The clouds had begun to roll in with the promise of an evening thunderstorm by the time the men returned to the house. All of the sheets on the furniture had disappeared. In place of the ghostly gallery was a mismatched collection of antiques.
The leather couch had a companion loveseat along with two different recliners in late 70s harvest gold and rust colored velveteen respectively. A wood and glass coffee table sat off to the side, waiting for it's place to no longer be occupied by a snoring cat.
Riley turned to see Sam coming from the kitchen with a tray of steaming coffee mugs. "Let me get that." He held out his hands to take the tray. "Caleb has started snoring which is a good sign that he's going to be waking up soon. Do you think any of your Dad's clothes are still here? They might be a little bit big for him, but it's better than nothing." He set the tray on the coffee table. Sam might think she was hiding it well, but he could see the strain around her eyes. She was barely holding it together.
He couldn't blame her. The last twenty four hours had seen her whole world turn upside down.
The concern in his eyes was almost Sam's undoing. She knew that she was doing everything she could to keep from falling apart, but she didn't need to know that she was doing a horrible job of hiding it as well.
The smell of hot coffee had Lisa grabbing a mug and scrambling over Caleb to curl up in the corner of the couch. She took a sip, her shoulders drooped as she took a deep breath. It wasn't much but she would take whatever she could get right now. Her nerves were a mess. Twenty four hours ago she was preparing a deposition for yet another corporate contract dispute. Now she was curled up in her favorite spot on the couch in her parent's cabin and staring at a huge furball snoring on the floor in front of her. A furball that all logic told her couldn't exist. And yet, she'd known Caleb and Riley since they were all teenagers.
Caleb was the youngest of them all. She wrinkled her nose as she shuffled memories and came across one with Thane. She never did like him. There was a heaviness to his personality that always made her nervous, like she didn't want to be left alone with him. At least now she knew why. She suppressed a shiver and came back to the present.
The furball in question was growling in his sleep. She'd seen Sheba do it a thousand times but it was very different coming from this cat. It was a low rumble that landed somewhere under her ribs. There was a warmth to his grumbling. It made her want to curl up next to him. She sighed and pressed herself deeper into the corner, turning her attention to the rapidly cooling coffee she still held. She finished her cup in one gulp, settling the empty cup into the space between the couch and her bent legs. She laid her head on the arm of the couch and dozed off to the low hum of Caleb's snoring.
Sam shook her head as she watched her sister doze off. She needed it. None of this was her doing, none of it had anything to do with her really, and yet, here she was. It made Sam feel more than a little guilty for dragging her into it all, but it was far too late to take it back now. Even if she could convince Lisa to go home, Thane and his thugs would be waiting for her. There was no way she was going to be used as a hostage. No, it was better if they stuck together now. Speaking of which, where has uncle Daniel got off to?
The man in question was busy digging through the closets's in the girls' parent's room. There had to be something in there that Caleb could put on when he woke up. It also gave him something to do so that he didn't have to think about how close he came today to loosing both of his sons. Dammit. He should've killed that bitch Lydia when he'd had the chance five years ago.
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