Page 80 of Forbidden Secrets
Another call.Then—
She froze.A sound.Faint.Indistinct.The wind whistling through the old building?
“Mom?”
This time, a reply.A cry, thin and distant.
Melanie scrambled over a heap of crumbled brick and twisted metal to the main structure, its wide bay open to the elements.She entered cautiously, gaze barely penetrating the gloom.She pulled back her hood.The overcast sky did little to light the interior.Inside was a cavernous space, skeletal beams arching overhead.
“Mom?”Her voice echoed.
There was no return call, no barking dog, no whimpering puppies.
She switched on the flashlight.The beam cut through the gloom, glinting off enormous saw blades, jagged teeth still poised to rip through logs.Hulking machines loomed eerily.Why leave this equipment behind?
Narrow staircases on each side led to an open walkway that circled the perimeter, connecting to metal catwalks above.To the left, doors stood open to what might once have been offices or break rooms.
She turned to head back outside—
Thunk.Something solid hit the floor.
“Mom?”
“Go, Melanie.Run!”
Instinct kicked in.She dropped low, heart slamming in her chest, creeping behind a towering machine.There was a rustling sound as she scanned desperately for the threat.Crouching, she darted toward an open doorway.
Donna’s call had come from one of those rooms.
A shadow shifted, separating from a dark doorway.
“You should’ve run.Too late now.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Gage slowed the treadmill and wiped sweat from his face.He needed to burn energy after sitting through a two-hour meeting.There was also the hope he could get his brain to focus.No such luck.Even when he was working, his thoughts kept circling back to Melanie.
Melanie.His girlfriend.His first in years, and if he had any say, his last.
They’d planned to work separately through the morning, then touch base before she met up with Chase Bradford in town.Which sounded reasonable except he’d woken up missing her.
They’d shared his bed for all of two hours yesterday, and already it felt empty without her.He wanted more.He wanted her.He wanted Addy.In his house, in his life.For good.
He’d come to terms with that truth.Now he had to hope Melanie wanted the same.This thing between them was so new and they still had to figure things out.What commitment would mean, how to build a life together.But he was all in.
Done with the treadmill, he capped his water bottle, chuckling when Pancake jumped.She scared herself with her own farts.
They climbed the stairs from the basement.He flicked on lights as he went.A glance through the kitchen window showed Melanie’s car gone from her driveway and storm clouds piling up over the mountains.Maybe she’d gone grocery shopping ahead of Esme’s visit tomorrow.Not that she had to check in every time she ran into town.
Thunder echoed off the mountain, and Pancake whimpered.A feeling of unease slithered up his spine.
He pulled out his phone, and it vibrated in his hand, the screen lighting up with a call from an unknown number.
“Landry.”
“It’s Paul Bukowski, Mel’s stepdad.You seen her or her mom?”
Gage stood straighter.The uneasy feeling ratcheted up several notches.
