Page 88 of Rescuing Erin

“It’s all right. Tell me.”

Colin’s gaze slid to mine and his eyes told me everything I needed to know. It was bad. And he needed my help.

“Alice, let’s let my mom and Colin talk for a moment.”

I placed my mom’s hand in Colin’s and pulled Alice off to the side. The two of us were greeted by three of the seven-man Delta team.

Alice hadn’t taken her eyes off my mom, and when Colin reached out for her just as she started to crumble, Alice let go of my hand and strode toward them.

I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to know what had caused my mom, the woman who’d always held her emotions in check in public, to break. It was bad, and I didn’t want to face it.

Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, and when I started to struggle a familiar voice spoke, “I got you, Erin. Relax.”

Fletch.

Even though Colin was holding my crying mother, and speaking to his own, his gaze hadn’t left mine. He was silently giving me the strength I needed.

“Thank you. I’m fine now.”

Fletch’s arms loosened and fell, but I could still feel him standing behind me. Colin nodded and Fletch spoke, “Come on, he’s ready for you now.”

“I don’t know if I am.”

“Sure you are. You’re the strong and brave woman who went toe-to-toe with Colin back in Texas. You survived being run off the road and then kidnapped. You’re the woman who saved Colin’s life. You can do this, too.”

“I didn’t exactly save his life.”

“That’s not what we heard. Word on the street is Colin needed his beautiful woman to come to his rescue. Come on, before he storms over here and kicks my ass for keeping his girl away from him. He needs you.”

“He wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh, yeah? Then you’re not paying attention.”

We began walking, Fletch pushing me along, closer and closer to the bad news I didn’t want to hear.

“Mama?”

“He’s fine, little rabbit. Everything is fine.”

“You don’t look like you’re fine.”

True to form, Clarissa Anderson pulled herself together and dabbed her face with a handkerchief, one of many I knew to be in her handbag. “I am fine. And it’s not polite to point out—”

“Stop, Mom. No one here cares. It’s okay to show how upset you are.”

Mom’s eyes filled with tears again. “I can’t. I’m afraid to go in and see him.”

My mom’s uncertainty triggered a deep strength I didn’t know I had. She needed me to be strong for her. “Come on, we’ll do it together.”

I looked up at Colin and, for the first time, I noticed he’d changed. He also had a white bandage around his arm. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing, sunshine.”

“But—” he shook his head, cutting me off. “Okay.”

With Alice wrapped in Colin’s embrace and my mother in mine, we walked the two women into the Fieldhouse.

My father was in the middle of the large room, pacing like a caged, wild animal. He stopped and turned to face us. Holy fuck. My mom gasped, Alice groaned, and I wanted to burst into tears seeing my daddy so badly beaten.