Broken Trust by Leigh Bale Page B

through
there on his way out of the mountains.”
    Uncertainty glimmered in her eyes
as she paced the floor. “You really think we can get there first?”
    He wasn’t certain, but he couldn’t
let her lose control right now. If nothing else, he believed they had time to
call and get Bernice and Cara Hamilton out of their house and somewhere safe.
“It’ll be all right. Calm down. We don’t have any reason to believe our burglar
would go to your house. As soon as we get to Clarkston, you can call your
grandma and warn her. It’ll take quite a bit of time to get a tow truck out
here to haul your car into town. If you’d prefer, I can drive you to Vegas.”
    “Yes, please. I just want to get
home. I can retrieve my car later. It’s not my priority right now.”
    Trust filled Toni’s eyes, wringing
every ounce of empathy from his heart. As she chewed her bottom lip and
fidgeted with her keys, he felt an overwhelming urge to take her into his arms
and comfort her.
    Mac resisted the impulse. He had no
right to be close with her anymore. Instead, he looked at the other photos
strewn across his lap, searching for some logical answer as to why only one
picture showed him posed with Eric and Lieutenant Andrus. It didn’t make sense.
What had Eric gotten himself involved in?
    “Mac, what does all of this mean?”
Toni asked.
    “I’m not sure.” He hesitated.
“Obviously this picture has been electronically altered. Eric was good at that.
He even doctored a photo of Colonel Wilkinson just before his retirement
party.”
    Toni gave a wobbly laugh. “Yes,
Eric wrote and told me he blew up a photo of the Colonel wearing a pink and
yellow polka-dot bikini.”
    The memory of that hilarious night
filled Mac’s mind. He and Eric had laughed with the other marines until their
sides ached. Always a good sport, the Colonel enjoyed it, too.
    Toni studied the photo. “But why
would Eric include Andrus in this picture if you didn’t even know him?”
    Mac shook his head, wracking his
brain for answers. “It could be a clue. A strategy to draw my attention to that
particular photograph. I definitely want to look at that flash drive. It may
include something you overlooked. Eric knew of ways to hide information that an
average person could never imagine, unless they knew what to look for.”
    “It’s possible.” She fingered the
lanyard beneath her sweatshirt, no doubt thinking about her grandmother and
sister all alone in their house.
    “They’ll be fine. Stop worrying.”
He hoped his words were true.
    Pens and pencils littered the top
of his desk. He braced his hand against the wall as he scooped them up and
placed them back in the pencil jar. Then, he sat back in his chair. As he
closed his eyes, he ignored the throbbing pain in his leg.
    Eric had been involved in something
Mac didn’t understand. The thought of leaving the mountain and facing Toni’s
family might prove the hardest thing he’d ever done. But Eric would do the same
for him and he owed Eric. Big time.
    “Mac, are you sure you’re up to
this?”
    He opened his eyes and found her
gazing intently at his face. “Yes, I’m just thinking. I’ve got to see that
flash drive and find out what Eric was afraid of.”
    “You want us to come with you to
Vegas?”
    Mac looked up and saw his father
standing in the doorway, his gruff face tight with anger.
    Mac shook his head. “No, we’ll be
okay. I’ll send word to Larry across the lake if I need you.”
    Larry Coolidge was an old family
friend that lived on the other side of the lake and let them park their
vehicles on his property.
    “I can’t believe someone would do
this.” Inez MacKenzie came inside the cabin and began tidying up the mess.
    “I’m so glad you’re back. We’ve got
to leave right now. My family could be in danger.” Toni hurried to help Mac
stand, then handed him his crutch.
    “Did you find the intruder?” Mac
asked Hank.
    “Yep,” Dad said. “We trailed him to
where he’d