Sealed with a Kiss

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A FEW DAYS LATER while drinking his morning coffee in the kitchen with the commander, Hunter’s cell phone rang. His office had received notice that the hearing to dismiss charges against the general had finally been scheduled for the beginning of the following week. He told the commander, who had accidentally died her hair Lucille Ball orange, and within ten minutes-fifteen if he counted Jessie, who had to finish straightening her hair-both the general and Sonya’s family had gathered in the kitchen. He hadn’t expected such a large audience, but he supposed detailing his plan to all involved made the most sense.

Frank sat at the head of the table. Sonya stood by his side, her hand firmly on his shoulder, her support and caring obvious. Robin, who’d come home for the weekend, sat beside Molly, while Jessie and Seth lingered near the entry.

Hunter glanced around at the faces that had become familiar to him in such a short time and his sense of panic grew. These people were counting on him. And though all of his past clients and their families had counted on him, these people were special. They were Molly’s family. Never before had two words meant so much. She’d spent a lifetime searching for the love and acceptance she’d found here. And Hunter held their future in his hands. He broke into a genuine sweat.

“In a nutshell, this hearing is our last chance to get the charges dropped before going to trial.” He tried to keep his voice even and unemotional, as he would with any client and any case.

“Without any tangible evidence that will exonerate the general, my best hope is to point to the lack of evidence to convict him. I’ll present our view of the night of the murder, where the general was and why the court, based on his character, should believe him. I’ll offer alternative suspects and point out that the police failed to investigate anyone except the general and in doing so didn’t meet their burden of proof.” He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Any questions?”

Everyone spoke at once. A cacophony of sounds surrounded him and he couldn’t focus on any single one until finally, a lone voice won out.

“But you think you’ll get Frank off, right? If not at the hearing then at trial?” Seth spoke from across the room. He leaned against the doorway, looking exactly like the scared fifteen-year-old he was.

Hunter heard the desperation in the kid’s voice and he understood. In the general, Seth saw the last male adult figure in his life, and he didn’t want to lose him in addition to his father. Not on top of finding out his dad hadn’t been the hero he’d thought, but someone very human. Hunter had never really had a male role model of his own, but he had known fear. And he could imagine the fear and pain Seth was experiencing now.

He swallowed hard, wishing he could give the kid the answers he sought. But years of experience had taught him to level with families.

“I’ll do my best, but I have to be honest with you, this is a very tough case. We don’t have any scale-tipping factors on our side except for Frank’s character and-forgive me for saying this, Paul’s lack thereof-and I plan to play those angles for all they’re worth.” He spread his hands out in front of him. “I wish I could give you more than that, but I have to be realistic.”

“We’re just glad to have you on Frank’s side,” Edna said from her seat at the table.

He wondered if they’d feel that way should he actually lose the case.

SINCE HUNTER and the general were locked together in strategy sessions prepping for the hearing, Molly decided to head over to the senior center for her friend Liza’s art class.

Today was her still-life painting class. Molly slipped through the door and grabbed a seat in the back, content to watch and listen to her friend, who had a degree in art history, discussing her passion.

After a thorough explanation of the concept, Liza asked everyone to begin by sketching first.

Irwin Yaeger, who Molly noticed had been fidgeting in his seat throughout the lecture, stood, paintbrush in hand. “I have a question.”

Liza finished pulling her hair back off her face before dealing with the unreformable elderly gentleman. “What is it, Irwin?”

“I thought we were doing nudes today.”

Molly bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to laugh.

Liza couldn’t hold back her grin. “Nudes aren’t on the class schedule. You know that.”

“We all pay for this class, so shouldn’t we get to choose our art form?”

Lucinda stood. “Sit down and stop being a pain in the butt, Irwin. The rest of us want to work on our fruit.”

“I saw how you looked at me in the hall the other day, Lucy, and I know that nudes would be right up your alley.” He wiggled his bushy eyebrows her way. “But if you insist on painting fruit, how about cherries? Or bananas?”

“Lordy.” Lucinda fanned herself with the dry paintbrush. “Behave,” she chided.

Liza strode over to the man. “If you’re going to bother my class, you’re going to have to leave.”

“Are you seriously throwing out a virile and willing model?” Irwin asked and reached for the belt buckle on his pants.

“No!” Liza yelled. “Do not undress. Sit down and sketch like the rest of the class and you can stay.” She met Molly’s gaze and shook her head.

“Oh, all right, but you can bet I’ll be filling out one of those complaint cards,” he muttered.

“You be sure and do that.” Liza crooked a finger at Molly as she walked to her side. “Can I talk to you outside?”

Molly nodded.

“And the rest of you, keep sketching. Irwin, if I come back and you aren’t dressed, I’m filing a sexual harassment charge against you, so don’t even test me.” Liza strode out of the room and Molly followed.

When they reached the hall, they both burst out laughing. “Sometimes it’s so hard to keep a straight face,” Liza said. “So what are you doing here? You don’t take my art classes.”

Molly shrugged. “I haven’t been here in a while and I wanted to check on everyone.”

Liza stepped back and studied her. “You look tired.”

“Stressed is more like it.”

“Well, I can’t say I blame you, what with your father’s situation and all.”

Molly leaned against the wall, letting it support her weight. “Did I mention my mother arrived for an unannounced visit?”

Liza had heard about Francie but had never met her in person. “Why in the world would she come to this little podunk Connecticut town?”

Molly grinned. Apparently Molly’s descriptions had been accurate enough that Liza had Francie pegged. “She says she’s here to support me in my time of crisis. I’m guessing she pissed off her wealthy boyfriend and had nowhere else to go, so she’s here until she regroups and thinks of a new strategy to bag herself a rich man.”

“And her presence is an added stress you don’t need.” Liza might have majored in art but she had a good heart and a solid understanding of human nature. Molly often thought she could have been a psychologist.

“Hunter thinks I should lay down some ground rules.”

“Hunter, huh?” A wide smile crossed Liza’s face. “And we care what Hunter thinks?”

Molly rolled her eyes. “I told you, we go way back.”

“What you told me was vague, but I’m good at reading you, and that man makes your eyes light up like I’ve never seen.”

Heat rose to Molly’s cheeks. “He might have a teeny effect on me.” He was also complicating her life at a time when she didn’t need any more things to think about.

On the other hand, he wasn’t pressuring her or making demands, he was merely working on her father’s case and being there for her, anticipating her concerns and worries, and acting more like someone who cared about Molly than a lawyer hired to defend a client.

“Well, no matter how you feel about him, it sounds like the man has a point. From what you told me, your mother expects you to drop everything when she arrives and cater to her whims.”

Molly nodded. “This morning she asked if I’d pick her up and take her for coffee. The hotel coffee tasted burnt. Then she needed dry cleaning because the hotel wouldn’t have her suit back in time for what I have no idea.” She shuddered, remembering her mother’s authoritarian tone as she couched her orders as requests that weren’t.

“What did you tell her?” Liza asked.

“That she’d have to find a way to deal with her own problems because I had a boatload of my own. Then I hung up and came straight here before she could grab a cab, show up at my father’s and start making demands in person.”

Liza nodded slowly. “Wasn’t there a time when you’d have done anything she asked just so that she wouldn’t get upset and leave you again?” Her compassionate gaze bore into Molly’s as she spoke.

In the wake of Molly’s silence, Liza glanced into the art room.

Molly knew their time to talk was running out, but hearing her pathetic behavior summed up so succinctly struck like a knife in her heart. “Yes, there was a time I would have done whatever she wanted. So isn’t it progress that I said no?”

“If you call running away saying no.” Liza reached out a hand and touched Molly’s shoulder in a gesture of true friendship. “Listen, I think Hunter has a point. You need to level with your mom about what she can and cannot expect from you from this day forward. Until you do that, you aren’t really telling it like it is. You’re avoiding facing the reality that once you put down some ground rules, she might not come back again. Ever.” Liza’s voice was softened, but Molly heard every word.

Fear lodged like a rock in her throat. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Listen,” Liza said. “I have to get back inside before Irwin starts stripping, but if you ask me, whatever kind of relationship you and your mother end up with after you confront her can’t be worse than what you have now.”

Molly swallowed hard. “You may be right, but if my father goes to jail and my mother bails on me forever, what’s left?”

Hunter. But Molly had spent the last twenty-eight years thinking family was the way to fill her emotional void. The idea of willingly pushing her mother away scared her beyond reason. Not a particularly adult notion, but an honest one, Molly thought.

Liza pulled her into a quick hug. “I’m free after this class if you want to talk, okay?”

“Thanks,” Molly said. She appreciated her friend and the fact that she could confide in her about things so personal.

Liza walked back inside. “Irwin, put your shirt back on now!” she yelled.

Molly shook her head and laughed. As she headed back to the main lobby, her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her purse. Her father’s home number flashed on the small screen.

She flipped the phone open. “Hello?”

“Molly, it’s Dad. You need to come home immediately. Seth’s missing. Nobody knows where he is and Jessie’s locked herself in her room. She won’t talk to anyone and I’m worried about her.”

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.

So school was rough? School was rough for every teen and a mature kid like Seth could handle it, Hunter felt certain.

His father was dead? All the more reason to stick around and see justice done. Seth had made it clear that he didn’t believe the general was guilty. He would want Frank’s name cleared and the real culprit found.

Remembering himself at fifteen, Hunter knew that if he were in Seth’s place, he’d be snooping around on his own for answers. Unless he already knew something.

It was the only scenario that made sense. Hunter wasn’t sure what information Seth had about the killing, but his trusty gut told him they were at a turning point in the murder case.

Whatever Seth knew could change the dynamics of this family forever.