Take Me Away (Southern Bride 6)

My wedding band set.

A loud scream filled the attic, and for a moment I didn’t even realize it was coming from me. I was positive the neighbors could hear me a mile away.

I stood, wiped my eyes, and stumbled back. I clutched the velvet box in my hands and reached for the photo. Without any feeling in my entire body, I made my way down the steps to my room and stripped off my clothes. I put on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt and then grabbed an old gym bag and filled it with clothes and whatever else I could think to take from my bathroom. The entire time I felt like I could hardly breathe from crying so hard. With my mumbled pleas to God, I begged him to help me understand how I had mentally blocked all of this out of my mind—and why in the hell everyone had allowed me to avoid the situation. I was an emotional mess. Anger began to mix with all the other confusing emotions. I knew I needed to leave before anyone showed up. I was positive Nolan would find another way to get to me. The last thing I could do was face him.

No, I couldn’t face anyone right now. I needed to be alone. Alone so I could…so I could what? Grieve? Scream out in anger? Figure out why everyone lied to me or why I lied to myself?

I gave my head a jerky shake and drew in a deep breath. Before I headed downstairs, I ran back up to the attic and grabbed a small blanket I remembered knitting for Amanda while I was pregnant. I stuffed it into the bag with the photo, my rings, and clothes. I turned once more and ran as fast as I could down the steps of the attic, down the next flight of steps, and out my parents’ front door, dropping Nolan’s keys on the side table by the entrance as I went.

I stopped at the end of the walkway and stared. The next house down from my parents’ was a quarter of a mile, on either side. It was nothing but silence as I stared down the road. Then I did the only thing I knew how to do. After eight long years, I ran away once more. I had no destination in mind, only the desire to run. So hard and so fast my lungs burned, and soon my legs felt like jelly. Every muscle in my body ached, and I was glad for it. It dimmed the pain in my heart ever so slightly, and pulled my attention away from it breaking.

Once I’d exhausted myself and I couldn’t run another step, I pulled out my cell phone and called the only person I knew who would help me.NolanWHEN LINNZI LOOKED over her shoulder at me, my heart dropped to my stomach. The anguish on her face caused me to freeze in my tracks. Then I saw the tears, and my entire world felt like it had stopped.

She got in an Uber, and it raced off down the street.

“Are the keys in the truck?” I shouted as I ran by the valet.

“Sir, wait! Sir, she has the keys!”

I skidded to a stop. “What?” I shouted.

“Um, I handed them to her, then she said she had to go and threw your wallet into the passenger seat. Maybe she threw your keys there too?”

I quickly pulled open the passenger door and nearly dropped to my knees as a sickness I hadn’t felt in eight years hit me in the stomach.

“No…” I said in a pleading voice. “Oh God…please, no.”

“Sir, are you okay? Bill, call for help! Hurry!” I heard the valet say as I felt my entire body sway.

The valet’s voice was next to me as I heard, “Shit, Bill help me!”

My vision slowly faded as my body sank down to the ground until there was nothing but darkness.

“Nolan! Nolan!”

Something hit the side of my face and then came a smell. A terrible smell, like the inside of a pig barn. My eyes flew open, and I went to sit up but groaned when everything spun out of control. Holy shit, what in the hell was happening to me? My nose felt like someone had shoved tiny knives up it.

“Whoa. Hold on there. You passed out,” Truitt said.

“W-what?” I asked, shaking my head. “What do you mean, I passed out?”

Truitt stared at me like I had lost my mind. “You passed out, I used smelling salt to get you to wake up.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

With a shake of his head, Truitt went on. “Nolan, what’s going on? The valet said Linnzi freaked out about something, took off in an Uber, and then you passed out. Where is Linnzi? Did you get into a fight? What happened?”