Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Because you believe Kane. And Kylie. And Kane’s brothers.
I try to call my mom and dad again, but neither of them answers.
I’m tempted to demon dial or text 9-1-1 over and over until they see it, but something holds me back from going that far. I don’t know what I’m afraid it will create. Panic? Fear? A swarm of police showing up right here in this parking lot? Putting Kane and Kylie and Rook and Cal in danger?
The old Blair would’ve done that in a heartbeat.
But current Blair? The one who’s left after being kidnapped? The one who knows what it feels like to kiss Kane and to sleep in his bed? The one who survived using three-in-one body wash and helped Kylie make soup and didn’t perish from not being able to do her twenty-step nightly skin care routine? She’s changed.
I stare out toward the one streetlight, and the wind cuts through the damp fabric of Kane’s borrowed shirt. I wrap my arms around myself and step away from the car, already dialing my mother’s number again.
When she doesn’t answer, I press my palm to my forehead, trying to think.
There’s only one other person who would know the reality of everything. Only one other person who probably knows why I went missing in the first place. Holland.
My mind fills with memories of Kylie warning me about him. But the part that’s desperate to see my family overrules it all. Surely my parents have been in contact with him. Surely he’s probably a part of the search party too.
I shut my eyes and lean my head back and try like hell to remember his phone number.
It takes me three whole attempts and having to talk to two random strangers who are most definitely not Holland Thorne before I can figure out his actual number.
He answers on the first ring. “Hello?”
“Holland, it’s Blair. Blair Windsor,” I say, and I hate how small my voice sounds.
“Blair?” he questions, but his tone isn’t surprised. It’s just steady in a way that makes me furrow my brow.
“Yeah. I…it’s me,” I say, and I hesitate over what I should even tell him about my situation. I don’t know if he knows who kidnapped me from my driveway or killed the two men who came to pick me up. And you don’t want him to know if he doesn’t already.
“Are you okay?”
It’s a real mindfuck when you find yourself covering for your kidnapper, but that is my situation.
Because no matter what you’re trying to tell yourself, you’re in love with Kane.
The thoughts steal my breath.
“Blair? You still there?”
“Y-yeah,” I say, swallowing against the tightness in my throat. “I’m okay. I’m good. I…I don’t have my phone, and I need to get in touch with my parents but they’re not answering. It’s probably because they think it’s a spam call or something. I had to borrow someone’s phone.”
“Where are you, Blair?”
“Uh…” I pause, unsure if I should tell him, but end up telling him anyway. “It’s this little rural town. Ashford Hollow.”
“I’m nearby,” he says immediately. “Stay where you are.”
Nearby? Why would he be nearby?
And I almost ask him exactly that, but then he adds, “I’ll take you to your parents. They’re waiting in New York.”
“What? Why are my parents in New York?”
“Just sit tight, Blair. I’ll be there in a few, and I’ll explain everything to you. Just glad that you’re okay. Just glad that you’re safe.”
Relief already starts to seep in. Clearly, he knows what’s happening. He’s been in touch with my parents. And soon, they’ll know that I’m okay. Soon, I’ll be able to talk to my mom and get some answers. Some clarity.
Before Todd and his wife come out of the grocery store, a black Escalade pulls into the lot and Holland steps out. He’s wearing a suit and is perfectly composed in all the ways I’m used to men in my life being.
He’s not urgent or frantic but completely calm. I should probably find comfort in that, but something makes me feel a little on edge.
“You good?” he asks, smiling softly in my direction.
I nod, and when I turn back toward the couple’s car, I spot them walking out of the grocery store with a few bags in their hands. When they close the distance between us, I hand the nice lady her phone. “I really appreciated your help today.”
She looks toward where Holland stands by his Escalade.
“Is that your ride, sweetheart?”
“Yes. Thanks again for everything.”
“Of course, of course,” she says and reaches out to give me a tight hug. “You take care of yourself, okay?”
“I will.”
And then I walk toward where Holland has the back passenger door held open for me.
Once I’m inside and buckled in, he hops in the driver’s seat and starts heading out of the parking lot. But I can’t stop myself from looking back. At Todd and his friendly wife. At the small downtown area. At the forest.