Chapter 42
Mia sat by the window at LilyPad Confections on Wednesday morning watching people stroll past with coffee cups and shopping bags enjoying the sunny day. Laughter drifted in through the door every time it opened. For the first time in days, her chest felt light. Hopeful.
Finally, good news.
Autumn, Tessa and Lainey crowded around the small café table, the remnants of breakfast scattered between them.
“When does Caleb get back?” Autumn asked, leaning back in her chair.
“Tomorrow,” Mia said, unable to keep the smile out of her voice. “I can’t wait to tell him about the Ridgeway Foundation event.”
“That’s a big deal,” Tessa said. “Like, career-shifting big.”
Lainey lifted her coffee cup in a toast. “Here’s to things finally going your way.”
Mia laughed. “I needed this one.”
“You earned it,” Autumn said. “And once word gets out, we’ll hardly see you.”
“Not true. Balance is all about work and play,” Mia teased. “You’re stuck with me.”
“So,” Tessa said, wiggling her brows, “are you and Caleb serious?” She winked. “Asking for a friend.”
Mia grinned. She and Caleb had become quite serious in a short time. They hadn’t talked about the next big step, but he’d been hinting. Maybe tomorrow when he got back, they could talk.
“Who takes care of Ranger when he’s gone?” asked Autumn.
“Joy. She loves dogs but won’t have one in the house because of Liam’s uneasiness around dogs.”
“Oh. That’s right. I forgot,” said Lainey.
The bell over the door chimed.
“Speaking of small towns,” Lainey murmured.
Sabrina stepped inside, scanning the room before her gaze landed on them.
“Morning,” she said as she approached. “Looks like I missed the breakfast rush.”
“Barely,” Autumn said. “You working or escaping?”
“Both,” Sabrina said lightly. Her eyes flicked to Mia. “Congrats on Ridgeway. We were all hoping to land that. It’s a good win.”
We.
“Thanks,” Mia said, surprised but pleased. “Word travels fast.”
Sabrina smiled. “It does around here.”
She lingered a moment longer, as if she wanted to add something else but didn’t. “Well.” She glanced toward the counter. “I should grab my coffee before the line forms. See you around.”
“See you,” Tessa said.
Sabrina gave a small wave and moved off.
As she did, Autumn leaned in slightly. “She’s been busy, but I heard she’s lost a couple of clients.”
Mia nodded. “Haven’t we all?”
The lightness returned but not quite as bright as before. Sabrina and Dana were her biggest competitors and, according to Dana and Heather, Sabrina was her loudest critic. Haywood Lake wasn’t as cutthroat as the city, but rumors and information circulated faster.
The bell over the door chimed again, and Mia glanced at her watch. Almost lunchtime. She’d promised to fix something for her dad today.
She checked her phone. Nothing from Caleb yet.
“I should get back,” she said, sliding out of her chair. “I’ve got some work to do this afternoon.”
“Did I see the van out there?” Tessa asked.
Mia nodded. “Yeah. My car is at Caleb’s. I need to pick it up.”
Lainey tilted her head. “You want one of us to …”
“It’s okay,” Mia said quickly, already reaching for her purse. “Roy’s around. I’ll ask him to take me over later.”
By late afternoon, Mia had eaten lunch with her father, worked on her social media mentioning the Ridgeway Foundation fundraiser, sketched out a tentative menu, and walked through the event barn again, just to make sure nothing had been disturbed.
Caleb promised to send his guys over when he got back to start repairs.
Roy was puttering around the property when she found him.
“I’ve got a couple more things to do, and then I’m making dinner for Dad. You’re welcome to join us,” she said, then added, “Also, would you mind driving me to Caleb’s on your way home? My car’s there, and I’d rather drive it than the van.”
“Sure,” he said. “What’s for dinner?” He looked hopeful.
Mia smiled. That was the Roy she knew. “Meatloaf?”
He made a fist once, triumphant. “I’m in.”
Dinner was a success. Dad was happy Roy was there. Roy acted as if he was thrilled to have a home-cooked meal. After he helped her pick up the dishes, she asked, “Are you ready?”
He nodded. They walked to his truck. “I’ve been thinking about the fire,” he started. “And the cameras.”
Her shoulders tensed slightly. “Okay.”
“Caleb covered the property,” he continued. “Which is smart. But it got me wondering about the stuff you keep off-site. The good flatware, the silver serving platters.”
Mia frowned. “Why?”
“Because if someone was poking around the barn,” he said, “they might be targeting the off-site unit. We haven’t been there in a while.”
“That’s true.”
“It might make sense to check it out, make sure nothing’s missing.”
She hesitated. “When?”
“How about before I drop you off at Caleb’s?” he said quickly.
He helped her into the truck and followed the road out of town.
At first, the drive felt normal. Familiar roads.
Early evening light filtering through the trees.
Roy drove the way he always did, one hand resting on the wheel, the other resting easy.
The truck rumbled along the back road he knew by heart.
Mia watched the traffic thin as they passed the last intersection leading back toward town.
“This is farther out than I remembered,” she said. Her off-site storage was near the old marina. Cheaper than in town. She rarely thought about it unless she needed something special. Besides, Roy usually picked up the bulky things—tables, folding chairs, bins of linens.
Roy nodded. “You don’t come out here often. Only when you’re rotating stock.”
“That’s true,” she said. She frowned slightly. “I usually come during the day.”
“Exactly.”
The road narrowed. Trees closed in, the canopy thickening overhead. The pavement roughened beneath the tires. Roy eased off the gas.
She glanced at the dashboard clock. “I hope this isn’t going to take long. It’s dark, and I really need to get to Caleb’s.”
“We’re almost there,” Roy said.
She nodded, though a small ripple of unease settled in her gut. This wasn’t the way she remembered. The storage unit should’ve been closer by now.
The pavement gave way to gravel. The sound of tires crunching sounded loud to her ears.
Mia straightened in her seat.
The lot was mostly empty, cracked asphalt, weeds pushing through the seams. No boats. No movement.
Then the sound drifted in.
Laughter. Music. A low thud of bass drifted in the air.
“The Rusty Anchor,” she said softly.
Roy nodded. “Not far.”
That helped. More than she wanted to admit.
Water wasn’t visible yet, but she could feel it. The air was cooler here. Damp.
Roy pulled to a stop near the edge of the lot.
“Where’s the unit?” Mia asked, scanning the tree line.
“Just beyond that,” Roy said, nodding toward a darker stretch where the brush thickened. “Set back from the road.”
That made sense. Storage units were usually tucked away.
They got out of the truck. Gravel shifted under her shoes as they walked. The sound of the Anchor rising and falling with the breeze. Close enough to feel normal. Far enough to still feel wrong.
They’d taken only a few steps when someone moved ahead near the trees.
A figure stepped out of the shadows between brush and gravel.
Mia slowed.
Dana.
She wasn’t pacing, wasn’t hiding. Just waiting like this was the most natural place in the world to have a conversation.
Mia stared at Roy. “Why is she here?”
“She said she needed to talk with you,” Roy replied. “Didn’t want to show up at the farm. Not after everything.”
Mia hesitated. She didn’t remember Roy ever mentioning Dana before, but then again, he didn’t talk much about his private life.
Mia watched Dana for a minute.
“Five minutes,” Mia said.
Roy nodded. “That’s all.”
Dana smiled when she saw them. “Oh, good,” she said. “Roy told me you were coming out here. I just wanted to make sure you knew what people were saying before it got out of hand.”
Mia’s gaze slid past her.
That’s when she noticed it.
Set back from the lot, half-hidden by brush, was a low concrete structure nearby. Square. Windowless. Municipal-looking. The metal door was dulled with rust. A single light burned above it, yellow and dim.
Not part of the marina she remembered.
Something older. Forgotten.
Her unease sharpened.
Mia slowed. “What is that?”
Dana followed her gaze. “Old emergency locker. The town barely uses it anymore. My family invested a lot of money in them years ago.”
“What do you want?”
Roy shifted his weight, hands sliding into his jacket pockets. He didn’t interrupt. Didn’t look away either.
“I just wanted to tell you I’ve been hearing rumors about you,” Dana said. “You need to be careful.”
Mia exhaled, impatience cutting through the last of her unease. “Not telling me anything I don’t know. I appreciate the warning, but I really need to go.”
She stepped back, reaching for Roy’s sleeve. “We should head out.”
Dana moved too.
Not blocking them. Just close enough.
Mia stiffened. “Excuse me.”
Dana didn’t move.
Something in Mia snapped. “We’re leaving,” she said and tried to step around her.
Dana’s hand came up quickly, gripping Mia’s arm.
“Don’t touch me,” Mia said, jerking free.
Roy stepped in immediately, putting himself between the two women. “Dana, that’s enough. We’re done here.”
Dana’s expression changed. The polite concern drained away, replaced by something dark and brittle.
The click cut through the moment.
Metal. Small. Final.
Roy’s eyes snapped to Dana’s hand.
“Mia,” he said sharply. “Run.”
The word hadn’t even finished leaving his mouth when the shot went off.
The sound cracked across the open water.
Roy jerked, shock etched across his face. He looked at Mia once, as if he was trying to apologize, then he staggered back like he’d been shoved and went down hard on the gravel.
Mia screamed.
Dana didn’t even glance at Roy. She moved straight to Mia, with the gun aimed toward her, breath quick.
Mia turned to run but Dana was already there, shoving her toward the concrete structure. With one hand, she opened the door.
“Move,” Dana said. “Now.”
Mia fought, clawing at the metal edge, but Dana drove her forward with ruthless strength. She stumbled, lost her footing and fell inside.
The door slammed shut.
The lock snapped into place.
Mia’s scream echoed only in her ears.