Chapter 43

Colt’s eyes followed as the new drummer leaned close to Andrew. “Hey, does she have a boyfriend?” He jutted his chin at Chelsea who was looking at something on a tablet.

Mike shook his head. “She’s off limits man. She belongs to Colt.”

Lenny was the new drummer who had been eyeing Chelsea since the first day of auditions. Colt was aware of it, but as far as he was concerned, Chelsea only had eyes for him. They were getting ready for rehearsals, and for a change, the atmosphere was void of tension. He had to admit that his mood swings were partially responsible for the past tensions. The two new members were not aware of this, so he wanted a fresh start.

“Let’s go guys!” he shouted, taking the microphone.

They were due to do a small concert to break in the new crew before heading off to Miami. The concert was scheduled to be held at the auditorium in the community college. It was going to be free, a way to test the new musicians. They wanted to make certain that these guys fitted in and would harmonize well. This was their third rehearsal, and everything had gone well thus far.

Reid was meandering through the seats while talking on his cell phone. Chelsea was sitting in the first row, checking out something on a tablet. As if she sensed his eyes on her, she looked up and their eyes met. He saw her blush before looking away. A spot of heat presented in his belly at the memory of their lovemaking. His cock hardened up at the thought and sight of her. He was still amazed at the flow of current between them.

It didn’t take much for him to be aroused. Just the memory of her scent sent ripples of excitement through him. Right then on the stage, all he was thinking about was peeling off her jeans and top and ravaging her there. With a shake of his head, he tried to concentrate on the rehearsals. He would have to wait another eight or so hours before getting any alone time with her.

He was about to signal the first chord when Chelsea stood and walked over to Reid, indicating something on the device she was holding. Reid scanned the surface before making a hasty retreat from the building. Chelsea returned to her seat and continued concentrating on whatever she was doing.

Andrew started on the keyboard, and soon he picked up the note on the guitar. He opened his mouth to start the song when Reid rushed back in with a newspaper, flashing it in front of Chelsea. They both looked severely at the front page, and then Reid grabbed the paper, bunching it up into a ball and tossing it across the room.

“What the …?” Colt removed the straps of the guitar from around his neck and jumped from the stage, stalking to where Chelsea stood. “What’s with the distraction?” he demanded.

They both looked at him with anxiety on their faces. Chelsea was avoiding his eyes, and Reid was clearly agitated. He looked from one to the other, waiting for an answer. The paper was clearly the culprit in all this, so when no answer was forthcoming, he jogged across the room to where the paper had hit the wall and slid to the floor.

After picking it up, he unfolded it, mentally preparing for what he might find. His photo, one taken from his last concert, was plastered on the front page. The headline was in big bold letters sprawled across the top. He scanned the entire page before coming back to the headlines, and even so, he stared at the photo before focusing his attention on the headlines.

Montgomery Murders Stepdad - Lets His Mother Take The Rap!

“Shit!” he muttered under his breath.

The anger at the journalist who wrote such garbage was swift. He caught the name as he was about to rip the paper down the middle—it was Carl Benson. The anger burned a heat in his belly, rising to his chest and coming out in a low growl.

“Colt.” Chelsea’s voice made him turn. Hot air came through his nostrils with each breath he exhaled. He crunched the paper in his fist and gripped it tightly until his knuckles became white.

“Hmm,” he finally murmured in reply, with a dark expression and his hazel eyes on fire.

“We’ll take care of it; don’t let it bother you.”

“How are you going to take care of this one?” his voice grated.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, her palm hot through his T-shirt. “We will find a way, now calm down and rehearse.”

“I’m not in the mood …” he began, but Chelsea gave her head a slow shake.

“No, you have to show these guys that you are serious about the band. Get over yourself and let us … let me handle this.”

“How can I focus with this shit printed about me … my mother for crying out loud!”

She glared at him and pursed her lips. All that was left for her to do was slap him, and he could tell she wanted to. He knew what he needed to do, but he also needed to punch Carl Benson in the face. Reid’s voice reached him, and he looked up to see the man in an animated conversation on the phone.

“Are you going to let that sonofabitch win?”

He turned back to her, cocking his brow at her language. Never having heard her swear before, it was weird, yet amusing. Still, he didn’t like her using such terms. He felt guilty that his bad habits might be rubbing off on her.

“Don’t swear, Chelsea,” he said with a chuckle.

“Why? I’m as upset about this as you are.”

He raised a hand and ran a finger along her cheek. “It doesn’t suit you.”

She closed her eyes, slightly leaning into his hand. “Stop it,” she commanded in a hoarse tone.

“And what if I don’t?” he teased.

Her eyes flicked open, gazing up at him. “I thought you were angry with Carl Benson.”

He snickered, letting his hand drop. “You had to spoil the moment, didn’t you?”

“The boys are waiting, Colt. You can do this,” she encouraged, touching his arm.

He nodded, a sour look on his face. “Alright, I’ll do it. But this isn’t over.”

“I know; we’ll get that Carl fellow once and for all, but for now, you take care of the band.”

Chelsea watched as he bounded back to the stage where the others awaited. Her mind was ticking as to what to do about this new development. Carl Benson was out to destroy Colt, but she would be damned if she let that happen. Two months ago, if anyone had told her that Colt murdered his stepfather, she would have believed it. It wasn’t because she knew the truth why the entire thing was now ridiculous to her, but because she knew Colt. He was a jerk, but he was no murderer. Moreover, he was trying to change, and she knew it was for her sake.

The next move was going to be tricky, but it had to be done to get Carl off Colt’s back for the last time. While Colt proceeded with the rehearsals and Reid was distracted with his calls, she slipped out of the auditorium. Reid was trying to get the article retracted, but she knew it was going to be futile. A witness saw the entire thing. That meant Jason, the stepbrother, was involved.

Once on the outside, she made a few calls. All she could think of was getting things set in the right place, and that meant getting rid of two birds using one stone. Both Jason and Carl were set to destroy Colt, but she was going to be the one to end it. Not only was she doing this for Colt, but she had a hunch that one of the two men was responsible for her kidnapping.