Page 24 of Colt
I wanted to argue, but he was right. I didn’t trust myself right now. Not with this much at stake.
“Fine,” I said. “But I do the talking.”
“Obviously.” Dutch almost smiled. “Just try not to fuck it up.”
?
Betty’s house was a small ranch-style home on a quiet street, the kind of place where kids rode bikes on the sidewalk and neighbors waved from their porches. Normal. Safe. Everything I hadn’t been able to give Lilac.
Indira parked her car at the curb and turned to look at me. “Deep breaths,” she said. “And remember, you’re not here to explain yourself. You’re here to listen. Whatever she says, whatever she feels, you take it. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“And if those boys are there—”
“I won’t push.” The words came out raw. “I won’t do anything to scare them. I just want… I just want to see them.”
Indira’s expression softened slightly. “Let’s go.”
Betty answered the door before we could knock. She looked like she hadn’t slept either, lines of exhaustion carved into her face. But her spine was straight, her gaze steady.
“Colt.” She stepped aside to let us in. “Indira.”
“Thank you for arranging this,” Indira said smoothly. “I know it can’t be easy.”
“Nothing about this situation is easy.” Betty led us into a small living room where Lilac was waiting.
She was sitting on the couch, her hands clasped in her lap, like she was waiting for the worst. When she saw me, anger flickered across her face.
“The boys are at a friend’s house,” Betty said, settling into an armchair. “I thought it was better if they weren’t here for this.”
I nodded, even though part of me was disappointed. I’d wanted to see them. Wanted to look at their faces knowing the truth—that they were mine, had always been mine.
But Betty was right. This conversation was going to be hard enough without traumatizing them further.
Before I could speak, Lilac’s gaze moved to Indira. She’d been watching her since we walked in.
“Who is she?” Her voice was careful. Too careful.
“Lilac—”
“You brought her here.” Her eyes came back to mine, and the anger had a different texture now. “To this. You brought your girlfriend to talk to your ex-wife.”
For a moment I couldn’t find a single word.Fuck.
“I’m absolutely not his girlfriend.” Indira moved forward before I could dig myself deeper, hand outstretched. “Indira. I’m married to Dutch—the Venom Riders president, the man who should have shut this whole situation down immediately and didn’t.” Her voice was calm, unhurried, the kind that made the air feel like it had stopped moving just long enough to breathe. “I’m here because Colt needed someone to keep him from saying something stupid under pressure. Which, based on recent history, seemed like a sensible precaution.”
Lilac looked at her for a long moment. Then she stood and shook Indira’s hand. “Lilac.”
“I know who you are.” Indira’s expression softened slightly. “I’ll stay out of the way. I’m just here to listen, and keep this one in line.”
The corner of Lilac’s mouth curved—small, involuntary. Gone almost before it appeared. She looked at Indira like she’d just decided she might be all right.
When she stepped back, Lilac’s gaze found mine again. The worst of the edge had gone out of it.
“I should have introduced her,” I said. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No.” The word was quiet. “I noticed.”
