Trust in the Lawe (Colorado Trust 3)

Returning with a subdued Noah moments later, Colton caught the tail end of Kendra’s explanation. His an

ger had only grown over the past few minutes. He directed Noah upstairs where he assumed the boys were and sat in Cody’s vacant chair across from her at the table.

“Did you tell them everything?” He couldn’t contain the note of suspicion in his tone, but didn’t apologize for it. Yes, he cared more than he was willing to admit, and yes, she’d confided in him, but she’d been lying to all of them since the moment she arrived.

“Colton,” Joel admonished.

His gaze swung around. “What? I want to make sure she doesn’t have any more lies and half-truths hanging out there. Did she tell you who stole my wallet?”

“Your wallet was stolen again?” Joel asked with surprise.

“No.” He sat back in his chair. “That day on the sidewalk…”

“When you were na—” Joel broke off when Colton gave him dark look, but the connection had already been made. His friend gaped at Kendra. “That was you?”

Her shoulders rose as she gave a sheepish nod.

“You could’ve called us instead of stealing,” Britt admonished gently.

Kendra laughed without humor. “Hi, I’m the sister you didn’t know you had—can you come get me because I’m fresh out of money? Oh, and by the way, you have a brother here, too.” She shook her head. “You never would’ve believed me.”

“It wasn’t much different when you showed up,” Joel pointed out. “The introduction, I mean.”

“Yeah, but at least you saw how much I looked like Mom.”

“I actually thought you were her for a second,” Joel admitted. “Until I realized that was impossible given how young you are.”

“I don’t understand,” Britt began. “If Robert has custody, why wouldn’t he come after you from that angle? I mean legally, you’ve kidnapped Noah.”

Kendra cringed. She glanced at Colton, and he wondered if she’d deny it the same as when he’d asked the question that night in her room.

“Even with custody, he can’t spend the money,” she explained. “All that is approved from the trust is expenses for Noah. Robert lives an expensive lifestyle and over the last year or so he’s lost most of his money gambling. But he stands to gain full control of the trust money with one or both of us dead.”

That brought a moment of silence, until Colton asked, “What happens now?”

“First off, no one goes anywhere alone,” Joel said. “No one. And I want the kids with an adult at all times.”

“We should leave.” Kendra pushed her chair back from the table, as if intending to do just what she suggested.

Britt frowned. “Of course not.”

“No one’s going anywhere,” Joel added.

“We have to,” Kendra insisted. “If Robert’s found us, I don’t want any of you to get hurt—”

“Why not leave?” Colton asked Joel, even though he didn’t want to let Kendra out of his sight. “Wouldn’t it be safer for them—and all of you?”

Joel shook his head and explained, “Until we locate him, we run the risk of him following if they leave. When we know where he is, then we can take steps to get them to a secure place. Besides, this is my turf. You’ll stay,” Joel stated. “Colton and I can handle things, and I’ve got some friends at the police department who can start looking for Robert in the area.”

Colton caught her worried look in his direction and, guessing the reason for it, he lifted a hand, palm up. “You said the reason for not going to the cops was to avoid Robert tracking you. If he’s already here, it makes sense to get as much help as we can.”

She held his gaze, as if assessing the truth to his reasoning. Finally, with a slight nod, she turned to Joel. “I don’t have any actual proof though.”

Joel covered her hand with his. “They’ll believe you; they’re my friends.”

“I’m sorry.” Kendra’s soft, choked apology drew everyone’s attention. “I am so sorry I didn’t tell you everything right away. I didn’t mean to be so selfish. It’s just that it was all so…overwhelming and I—I…” Her voice broke on a soft sob. Colton almost reached for her, but as his arm lifted, he realized Joel still held her hand.

“Kendra,” Joel said softly. “It’s okay. What’s done is done and the most important thing now is to get through this. It’s all going to work out. You’re not alone anymore, trust me.”