Page 266 of Broken Saint

“Fantastic. I’ve been looking forward to this,” Colt says, rubbing his palms together.

“Wow, incredible,” Chad says as he closes in on us. “I didn’t think that could possibly be you. Not in this small Texas town when you should be training in Seattle. What on earth could be important enough to bring you here?”

Chad side-eyes me with that comment, and fury lights me up from the inside.

“We don’t have time for your bullshit, Chad,” I say firmly.

If he’s shocked by my reaction, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he just looks Colt dead in the eyes, seconds before signing his own death certificate.

“Ella Myers? Really?” he asks, his brow wrinkling in confusion. “Can’t you do bett?—”

“Oh my god,” I squeal when Colt cuts off Chad's incoming insult with one quick punch to the nose.

Chad stumbles back, clutching his face, but Colt isn’t content to leave it there.

He moves closer, looming over the smaller man as blood gushes over his mouth as if he’s nothing more than a mouse Colt can squish under his shoe.

“If I ever catch you anywhere near my girl again, you’re done. If you so much as look in her direction, you’re done. If you even say her name, it’s over. I am not the kind of man you want to make an enemy of.”

Chad’s lips move to respond, his free hand curling into a fist as if he thinks he could take Colt.

Chad is an idiot, but he isn’t that stupid, surely?

He must figure that out because, after a second, he takes a step back.

“I suggest that you forget Ella was ever in your pathetic little life. She’s far too good for you. Come on, Bombshell, we’ve got better places to be.”

Colt opens the passenger door for me and helps me inside. He makes quick work of putting our groceries in the trunk before abandoning the cart and joining me.

“Is…is your hand okay?” I ask, reaching for it.

“From hitting that?” Colt spits. “Of course. I’ve hit harder pillows in my time. Fucking pussy.”

I can’t help it, I snort a laugh.

“You think he’ll listen to you?”

“Probably. But if he doesn’t, Letty gave me Reid Harris’ number. That should fix the problem.”

My chin drops.

“Come on, babe. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

68

COLTON

“What is this place?” Ella asks as I pull into the driveway of a modern farmhouse-style home that sits on the edge of the town she grew up in.

“Ours,” I confess.

I feel the moment her eyes turn on me. My skin tingles and my blood heats.

“O-ours?”

“Yeah, if you want it to be.”

“Colt,” she whispers. “What have you done?”