Under the Midnight Stars (15 page)

Brielle sighed nervously. “If you don’t mind, I just came to get a few of Colt’s things for him.”

Kelly grew silent as she studied Brielle. She nervously began biting the corner of her lip.

Brielle became uncomfortable. She looked away for a moment and then back to Kelly. “If that’s all right with you? I drove a long way just to gather some of his things.”

Sighing heavily, Kelly reluctantly stepped aside. “Sure, come on in. I’ll show you his room.”

Brielle smiled and nervously rubbed her sweaty palms on the hips of her jeans. “Thank you.”

She stepped into the living area of the run-down house, resisting the urge to cringe from the repulsive smell of smoke and mustiness. The olive-green carpet was stained and looked as if it hadn’t been vacuumed in weeks. The couch matched the hue of the carpet, stains and all. The TV was a large twenty-nine-inch box, taking up the entire table it sat upon. Under the table was a digital video disc player with DVD movies scattered atop and about the floor on each side.

“It’s this way.” Kelly walked past the living room to a dark hallway.

Brielle looked up at the water-stained ceiling and then to the cardboard taped to the lower broken half of one of the front windows. Her heart went out to Colt and the poor conditions in which he’d dwelled for so long. Tears threatened to overflow, but she blinked them back. She followed Kelly down the hall.

Kelly opened the first door to the right and reached her hand in to flip the switch. A desk-sized lamp illuminated the dark room with about as much light as a single candle would emit. “That’s Colt’s room. Take as much as you can take with you. We need to get a roommate to pay the rent. So whatever stays is ours. I’m going out front to smoke.” She disappeared down the hall.

Brielle went into the tiny bedroom and closed the door. She couldn’t imagine seeing Colt’s tall muscular frame confined to such a cramped space for eleven years. She went to the window and pulled open the black curtain to let in more light. Various posters of cars and sporty memorabilia hung on the walls, along with a calendar of bare-breasted women on the back of his door.

She frowned at the calendar. “Sorry, Colt, but the calendar is staying.”

She glanced at the twin bed in the corner. The mattress was stained with spills. She sighed heavily. “Not that I could bring it with me, but the bed is staying too.” Next to the bed was a nightstand. It was actually a gray plastic milk crate housing a digital alarm clock and a watch. A rather nice watch at that.

She crossed the room in two strides and picked up the heavy piece of jewelry to study it. The band was brushed silver. The crystal-covered face was a smoky black analog with silver hands. She turned it over to look at the back. It was engraved. She moved to the window to read the tiny script…

I’m proud of you

Love Mom

Her heart grew heavy. Tears filled her eyes but she held them back. She shoved the watch into her front pocket. Then she turned to the tall dresser in the opposite corner of the bed, next to the window. She opened the top drawer to find socks and underwear. The second drawer held white undershirts and two pair of gray sweatpants. The third, jeans.

She sighed and knelt. She hadn’t noticed before, but the carpet in this room was clean and unstained. And aside from a layer of dust, so was the room. She pulled open the last drawer and found a shoebox. She smiled and opened it.

Inside were pictures of Colt throughout the years since childbirth. Pictures of birthdays. Various holidays. Colt with his mother and father at the lake. She paused at a picture of his father’s headstone. She felt as if she were prying into Colt’s private world. A world he hadn’t yet shared with her. And she felt ashamed for it.

Swallowing hard, she quickly placed the pictures back into the box and went to the closet. She slid open the door to find various plaid and flannel button-up shirts hanging beside various shades of T-shirts. On the floor was a medium-sized box and beside that a pair of worn black cowboy boots and a dark gray pair of running shoes.

She pulled out the box and opened it. It was filled with his mother’s belongings. A photo album with pink daisies on the cover. A small mahogany jewelry box the size of a standard paperback. A bottle of perfume. A stack of children’s drawings. She picked up one of the drawings. With a blue crayon Colt had drawn a square house and three stick figures with Mommy, Daddy, and Colt written over the appropriately sized family member.

Again, her heart grew heavy with guilt. She was snooping in his mother’s keepsakes. Memories she had kept of all the things in life she had held dear. The very things that had carried her through difficult periods of life.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Tayler,” she whispered solemnly as if Colt’s mother were present.

She carefully replaced the drawing and closed the box. On the top shelf of the closet sat a dark brown cowboy hat. She smiled. “I knew you had to have a hat.” Stretching on her tiptoes, she reached for it, but couldn’t quite touch it.

“Shoot!” She took a step closer and reached for it again. “I’ll come back for you in a minute.” Gathering the mid-sized box close to her chest, she carried it out to her car.

Standing on the front porch, Kelly snapped her cell phone shut and took a long drag of her cigarette, exhaling a cloud-like puff of smoke.

Brielle opened the car door and slid the box into the back seat. She headed back to the porch.

Kelly exhaled another plume of smoke. “I have to leave for a while. Just lock the front door when you’re done.”

“Okay.” Brielle stood dumbfounded, finding it odd that the other woman would leave a complete stranger alone in her home. She watched as Kelly descended the steps and hurried away down the sidewalk without so much as a good-bye. Despite the woman’s odd behavior, Brielle gave a friendly smile and wave when Kelly glanced back over her shoulder before disappearing down the connecting street.

Brielle shrugged her shoulders and went back inside, closing the door behind her. A stack of boxes sat in the corner. To her surprise the top one was empty. She grabbed it and carried it to Colt’s room to fill it with his belongings.

She filled it with everything except the lamp and the milk crate. She decided to come back for them when she came back for the hat. She hurried the box to the car and rushed back through the front door and back into Colt’s room.

Though Kelly’s odd behavior had unsettled her, the other woman’s mere presence in such an alien environment had given her a slight sense of security. But now that she was alone, she felt vulnerable. She was glad that this would be the last trip to the bedroom before leaving this place far behind.

Using the milk crate as a stepstool, Brielle grabbed Colt’s hat from the top shelf of the closet. Misplacing her weight, she teetered on the crate as one corner lifted off the ground. A gasp of fear escaped her lips as she lost her balance and fell backward.

Suddenly, she felt strong arms around her, breaking her fall.

She spun around, staring disbelievingly into a pair of black emotionless eyes. The man’s unsettling demeanor sent a chill down her spine. He looked rough around the edges, as if he’d spent the majority of his adult life in prison. She quickly planted both feet firmly on the ground and stepped out of his arms.

“You must be Gabrielle.” He grinned, eyeing the length of her body.

She nodded. “Thank you for catching me. I’m just here to gather Colt’s things,” she answered breathlessly, nervously. “Your girlfriend, uh, Kelly, said it’d be okay.”

She averted her eyes from his lustful stare. She eyed Colt’s hat on the floor and picked it up. Even though there was nothing there, she pretended to dust off the brim in attempt to hide her nerves.

“Sure.” He shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here to get his shit. But the bitch ain’t my girlfriend.” He reached for the cigarette behind his ear and casually placed it between his thin lips.

His vulgarity sent a wave of fear down Brielle’s spine. She watched uncomfortably as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. With the flick of his thumb a flame appeared, illuminating his slicked back hair and the contours of his sallow face in a sinister way. The man winked and lit his cigarette. He took a drag and exhaled. A cloud of smoke filled the small room.

Brielle had a sudden urge to push past him and run, because either Steve and Kelly were no longer together, or the man standing in front of her wasn’t Steve. She decided to try to remain calm.

“Well Steve,” Brielle toyed with the brim of the hat, “I should be going. Thanks for letting me get his things.”

His cold eyes bore into hers. He shook his head slowly. “The name’s Roy.”

Panic instantly overcame her as she stared into his evil eyes. She knew that nothing good would come of the situation. Her pepper spray was only inches from her fingertips. But he was only one step away from her. There was no way she’d be able to get to it before he stopped her. She did the only other thing that came to mind. She leapt forward as quickly as she could and tried to maneuver around him, but was stopped short by a firm hand in the middle of her chest.

“You ain’t goin’ nowhere, sweetheart.” His expression turned cold and murderous. He pushed her forcefully into the empty dresser.

“Ah!” Brielle winced as the knobs of the drawers dug into her back. Adrenaline flooded through her as she began to fear for her life. With a shaky hand and a racing heart, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the pepper spray, fumbling to slide the tab into the open position.

“I don’t think so, bitch!” He knocked the tube from her hand. It flew across the room and rolled under the bed.

She lunged forward and tried to kick him in the groin, but he jumped to the side. Now nothing stood between her and the open doorway. She pushed forward with one leg as hard as she could, hoping to leap past him.

Roy caught her from around the waist and threw her onto the bed.

She screamed in horror as she bounced across the bed and slammed into the wall. Pain pounded through her forehead where it hit the rough texture. Blood trickled from her wound. Tears effortlessly rolled down her cheeks.

“ROY!” Colt boomed angrily. He towered in the doorway, pointing a pistol at him with a steady hand.

Roy turned, visibly shocked to see Colt. He warily eyed the gun.

“Colt!” Brielle cried with relief.

When Jack appeared in the doorway, she jumped up and ran to him. He placed a reassuring arm around her before gently nudging her into the hallway.

Colt didn’t let his eyes falter from Roy’s cold glare. He motioned with the gun to the open closet. “Get in,” he ordered sharply.

Roy backed into the closet with both hands up. “None of this would’ve happened if you’d just paid your debt. It’s not my fault you got yourself arrested and your shit confiscated before you even had a chance to taste it. I even waited patiently for you to get out of jail. What did you expect to happen when you skipped out? I’m a businessman, Colt. I did you a service, and you have to pay one way or another.”

“Turn around!” Colt snapped. He waited until Roy complied before he continued. “Now lay face down on the ground, and put your hands on the back of your head.”

Roy did as instructed.

Colt motioned with a finger to the doorway.

Jack entered the room and grabbed the gun sticking out of the back of Roy’s pants. He quickly unloaded every bullet and shoved them into his pocket.

“Wipe your prints from the gun,” Colt ordered Jack. He grabbed the thick envelope tucked into his jeans and tossed it at Roy’s scuffed brown work boots. “I haven’t forgotten that I owe you. I just had some other things to sort out first.”

With the belly of his shirt, Jack thoroughly wiped his evidence away before he let the gun slide from his shirt and thud to the floor. Then he kicked it under the bed and went back to the hallway.

“Jack.” Brielle threw her arms around his neck.

“You’re gonna be okay.” Jack reassured her with a strong but quick hug. “We have to go.” He grabbed her hand and led her down the hall and out the front door to his car. “Get in.” Jack opened his passenger door.

“But what about my car?” Brielle asked as she climbed in.

“Colt’s driving it. Give me the keys.”

With a shaky hand, Brielle retrieved the keys from her pocket and handed them to him. He rushed to the luxury sedan parked in front of him and shoved the key into the ignition. Then he rushed back to his car and jumped into the driver’s seat.

Carrying his father’s brown cowboy hat, Colt bolted out of the house and climbed into the silver car. He turned the key, threw the gearshift into drive, and sped off down the road. Through the rearview mirror he could see Jack right on his tail, as planned. Though he was confident the hefty sum he’d given Roy had bought everyone’s freedom, he couldn’t wait to get Brielle and Jack far away from the danger he’d unexpectedly inflicted on them. He didn’t slow until they reached the highway leading away from the rushed, chaotic, and sometimes dangerous ways of big city living.

About an hour down the road Colt pulled over at an abandoned truck stop. He’d wanted to keep Brielle with him from the start, but ensuring her safety was of the utmost importance. Now, after having time to rethink the entire situation, he knew he had some explaining to do. If Jack had needed an explanation, then Brielle would need a whole lot more.