A strong hand squeezed her shoulder from the back seat. “Presley Ann, breathe. Fuck, she’s about to pass out. Hurry, Jared.” She heard the sound of a seatbelt unfastening and then Kendry pushed in between the front seats and gripped the back of her neck. “Forward, kitten. Breathe in and out slow for me.”
She felt boneless as he pushed her forward so she bent at her waist, her head bowing near the dashboard and glove box. Her hands were ice cold in her lap as she stayed the way he put her, doing as he asked, sucking in air and letting it out as he breathed with her.
Lights flashed past them as they reached Divine and continued down Main Street, past the fire station and past her former home. Tears crested in her eyes.
I’ve done my best to make up for everything.
I took it all. The loneliness. The pain.
I took the best care of him that I could.
Please don’t take him from me.
Jared’s voice came over the roar of the truck racing along the asphalt. “We’re not letting that happen, angel.”
She bit her lip, realizing her prayers were uttered aloud. Please God, let me have him back. I need him.
The sparkles faded from her vision and the out of body feeling finally diminished. Kendry’s hand relaxed at the base of her neck and he helped her sit back with a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“What did you mean when you said it was too good to last?” he asked. “I hate to sound like a pansy but please don’t throw away what we have.”
She spun to look back at him so fast that she grew dizzy again. “What? No! I meant having him in my life was too good to last. I was scared all along that karma wouldn’t let me have this much happiness long-term.”
They both reached for her as she put her head in her hands and tried to just breathe through the panic.
They pulled up at her childhood home and she sucked in a surprised gasp at the number of vehicles arriving, including James and Vincent in a police cruiser SUV and Hank in his Sheriff’s department vehicle. They spotted her and all hurried to Jared’s truck. True and his brother were there as well as Paul.
Releasing the seatbelt, she leapt from the vehicle, seeing red as she reached for True’s manager, snagging him by the front of his shirt. His eyes flashed with surprise as she fisted the fabric. Protective instincts took away her inhibitions and she pulled him to her. “Did you do this?”
His jaw dropped and shock filled his eyes. “What?”
“Did you do this? Were you trying to fix True’s little indiscretion?”
His face went slack and his eyes showed nothing but shock. “No.”
Gentle hands were gripping her shoulders and her arms as she stared into his eyes, looking for a trace of duplicity. “You made it clear you don’t like me and you don’t want me or Whit in True’s life because it complicates yours.” She released Paul with a push and turned angry eyes on Noble. “And you’re no better.”
“Angel,” Jared murmured. But she ignored his stroking hand on her cheek. “Look at me.”
“You can’t stand it, can you?” Presley Ann challenged Noble as she got in his face, too. “That you’re no longer True’s sole concern. You’re jealous, aren’t you?”
Noble clasped her wrists gently as she gripped the shoulders of the T-shirt he wore. His face fell as she shook him.
“Angel,” Jared murmured again, covering her hand with his own. “Stop.”
Noble shook his head at Jared, as if telling him it was all right, and then he looked into her eyes. His hair was standing up in uneven spikes, disheveled, and he looked as though he’d aged years in just a few moments. “I don’t blame you for thinking that, Presley Ann. But I swear…I swear, on the bond between me and True, that I didn’t do what you’re thinking I could do. I could never—fuck, I’m so sorry I’ve done anything to make you think I could. Never. I’d never hurt a hair on Whit’s head, or wish you ill, either. In the beginning, anger guided my actions and what I said to you, but this…I could never do. I’m sorry.”
She released him, convinced he spoke the truth, and she turned to her father who had joined them. She didn’t even have to voice the name that came to her lips.
He said, “Dorothy…or Willie.”
Hank interrupted them just then. “Doug, there’s no sign of forced entry around the house. Could the front door have been left unlocked?”
“No. I remember checking it after Marvin went home and before I went to bed. And when you arrived I recall unlocking it to let you in.”
Hank nodded. “You did.” He turned to the others and looked at her. “Presley Ann, we’re doing everything we can to get Whit back to you. I understand Whit started daycare recently. Can you tell me about any strange occurrences?”