Atonement (The Protectors 6)

“Yeah, they called a little while ago.”

“What the hell?” he bit out. “We got tested at the same damn time.”

I pretended to shrug in confusion and released Dante’s hand when he snatched his phone out of his pocket. I kept on walking as he swiped at the screen. “Guess that means your ass is mine for a little longer,” I called.

“Fucking bureaucratic-”

Dante’s voice dropped off and I glanced over my shoulder to see him punching in his security code to unlock his phone. He put the phone to his ear and listened and then his gaze locked on mine. “You asshole,” he muttered and then he was running to catch up to me. He gripped me by the waist as if he wanted to take me to the ground, but I merely grabbed him and kissed him hard.

He was panting by the time I was done. “Good news?” I asked.

“Like you didn’t already know,” he muttered even as he kept kissing me. “I thought medical records were private or some shit,” he bit out.

I laughed. We’d gone to my doctor’s office to have the bloodwork drawn a few days earlier so when the nurse had called to give me my results, I’d asked her for Dante’s too. I’d known the nurse for years so it hadn’t been tough to coerce them out of her.

“You think you’re the only one who knows how to sweet talk the ladies?” I asked.

“That better be all you’re doing with them,” Dante said and then he grabbed my hand. “Come on, Old Man, time to put up or shut up.”

“Old Man?” I said with a laugh as I gladly kept up with Dante’s exuberant stride. “No more Ranger nicknames?”

“Google sucks,” was all he said. We’d nearly made it to the porch steps when the sound of a diesel engine drifted through the air and we both turned to see a white pick-up truck slowly making its way up the driveway.

All joking ceased at the sight of Colton’s truck and Dante dropped my hand. I immediately snatched it back up and pulled him closer as Colton drew the truck to a stop and got out. To say my former best friend looked like shit was an understatement. His hair was unkempt and he hadn’t shaved in quite a while. His skin looked pale and drawn over his features. I could tell he hadn’t slept either because there were prominent bags beneath his eyes. But I felt next to no pity for the man. I could have forgiven him for fucking Mel, but to know he’d shared my most private shame about what I’d said to my daughter the last time I saw her was a betrayal unlike anything I’d ever known.

Colton’s eyes shifted between me and Dante and briefly skated over our joined hands. He didn’t seem at all surprised, which had me guessing Mel had already told him about mine and Dante’s relationship.

“Magnus,” he murmured with a nod. He also gave Dante a nod, but then his gaze was back on me.

For a few seconds anyway, because then he dropped his eyes to the ground. His apparent shame didn’t make me feel better in the least.

“Here,” he said as he held out a file folder.

“I don’t want anything from you,” I said coldly as I made no move to take the folder. He drew it back and then lifted his head.

“It’s for Matthew,” he said.

Before I could ask what he was talking about, Dante reached past me and took the folder. He flipped through it and then handed it to me. When I met his eyes, he nodded.

I took the folder and opened it. The first page had a copy of a check on it. The top image was the front of the check which showed Colton and Bess’s names as the owners of the account. It was made out to Cash. I glanced at the bottom of the page and saw a copy of the back of the check which was signed with Mel’s name. I flipped through at least a dozen checks, all with Mel’s signature on the back. The dates on the checks ranged over a three-year period and the total dollar amount of the checks was in the tens of thousands of dollars.

“What is this?” I asked.

“She won’t be bothering you no more,” Colton said. “She knows what’s at stake if she does. Statute of limitations on those won’t run out for a few more years.”

Understanding dawned. “Mel stole these checks from you?”

Colton nodded. “I knew what she was doing, but like I said, I couldn’t say no to her.”

“You never turned her in.”

He shook his head. “I do the books so I knew Bess wouldn’t see them.” His gaze shifted to Dante briefly. “Mel came to see me after you all talked at the courthouse last week.”