Colters' Gift by Maya Banks Read Free Book Online

pulled her into his arms. She sighed and absorbed the hug, resting her head against his chest. She was just waiting for the bubble to burst and for reality—and her past—to rudely intrude.
    Max pulled her away, palming her shoulders. Then he glanced beyond her to where Noah and Liam now stood just a few feet away.
    “What’s going on? Why are you two here? Is Lauren in danger?”
    Liam shot her a look of sympathy. Noah had less mercy, however.
    “Lauren lied to us about who hurt her,” Noah said bluntly. “When we found out, we came here immediately to question her.”
    Max frowned, and Lauren could see the wheels turning in his head as he grappled with what Noah had just thrown at him. His jaw went tight, a sure sign of anger, and he started forward, but she put her hand on his arm.
    “Don’t, Max,” she said in a low voice. “I did lie.”
    He jerked his gaze from Noah and Liam, his eyes wide with astonishment. “Why on earth would you lie? I don’t understand. I saw what you looked like, Lauren. You can’t tell me that son of a bitch didn’t put those bruises on you.”
    Her lips turned down again, and she glanced away, tears stinging the lids of her eyes. But she gulped them back. She wasn’t going to use a dirty trick to get out of this. It was time to own up to what she’d done.
    “She made up a name and description of someone else,” Liam said.
    He took a step toward Lauren until he was close enough that she could feel the warmth emanating from him. His hand slid up her back and remained between her shoulder blades. No one could see where his hand rested, but she appreciated the show of support more than she could possibly verbalize.
    “Why?” Max demanded.
    Seth frowned and leaned against the doorway that separated the living room from the small kitchen area. “I’m lost.”
    “She was afraid,” Liam said quietly. “Joel Knight is the asshole’s name and he’s involved in prostitution. According to Lauren, he has quite a few people on his payroll, including several members of law enforcement.” He sighed hard and glanced sideways at Lauren. “She was trying to protect you . . . and us.”
    Max stared at Liam for a long moment as if he thought Liam had lost his mind. Then he turned his gaze to Lauren. “Is this true?”
    “Yes,” she whispered.
    “What else did you lie about?” Max asked bluntly. “What did he do to you, Lauren? You said he hit you. That he slapped and punched you. What else did that son of a bitch do to you? What else haven’t you told me?”
    The blood drained out of her face, and she could no longer meet her brother’s gaze. Liam slid his arm around her, uncaring that Max was mere feet away, and Liam squeezed her shoulders, pulling her underneath his arm until she was flat against him, one shoulder lodged solidly underneath his.
    “There’s no need to have this discussion in front of so many people,” Liam said in a low voice. “Lauren’s embarrassed and scared enough as it is.”
    She wanted to hug him and never let go. But at the same time, she was ashamed of the fact she was still hiding, only this time she was hiding behind Liam.
    Max blew out a deep breath and then scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I just want to know what the hell is going on. First question. Is Lauren in any immediate danger? Is this asshole coming after her?”
    Noah held up his hand. “We have no reason to believe he has any idea where she is. We sure as hell haven’t told anyone. We came because we needed to confirm what our source told us so that we can do some more digging on this guy.”
    Max’s lips tightened. “You should have contacted me first. You work for me.”
    Liam nodded. “Yeah, we do. But we weren’t going to you with the possibility that Lauren had held back information unless we knew that to be true. And the only way to find that out was to ask her.”
    Max looked long and hard at Lauren, and then his gaze softened. “Are you all right? I wish to hell