Chapter 23

“How can you not know where he is?” Reid’s voice filled the waiting area in front of the nurse’s station.

“Mr. Richards, when I went to check on him at 4:30 this morning, he was gone. I’d checked on him at 3:30, and he was asleep.”

“Listen, Nurse … Maynor,” Reid said, reading her name tag. “You’ve got to find him!”

“I’ll call the hotel security, let them check the surveillance tapes,” she said.

“Good idea,” Reid grunted.

He was getting impatient. There were many possibilities for Colt’s disappearance. What if Jason kidnapped Colt? He dialed Chelsea’s number; perhaps Colt called her.

“Hello?” her voice answered sleepily after a few rings.

“Has Colt contacted you?” he asked, remembering that he’d brought the cell phone in case he needed to make any calls.

“No. I’ll check the hospital to make sure he’s alright,” she said.

He sighed. “No need. I’m there, and Colt isn’t.”

“What do you mean he’s not there?” she shouted into the phone.

He chuckled at her tone. Usually, he’d have to ask twice what she said, now she was shouting into the phone. “He’s not here …” he began.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” was her answer, and then there was a click.

Reid scratched his head. He needed her to help find Colt anyway, so he did not call her back. Still, he was curious about the relationship between the two. Something was definitely brewing, and if that was going to affect the band, he needed a heads-up.

He felt that Chelsea would be good for Colt. He wasn’t sure about the reverse. Colt had a past that needed resolving before he committed to anyone. In addition, he promised to protect her when she left her sheltered life to come on tour with the band.

He was still thinking about the both of them when she breezed into the waiting area of the ward. He had been trying to figure out what to do about a relationship between them, should there actually be cause for concern.

“What happened?” she was breathing heavily as if she’d run all the way there.

“Calm down, Chelsea. They are checking the security cameras. But I need you to tell me what’s going between the two of you.”

She looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean? I have nothing to do with this.”

“Are you two seeing each other?”

Her eyes widened, and a stricken look crossed her face. “No, we are not dating or anything,” she replied, but her voice changed. It sounded a little husky.

“You’re in love with him?” She looked away, and her cheeks became scarlet. “Chelsea, be careful. Colt …”

“… Mr. Richards!” the nurse called and interrupted his talk. He turned to face her. “We got him on tape leaving the hospital. He walked to the curb. That’s as far as the outdoor camera would show us.”

The security supervisor confirmed it. Reid was beside himself. If he called the police, it might get leaked to the press that the Crush was missing. He didn’t have any police contacts in LA that he could trust to keep it under wraps.

“Chelsea,” he turned back to face his assistant. She was stone-faced and dialing. “Who are you calling?”

“The guys. If we call the police, it will get to the press; we can’t have that,” her voice was on edge.

He was proud of her. She was thinking like a manager. Did that mean she had everything under control when it came to Colt? Every time she and Colt were together, he could sense that something was happening between them. Then there was the way Colt had been acting of late, very possessive. Even if nothing happened yet, it was pretty close to happening. He could feel it.

“Are there friends in LA he could be with?” she was now speaking on the phone. “Girlfriends, yes. You and I both know what he’s capable of when he goes missing.”

He watched her run through the boys’ numbers and then called the hotel to make sure he hadn’t gone back there. After she completed her calls and he called a few people he knew that he thought Colt might also know, he took her back to the hotel.

* * * *

An unsettling feeling rested in the pit of Chelsea’s stomach. She knew Colt’s MO. He would disappear, and when he was found, it was always with some woman. However, this time, she felt it was different. He had a fractured rib and broken toe. She didn’t think he was foolish enough to go partying with the painkillers in his system. Then again, with Colt anything was possible.

Briefly, it crossed her mind that Jason might have abducted Colt, but she dismissed it. He wouldn’t be stupid, would he? What about that Carl Benson fellow, could he have done something? He had a vendetta; therefore, he was on the suspects list in her book.

She paced the suite while Reid made numerous calls from Reid’s black book. The same one he’d given her to make the calls from while in NYC. She wondered why he hadn’t given the book to her this time.

The door opened, and her heart pounded as she looked at it expectantly. Tony and Andrew walked in. They dropped onto the sofa.

“Any word?” she asked.

“No, we looked everywhere near the hospital. He disappeared into thin air,” Tony replied, eyeing her.

A short while after, Mike and Cory entered. They too had no news. They scoured the areas near the hospital, White Point beach and near the hotel. That was almost the entire San Pedro area. Reid went out around 3:00 p.m., and the boys went to rehearsal as planned. She was left to her own worries. Chelsea went to her room to shower since she missed one that morning when she rushed to the hospital. She had been in bed when Reid called around 6:30.

She only just stepped from the shower when her cell phone rang. She picked it up and stared at the number emblazoned across the screen. It was Colt’s cell phone number. She’d called it about a dozen times since the morning. They all called the number, and the phone had been switched off. Now his number was calling her.

“Hello?” she said softly into the device after swiping her finger across the face.

“Chelsea?” Colt’s voice caused her pulse to quicken.

She almost choked trying to respond. She had to take several breaths. “Where are you? Have you been kidnapped? What do they want? How …”

“Slow down, Chelsea; I’m fine. But I need a favor …” he said.

“Let me call Reid …”

“NO!” his voice raised and startled her. “No,” he lowered it. “No. I need you to come see me, alone.”

“Okay,” she hesitantly replied.

“Chelsea, I trust you. Will you trust me this once?”

“I trust you,” she told him.

Colt told her to come by cab and bring a change of clothes. He gave her the address that was a small town outside of the city limits. She asked him if he’d eaten. He hadn’t. On her way, she stopped to pick up food and a change of bandage for his toe and torso, should he need it.

* * * *

The taxi came to a halt in front of an old house in the small town of Clearlake. Before exiting the cab, she took a business card the driver handed her with his name and number in the event she needed him in future. She stepped from the vehicle, casting her eyes on the house.

The walls were gray where the paint had peeled and left the bare wood to weather. Chelsea could see there were patches of bone white, which indicated that the house was once painted in white. The place seemed abandoned. What was Colt doing there?

It was close to 5:00 p.m., and the sun began to disappear behind a stretch of land to her west. The setting sun cast a bright orange glow across the plains. It was a beautiful sight, but Chelsea could not find the joy in it for fear that something was wrong with Colt.

She watched the cab kick up dust as it returned to the path they came. There was no other house close by that she could see. The last house they passed was a quarter of a mile back. Her eyes scanned the yard. There was what was once an old truck sitting like a metallic monument. Its rustiness was evident through the navy blue that it once was.

She made a step, unsure of where she was heading. Colt gave her the address, and this was where it led. The number 23 was on the rotting gatepost with the rusted letterbox. Therefore, this must be the place. What she didn’t understand was why he didn’t want Reid to know. Why was she to come alone?

A stone path led to the front porch, which had one step up. Chelsea slowly made her way until she was at the step. She lifted a foot and withdrew it. She was contemplating moving forward when the screen door opened, and Colt stood there.

“What are you doing? Come,” he said and opened the door for her.

The sight of him brought relief. They’d been searching all of LA looking for him. When he’d called her, she was elated that he trusted her enough to do that. She smiled, stepping confidently toward him. The place was eerie, but it didn’t matter now that she knew he was alright.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, as she brushed past him into a small drawing-room. Most of the furniture was covered with sheets except for a sofa. A white sheet lay crumpled near it on the floor. A broom lay next to the sheet with a pile of dust.

He closed the door, coming to stand behind her … close enough for her to feel his heat. “This is my home.”

She spun around to face him, searching his face. “Your home?”

“Where I was born. Where I spent my childhood.”

Something like pain crossed his face, and her heart ached for him. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her forehead on his shoulder. His arms enclosed around her as well, and they held each other for a while. She wanted to ask him what brought him there, or why he called her there. But she didn’t want to push.

They stood holding each other for a while until he pulled apart and led her to the sofa. They sat close. He brushed her hair from her face and caressed her cheek. She kept her gaze on the table covered with the cloth to avoid his eyes. Meanwhile, sparks of electricity ran through her at his touch.

“You drive me crazy,” he said in a seductive tone. “You. Drive. Me. Crazy, Chelsea.”

Her breaths were coming in shallow gasps while her heart raced at a zillion beats per second. Her stomach felt as though it was filled with butterflies. He kissed her cheek, and she jumped. Then he kissed the corner of her lips. She turned her face towards his, wanting more, but he pulled away. Her heart sank with disappointment.

Colt looked troubled, and she swallowed the disappointment she was feeling to focus on why she was there. She looked at him expectantly as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

“I remember it all now,” he said.

She waited for him to tell her what he remembered since she had no idea of what he’d forgotten or of what he spoke.

“The abuse me and my mom suffered at the hands of Jason and his father,” he continued. “I remember it all. I remember the night he died. I remember.”

“Do you want to talk about it, with me?”

His eyes flickered open, and he looked at her. The pain registered in his eyes softened her heart. She took his hand, bringing it to her cheek. If anyone had told her a few days ago that she and Colt would be this close, she would have laughed at them.

It was amazing that the man in front of her had changed so much since the first day they met. The arrogant jerk was now a humble man in her eyes. His mask was gone, and he was baring himself to her. She loved what she saw.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t be responsible for what happens,” she heard him say. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the backrest. “Do you trust me, Chelsea?”

Did she trust him? “Yes,” she replied softly.

His head turned, and he closed his eyes. She could barely see in them as he was looking at her through slits. “Why?” he asked. “I wasn’t always good to you.”

She searched his face. What was she to say—that she loved him? No, she thought, that was too much too soon. “I don’t know,” she replied instead.

He came closer until his face was inches from her. “Aren’t you afraid of what I might do to you all alone in the middle of nowhere?”

She swallowed hard. What could he do to her that she didn’t already dream of him doing? Kiss her? He’d already done that. Run his fingers over breasts and skin? Well, he’d done that … in her dreams. Make love to her?

“No, I’m not afraid,” she croaked.

“You should be,” he whispered as his lips touched her neck.

Why was it that every time his lips touched her, it was like an electric shock? It rippled in waves through her body and ignited her. She felt herself grow hot, and a ball of fire erupted within that she knew this was the moment. It was happening fast. She’d been told that she should date at least six months before second base. Her parents said marriage before sex, but to hell with that now. Her body was saying that she was ready.

She closed her eyes as his lips trailed along her neck and settled on her shoulder. His hand came up, cupping her breast through the cotton of her blouse. She arched into his palm, wanting him to fulfill her fantasy. The heat of his hand seeped through her garment, setting her breast on fire. The fire spread throughout her body, making her flush from head to toe.

He lowered his head and pressed his lips to her nipple. She could feel them through the blouse and bra, but she wanted to feel his lips on her skin. He must have sensed her need, for at that moment he began unbuttoning her blouse. She closed her eyes, savoring his lips that were now caressing her cleavage.

Inhaling a quavering breath, she rested back on the sofa. Colt plucked her breasts from the cups of the bra. While he cupped one in his palm and gave it a gentle squeeze, he kissed the nipple of the other. The sensation that shot through her was almost unbearable.

“Oh,” she breathed.

He nibbled her nipple then twirled his tongue around the tip. It grew instantly hard. His hand began making its way down her belly, across her hips, and down her short denim skirt. When his fingers reached the hem, she almost stopped him, but she didn’t.

“Do you still trust me?” he asked raising his head, his voice quite thick.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I trust you.”

He began to re-button her blouse. Her eyes fluttered open, still heavy with desire. “Please, don’t stop,” she said, gripping his wrist.

“Your first time can’t be in a place like this. It has to be special,” he replied.

“It is special so long as I’m with you,” she returned.

Chelsea had no inkling where her courage came from. She knew she wanted to be with him; that’s all she knew, and maybe she was in love with him too. Her heart was telling her that. She wanted to listen to it.

He stared into her eyes a long time before crushing her lips again. This time, the kiss was more ardent. He grunted as he took her tongue, stroking it expertly. She cupped the back of his head, pressing her breasts into his chest. Colt’s hand crept up under the hem of her skirt, his fingertips leaving trails of fire.

She was hot down there, and his hand increased the furnace. She badly wanted to get out of her clothes, but Colt was holding back. She thought that when this would happen, he would tear her clothes off and ravage her, but he was taking his sweet time.

She pulled away and wriggled from her top, and then she took his hand and placed it on her breast. He brushed his thumb across the nipple, and it peaked at his touch. His head lowered, kissing her skin. He began to trail his lips along her cleavage and down her belly. Her stomach trembled at his touch. When he reached the hem of her skirt, she thought he would pull it off, but he didn’t. Instead, he hoisted it above her hips and lowered his head once more.

She gasped as he kissed her thighs, and a tremor ran through her. He followed that up by pressing his lips to her junction where her thighs met. She could feel the heat down there as the hot fluid soaked her panties. But Colt wasn’t done. He pulled her panties aside, touching her clit with the tip of his tongue. The voltaic charge electrocuted her, causing her body to spasm.

“Oh God!” she gasped.

His hot tongue began stroking her erect clitoris, resulting in gushes of sticky substance erupting from her. He took her labia between his lips and suckled on it before plunging his smooth tongue into her vagina. Her body melted. Her mind buzzed as she felt a heady sensation wash over her. She felt like she was floating on the softest clouds. Waves of current were also washing over her. In the pit of her belly was a sea of molten lava ready to erupt. She felt it begin to spread throughout her body while Colt’s tongue plunged in and out of her.

Then it happened; an explosion that rocked her body. She arched and screamed. Her voiced echoed in the room and perhaps could be heard a mile down the empty road. She felt her walls tighten around his tongue while her juices spurted into his mouth. He continued his assault on her until her body calmed.