Page 4 of The Other Side

“Promise,” her mom snapped. “I love you, and I know you love me too. That’s all we need, no matter where we are.”

Thea nodded, only half agreeing with her mother’s wisdom. “Right.”

Her mother peeked over Thea’s shoulder out the small window. “You need to go. There’s no telling when he’ll be back.”

Pulling her mom into another embrace, Thea let the last of the tears fall. She’d never see her mom again, and it didn’t matter that they were both still living. A part of Thea’s heart was gone. All that was left was dark and ugly–worn down and beaten up by loss after loss.

When her mother backed up, Thea held her ground. She couldn’t leave yet. It couldn’t be over, but her mom was opening the door, and she couldn’t make herself walk through it.

Her mom took Thea’s hand and tugged her toward the door. A simple push on her shoulder forced Thea outside. “I love you,” she said through a closing throat.

“I love you too, baby. You’ll do fine. You’ll get past all this and be better for it.”

Thea shook her head and turned, wiping the last of the icy tears from her cheeks.

The light disappeared from the yard as her mom closed the door. Just like that, all the goodness was gone.

Thea walked back down the driveway and tucked her arms around her as she started on the road. It was over, and she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything. The numbness from the cold had seeped into her heart and soul, leaving a hollowness that she’d have to carry from now on.

The low rumble of an engine grew behind her, but she kept walking. She tucked her chin to her chest and prayed as her pulse raced.

Lord, please let it be a stranger. Anyone but Tommy. Please. Please.

The headlights shone on the road ahead of her, casting her long shadow on the gray snow. The truck was slowing down, and every muscle in Thea’s body tensed, ready to jump on cue.

The truck crept by her, and she kept her head down. She didn’t dare look up even to see the color of the vehicle.

When it didn’t stop, Thea released half a breath. The tree line was twenty feet away, and she could disappear into the maze until she found the path back to Emerson’s house on the back side of the woods.

But the red brake lights steadied, and the truck stopped between Thea and her freedom. Adrenaline kicked into overdrive, sending her heart speeding.

Now. Now was the time to go.

Her feet were moving before she registered the need to run. Thea darted into the yard and cut a diagonal trail toward the woods. If she could get into the covered darkness, she might be able to lose them.

The truck doors opened, and she made the mistake of looking over her shoulder. Two men. There was no telling who they were, but everything inside of her swore they were her kin. Her cousins? Her uncles?

Her brothers? Would they run her down with the rest of them if given the chance?

The burn in her chest grew as she pumped her arms and gasped for breath, pushing her legs faster than she’d run in years. Would it be enough? Would she be fast enough to make it back to her car? If she could just beat them by a dozen feet, she could jump in and head straight out of town.

The darkness wrapped thicker around her as she darted into the woods. Underbrush and fallen trees left the ground uneven, slowing her down every few steps.

Coming here had been a risk, but even as her ankle twisted on a hidden rock, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it. The only thing she had left was her life, and whoever was behind her might very well take it from her if they caught her.

Their shouts behind her grew louder, but Thea’s energy renewed when she burst out of the thick trees into the narrow path. She changed direction and set her sights on the house at the end. She’d run around the right side of Emerson’s house where her rental car waited on the other side.

A dark figure stepped into the path in front of her, stealing a gasp from her throat as she dug her heels into the snowy ground. The attempt to stop was too late, and the man’s arm wrapped around her throat as she tried to scream.

Chapter2

Brett

Brett gave little Abby a thumbs-up as he strode toward the refreshments table. He’d already danced with the four-year-old, and she seemed happy to spin alone on the dance floor.

Colt and Remi’s wedding wasn’t a formal affair as weddings typically go, but he kept tugging at the collar of the shirt his sister had coerced him into wearing.

Colt and Blake stood next to the refreshments table, while Hudson, a young teen from the church, poured orange punch into squatty cups.

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