The man studies me for a long second, but then he unlocks the door.
“Of course. Hop in.”
Relief floods so fast it almost makes me dizzy, and I scramble into the back seat. The car smells like peppermint gum and clean upholstery.
“Here you go, sweetheart.” The woman hands me tissues over her shoulder, and I wipe at my face, trying to feel like myself again.
“What is the closest town?” I ask.
“Ashford Hollow,” the man replies. “About fifteen minutes.”
“And what state is Ashford Hollow in?”
“Connecticut, dear.” The woman glances over her shoulder to meet my eyes, her mind clearly growing confused on why I don’t even know what the hell state I’m in.
“Okay, phew. I was praying I didn’t hike myself to Massachusetts or something crazy.”
They both laugh.
“Do either of you happen to have a phone I can borrow?”
The phone is warm in my hands when the woman passes it back to me, but when I look down at the screen, I can see there’s no signal.
“There’s no service out here,” she updates. “But once we get into town, you should be able to make a call.”
I nod and stare out the window, and my mind races with a million different things.
Kane. The way he looked hurt instead of angry when I walked into the forest.
The way he makes me feel. And the way my body feels like it’s aching for him the more distance I put between us.
The way I miss him already. Really, really miss him.
I’ve never felt so confused in my entire life, and I force it all out of my head and try to focus.
I just need to get into town and call my mom.
She’ll have the answers I need.
Kane
Her scent tears through the air—sharp with salt and adrenaline and heartbreak. She isn’t thinking clearly, I know that much. And her intentions are so fucking jumbled right now, so unpredictable, I can’t even read them.
All I know is she’s running.
I spot a creek bed and my flannel shirt buried in the mud.
“Blair!” I call out for her.
I move farther into the forest, trying to follow her scent, but it fractures when I reach another small creek bed. The gravel is disturbed, and I can see an imprint of her shoe in the mud.
But still, she’s nowhere to be found.
Fuck!
It takes me a moment to catch her scent again, but when I do, I pick up my pace, sprinting as hard and fast as I can. And I don’t stop running until I’m out of the forest and my boots hit pavement.
Her scent is strong here.Fear. Exhaustion. Damp cotton.
