Page 15 of Out of the Shadows
I longed for his presence with a desperation that bordered on madness, and I couldn’t wait to see him again. This time, I would bring out the big guns.
Beware, Colt Michaels.
Nine
Colt
PRESENT – 21 years old
I stared down at my phone in absolute disbelief. My hand almost swallowed the tiny thing, but the letters in front of me were in black and white — so to speak.
Mom: Colt, I have a teeny tiny favor to ask you.
Me: Anything, Mom.
Me: Actually, not everything. You would take advantage of the situation.
But if I can make it happen, I’d be happy to help.
Mom: Ha ha. Aren’t you hilarious? What are your plans forSaturday?
Me: Don’t have any at the moment.
Mom: For all I know, you could be hanging out with your friends at a party.
Me: You do know who you’re talking to, right? Just to be clear, I don’t have anything going on Saturday.
Mom: Perfect. Then you can help Hailey move in around noon. Her parents are away on a trip. You’re a sweetheart, I’ll send you the details later.
I’d almost dropped my phone in the sink, and after scrambling to catch it, I stared at it for two minutes, completely flummoxed.
Hunter popped up next to me, put a tumbler on the counter, and started preparing a protein shake for himself. I still hadn’t moved.What the fuck?The amount of information my mom had dropped on me in just one message was insane.
First, had she really signed me up to help Hailey move in without actually asking me? Also, Hailey would be here. At BRU. Hailey?She was moving here?!I felt as if I was on the verge of having a stroke or something.
Hunter sent me a quizzical look.
“You haven’t moved an inch since I walked into the room,” he stated. Not asking, just stating the obvious. When I didn’t react, he raised his eyebrows and gave me his full attention.
“Okay, this here” — he made a circular motion in my direction — “would be perfectly normal behavior for me. Given that you’re not me, this is starting to seem a bit strange. What’s the deal?”
I unlocked my phone, the conversation with my mom still open, and slid it across the counter to him without uttering a word. He scanned the messages, his eyes moving from left to right, and then stared blankly ahead for a moment.
His neck twisted back in my direction, and he burst out laughing. That didn’t happen too often. “Oh, that’s just great. Alicia totally got you. Ice cold. And we’ve just come full circle.”
“Not funny, motherfucker,” I growled. “Besides, what the fuck is that supposed to mean,just come full circle?”
“Hilarious, to be precise. I get that you don’t see how ironic this is, dude. When Hailey was involved, you were as blind as a mole in sunglasses.”
“Okay, thanks, Mr. Cryptic.” I put my phone away and rested my hands on the counter.
“I’m just going to say this — you’ve spent the last couple of years trying to distance yourself from Hailey, and she just keeps popping up again and again. And now your mom — of all people — has thrown you to the wolves, or rather, to the she-wolf. I find that kind of ironic, don’t you?”
“Not really.”
He arched an eyebrow as he took a sip of his shake. “All I’m saying is, this kind of opportunity doesn’t come along often. Don’t blow it.”
I let out an exasperated groan. “This isn’t an opportunity, for fuck’s sake. You do remember Hailey, right?”
