Molly’s throat grew parched and dry. “I’ll be right there,” she promised and ran for her car.
The whole way home, she tried to imagine the sheer agony Seth was living with. His father had been murdered, his mother was an emotional wreck, the only other male influence in his life was accused of the crime and might go to jail for the rest of his life. All things the adults were having a hard time coming to terms with.
How could a teenager cope?
And then there was Jessie, who worried about Seth like a brother. If she knew what had happened to him, Molly felt certain her sister would be torn between keeping his secret or doing the right thing and snitching so he’d come home safe.
Molly’s emotional issues paled in comparison and she felt like a baby for even thinking she had problems. Whatever her own issues, they had to be put on hold while she took care of her family. Including her feelings for Hunter.
***
EDNA WAS IN commander mode. While everyone else was falling apart, she pulled the family or in this case, the families, together. Molly walked into the house to find lasagna baking in the oven for dinner and her grandmother making a huge salad. The general was on the telephone with the police department, Sonya by his side. Hunter stood alone in the corner of the family room by the large windows, talking on his cell to Ty about putting a P.I. on Seth’s trail.
Just seeing Hunter issuing commands made Molly feel better. He caught sight of her and crooked a finger her way. She strode over to him as he finished his call and snapped his phone shut, shoving it into his pocket.
Without a second thought, he reached out and pulled her close. “It’s going to be okay,” he promised her.
When Hunter spoke, she believed. She let him enfold her in his arms and relaxed her body into his hard, masculine form. He smelled good and she was reluctant to step out of his warm, safe grasp.
“How do we know he ran away as opposed to he’s just out and hasn’t checked in?” she asked.
“He left a note for his mother that said, ‘I love you. I’m scared and I need time to think.’ Plus, when Jessie heard the news, she insisted that she didn’t think he’d do anything drastic and locked herself in her room. She’s not talking to anyone. Doesn’t sound like a kid who just went to the library to me.”
“Me neither.” Molly realized she still had her purse hanging from her shoulder and tossed it onto the table near the couch. “What did the police say?”
“They’re looking into it. But these are the same people who zeroed in on your father and no one else.” While he spoke, Hunter kept one hand on the small of her back.
Molly was grateful for his support. “And that’s why you’ve got Ty on the case?”
Hunter nodded.
Molly’s gaze darted toward the upstairs where Jessie had closed herself off to the family. “Jessie must be beside herself.”
“She is. Which is why Robin should be here by tonight. Your father thought maybe Jessie would open up to her.”
Molly nodded. “They are close.” But tonight was hours away. “I wonder if she’d talk to me. We are making progress in our relationship.” She bit down on her lower lip.
The last thing she wanted to do was force Jessie to clam up even more or upset her to the point where she remembered she hated Molly for invading her home and her family. But if Seth was out there and scared, upsetting Jessie might be worth the risk.
“I think that’s a good idea.” Hunter’s eyes lit up at the notion. “She’s starting to idolize you and maybe you can reach her.”
“Idolize?” Molly let out a laugh.
“Hey, don’t minimize your impact on her. She didn’t want that yellow sweater for no reason.” He grabbed her hand and led the way upstairs.
“So now you’re an expert on child psychology?” Molly asked.
“I think I’m becoming an expert on your family.” He stopped in front of Jessie’s room. Music pounded from inside, echoing into the hall. “Are you ready to do this?”
She’d been running on autopilot since getting the news about Seth. Heck, she’d been running on autopilot since the day of her father’s arrest for murder. Another difficult conversation with her half sister should be a piece of cake. So why did she have butterflies in her stomach and the beginning of a dull, throbbing headache at the base of her skull?
She turned her most confident smile Hunter’s way. “Of course I’m ready to do this.”
“Liar,” he said softly. “But you can do this and probably even get answers, which is all that matters.” He cupped the back of her head in his hand, pulled her close and sealed his lips over hers.
He took her breath away. The warmth of his kiss, the solidness of his touch, the pure raw male sexuality he exuded was potent and powerful. Molly closed her eyes and savored the strength of his mouth and the sure sweep of his tongue as it tangled with hers.
Too soon, he stepped back. His eyes, though glazed, were filled with a depth of emotion.
Her stomach churned and flipped with sudden nerves that had nothing to do with her sister in the other room. “What was that for?” she asked, gently wiping the moisture from her lips.
“For luck.”
Her pounding heart felt it was so much more, but she couldn’t think about it now. Instead, she treated him to a short incline of her head. “I am going to need it,” she murmured, placing her hand on the doorknob.
“Meet me back in your father’s office when you’re finished,” he told her.
She nodded. “Here goes nothing.” Molly turned the knob and stepped inside.
***
HUNTER HAD a bad feeling about Seth. A really bad, gnawing sensation in his gut. Years of experience had taught him to trust that feeling, and now it told him Seth hadn’t run away because he was overwhelmed with emotion. Seth had run away because he was guilty. The boy had seen or heard something about the murder that could implicate someone he cared about, and with the hearing coming up and everyone on edge, he’d panicked and run.
What other explanation could there be?
Pacing the small office that had been his home for more than a week, Hunter racked his brains for another reason a fifteen-year-old kid would take off in the middle of a crisis like this one.
Damned if he could think of one, but he mentally listed the possibilities anyway. Seth’s mother was a mess, and the only other support she had—the general—was charged with the murder. She needed her son and Seth was smart enough to understand that.