The Perfect Couple (Last Stand #4)(93)
Author: Brenda Novak

"It depends on who you ask. Tina–his mother–thinks he’s the equivalent of Damien. Paddy thinks Colin’s issues come from the fact that they were too hard on him."

"Do you happen to have Tina’s number, Mrs. Bell?"

"I do. I’ve called her myself since Paddy disappeared. I consider her a friend. Just a minute." He heard her rummage around before coming back on the line.

"Here you go."

When she’d given him the number, he thanked her, but she stopped him before he could disconnect.

"Mr. Stivers?"

"Yes."

"I can tell you what Tina’s going to say before you call her. She moved away to escape Colin, not Paddy. Courtney, her daughter, will confirm it."

Jonathan dropped his head in his hand. Colin, the man he’d angered at the firm today. Colin, the man who had a connection to Paddy and Sam. And even to Toby, who lived very close to Paddy…Colin, the man who had sleeping pills in his house and dog food in his garage and who’d been with Zoe right before he’d found her dumped on a motel bed with her clothes askew. Jonathan was willing to bet that if he’d had time to finish with all those rental records, he would’ve found Colin’s name in there somewhere–or the name of someone who knew Colin.

Maybe suspecting him hadn’t been so crazy, after all.

"I’ve got a bad feeling about this," he told her.

"You don’t think he’d hurt his father, do you?"

A beat-up truck rumbled past and vanished as the road veered out of sight. "How would his ex-wife answer that question?"

"When I called her, she wanted to know where Colin was when Paddy went missing. That’s an odd question to ask about your own son, don’t you think? I’ve always agreed with Paddy and thought Colin’s problems stemmed from Tina’s inability to love him. But now, if it wasn’t for Tiffany, I might be tempted to believe Tina."

"You like Tiffany, then?"

"She’s a real sweetheart, so eager to please."

More eager to please her husband than anyone else…"I’m guessing she was with him when Paddy went missing."

"That’s right. She told me so herself."

Because Tiffany knew. She protected Colin. "Can you tell me how to get to Paddy’s cabin, Mrs. Bell?"

"No, sir. It’s been too long since I’ve been there. And Paddy always drove."

He refastened his seat belt. "I need to find it. Immediately."

"Colin and Tiffany already checked the cabin, just yesterday," she said. "No one’s there."

"We need to check again. Where can we get an address?"

"Gee, I don’t know…." There was a pause. "I suppose it would be on the deed. But there’s no telling how long it would take me to find that. It’s probably out in the garage in one of those–wait," she said. "What about Glen?"

"Glen?"

"My son used to go up there with Paddy quite a bit. He’ll know how to find it."

"Is he available?"

"What is it–three o’clock? I should be able to catch him at work."

"Call him right away," Jonathan said and prayed that right away would be soon enough….

Chapter 35

"You’re a little hellcat, aren’t you!" Colin seemed more excited than upset to see Zoe and Tiffany fighting. "I never dreamed you had it in you."

"You’re glad she hurt me?" Tiffany sat on the ground, covered in dust, her hand over her injury.

Grimacing at the metallic taste of blood, Zoe wiped her mouth and shoved her tangled hair out of her eyes so she could glare up at him. "That was for Sam and Toby!"

"You mean Rover?" He chuckled. "You’re feeling protective of him, too?"

"How could anyone hurt him like that? How could you, someone I know, someone I’ve touched and spoken to and lived beside? You’re a monster, not a man!"

He made a show of waving her words away. "Give me a break. You’re just as capable of hurting people as I am. Look at poor Tiff."

Zoe didn’t care about Tiffany. It was Colin she had to defeat if she wanted to get out of this alive–if she wanted to get Sam out alive.

She climbed to her feet and dusted off her clothes. "Tiffany’s an adult.

Besides, she attacked me."

"I’ve never been one for subtle distinctions," he said with a shrug.

"Life is about grabbing what you want and taking all you can."

"What have you done with my daughter?" she asked.

His lips curved in a taunting smile. "It’s what I’m about to do that matters."

Zoe’s fingernails curved into her palms. Sam was alive. "Why’d you lure me up here? To tell me it was you? To kill us both?"

He leaned close, smelled her hair, then licked her cheek. She suppressed a shudder of revulsion, trying to pretend it didn’t bother her.

"What is it you want from us?"

"I want you. I’ve wanted you since the first moment–"

"Colin!" Tiffany found her feet and pulled him away. "Not while I’m here. I can’t watch this. Take her with you and go to Chester. Just make sure I never see her again."

"Ooh," he jeered. "Did you hear what she said? She wants to be rid of you. She’s tired of the way you’ve teased me with that tight little ass of yours."

"I haven’t teased you," Zoe said.

"Just seeing you teases me."

"Colin!" Tiffany again.

"Okay, okay, I get it," he told his wife. "You and Zoe have some unfinished business. I’ll let you take care of it." He glanced between them.

"Go ahead and fight it out, ladies. It’ll be like…like a cockfight." He grinned.

"You’re going to do more cockfighting later, if you know what I mean."

Memories of Franky, of the stifling hot trailer in the dead of summer, washed over Zoe and panic set in.

"No." She shook her head but her denial meant nothing to him. He winked, seemingly happier than she’d ever seen him, and all his odd statements and come-ons filtered through her mind. She’d been so busy playing the polite neighbor and giving him the benefit of every doubt that she hadn’t read them as the warning signs they were. She’d trusted what he appeared to be instead of what her instincts told her. Anyone could’ve been misled, but she was especially vulnerable because she was so determined not to suspect danger around every corner. After what Franky had done, it was the only way she could live a normal life.

"You ready for this?" he asked his wife.

"For what?"

"To fight her!"

"Colin, no!" Tiffany pointed to her wounded shoulder. "Look at me!"