Consolation Prize (Forbidden Men 9)

“I’ll meet them at the station,” I said. I did have a class, but it didn’t seem as important as this. If this was about Julianna, I was finding out what was going on, right now.

“I’ll meet you there,” Aspen answered.

“You don’t—” I started, automatically wanting to protect her after how delicate she’d been lately. But then I realized she sounded alert and like her usual self, and I had no idea what I was walking into. I could do with a family member at my side. So I finished with, “Thank you.”

As soon as I hung up, I tried to call Juli again. “Baby doll,” I said into her voice mail. “What the fuck is going on? I’m being called to the police station, and all I know is that it has something to do with you. Please call me back as abso-fucking-lutely soon as you can so I know you’re all right. Okay? Okay, thanks. Love you. Bye.”

But when I hung up, my stomach knotted with tension. Why wasn’t she answering her phone? Maybe this didn’t have anything to do with her dad trying to frame some crime on me. Maybe something was wrong.

Shit, something suddenly felt really, really wrong.

My truck was parked nearly on the other side of campus. I was out of breath from jogging by the time I reached it. I didn’t pause to catch more air, though, just jumped in and revved the engine. I knew where the police station was located, but I’d never been inside before. I didn’t even know where I was supposed to park. So I pulled to a stop in the first available spot that didn’t have any kind of reserved marking on it, and I strode toward the front door.

Aspen was waiting just outside for me in a skirt suit, her purse strapped over her shoulder as she nervously played with her wedding ring. When she saw me, she darted forward and took both my hands.

“The officers we need to talk to are Detective Hall and Wilson.”

I nodded. “Did they tell you anything else about what this is about? Is Juli okay?”

“I don’t…” She shook her head and winced. “I don’t know, and they didn’t say.”

“Okay.” I blew out a breath and clamped my fingers around hers before we entered the building together.

Spread out in front of us was an open floor plan, full of desks and people mingling around, printers printing reports, men and women talking. It wasn’t quite what I’d always expected. It seemed like a normal office workspace with the occasional person wearing a uniform. To the right in an almost alcove kind of corner was a waiting-reception area where I saw Tyla, Sasha, and Chad sitting.

Tyla wept into her hands, her chest heaving from the force of her sobs, and Sasha was draped across her boyfriend with her face buried in his chest as he stroked her back soothingly.

Ice-cold fear shot through my veins. “What…?” was all I managed to say before my voice went hoarse.

“Colton!” Tyla surged to her feet, rushing to me and clutching my arm. “Oh my God. We wanted to call you but didn’t know your number. Please say you know where she is.”

I shook my head. “What?” My attention went to Chad and Sasha. “What the hell is going on? Where’s Juli?”

Tyla merely stared at me as if I’d just broken her heart, and Sasha began to weep harder into her boyfriend’s chest.

“Where’s Julianna?” I repeated with more force. “What the fuck happened? Is she okay?”

“Colton Gamble?” a voice asked from behind me.

I whirled around to find two officers approaching along with Juli’s dad, who looked pissed, pissed at me.

“Yes,” I said, stepping forward. “Where’s Juli? What’s going on? Is she okay?”

The officers didn’t answer but exchanged meaningful glances. I had no idea what that meant, but it pissed me off that no one was answering. “Hello?” I reminded them I was there. “Will someone tell me Julianna’s okay?”

No one did.

My stomach filled with dread. The worst, painful, most frightening dread ever.

“If you’d just step into an interview room with us, Mr. Gamble. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

My gaze went to Juli’s father, who wouldn’t stop staring at me as if he wanted to rip out my spine with his bare hands. I returned my attention to the officers.

“Yeah, okay,” I said. “Whatever.” If this got me answers, of course I’d go with them.

I started to follow them, Aspen tight at my side.

But they paused when they realized she was tagging along.