All Chapters of The Color of Betrayal: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

..."Officer, is something wrong?"Mallory Voss frowned, staring at the license clenched in my hand.I came back to myself, handed it over, and nodded toward the roses piled across the back seat."Nothing. You two seem very affectionate. It’s sweet to see this romance even after marriage."Through the helmet, my voice came out flat and muffled.Mallory went blank for a second, then snatched the license back, impatient.Colin Reddick laughed and pulled her against him."We're just dating."He took her hand like it was nothing and laced their fingers together."Today's our third anniversary."Three years.Mallory and I had married exactly three years ago.Today was our anniversary too."These are our custom couple's rings. That's her favorite flower on them. Apricot blossom."Colin lifted his hand to show off the engraving, and his smile turned deliberate."In red, especially.""Stop it..."The cool expression Mallory had worn all along broke, and her face went pink.S

By the time I got back to the wedding venue, Mallory was already linked arm‑in‑arm with Colin, waiting for the ceremony to start.Suddenly, every light in the room went down, and the whole place fell quiet.The screen behind the stage lit up.The moment I saw what was on it, my breath caught in my throat.It was a montage of Mallory and Colin, everything from the day they met.The two of them sitting on the shore, waiting for the sunrise on Valentine's Day.That was the night my wedding ended. Guests had poured drink after drink into me, and I didn't wake up until the next afternoon.The first cake they ever baked together, two hearts linked in frosting.That same day, they threw me a birthday party and brought out a cake exactly like it.The trip they took to Masonridge on the quiet, holding hands, posing for every camera they could find.I'd been posted to Masonridge that whole stretch, working assignments that could have killed me any day of the week.When it ended, the t

The emcee lifted the microphone and started in."Welcome, everyone, to the wedding reception of Mr. Colin Reddick and Ms. Mallory Voss."Theo grabbed the nearest wineglass and smashed it on the floor."Colin, you animal!"The shout drew every single pair of eyes in the hall.Up on stage Colin looked like he'd been hit by lightning, nailed in place.Next to him, the blood went out of Mallory's face all at once.Down in the audience, Walt, June, and Mallory’s parents gaped in shock.Yet none of them dared utter a single word.I smiled coldly.I walked up to the front of the stage, looked at the two of them, and set off the confetti cannon.Bang.Streamers came down around their feet."Sorry I'm late. I wish you two a lifetime of happiness."My other seven brothers sprang into action without a word. They rushed onto the stage and dragged Colin roughly down to stand before me.He crashed clumsily to the ground.Ben grabbed him by the collar and roared."What the hell is th

The slap landed across Mallory's face."You ungrateful girl. Cheating on your husband wasn’t enough for you—you had to steal as well! You've shamed this family."I didn't say anything. I watched her cover her burning cheek.I watched her bite down on her lip and not dare to answer him.For a second, I did feel sorry for her.Mallory had a younger brother, and he'd never been worth anything.Her brother had blown through the entire fifty thousand her parents demanded from me, all of it gone the day after the wedding.Even now, part of me still ached for her.I pitied her humble, miserable origins.I pitied how she’d been bargained over like a mere commodity, just to marry me.But none of that is a reason to betray somebody. The same goes for Walt and June.The elderly couple stood frozen in place, at a complete loss.It took them a long time to get an apology out."Adrian, we're sorry. It's our fault, all of it's our fault. Don't hold it against Colin."Their knees started

Before my parents died, Colin and I were two teenage boys, and there was no avoiding the fights.Every argument ended with the pair of us running to them, demanding two police officers rule on who was right.I lost more often than not.There were times back then when I thought they played favorites.Favorites enough to bring home a stranger's child and raise him like their own.Favorites enough to take his side and look after him in everything.Favorites enough that the last thing they ever said to me was, "Remember to buy Colin new clothes."It wasn't until years later, when I had a badge of my own and pulled the file on that trafficking case, that I understood.Colin stood in front of my parents' urns a long time, and then he bowed his head.When he straightened up after the last one, he was crying."Ade. I'm sorry."He'd never called me that in his life. Only my mother ever had.When we were small he'd insisted he was the older one, and after a while we'd stopped arguing