Hidden

by T K Barber

  “Just the three of you here tonight?”

  It was less of a question and more of an ‘I know he’s here’ game of cat and rat. Thomas wanted to laugh and throw up at the same time. His pop thought he was so damn smart. So smug all the time. Thankfully, Becca was just as smart, if not smarter.

  “Almost always is, until Antoni gets home. Or my boss stops by.”

  Thomas grimaced. This sure wasn’t how he expected today to end. The surprise of the evening, however, came in the form of a spunky nine-year-old.

  “You wanna come upstairs and see my stuffed rat collection? I just got a new one, it has real eyes!”

  Thomas tucked his lips under his teeth to reign in his grin. He could just imagine his pop’s face; the shock quickly masked by that stupid cold glare. Both of which would be quickly locked behind that smirk.

  “Pete, I’m sure Mr. Valentine has better things to do than look at your rats. Hush now.”

  “Quite.” Lyle chuckled, and Thomas shuddered. “Tell Antoni I stopped by, and I need to see him first thing in the morning.”

  “On Saturday?” Becca’s voice faltered and she cleared it. “Must be urgent. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to wait?”

  There was an uncomfortable silence, each second of which made Thomas’s stomach lurch. Lyle’s voice came out cold.

  “No, thank you. Goodnight.” His steps retreated through the door, and right as Thomas exhaled, they stopped.

  “Rebecca.” His voice was clear, dark.

  Thomas sneered. He could just imagine him turning a glance back over his shoulder, while he adjusted whatever jacket he was wearing.

  “How old are your boys again?”

  A pause, and Thomas thought his heart might beat right out of his throat.

  “N-nine and fourteen. Why?”

  Another pause that was far too long, no matter how short it might have actually been.

  “Shame. Goodnight.”

  The door closed behind him and a bleak silence fell over the house.

  What the hell did that mean?

  He padded over to the window and rested his back against the wall for a few breaths, before leaning up and peering through the cracks in the blinds. His pop lowered himself gracefully into the back seat of his car.

  Thomas blew out a slow breath and swallowed as he rested his head against the wall. Thank God he hadn’t already called Booker. He’d take this chance to hoof it a bit on his own.

  Not about to stay one second longer. That was too close. Last thing he wanted was for something bad to happen to such an amazing family. Pete’s quick footsteps sounded as thudded up the stairs, and Thomas met him at the door with the duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

  “Did you hear?” Pete was nearly breathless. “I’m like, a professional!”

  Thomas smiled and patted him on the head.

  He shouldn’t have had to do that just to protect some lug that screwed around and got himself shot, none of them should have. He walked past Pete, leaving his confused face in the hall.

  Thomas descended the stairs two at a time. He clapped hands with Paulie and pulled him into a one-armed hug. Becca opened her mouth to speak, but Thomas threw his finger to his own and shook his head. Better not to speak, pop might have been listening.

  He pointed to the roof, made a circle in the air with his hand and tapped his ear. Becca chewed at her lip and nodded. Thomas wrapped a quick arm around her shoulder and stalked through the living room, past the kitchen, and straight through the patio door without looking back. He’d only see pain in her eyes. There was always pain in people’s eyes when they looked at him.

  The only sound he heard before the latch closed was a single sniffle from behind.

  Annalise

  “Been meaning to tell you something you’ll think is funny.” Nick’s eyes sparkled above his wide grin.

  Annalise wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and raised her brows. “What’s that?”

  “Scarlet snores.”

  “Oh my God! I do NOT!”

  She chucked her napkin at him, and he caught it, his deep laugh filling the condo. She thrust her tongue into her cheek and shook her head.

  “See if I let you share that little corner of the bed tonight.”

  He raised his brows, grin still in place, his hand disappearing under the table.

  God, they were so adorable it was nauseating.

  Scarlet jumped and laughed, swatting his hand away. Annalise cleared her throat and they both froze. Nick rubbed the side of his face and Scarlet glanced over her shoulder, chuckling.

  “Sorry,” Nick muttered with a smirk.

  Annalise only halfway had to force a laugh.

  “No, it’s totally okay. I’m super glad to see you happy. Both of you. It’s nice. And Scarlet is awesome. You guys are . . .” she speared a noodle and held it up to bear the full weight of her glare. “Awesome.”

  She let out a sigh and jammed the noodle in her mouth, speaking around it, and around the irrational fear swirling in her gut. It was just food. “So. Set the date yet?”

  They both raised their brows and smiled. Scarlet took a sip of her wine and looked at Nick, who scratched his cheek.

  “Not yet. So, what’s new with you?”

  Anna swallowed. Boy, what a question. Did they really want the truth? Better yet, did she want to give them the truth? Maybe she did. She let out a small chuckle.

  “Oh, you know. Lots of sanding, therapy, panic attacks, menu prep, interviews, nightmares . . .”

  Nick and Scarlet dissolved into matching frowns. Scarlet set her fork down and leaned over the table, lightly touching the back of Annalise’s hand.

  “Are you having a lot still? I thought the medicine was working.”

  “It was. Is. It’s just still hard.”

  “I know it is, sweetie.” Scarlet patted her hand and smiled. “Wanna talk about it?”

  Nick leaned up in his chair as well, resting his elbows on the table. Annalise shook her head and set her fork down, pushing back from the table. She was going to lose it if she stayed much longer.

  She spared the back of her hand and wiped her mouth with the napkin that time, as she stood.

  “It’s nothing. Listen, I’ve got to go.”

  Nick straightened up and glowered. “No, you don’t. You barely had a bite. Sit back down.”

  Annalise narrowed her eyes and sneered, playfully. “You could have at least made something edible if you wanted me to eat.”

  Scarlet barked a laugh, then cleared her throat and fussed with her napkin. “Nick’s food is good, hon.”

  Nick turned a disbelieving glance to her, jaw dropped. “Good?”

  “Yes.” She grabbed her wine and took a large swig. “It’s good.”

  “Hmph. Well, you can cook next time.”

  She laughed and shoved his arm. “I offered to cook this time, and you all but threw me on the couch with strict orders not to move!”

  She glared playfully at him, and he grinned, shaking his head.

  “Just wait unt—

  Good lord. “ANYWAY!”

  They looked back at Annalise with embarrassed grins and Nick shrugged. “Eat. It’s good. And good for you.”

  Annalise plopped back down in the chair with a tortured sigh. She shoved a bite of Nick’s version of Ms. Eliza’s infamous spaghetti and bacon casserole into her mouth, forcing an exaggerated, “mmm.” around the mouth full, while simultaneously grimacing.

  They both laughed and Nick pushed back from the table, grumbling. He all but stomped over to the cupboard and snagged a bowl, spoon, and cereal.

  Annalise grinned from ear to ear as he set it all in front of her, and Scarlet watched, holding her glass in front of her mouth, covering her smile. They both got a kick out of frustrating him. It was a nice thing to bond over.

  Nick let out a loud, lengthy sigh as he sat the milk down and gave her a half bow. “Your majesty.�
�

  Annalise nodded and waved him away with a regal flick, then greedily poured herself a bowl. Yeah, she may have known exactly how tight he was wrapped around her finger growing up. Totally not sorry. She had to cling to the good while she could.

  Scarlet cleared her throat and turned to face Nick when he sat back down.

  “See? You can be charming. You should try a little of that with mom. She can have you off’d you know.”

  Scarlet winked, but Nick frowned and grunted.

  Annalise chewed large bites, trying not to choke it down. That was something she’d probably always deal with. At least that’s what the center said.

  “I like your mom. A lot, you know that. But . . . that woman keeps way too many secrets for my taste.”

  Annalise liked Marianna too. She was hella tough. Better than their mom by miles.

  Scarlet shrugged and nodded. “Yeah. I don’t like that part either, but she’s a smart lady. I trust her.”

  Annalise watched their interactions and swallowed down a lump along with another bite of cereal. When she wasn’t directly in the conversation it was hard to stay distracted from the gnawing hole in her chest. She missed Thomas so much.

  “Who do you think that guy really is?”

  Scarlet took another small bite and shrugged again. “Not sure. Never seen him anywhere before tonight. But that honestly doesn’t mean anything. You know.”

  Nick grunted in agreement. “Yeah.” He refocused on Annalise, sucking in a breath. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  Annalise flicked her eyes to him and swallowed again. “Huh? What? Nothing, why?”

  Water dripped down her chin and she swatted at it. Damn it. Why did it have to happen on its own?

  “Nothing,” she cleared her throat. “New guy, huh? Is he cute?” She winked, blinking another tear onto her cheek. Damn it all.

  Nick stood and reached her in a second, pulling her up into his warm hug. She let the spoon clatter to the table.

  One of the good things about her brother was sometimes he knew when not to talk, at least to her. Now was one of those ‘no words necessary’ moments.

  They’d had more of these than probably anyone else.

  She let it out. All of it. At that point, trying to keep any in would have hurt worse.

  He held her tight, cradling her head under his chin with one hand, the other wrapped tight around her shoulders.

  One of the good things about Scarlet was she didn’t see any reason to exclude herself from family moments. Like now. Because she was family.

  Scarlet’s arms encircled the two of them and she pressed her cheek to Annalise’s.

  After a little less than a minute, she pulled back and rubbed Annalise’s upper arm. “I’ll go make up the couch. You care which sheets tonight?”

  “No,” Annalise sniffled and scrubbed her nose on her sleeve as she pulled out of Nick’s arms. “I’m okay. I’m good. I want to sleep at home.” She blew out a slow breath and smiled. “I can do this.”

  Scarlet smiled back. “Yes, you totally can.”

  Annalise nodded and took a step further away while Scarlet picked up Nick’s arm and tucked herself under it, drawing a snort from him.

  “You guys really are perfect for each other. It’s a good thing. I was beginning to think Nicky-boy here was going to start taking in stray cats.”

  Scarlet snickered, and Nick sighed dramatically. “I don’t even like cats.”

  “Yeah. I know.” Annalise forced a smile at the two of them. A good one. One they’d believe.

  Scarlet chuckled, left Nick’s orbit, and wrapped her arms around Annalise’s shoulder.

  “Bye hon. If you think you’ll be up for it, maybe Katelyn, you and I can go pick out more decorations for the shop. She’s got a better eye than I do, but it’s my money.” She pulled back to catch her gaze. “Whaddya say?”

  Annalise nodded. “Hell yeah. I love buying stuff.” Nick snorted again and she shot him a narrow-eyed glare. Truthfully, she only liked getting new stuff. The shopping part she could totally do without.

  “Good. Text us if you need anything before then, okay? Well, me. You know how hard he sleeps.”

  Annalise laughed, a real one that time, and nodded. “Which is why I know for a fact he’s lying about you snoring. He’d have no clue.”

  Nick grumbled and yanked his keys out of his pocket. “You do snore, I’m not a heavy sleeper, and you’re both annoying.”

  Scarlet’s laugh was infectious, and even Nick couldn’t scowl his own away. Annalise turned on her heel and headed for the door.

  “Be back in a bit,” Nick crooned.

  She didn’t have to turn around to know he swept Scarlet into some mega romantic kiss. He always did.

  Annalise plowed through the door and dug her nails into her palms to control another onslaught of tears. She’d never have that. Ever.

  She made sure her cheeks were clear before Nick and his satisfied smile were over the threshold.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded and lead the way to the elevator. Once inside, Nick leaned over to catch her gaze and raised his brows.

  “You think you’re ready to start driving again?”

  Her pulse raced and her hands burned. The last time she drove, she was kidnapped. She knew she needed to get the hell over that, but it was still so scary.

  “I,” she blew out a breath and shrugged. “Maybe soon.”

  “No rush. I don’t mind driving you, you know that.” He gestured for her to go first when the doors slid back open. They crossed the opulent lobby, and the doorman Scarlet paid for held the door wide for them.

  Nick’s truck was right out front, and Annalise hopped in, rubbing her hands on her thighs to scrub away the anxiety.

  She could do this.

  He popped in, and they pulled out of the parking lot. Once they were on the main road, he cleared his throat.

  “I’m proud of you.”

  Hold it together or he’ll take you back.

  She twisted to her window, unfocused gaze settling on streetlights as they blurred. “Thanks.”

  “I mean it, Annalise. This isn’t easy. I know that. But you’re going to kick its ass.”

  She snorted and nodded. “Yeah.”

  Maybe.

  She blinked the blur away, and when it came back, she closed her eyes.

  Someday.

  Thomas

  Thomas gazed through the windshield at the large run-down building bathed in streetlight and sighed.

  This’d be his first time setting foot in his Gran’s place since she died, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. It was too bad he couldn’t just live here. Shit, where was he going to live now?

  “You sure you don’t wanna come back and do this at a reasonable hour?” Booker’s scratchy voice bounced off the glass.

  Thomas snorted and shook his head. When would be a reasonable hour to do something like this?

  “You know, Bruno,” he said with a mocking, deep tone and a grin. “I don’t go around questionin’ your serious lack of fashion sense. Least you can do is breeze off me a little.”

  Booker laughed and rubbed a hand down his face. “That doesn’t even make any sense.”

  Thomas shrugged. “Yeah, I know. I’m a bit strung out. You get the meanin’ though.”

  “Sure. And for the love of God, would you call me by my actual name?”

  “I would if I could remember it.” Thomas turned to fix him with an arched brow. “What is it again?”

  “Fine, go on. But make it quick. We shouldn’t even be here.” Booker leaned forward in the seat, checked the mirrors, and flopped back. “I should have just taken you straight to Ms. Price.”

  Thomas grunted and undid the seatbelt. “Nah. He already showed his face tonight. He knows I’ll have heard about it if I wasn’t there. He’s gonna go home and glare at things, probably. Or read.”

  Thomas climbed out of the c
ar and leaned back in through the open door.

  “I’m gonna be a bit, I think. I’ll shoot you a text when I’m ready.”

  “You can text sure,” Booker fished a stick of gum out of his coat pocket and jammed it in his mouth. “But I’ll be sitting here when you get done. It’s my job to make sure nothing happens to you, right?”

  “Man, you’re a stick in my eye, you know that?” Thomas grinned as he shut the door. When he turned away, he sobered. He didn’t know what it was, but something about Booker was off.

  A slight, smokey breeze wound around him, and his nostrils flared as he scanned the street. Cigarettes. His pulse quickened. Those only made him think of one person.

  He shuddered and jammed his hands in his pockets as he stared up at the faded brick and yellowed windows. A pang of guilt stabbed him.

  He had always hated that Pop wouldn’t pay for her to live in someplace nicer. And not even a retirement home, just a place that looked pretty. He smiled. She loved pretty things. And salt and pepper shakers, for some dadgum reason.

  He pushed away from the car, his steps dragging as he crossed the street.

  He felt like such a heel for not coming to see her more often. But pop kept him too busy to even sleep some days. Then when Anna blew into his life like a magical rainstorm in a desert, every second he had to give was hers.

  He trotted up the steps and walked through the large wooden entrance, stopping right in front of her door. He stared at it for a few seconds before he exhaled and slowly turned the knob.

  Man.

  Heartbreaking memories wrapped around his heart. It still smelled like her. Strong floral perfume and something medicinal. Must have seeped into the walls after twenty years.

  There were outlines on the floor from her furniture and faded spots on the wall from her pictures. Two ten-gallon paint buckets and a folded-up drop cloth sat in the middle of the floor, surrounded by other painting supplies. Other than that . . .

  Twenty years she lived in this place, and they were just gonna paint over everything. His chest tightened.

  Someone else would move in like she’d never been there. Like he hadn’t busted his chin hitting the hardwood when he was six and been coddled like he’d never been coddled before.