”

She bit back a caustic retort, thought how ironic it was she’d been unable to forget happy memories with Colt yet now found it difficult to remember any with Bryan. That, she realized, told her where her heart and loyalty belonged!

Cursing because waiting until dark would make her late meeting Colt, Jade impatiently counted the minutes before she felt secure in sneaking out without being seen. She dared not go through the house. Her litheness and dexterity from so many years of dancing helped as she easily made her way down the trellis outside her window to drop gracefully to the ground below. Then she hurried through the shadows to her bicycle, mounted, and pedaled furiously toward the city proper and her studio.

No one was about, and she let herself in at the ground floor, rushing up the stairway. Before she even reached the landing outside the door to her studio, she could hear footsteps quickly ascending behind her but felt no panic, for she knew, with a tremulous skip-beat of her heart, that it was Colt.

She had just inserted the key in the lock, twisted the knob, when he grabbed her from behind. Nuzzling the back of her neck with warm, eager lips, he whispered huskily, “Where’ve you been, princess? I’ve been waiting over an hour. I was afraid something had happened and you couldn’t make it.”

Jade blinked back tears of joyful remembrance. He’d called her
princess
. Did he somehow remember that was his pet name for her, or was it a casual endearment with no specific meaning? She dared not ask.

She turned in his arms, eager for his kiss. He lifted her in his arms, moving inside, closing the door with his foot. The room was dappled with light rising from streetlamps below. He could see to make his way across the room, to where a sofa was positioned against one wall. Laying her down gently, he began to remove her clothing. “I’ve got to have you, little one. Now. I can’t wait any longer. I’ve thought of nothing else except how wonderful it is to be with you. I can’t imagine ever wanting another woman more.”

When she was naked before him, he bent to kiss each nipple to taut erectness, his tongue moving down to savor her china-white skin, glistening in the milky light from outside.

“It was always this good for us, wasn’t it?” He smiled down at her fondly as he stood to unfasten his trousers, then straddled her there on the sofa.

“Yes…” she gasped in ecstasy. “Yes, it was always good, and we never got enough.”

And then there was no need for words. With great tremors, they clutched each other, both moaning and crying aloud with the awesome splendor of their love.

Afterward, Colt trailed a fingertip down her cheek. “I had another dream, my precious. This time it was about a beautiful lady with bright golden-red hair and sparkling violet eyes, and a man who looked just like me. I think it was my mother and father.”

“It was,” Jade said, eager to hear more.

“I thought so. I talked to Lorena about it, described the people in the dream, and asked if she knew who they were. She wouldn’t talk about it—said I shouldn’t be thinking about things like that because it gives me a headache.”

“Does it?”

He drew in his breath, let it out slowly, trailed his, finger down to dance about her still-taut nipples. “Sometimes,” he admitted, “but I can’t let that stop me. I’ve got to keep trying to remember, and it seems my dreams are trying to tell me something.

“There was something else,” he continued, and his voice had an edge to it. His gaze locked on hers. “I had a dream about a wedding, and you were dressed in white.”

Jade stiffened. Too far. He was going too far, too soon. She tried to sound nonchalant as she proclaimed, “You dreamed of your wedding to Lorena.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mentioned it to her, and she looked funny. The truth is, I’ve wanted to ask her about you…and why I know you—”

“But you can’t!”

“I know that. I can’t risk her finding out I’m seeing you. Not yet. Not till we make our plans, but I wish I could, because she’d probably slip and tell me something. She gets so nervous when I start asking questions about the past. Did you two know each other before? When you knew me?”

“Vaguely.”

“Before or after I married her?”

Jade felt the creeping shadows of danger. This was to be their last time together, only he did not, could not, know it, and she dared not give him any fodder for future torturous attempts at remembering. “It doesn’t matter,” she said finally, unable to keep the anger from her voice. “Stop thinking about it, Colt. We can’t undo what’s done.”

She pulled out of his embrace and began to dress. Reluctantly, Colt reached for his own clothes.

“That
was
you in the wedding dress.”

She turned sharply to stare at him, felt an icy chill move over her.

“Are we divorced, Jade?” He looked straight at her, demanding an answer. “Is that why I’m so drawn to you? Because we were really married but stupidly got a divorce? I’ve a right to know the truth, and I intend to have it. I was set to ask Lorena this morning, no matter the consequences, but when I got up, she was gone. Her mother said she took the baby and went away to visit relatives somewhere in New England…wouldn’t say where. I’ve got a sneaking feeling she left because of the questions I’ve been asking lately.”

He went over to her, gripped her shoulders, and gave her a frustrated shake. “Something’s going on, Jade! And you’ve got to tell me what it is.”

With more misery than she’d ever known in her life, Jade blinked back tears as she looked up into his dear, beloved face. “Oh, Colt…my dear, sweet Colt. I wish I could explain everything, but some things are better left alone.”

“Yes…” came a snarl from the shadowy doorway that brought both of them leaping to their feet. “Like
other
men’s wives!”

Bryan emerged from the darkness into the light, and he was pointing a gun.

“Coltrane,” he said raggedly, menacingly. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you that fooling with another man’s wife can get you killed?”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Colt quickly stepped in front of Jade, shielding her as best as he could. “Who the hell are you?”

Bryan laughed, a maniacal sound, as Jade told Colt who he was. She struggled to move from behind him, but he wrestled her back as she shouted, “Put that gun down! Have you gone crazy?”

In a quiet, dread tone, more ominous and frightening than if he’d screamed, Bryan said, “You knew I was crazy a long time ago, Jade…
crazy in love with you
…and I swore I’d kill anyone who tried to take you away from me.”

Colt, unnerved but trying not to show it, held out his hand in pleading. “Listen, Stevens, put down the gun and let’s talk. Peacefully.”

Bryan raised an eyebrow. “Talk? What’ve we got to talk about, you cocky bastard! I find you here, with my wife, and it’s quite obvious from the looks of both of you what you’ve been doing. I’d say all we have to talk about is which one of you I should kill first.” He spoke through gritted teeth.

With her face pressed against Colt’s back, Jade whispered as loudly as she dared, “Please. Let me handle this.
Please.
”

Colt shrugged away her request. “Let her get out of here, and you and I’ll settle this.”

At that, Bryan threw back his head and laughed long and loud, but he held the gun unwaveringly, not giving Colt the chance he was looking for to jump him and wrestle it away.

“Colt,
please
,” Jade begged once more. “Let me try before someone gets hurt. Please…” Her nails dug into his back in desperation.

“All right,” he growled over his shoulder, “but stay behind me.”

“Bryan, listen,” she began, “don’t do anything foolish. We can talk about it, and—”

“Oh, Jade, shut up,” he ordered. “Get over here by me, or I swear I’ll kill him.”

Colt snapped. “Don’t move.”

“Don’t try to be a hero,” Bryan sneered. “If you don’t let her go, I’ll put a bullet where it’ll do the most good—to keep you from chasing other men’s wives.” He pointed the gun at Colt’s crotch and snickered.

Suddenly Jade made her move, leaping to one side. Colt tried to stop her, but Bryan fired, the shot zinging between the two of them. Jade screamed, stumbled forward, and Bryan grabbed her and slung her roughly behind him, where she went sprawling to the floor.

Colt froze where he stood—helpless for the moment.

Bryan pointed the gun at his head. “I’m going to tell you once, and once only.” His lips were curled back over his teeth in an ominous snarl. “Get the hell out of here. Now! Don’t ever try to see my wife again or I’ll kill you. And I’ll be within my rights to do so.”

Colt looked at Jade, and she waved him toward the door. “Go, please. He’s insane. He’ll kill us both if you don’t do as he says. Just get out. Now.”

Colt turned desperate, anguished eyes on Jade as she scrambled to her feet. Uncertainly, he said, “I can’t leave you here with this lunatic—”

“
You have no choice!
” Bryan waved him toward the door. “Out.
Now.
”

Colt stood there, lips moving, but no sound came. He knew he had no chance to wrestle the gun away for fear that Jade might get shot in the process. For the moment, he had no choice but to retreat. Pointing an unwavering finger at Bryan, he raspingly warned, “I’ll go. But if you harm her, I swear—”

Bryan fired. The bullet landed between Colt’s feet. “You’re not in a position to issue ultimatums. Now get out of here before I change my mind and kill you.”

Colt walked out, sending Jade a silent message with his eyes that he’d somehow find a way to see her. She sensed his meaning, turned away, feeling wretched, not caring in that moment if Bryan did kill her, because she knew it was the last time she would ever see the only man she could ever love.

Bryan stepped to the window to look down on the street and make sure Colt was really going. Then he put away his gun and grabbed Jade by the elbow to steer her from the studio. “Take one last look,” he said hatefully. “It’s the last time you’ll ever see this place.”

Fearfully, Jade asked what he meant.

He jerked her roughly along down the stairs. “I’m taking you to the one place where we had peace, happiness, where you loved me…where we should have stayed. Because it was only here, back in civilization, that we started having problems. We are going,” he said with absolute finality, “to the
Isle of Jade
!”

They reached the street. He looked about, made sure Colt was not lurking, then led her toward his carriage…which he’d driven himself. Ungraciously, he shoved her up into the seat, then slid in beside her and popped the reins over the horses’ rumps.

Fear had gradually been overshadowed by raw fury, and Jade turned on him in a frenzy. “You can’t do this, Bryan! You can’t just
kidnap
me, make me, a
prisoner
!”

“Shut up!” he screamed at her. He raised his hand as if to slap her, and she shrank from him. He shook his head in self-loathing, his voice breaking as he whispered, “My God! My God…look what you almost made me do! I’ve never hit a woman in my life, never shot at a man, and you nearly caused me to commit murder.”

“Don’t try to make me feel guilty, Bryan. It won’t work. None of this would’ve happened if you had told the truth. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“You let that bastard make love to you!” he accused.

She stared at him incredulously. “We had every right. He’s
my husband
, Bryan.
Not you!
You and I were never legally married!”

“Does he remember being married to you?”

“No, but—”

“Then as far as he’s concerned, he’s having an illicit affair, cheating on the woman he thinks is his wife with the woman he believes is the wife of another man. I’d say that makes him a no-good scoundrel, and I should’ve ended his worthless life. But no matter. You’re never going to see him again, and I don’t have to live with his blood on my hands.”

He sent the horses into a fast trot. Jade stared straight ahead, unseeing, as her brain whirled in a frenzy of plans. As soon as they reached the house, she planned to leap down and run inside, barricade herself within, and call the police. When they arrived, she’d tell them she was being kept against her will, and they’d make Bryan let her go. Then she would go to a hotel and hide there till she could book passage to Europe. God, it hurt so bad to think she’d never see Colt again, but what choice did she have? There was no way she could tell him the truth now, and no way she could risk seeing him after Bryan had proved he was capable of mayhem. It was sad, heartbreaking, but all she could do was run for her life!

They reached the house, and Bryan directed the horses up the driveway, where he’d left the gate open. He took them to the carriage house in the rear where recently installed electric lights shone from within.

Jade made ready to make her move.

Bryan slowed the horses, entered the building, reined them to a halt.