Something in her voice gave him pause. Terror? “How so?”
“I love him, Colt. And he loves me. When he learned of Bettina’s plans, he tried to stop her. I think she’s taken him hostage.”
One word stood out. “Plans? What plans?”
“She’s working with Leo. He wants Jewel back and he wants to punish you for daring to touch her. I think he’s paying Bettina an awful lot of money to help him.”
Suddenly alert, now he listened. Bettina as Leo’s operative? As they’d suspected, that meant her false accusations made a lot more sense. Getting Colton—Jewel’s protector—out of the picture would make it easier to reach Jewel.
Reba coughed. “Colton, you’ve got to hide. Both you and Jewel. Get out of town before they find you.”
Could Reba be trusted? He’d known her for five or six years. But she’d believed the worst of him, branding him abusive on the word of her lover and a stranger. He couldn’t take the chance.
“We’re gone. In a safe place. I’m going to keep Jewel safe.”
“Good. Oh, and Floyd’s been all over town looking for you. He knows you’re with her, but isn’t sure where. He’s pretty angry. Something about you owing him a front-page story.”
“I don’t have time for that now. Thanks for the warning, though.”
“Whereareyou?”
“You don’t need to know. It’s safer that way.” Without another word, he closed the phone, ending the call.
When he relayed the conversation to Jewel, she stared. “He’ll never find me here.”
“Floyd’s looking for me, too. He wanted me to write a story on you and I kept stalling him. But he’s pissed.” Now Colton paced. “I’m worried about him. If he thinks about it, he might figure out where we’ve gone. I brought him here last year during deer season.”
A shadow crossed her face. “That’s not good. I don’t like that.”
“Me either. But I don’t know what else to do or where else we could go.”
Fidgeting, she combed through her hair with her fingers. “I keep feeling like I should run as fast and as far away as I can. I feel…trapped.”
“Don’t.” He took her arm. “Come on, let’s go for a walk. There are lots of trails here and pretty abundant wildlife this time of year.”
She sighed. “Okay, but I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything.” He was only half joking.
“If Leo finds me, use my gun on him if you get the chance. But make sure it’s loaded with silver bullets. Nothing else will work on him.”
“Silver bullets again. What is he, a vampire?”
Finally, she smiled. “Wrong species. With vampires it’s stakes through the heart and sunlight.”
“That’s right.” He snapped his fingers. “Werewolves are the ones that only silver bullets can kill.”
“Right. And fire. Silver bullets and fire.”
“Are you saying Leo’s a werewolf?” Still teasing, his grin faded as he realized she was not.
“I’m saying he’s a monster.” Jewel’s voice trembled. “That’s enough. Just remember what I told you. If you don’t use the silver bullets, you won’t get another chance. He’ll kill you.”
Though he waited, she didn’t elaborate. He told himself he really didn’t expect her to, after all. She wanted to keep her secrets close and he wouldn’t pry. For now. With time, he wanted to know her inside and out.
“Come on.” When he gave her arm a little tug, she came willingly. “I think you’ll like what you see. It takes a special kind of person to appreciate this countryside.”
“Special, huh? All right, show me.”
