Page 277 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

Callie shook her head as she put on her hat—a perfect complement to her UGGs, snug jeans, and light brown cardigan combination she’d chosen for the day. “We were running late, and the house is just down the road.”

“Okay then.” Molly beamed. “An impromptu FFO. What could be better?”

Sexy dessert sex came to mind, but she smiled anyway. “Let’s do it.” Callie followed Molly out into the nasty gusts of wind and blowing snow, regretting her earlier decision not to take Nate’s advice and grab her coat before they left. She hurried to Molly’s silver Mitsubishi Lancer, opening the back door for Winston then got in the passenger seat, buckling up. “It’s like a crazy, windy, winter wonderland out here.”

“It’s pretty.” Molly backed out of her space in the Sandersons’ crowded driveway and exhaled a long, loud breath. “Man, I’m so glad to be out of there for a while.”

“Dinner was pretty uncomfortable, huh?”

Molly shrugged as she turned onto Highway 1. “I’ve been preparing myself all week. Although I wouldn’t have minded a different seating arrangement. I’ve been Brad’s right-side table neighbor pretty much forever, so I couldn’t exactly tell Leah that sitting next to him wasn’t going to work for me anymore because her son and I had crazy, drunken sex and haven’t really spoken since August.”

Callie wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry, Molly.”

Molly jerked her shoulders again as she made the turn onto Nate’s road, fishtailing slightly in the deteriorating conditions before she corrected. “It is what it is, right?”

So Molly said, but Brad’s and Molly’s families were too close and spent way too much time together for them not to come to some sort of eventual understanding. “There’s absolutely no way you guys can fix things?”

Molly shook her head. “Sometimes things don’t work out. Friendships change—get too complicated.” She pulled up in the driveway and put the vehicle in Park. “But enough about all that. Let’s get the pies.”

Winston poked his head between the seats, panting his excitement.

Callie laughed, turning and petting her sweet boy. “You’re going to wait here for just one second.” She kissed his nose.

Winston sat in his spot, staring at her.

“That’s my good boy,” she said, getting out. “Just one minute and I’ll bring a treat for you too.” Closing the doors, she and Molly walked through the three or four inches of powder already piled up on the path and let themselves inside. “If you want to grab the apple pies on the counter and Winston’s cookie from Kay, I’ll get the cherry and chocolate fudge from the fridge.”

“Sure thing.” Molly picked them up. “Anything else?”

“No. This is it. I just need to slap the whipped cream on the fudge pie. It’ll only take a second.”

“I’ll wait with Winston in the car. Don’t be afraid to take your time.”

Callie grinned. “Okay.” She grabbed the whipped cream she’d made earlier in the morning and slathered it on top, adding a few mini chocolate chips for decoration. “There.” Smiling her satisfaction, she shut off the light and picked up both desserts, frowning when Molly honked the horn. “I thought you wanted me to take my time,” she muttered.

The honking started again—one long blaring sound.

“What in the world?” Callie moved to the living room window, narrowing her eyes in the fading light, staring at the trunk wide open and Winston standing in the driver’s seat, barking and honking the horn. She stepped closer to the blinds but she didn’t see Molly. “What…” Turning, she gasped, stumbling back into the wooden slats and nearly dropping the desserts when she saw Thomas standing inches away. “Thomas.” She exhaled a shaky breath of relief as her heart rate tried to settle. “You didn’t have to come check on us. We’re just on our way back with the pies right now.”

He shook his head. “We don’t have time for that.” He grabbed her around the bicep and pulled her toward the stairs. “Get some of your things. We have to hurry before they realize I’m gone.”

“Thomas.” She yanked herself out of his trembling grip, studying his rosy cheeks and wild eyes. “What are you doing?”

“What I have to.” He pressed his hands to his face, scrubbing. “He saw it. I’ve been trying to get rid of that damn thing for years, but Leah loves it.”

Callie shook her head. He wasn’t making any sense. “What?”

“The painting. You have to go up and pack—pants and shirts so it looks like you left of your own accord.” He shoved his hand through his hair, pacing back and forth as he grew more agitated. “That’s the only way it’ll work—if they think you left on your own.”

“Thomas, I’m not sure—”

“No!” He whirled, reaching under his sport coat and pulling a pistol from the waist of his slacks, pointing it at her. “No more talking. Just do as I say.”

Her heart stopped. She was certain it no longer beat as she stared at the barrel of the gun. And then she knew— Captain Bob and Lucky… Sanderson’s troublemaker… Her mother…

“Everything’s out of hand.” He loosened his tie, mostly undoing the knot as he pulled on his collar, popping off the top button. “It’s not supposed to be like this, but he won’t leave it alone. Why can’t he just leave it alone?”

Molly’s horn started blaring again, and Callie digested a new wave of terror. “Where’s Molly? What did—what did you do to her?”

“She’ll be fine. She has nothing to do with this.”

She’ll be finemeant Molly currently wasn’t fine. Callie closed her eyes, tensing her body when her legs wanted to buckle and her hands started to shake. “Thomas—”

“Shut up!” He took a step closer, raising the gun higher. At her head. “It’s too late. It’s too damn late. Let me think. I need to think. The boat. I have to get you on the boat.”

Was that where Thomas had taken her mother? He’d killed her in the cottage—bruised her head and made her bleed—then dropped her into the water?

“How am I going to get you there? You’ll have to wait in the car—in the trunk. No one will look for you there.” He huffed out a laugh. “I’m a Sanderson, for Christ’s sake. I’m the goddamn mayor.”

She stared at the madness in his rabid gaze—the town’s respected leader, a complete stranger—and her pulse throbbed as he took another step toward her, knowing what would happen once he got her in his car. They would never find her—just like they’d never found her mother. Callie inched toward the door and dropped the pies, pivoting and taking off through the open doorway just as another vehicle pulled up. For a moment she thought it was Nate then realized it was a Cadillac. Matthew got out and the air backed up in her lungs as her mind flashed back to a hot July night, to when someone in the dark had picked her up. “Oh, God,” she choked out, knowing she had to get away from the shadow man and his crazy brother.

She took off into the woods, listening to two sets of feet cushioned by the snow running after her—hunting her. Twenty-two years ago, she’d wandered through the trees in the dark, oblivious to the danger all around her. Now she hurried into the early-evening storm, hiding from the men who would do anything to keep their secret.