Page 33 of Rainbows Over Cedarwood

Chapter Eleven

Colt pulled into his driveway and the garage about twenty minutes after leaving Ashley’s apartment. When the door closed, he blew out a long breath.Thank you, God.He was home and nothing seemed to be out of order. Still, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He clutched the case and his keys when he unlocked the main door leading into the house.

He walked through the house and listened for any sounds of a burglar or intrusion. His heart hammered. The incident at the diner had affected him more than he’d expected. People could be narrow-minded and unconcerned with the rights of others, but who could’ve known Cedarwood, Ohio, would be a place of such discrimination and hate? Satisfied the house was empty, he locked the door and returned to his office. He placed the briefcase on his desk and booted up his laptop. Although he’d just been with Ashley and felt invincible, his head ached. He didn’t mind doing the bookkeeping for the diner—the numbers were usually pretty simple—but he wasn’t in the mood to look at figures and to count money.

Still, he slogged through the workload and after the usual three hours had not only sorted and counted the take but had also filled out the deposit ticket for the bank. Keeping the money this long wasn’t smart and every minute the three grand was in his possession, his stomach ached. But it was Sunday and the bank wasn’t open until the next morning.

Colt zipped the bag and clicked the lock. The sooner the money was in the night deposit box, the better. He saved the figures on the laptop and backed up the information then headed to the bathroom for aspirin.

He strolled through the kitchen and appraised the contents of his pantry. What in the hell was he going to feed his guests? What did Wyatt like to eat? Sure, he’d overheard Wyatt and Ashley talking about eating a hot dog and fries, but that couldn’t be all the kid would eat. He rested his hands on his hips. He should’ve called Ashley to ask, but he didn’t have much time. In less than two hours, they’d be over.Shit.

Colt pulled a bag of frozen chicken breasts from the freezer and placed three pieces in a freezer bag. He placed the bag on the bottom shelf of the fridge. By the time he returned from the bank drop, the chicken wouldn’t be defrosted, but it would be better than trying to speed thaw it. He’d pick up fresh potatoes and green beans on the way home from the bank. Surely Wyatt liked cubed potatoes.

Well, he hoped the kid did.

Colt grabbed his phone and keys then tucked the bank bag under his arm and left the house. He locked the door and rounded the SUV hood. He slid behind the wheel. Once the garage door opened, he backed out and stopped long enough to shut the door. He made the ten-minute drive to the Cedarwood Federal Savings and Loan building and parked beside the night deposit box. He reached for the handle but hadn’t pulled up close enough.Fuck.He’d have to get out.

He put the SUV in Park and opened his door. Thankfully the light at five o’clock on that late September evening was still bright enough for him to see his surroundings. He chuckled as he tucked the bag into the night deposit box. This would be a great night to sit outside on the patio and have a glass of wine with Ashley while Wyatt played in the yard.

A man appeared at the front of Colt’s SUV. “Put your hands up.” He zipped his dark blue jacket and adjusted the dark glasses. Colt couldn’t see his hands, but he noticed the color of his skin—white.

“What?” Colt closed the deposit-box door and did as told. “Who are you?”

“Doesn’t matter who I am.” The man inched closer to Colt. He whipped a gun from his pocket. “Where’s the money?”

“In the night deposit box.” Colt debated what to do next. If he reached for his phone or tried to dive into the vehicle, the guy would shoot him. “My wallet is in the car. Take it. Take my car. Just don’t shoot me.”

“Fuck you.” The man slammed Colt’s SUV door shut. “It’s because of shit like you that this town is going to hell.” He aimed the gun at Colt’s head. “Where is the money?”

“In the box.” Colt backed away from the man.Shit. Nowhere to run or hide.He wished he’d grabbed his phone. Maybe then he could’ve called nine-one-one.

Another person, clad in a dark-gray sweatsuit and a black stocking cap, inched up to the side of the vehicle.

Where are these people coming from?Colt nodded to the SUV. “Take my money and my car.”

“You said that,” came a voice from behind him. Something poked into Colt’s back. “We don’t want your car, although it is nice. Expensive.”

He glanced up at the security camera.Dear God, please let the damn thing be working.“It was.” He tried to keep his mouth shut. The more he talked, the better his chances of getting shot.

The man in front of him waved the gun. “Raid the car. Anything. We don’t want this scum to have anything nice. Maybe then he’ll get the hint.”

The person to the side yanked open the passenger-side door. A lock of hair slipped free from the hat. A woman?

“Who are you people? The coalition? I’m not hurting anyone. I run a diner where you probably all eat,” Colt said. His voice cracked. “Take the car and my wallet. Don’t hurt me.”

“Enough.” The man behind him jabbed whatever it was in his hands into Colt’s back. “I’m tired of this piece of shit.”

Something cracked against Colt’s skull. He saw stars and crumpled to his knees. The man in front of him strode up to him and kicked him hard in the stomach. Pain exploded in Colt’s belly and his head. He wanted to fight back. Every cell in his body screamed to lash out at them, but with each kick and hit, he struggled with consciousness. The attackers kicked him in the head and clocked him on the back.

The female attacker held up his phone. “Was this yours?”

“Yes,” he said and spat out blood. “Who else would it belong to?”

“Oh well.” She tossed the device on the ground and stomped on it. The plastic and glass cracked and the screen darkened. “No phone, no help. No one to come save you.”

He tried to look up at her, but they’d hit him in the face and his eyes had begun to swell. He collapsed on the concrete and faked losing consciousness.Fuck these bastards.Let them take his SUV and his money. Once they’d left, he’d get the hell away from the bank to help.

One of the males kicked him again. The other man grunted. “He’s had enough. The idiot won’t stick around town now. He’ll sell the diner to a straight couple and we’ll get our town back. Leave him.”

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