Chapter One

It was the rain.

It rained a lot in Louisiana at this time of year, but tonight it was nothing short of a deluge—so loud on the roof that it muted the sound of Hunter Gray's boots as he paced in his room.

He would look back to this evening as the night angels cried, but there was no warning of what was already in motion. For him, it was a night like any other night in his eighteen years of living.

His dad worked on the docks, and always came home from work drunk.

His mother was drawing unemployment, and was already into her third beer of the evening.

Hunt was in his room, thinking about his girl, Lainie Mayes. He lived for the times they were together. They'd had a plan during the entire senior year of high school. All they were waiting for was for her to turn eighteen.

Hunt had a full-ride scholarship to play football at Tulane University, and Lainie would be following in her mother's footsteps at the same university, pledging her mother's sorority. As a legacy pledge, she was a shoo-in.

But Hunt and Lainie lived in two different worlds.

Her father didn't come home drunk. He was a very well-to-do stockbroker. Her mother wore high heels to the supermarket, and had a housekeeper named Millie, who kept order in their world.

Hunt and Lainie were at opposite ends of the socioeconomic scale, but their real burden was the hate their fathers held for each other.

WHEN CHUCK GRAYand Greg Mayes were thirteen years old, Chuck's mother married Greg's father. The boys' dislike for each other happened at first sight, and being forced to live under the same roof only made it worse. It carried through every aspect of their teenage years, until Chuck's mother died right after he graduated high school.

Chuck wound up on the street, and Greg was on his way to college, with all the trimmings. Chuck was bitter and homeless, which only added to the hate and resentment between them, until years later, when fate dealt them another low blow. Their children fell in love with each other, and the war between them began anew.

THECRACKOFa dish hitting the wall stopped Hunt in his tracks. He shoved his hands through his hair, and dropped down onto the side of his bed, listening to the beginnings of another fight. Curses were flying. More dishes were breaking.

He waited in silence as sweat ran from his hair, beaded across his upper lip and ran in rivulets down the jut of his jaw. He often wondered how he'd even been born into this family. He didn't look like them, which had been another bone of contention between his parents, to the point of Chuck claiming in one drunken rage that his wife had been unfaithful.

That's when Brenda pulled out an old family photo of her Cajun grandfather, Antoine Beaujean, and shoved it in her husband's face.

"Look! This is Papa 'toine, and it's like looking at Hunter's face. Our son is just a throwback, and you're a jackass," Brenda said, and helped herself to another beer.

After that, the olive cast of Hunt's skin, his black brows and high cheekbones, the same piercing gaze as the man from the photo, and the distinctive Roman nose, were no longer an issue for Chuck. But Chuck and Brenda were a big issue for Hunt, and 50 percent of the conflict in which he and Lainie were caught.

Tonight, the windows were shut because of the rain, but since their air-conditioning hadn't worked for months, his shirt was sticking to his body. Finally, he got up and went out onto the back porch. Rain was blowing in under the overhang, but he didn't care. His clothes were already wet with sweat, and it felt cool on his skin.

He wanted to call Lainie. He just needed to hear her voice, but it was dinnertime at the Mayes house, and nobody was allowed to take their phones to the table. So, he stood in the rain, while the war inside the house waged on without him.

LAINIE MAYESWASthe epitome of southern charm. Well-groomed, well-dressed, always polite, born blessed with a beautiful oval-shaped face, long auburn hair that lay in waves, eyes as green as her daddy's money and what Hunt referred to as kissable lips. The top of her head fit exactly beneath the curve of his chin. He was the last piece of her puzzle. That one missing bit that made her whole.

Tonight, she was sitting at the dinner table, quietly and politely awaiting the first course, and listening to her parents, Greg and Tina's "oh so proper" conversation, but she could tell they didn't love each other anymore.

She often wondered if they ever had. Mama had just been a sorority girl at Tulane University who scored a rich man's son. A classic match straight out of the Old South.

But Lainie's defiant stance regarding Hunter Gray infuriated them. No matter what, she refused to knuckle under to their demands. She and Hunt saw each other and dated each other, and tried to let their fathers' war roll over their heads. The fact that she and Hunt were now going to be attending the same university made Greg angry, and Tina fret.

On a good day, they offered her bribes to quit him.

On a bad day, they threatened to disinherit her.

But Lainie held a hand they didn't know about, and one they couldn't beat. She was three months pregnant with Hunter Gray's baby, and less than a month away from college.

In two days, she would turn eighteen, the legal age for marriage without parental consent in Louisiana, and they would already be at college before she began to show. It would afford them the distance they needed to escape the lifelong hate of their fathers' feud.

He had his scholarship, and she had the trust fund her grandmother Sarah Mayes left her, which would be hers when she turned eighteen. They'd have each other and the rest of their lives.

When she first suspected she was pregnant, she panicked, and put off telling Hunt, because she was afraid of the consequences it would cause in both families. Then a couple of weeks ago she'd begun spotting, and thought she'd lost the baby. But after the spotting stopped, and she missed her third period, she bought another pregnancy test and used it. The baby was still there! She was happy, but time had crept up on her, and Hunt needed to know.

They'd planned to meet tonight, and then the storm came through. So, then her plan was to call him after dinner, but her phone was upstairs in her room. So here she sat, listening to the rain drowning out the drone of her parents' voices, and speaking only when spoken to, until dinner was over. At that point, she laid down her napkin and looked up from her plate.

"Thank you for dinner. I'm going to my room," she said, and stood up without waiting to be excused, and left the table.

The moment she closed the door behind her, she went to get her phone. She always tucked it beneath the chocolate brown teddy bear Hunt had given her on Valentine's Day, but when she thrust her hand beneath the bear, the phone was gone.

Frowning, she began looking around the room, trying to remember if she'd moved it, when the door to her room flew open. Her mother was standing in the doorway with a look on her face Lainie had never seen before, and she was holding Lainie's phone.

"Are you looking for this?" Tina asked.

Lainie frowned. "Yes. What are you doing with my phone?"

"Making sure you don't inform that bastard of a boyfriend that you're pregnant!" Tina said.

Lainie froze. How did she...?

Tina's voice began to rise. "I found the box of a pregnancy test kit. Would you like to prove to me you're not pregnant?"

When Lainie stayed silent, Tina started to wail. "Oh, my God! So, it's true! How far along are you?"

"Three months," Lainie said.

Tina groaned. "How dare you do this to me? To us? You've ruined everything, and we don't have much time to fix it!"

"There is no WE, here, Mother. You're not ‘fixing' anything, because nothing is broken, and all you've done is lower yourself to digging through my trash."

"Somebody has to protect you from yourself!" Tina shrieked. "I'm having your father contact an abortion clinic. We're driving there tomorrow. You'll be healed before you have to leave for college."

The words were a roar in Lainie's head, and before she knew it, she was screaming.

"You're out of your mind if you think I'll just meekly go along with this! This baby does not belong to you and Dad. It belongs to Hunt and me. We choose. And I'm not going anywhere with you two. You're so full of yourselves and your hate that you've forgotten what love even feels like."

The truth was painful, and without thinking, Tina drew back her hand and slapped her daughter's face. But the moment blood began seeping from Lainie's bottom lip, she took a step back in dismay.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Lainie was in shock from the unexpected assault, and reacted in kind by snatching her phone from her mother's hands, then shouting.

"Get out of my room. Get out! Get out!"

Tina was already in tears when Greg walked in.

"You will do as your mother said, and no more arguing," Greg said.

The taste of blood was in Lainie's mouth. The imprint of her mother's hand was still burning on her face when she turned on her father, her voice shaking with rage.

"If either of you lay a hand on me again, or hurt this baby I'm carrying, I'll destroy you. I'll tell the world that you murdered your grandchild. Your reputations won't be worth shit, and I'll be gone."

Greg Mayes grunted like he'd been punched.

Lainie knew he was angry, but when his face twisted into a grotesque mask of pure hate, she turned to run.

He grabbed her by her hair and yanked her around to face him. His breath was hot on her face—his voice little more than a low, angry growl.

"I'd rather you and that abomination in your belly were both dead than have Chuck Gray's bloodline in my family!"

He was raising his fist when Lainie heard her mother cry out—and then everything went blank.

SEEINGHERDAUGHTERunconscious on the floor, and now bleeding from her nose and her mouth, sent Tina into hysterics. She began hammering her fists on her husband's back and head.

"What have you done? What's the matter with you?" Tina screamed.

"I don't want..."

She slapped him. "If you ever lay a hand on our daughter again, I will kill you myself. I don't want her to have this baby, but we're going about this all wrong. She needs time away from Hunter, and time to think about her future. I'm taking her to Mother's old place outside of Baton Rouge. We'll tell friends we're going to Europe. We may be looking at having her take a gap year and give the baby up later for adoption."

"Dammit it, Tina, you know what—"

"Just shut up, get her off the floor, then go get some ice. We're leaving now."

"But the storm—"

"You should have thought of that before you coldcocked your own child," Tina snapped. "Now go do what I said. I need to pack a few things."

LAINIEAWAKENEDINthe back seat of her father's Lexus, with her head in her mother's lap, and something cold on the side of her face. For a moment she couldn't figure out what was happening, and then she remembered.

She sat up with a jerk, shoved the cold pack onto the floor and scooted to the other side of the seat. The silence within the car was as horrifying as the situation she was in. She'd been kidnapped by her own parents.

Tina reached for her. "Lainie, honey, I—"

She yanked away from her mother's grasp. "Don't talk to me. Don't touch me. Either of you. I will never forgive you for this."

Tina started crying. Her father cursed.

She turned her face to the window. There was nothing to see beyond the darkness except the rain hammering on the windows, but she was already thinking about how to escape them.

I will find a way to call Hunt. I will find a way to get away.

THETHUNDERSTORMDIDN'Tlet up, and even after Hunt finally sent Lainie a text, she didn't respond. He didn't know what that meant. She always answered, so he kept trying. He finally gave up messaging in the wee hours of the morning, and when it was daylight, he got in his old truck and drove straight to her house. Even if he had to fight his way in, he needed to know she was okay.

There were cars in the driveway, but her father's Lexus was missing, which was a relief. At least he wouldn't have to face him, Hunt thought, and got out. He rang the doorbell, then waited, and waited, then rang it again. He was about to walk away when the housekeeper opened the door. She was a tiny little sprite of a woman, with a wreath of curls-gone-astray around her face, and she liked Hunter Gray.

"Morning, Miss Millie," Hunt said. "I know it's early, but I would like to speak to Lainie. Is she awake?"

"There's no one here but me," Millie said. "Apparently, they left last night. I got a call this morning that they won't be back. They're taking Lainie to Europe. Some kind of holiday before she goes away to college, they said."

Hunt's gut knotted. "She never mentioned that to me."

"I didn't know anything about it, either," Millie said.

Hunt shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, thank you, anyway," he said, and started to walk away when something hit him. "Uh, I know this is a lot to ask, but I was wondering how long they would be gone. Would you know by looking in their closets if they'd packed a lot of clothes?"

Millie sighed. She knew about the war between Chuck Gray and Greg Mayes, and knew Hunt and Lainie were caught in the middle. "I might," she said. "If you don't mind waiting, I'll take a look. It'll take a few minutes."

"I don't mind a bit, and thank you. I really appreciate this," he said.

Millie closed the door while Hunt walked over to a concrete bench beside the front flower beds, and sat down to wait. Within minutes, Millie came out of the house and headed toward him, and he could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong. He stood up.

"What?"

Millie clasped her hands together, then took a quick breath. "Their traveling luggage is still here. I'd guess they took a few things, but not anything worth a trip to Europe, and there's blood on the floor in Lainie's bedroom. Somebody tried to clean it up, but it's a mess."

Hunt groaned. "Oh, Jesus. Was her daddy physically abusing her? She never mentioned it to me."

"I can't say," Millie said. "But for the past two years they have fought something terrible. All three of them. Just don't say I told you. I don't want to lose my job. I know they love her. But—"

There were tears in Hunt's eyes. "I know what loving me cost her," he said. "And I know what losing her would cost me. Thank you for the information. And don't worry about your job. I was never here."

He got in his truck and drove away. He didn't know what had happened, but he had a sick feeling in his gut that the dam had finally broken. Neither of their families had been able to keep him and Lainie from seeing each other, but they hadn't counted on being separated, and he had a feeling that's exactly what happened. He finally parked in a supermarket parking lot and sent her one last text.

Lainie, I know in my heart that something is wrong. But I can't save you because I don't know where you are. I don't know what happened to you, but I know it wasn't your choice to disappear. You are my love—my true north, and you always will be. I gave you my heart a long time ago. Feel free to keep it because it's no use to me without you in it.

Hunt

He had no way of knowing that her phone was lying beneath the bed in her old room where it had fallen when her father hit her. Or that she would never see this message in time to stop him from what came next. If he had, he would have moved heaven and earth to find her.

LAINIEWASLOCKEDin the Queen Anne suite on the second floor of her grandmother's old mansion, with no way out. There was no balcony to that room, no trellis to climb down from the only window.

The old estate was a distance outside of Baton Rouge, and had been closed ever since Sarah Mayes's death a few years back. There was still power on the property, but landlines had long since been removed from this house and she was in a panic, frantic as to what Hunt must be thinking.

She'd overheard her parents concocting the story they planned to spread within their social circle, to make Hunt believe she'd dumped him, and now she feared for what was going to happen to her. She walked to the window with her hands on her belly, talking as she went.

"Don't worry, baby, I won't let anyone hurt you, and I will find a way to let your daddy know about you. You be strong for me, and I'll be strong for you."

CHUCK GRAYWAS the first to see the photo of Lainie and a handsome stranger in the society section of the local paper. They were standing arm in arm on some beach in the tropics, and he took great delight in throwing it on top of Hunt's bowl of cereal as he was eating breakfast.

"Look at that!" Chuck said. "You've been moping around like a baby, and I told you she wasn't worth the trouble. She's already moved on."

Shock rolled through Hunt in waves, but the longer he stared, the more certain it was part of the lie.

"That's not Lainie," Hunt said.

Chuck frowned. "It, by God, is! Look at her face!"

"Oh, that's her face, all right, but that's not her body, and believe me, I know." Then he shoved the paper off the table and finished his cereal. "I've got to go. I'm going to be late for work."

"Sacking groceries," Chuck said, sneering.

Hunt didn't bother arguing. His dad was mean when he was drunk, but even meaner with a hangover, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with it. He'd already shut down every emotion he'd ever had to keep from losing his mind, and was barely going through the motions.

He was heartsick all day, but he could sack groceries on autopilot. When the day finally ended without a message from Lainie, he clocked out, then bought a rotisserie chicken and potato salad from the deli to take home for their dinner.

On the way home, he detoured by the Mayes estate, but the old mansion looked abandoned. He didn't have to check to see if they'd come back, because he couldn't feel her anymore. She was lost, and he didn't know how to find her. All he could do was hope they'd reconnect next month at the university.

When he pulled into the driveway at his house, his dad's car was already there. He frowned, then grabbed the sack with their food and went inside.

They were head-to-head at the table, whispering in hasty, urgent tones, but then the moment he walked into the kitchen, they hushed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, as he set the sack on the counter.

Chuck and Brenda had already agreed not to tell Hunt about the shocking phone call from Greg. It was better he didn't know Lainie was pregnant, and that they'd taken her away to get rid of it.

So, Chuck shrugged. "I got fired. Drinking on the job."

"And you're surprised?" Hunt muttered.

Chuck shrugged. "I don't know what changed. It's never mattered before," he muttered. "Anyway, you're gonna have to pick up the slack until I can find work again."

"Like hell," Hunt said. "Every penny I make is for college. You get your ass down to the unemployment office and sign up, and Mom can stay sober long enough to make it through the day shift at any number of restaurants in town. This is your mess, not mine."

Chuck jumped to his feet and started toward Hunt, his fists doubled up and ready to brawl, when it dawned on him that Hunt was a head taller, muscled-up to hell and back, well past the age of backing down.

Brenda rolled her eyes. "Sit your ass down, Chuck. Son, you got mail from the university," she said, and handed him a long, cream-colored envelope.

"I brought dinner. I'm going to wash up," he said, then took the envelope and went to his room. He sat down on the side of the bed, slid his finger beneath the flap and ripped it open, then pulled out the letter and began reading.

Within seconds, he broke out in a cold sweat, then took a breath and kept reading. He read it through twice, then laid it aside and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, staring blindly at the floor through a wall of tears. There was a pain in his chest, and a knot in his belly.

The university had just rescinded his scholarship, and he knew with every breath he was taking that Greg Mayes was behind it. It was a death blow to his future.

The weight of the world was on his shoulders, and when he stood, it felt like he'd aged a thousand years. His steps were dragging as he washed up and went to the table. His mother had cut up the chicken and put a spoon in the bowl of potato salad. She handed him a plate as he walked by. He put some food on his plate and put ice in a glass, then filled it with sweet tea.

His parents were already moving into their usual round of beer and banter, slinging barbs at each other as they ate, but he was numb. Their arguments didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered. He tried to eat, but he couldn't swallow past the tears. He'd lost Lainie, and he'd lost his chance to get out of this hellhole life.

He went to bed that night as defeated as he'd ever been. He checked his phone as he did every night, praying there would be a text from her. But there was nothing. He put the phone on a charger and closed his eyes, but all he saw was her face, and the way her breath caught when she came apart in his arms.

HISPARENTSWEREin their room down the hall, and after all that had happened today, they were as close to sober as they'd ever been.

"You still think it's best not to tell Hunt about Greg's call?" Brenda whispered.

Chuck grunted. "Hell yes. Greg is crazy out of his mind. The girl is pregnant and they're ‘dealing with it.' Besides, what good would it do? After all this, they'll never be together again."

HUNTDIDN'TTHINKhe would sleep, but the next time he opened his eyes it was morning, and it felt like someone had died. He felt sad, and empty, and aimless. He left the house while his parents were still asleep and went to pick up his paycheck from the supermarket, told them he was quitting and then drove without purpose, randomly looking for a miracle. But there were no rainbows left in Hunter Gray's world.

When he stopped to get gas, Jody Turner, one of his friends from school, was on the other side of the pumps. He glanced up when he recognized Hunt's old truck.

"Hey, buddy. Saw a picture of Lainie in the paper. Who's the guy she was with?"

"That wasn't Lainie," Hunt muttered.

"Naw, man, it was her," Jody said.

Hunt looked up. "You think I don't know what she looks like in a bikini? That was not her body."

Jody's eyes widened. "No shit?"

"No shit," Hunt said.

"So, what's going on?" Jody asked.

"Her old man is what's going on," Hunt said, and then looked away, unwilling to talk about it anymore.

Jody finished filling up, then replaced the nozzle in the pump.

"Sorry, man. See you around," he said, and drove off.

Hunt filled up, and moments later got in the truck and began driving around the city, going up one street and down another, saying goodbye to the only place he'd ever known.

He didn't know where he was going, but he wasn't coming back. He drove without purpose for almost an hour before he turned onto City Park Avenue, and as he did, the building up ahead caught his eye. It was a knee-jerk decision that made him turn into the parking lot. He got out of the truck, and walked straight into the office, and up to the front desk.

A uniformed officer looked up, gave Hunt the once-over as he approached and liked what he saw.

"Morning, son. How can I help you?"

"My name is Hunter Gray. I want to enlist."

The officer got up and ushered him into another office.

"Sergeant Morley. We have a new recruit," the officer said.

Morley stood up to shake Hunt's hand. "Have a seat and let's see what we can do about that."

HUNTWENTHOMEthat afternoon, and walked in on a conversation that ended his last regret about joining the Army. His parents didn't know he'd come into the house and were in the kitchen, each of them with a bottle of beer in their hand, but he heard enough to know the fallout of Lainie's disappearance and the end of his scholarship were connected to what his dad was saying.

"It's all Greg's fault," Chuck whined. "He got me fired because Hunt wouldn't leave his daughter alone!"

Brenda shrugged. "Hunt wasn't chasing her. She loves him, too."

"For all the good it will do either of them now. They're gone and I'm glad. Hunt needs to remember his place," Chuck muttered.

Hunt walked into the kitchen, stared at his parents as if they were strangers, and then walked out again.

Brenda looked guilty, and Chuck cursed.

"Well, now you've done it," she said, and winced when she heard a door slam down the hall.

Hunt was sick all the way to his bones. His knee-jerk decision to join the Army was now his saving grace. The war between the two stepbrothers had destroyed every dream he ever had. He didn't know where he would be deployed, but it didn't matter. He didn't know if he'd have to go to war, or if he'd survive it if he did. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered without Lainie, and she was lost to him.

ONEWEEKLATER, he was gone. He'd taken all of his personal papers to a lawyer for safekeeping. A birth certificate, a high school diploma, his SAT scores, his high school medals, and the awards that he'd won. And if he survived where he was going, then when he was stateside again, the lawyer would send them to him.

He'd left his truck keys and the letter from the university on his bed for his mother to find. He wasn't telling them where he was going, only where he was not.

ITWASNEARLYnoon before Brenda made her way into her son's room to sweep the floors. The closet door was ajar, and as she went to close it, saw that all of his clothes were gone.

"No, no, no," she moaned, and ran to the dresser. All of the drawers were empty.

There was a knot in her stomach as she turned around, then she saw a note on his bed and ran to get it. But it wasn't a note. It was the rejection letter from the university, and his truck keys were beneath it. A cold chill ran through her, and she began to weep.

WHEN CHUCKWANDEREDhome that evening from a day of job hunting, she met him at the door, shoved the letter in his face and began to scream. "This is what your war with Greg has caused. He's gone."

Chuck's heart sank when he saw the letter, but wouldn't admit any guilt for his son's absence. "He'll be back," he muttered.

"No, he won't. Because he has nothing to come back for, and it's just as much my fault as it is yours. I condoned your stupid brotherly war. I hope it was worth it because our son became collateral damage."

LAINIEHADBEENat her grandmother's house for just over two months, and five months into her pregnancy. Her belly was getting round, and she already felt a tiny kick now and then. She had convinced herself it was a boy, and begged her family to take her to a doctor for prenatal care, but they'd refused. She was onto their game. They were hoping she would miscarry.

She called her baby Little Bear, because her stomach was always growling, and every day she fell deeper in love with a child she had yet to see.

When she began to show, the only person who saw her body changing was Millie. Lainie refused to talk to her parents, and after a while, they quit trying. They'd brought Millie down to the country house over a month ago, and the moment Millie realized what was happening, she was shocked, but said little about it.

Once Millie arrived, Lainie regained a hope of escape, and began marking her parents' routine. She imagined Hunt was already at the university, so that's where she would go when she got free.

Her father had set up an office downstairs, and worked from home every day. Her mother had given up trying to make peace with her daughter, and wept copious tears daily at the situation.

Millie didn't hide her dismay at what was happening to Lainie, and feared for her health and the baby's health, being locked in that room like a prisoner. After a month had passed, she'd had enough.

It was October 3. A day like all the others as she took Lainie her lunch, but when she saw the dark circles under Lainie's eyes, and her drawn expression, it broke her heart.

She set the tray of food on a table by the window, and when Lainie sat down to eat, Millie put a hand on her shoulder. "What can I do to help?"

Lainie's heart skipped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. This is wrong. This is criminal, and I won't be a part of it any longer," she said.

Lainie was on her feet, so excited she could barely think. "Can you get the keys to my mother's car? She always keeps them in her purse, wherever that is."

Millie lifted her chin. "Yes, I know where it is. I will do that for you."

Lainie threw her arms around Millie's neck. "Thank you! Thank you! I will never forget this."

"Wait here," Millie said. "I have to get their food on the table. If I come back with the keys, then you'll know they are in the dining room. The rest is up to you. I'm not going to lock your door, but stay here until I get back, understand?"

Lainie nodded, and ran to pack up some clothes. She didn't have money or a phone, but she would go straight to the university and find Hunt. After that, she'd be safe.

Once she'd finished packing, she sat down to wait. It felt like forever, but less than fifteen minutes had passed before she heard footsteps coming up the hall.

The door opened. Millie laid the car keys on the little table by the door and blew Lainie a kiss, then walked away. Lainie shouldered her bag, grabbed the keys, and took the back staircase down to the main level, out a side door, and ran for her life. Once inside her mother's car, she wasted no time, and went flying down the driveway like a bird set free.

GREGHADJUSTtaken a bite of shrimp scampi when he happened to glance out to the front gardens, and what he saw stopped his heart. He gasped, choked on his food, and then jumped up and ran.

Tina frowned. "Gregory! What on—" And then she glanced out the window and saw her car speeding away. "What the hell?" And then it hit her! That was Lainie! Tina ran out onto the veranda, screaming at Greg, who was running toward his Lexus. "Stop! Stop! You're going to get someone killed!"

And then Millie walked up behind her.

Tina saw the look on her housekeeper's face, and knew what she'd done.

"How dare you?" Tina screamed.

Millie had her purse over her shoulder, and threw her apron in Tina's face. "No, ma'am. How dare you? And I quit." Then she went back into the house and straight out the back to where her little Honda was parked and drove away.

Tina was alone in the house without a way to follow. She was screaming at the world as she began calling Greg.

"What?" he shouted.

"What are you doing?" she screamed.

"I'm going to stop her, that's what I'm doing!" he shouted. "I won't have her shaming our name. Do you hear me! I won't have it!"

The line went dead in Tina's ear! He'd hung up on her!

THEPRIVATEROADfrom the estate to the main road was clear of traffic. Lainie's plan was just to get to the highway and get lost in the traffic. She thought she was free and clear until she glanced into the rearview mirror, and saw her dad's black Lexus less than a quarter of a mile behind her, and closing in fast.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, and stomped on the accelerator. After that, everything became a blur.

The hum of the engine turned into a roar. The thick layers of kudzu hanging from the trees and along the fences became a narrow green tunnel, and the road signs were mere blips as she flew past. Twice she skidded into a curve, and then steered out of it, but she couldn't drive fast enough to lose him. And then she glanced into the rearview mirror and the Lexus was behind her! This felt like a nightmare. The mother who used to sleep with her when she was sick had betrayed her. The father who once played dollhouse with her as a child had turned into the maniac in the car behind her. She had one brief glimpse of the enraged expression on his face, and then he rammed the bumper of her car.

After that, everything began happening in slow motion. The car went airborne, like a surfboard riding a wave, and began rolling. At first, the sun was in her eyes, and then she was sideways, and then upside down, and then everything was quiet. She heard the hiss of steam, and someone shouting, and then she was gone.

GREG MAYESRAGEhad quickly turned to horror. He was already calling for an ambulance and the police as he braked to a stop. The car was upside down and smoking, and the silence was terrifying. He grabbed a fire extinguisher from the trunk of his car and ran, screaming Lainie's name as he unleashed the contents of the extinguisher. When it was empty, he threw it aside, then knelt and looked inside.

She was hanging upside down, still strapped into the seat, her hair veiling her face. He reached to push it aside, then saw her—and the blood, and in that moment wished to God he'd never looked out the front window. He reached for her wrist, searching for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there.

"Lainie, sweetheart! It's Daddy. I'm so sorry. I never meant for... This shouldn't have..." And then he stopped. She couldn't hear him, and there would never be enough words to take any of this back.

His phone was ringing. It was Tina again.

"Where are you? Where's Lainie?"

"She wrecked the car. I'm waiting for the ambulance." He didn't share the fact that he'd caused it.

Tina moaned. "Is it bad?"

"Yes, but she's still alive."

"Oh, my God! This is all your fault. You and your hate for Chuck," she screamed.

"You're the one who said abortion. You're the one who wanted her ‘cleaned out' before she showed up at your precious sorority. You're the one who didn't want to be embarrassed," he shouted.

Tina was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. "And you're the one who said you'd rather see both of them dead than have her give birth to Hunter Gray's child. Looks like you're about to get your wish!"

"I hear sirens. Shut up and meet me at the hospital. I'll text you which one."

"Well, I can't. There's nothing left here to drive."

"Have Millie bring you," he said.

"She just threw her apron in my face and quit, so don't count on her to keep quiet about this whole mess. We're ruined in New Orleans. We can never go back."

Greg felt sick. The truth of who they were and what they'd done was becoming a painful reality. "I am watching my daughter die, and you're worried about your reputation. Mother of the Year," Greg muttered, and disconnected.

And then Millie's car appeared in the roadway. She braked and jumped out on the run.

"What have you done?" she screamed. "You're a monster! Both of you! Is she alive?"

"Yes, she's alive, and you don't talk to me like that!" Greg shouted.

"I'll talk to you anyway I choose," Millie cried. "I don't work for you anymore, and I'll tell the authorities what you did."

Greg flinched, and without thinking started toward Millie, but she was too fast. She was back in her car and flying past them. He watched in dismay as she drove away. Everything Tina said was already coming to pass.

Millie would talk, but she didn't witness the wreck. Their reputations would be ruined. His lawyer would keep them from any criminal charges, unless Lainie lived to tell another story. But he'd cross that bridge when they came to it.

LAINIEREGAINEDCONSCIOUSNESStwo days later, to the repetitive sound of soft voices and beeps. She didn't know where she was, or understand what it meant, and slipped back under.

Hours later, she began coming to again, and this time opened her eyes. The light was blinding, and the pain was so intense it hurt to breathe. Her mouth felt funny, and when she licked her lips, they felt swollen. Then she heard someone saying her name.

"Lainie. Lainie, can you hear me?"

She blinked at the stranger who'd just appeared beside her bed.

"Lainie, I'm Dr. Reasor. You're in a hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

She closed her eyes, trying to think past the pain, when she flashed on running from the house.

"Wreck," she whispered, then tears rolled. She felt empty. The baby was gone. She choked on a sob.

"No baby?"

He touched her shoulder. "No baby. I'm so sorry. It was a bad wreck."

"Chasing me," she mumbled.

Reasor frowned. "Who was chasing you?"

"Daddy."

Reasor only knew she'd been in a wreck. Not that she was being chased. "Your parents are here. They've been waiting for days to talk to you."

All of the machines hooked to her body began beeping and dinging, as her fingers curled around his wrist.

"No...never...don't let them..." The darkness pulled her under.

"She passed out," the nurse said. "What do we tell her parents?"

"That she said no."

SCANDALWASALWAYSgood press. And finding out that even the rich aren't immune, even better.

When Lainie was finally moved into a private room, her parents were AWOL. She was of age. She didn't need their approval for her own treatments. But they fully understood that since they broke her in every way possible, they were also liable for the costs of what it took to fix her.

Some days she was so miserable she wished she'd died with her baby, and other days she was so angry, all she could think about was getting even. This morning, she was waiting for Dr. Reasor to make his rounds, because she had questions. And when he and his nurse finally arrived, she was ready.

"Good morning, Lainie. Have you been up and walking this morning?" he asked.

"Yes, and I have a question. I need to know if my baby was a girl or a boy."

Reasor put a hand on her shoulder. "It was a boy. I'm so sorry."

All the breath left her body. It took her a few moments to remember to inhale, and when she did, there were tears on her cheeks. "What happened to his remains?"

"They were cremated at your parents' request. I don't know beyond that," he said.

"I have to know which funeral home they were sent to."

He sat down, pulled up her records on his laptop, scanned the text and then looked up. "Schoen and Son Funeral Home picked them up."

"Thank you," she said, and remained silent as he finished his examination, and then left.

Millie had been visiting her every day, and when she came that afternoon, as soon as they'd greeted each other, Lainie blurted out what she'd learned.

"My parents made the decision to have my baby's remains cremated at Schoen Funeral Home. The doctor told me this morning it was a little boy. I always thought it was," she said, and drew a slow, shaky breath. "I need to know if his ashes are still at the funeral home, or if my parents took them. I'm going to call Schoen's and ask if they're there. If they are, would you please pick them up and keep them for me until I get out of here?"

Now Millie was weeping. "Yes, of course. Just let me know if they are, and I'll get them today."

"Thank you. I don't want my parents touching him. I'd ask Hunt to come get them, but he doesn't answer his phone."

Millie felt like she was delivering another death notice, but Lainie had to know. "Oh, honey, Hunt's gone. He's disappeared, and no one knows why. All anyone knows is that he never showed up at Tulane."

Lainie was in shock. All this time she'd pictured him already at school. She didn't understand it. He'd been so thrilled to get that full-ride scholarship to play football at Tulane. Another piece of her life had gone missing.

As soon as Millie left, she called the funeral home, identified herself, and asked to speak to the director, and was put on hold. She was staring out the window when he finally answered.

"Good morning, Miss Mayes. On behalf of everyone at Schoen and Son, I extend our deepest condolences. How may I be of service?" he asked.

"I was told you picked up my son's remains for cremation. I need to know where his ashes are."

"Yes, of course. Your mother said to keep them on hold and—"

"What are they in?" she asked.

"A small black box. However, if you want to keep, rather than scatter or inter, we have small, ornamental urns for infant cremains."

"Like what?" Lainie asked.

"Ceramic teddy bears in pink or blue. Little brass heart-shaped boxes in pink or blue, or if you'd rather—"

"A blue brass heart," Lainie said. "I'm still in the hospital, so I'll be sending our housekeeper, Millie Swayze, to pick up my baby's ashes."

"Of course. I'll let my people know. All she'll have to do is sign the release form, stating that she's taking them from our premises with your permission."

"And you have it," Lainie said. "Thank you for your help. Millie will be there later today."

She called Millie the moment the call ended, and once the message had been delivered, she put a pillow over her face and screamed into it until she was numb.

A COUPLEOFdays later, there was a knock on the door, then as it opened, Brenda Gray slipped inside.

"Lainie, may we speak?"

Seeing Hunt's mother at the door was a shock, but Lainie was hopeful she'd find out where he'd gone. "Yes, please."

Brenda's voice was shaking as she approached the bed. "I'm so sorry for all you've been through."

"Where's Hunt?" Lainie asked.

Brenda's eyes welled. "We don't know. He went into a deep despair when you disappeared, and then a few days after you went missing, he got a letter from the university rescinding his scholarship. A week later, he was gone. No note. No nothing. He left his truck keys on the bed and left the letter for us to see. We don't know where he went, but it wasn't to college. He hasn't responded to any of our calls. We don't know anything. But even after he saw the picture of you and the other boy, he didn't believe it. He said it wasn't you."

Lainie's heart skipped. "What picture? There was no other boy. I was locked in a room in my grandmother's house."

Brenda pulled out the newspaper clipping that she'd kept, as well as Hunt's letter from the university, and handed them to her.

Lainie was shocked by the photo and the letter. She looked up in dismay, her voice trembling.

"Oh, my God! That's not me. That's not my body."

Brenda sighed. "That's what Hunt said. He never thought for a minute that it was. But after the loss of his scholarship, I think he knew your father was behind it, and was never going to stop tearing at the both of you. He had nowhere to go, and nothing to stay for. God knows we didn't give him the family he deserved. We were too busy being mad at each other to see what it was doing to you and Hunt until it was too late. I'm so sorry. Nobody knows I'm here, but I'm giving you the picture and the letter. You deserve to know he didn't walk out on you. He was driven away. We broke him, and I don't think we'll ever see him again."

Lainie burst into tears. She was still sobbing, with the papers clutched against her chest, long after Brenda was gone. Losing Hunt and their baby was the final straw.

She had her grandmother's trust fund to help her relocate, and reassess her future. She had to find something that gave her purpose, because right now she was as broken as a soul could be and still be breathing.

ONTHEDAYthat Lainie was finally released from the hospital, Millie picked her up and took her back to the family home to get her car, and help pack her things. They already knew her parents had stayed in Baton Rouge, so she wasn't worried about running into them again.

"I'll get the suitcases. You go on up to your room," Millie said.

Lainie's footsteps echoed in the grand hallway as she started up the stairs. It was like the house already knew it had no purpose anymore. It felt strange to be back here, and even more so when she entered her room. The bloodstain was still on her floor. She stared at it a moment, then looked away. That had been the beginning of the end. Today was the beginning of her future. Now she had to decide what to take with her.

The first thing she put aside to take was the brown teddy bear Hunt had given her for Valentine's Day. Then she began pulling out clothes and shoes from her closet, and putting them all on the bed, and emptying the dresser drawers.

The picture of her and Hunt was in the wastebasket. Likely, her mother's doing. She pulled it out to take with her. She loved him. She would always love him. Nothing was going to change that. Then she began emptying the drawer in the bedside table, found the charger cord for her phone and tossed it on the bed. She didn't know where her phone was, but guessed her mother had taken it. It didn't matter. She'd get another one, with a new number they'd never know. Then she began taking clothes off hangers and folding them to pack.

Millie returned with four large suitcases and a travel bag. "If you need more, I'll get them."

Lainie sank down onto the side of the bed. "I'm out of breath. I guess I'm not as healed as I thought."

"You're just weak from being in bed so long," Millie said. "You sit, and I'll pack what you want."

Lainie sighed. "I don't know what I would have done these past weeks without you. You have been the best friend I could ask for."

Millie wiped away a few tears. "I have struggled with the guilt of getting you the keys. I never dreamed your father would chase you like that."

"If it hadn't been for you, I would still be locked up in that room," Lainie said. "What happened afterward was entirely my father's fault. I blame them and no one else."

"They got away with it," Millie said.

Anger was thick in Lainie's voice. "I knew they would. I heard about the story he spun. All in my best interests, I believe. And only destroyed two lives and killed a baby to do it."

"The law let them off the hook, but the media and their friends did not, and that's something," Millie said. "They were crucified in the local papers. I don't think they'll ever move back."

Lainie shrugged. "I don't care. Let's hurry. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

They were down to packing her shoes when Millie dropped one. As she bent down to pick it up, she saw the corner of Lainie's cell phone beneath the bed, and pulled it out.

"Look what I found," she said.

Lainie turned around. "My phone! It must have fallen there when Daddy knocked me out! I'll try charging it in my car. Maybe there's a message from Hunt. Thank you, Millie! This is the best thing ever! Maybe I'll be able to find out where he went."

Millie smiled. "I hope so, honey. I hope so."

They finished packing, then rolled the suitcases down the hall, with the stuffed bear on top for the ride.

"You better see if your car will start," Millie said. "It's been sitting for months."

"Right," Lainie said, and hurried out to check. She slid behind the wheel of her SUV, and held her breath as she put the key in the ignition. To her relief, it started on the first try. "Thank you, Lord," she muttered, and backed it up and drove to the front of the house.

They put three suitcases in the back, and the fourth one and the travel bag in the back seat. The heart with her baby's ashes was in its own box, and lying on the back floorboard.

"I have to get some stuff out of the safe," Lainie said. "You can leave now if you want. I'll be okay."

Millie shook her head. "I'm not leaving you alone until I know you're ready to drive away. Go do what you have to do. I'll wait out here."

Lainie ran back inside and down to the safe in her father's office. She knew the combination and quickly unlocked it, then sorted through the files until she found the one with her name on it. It had all of the paperwork for the trust fund her grandmother had left to her, her birth certificate, her high school diploma, and her SAT test scores. Then she closed the safe, locked the front door as she left, and dropped the house key through the mail slot.

Millie was waiting by the vehicle with tears in her eyes.

"I'm going to miss you, but I know you're going to bounce. You're a survivor, Lainie. You don't know any other way to be. You have my number. You know my address. I would love it if you stayed in contact, but if you don't, I'll understand. Sometimes a clean break is the only way to begin anew. Either way, I love you, honey, and remember, the best revenge is to succeed when people want you to fail."

Lainie hugged her close. "I love you, Millie, and I'll never forget what you sacrificed for me. Be well, and don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Then she slid into the seat of her SUV, and put her phone on the charger before driving away. After a quick trip to the bank to empty her personal checking account, and a quick stop at her family lawyer, she left New Orleans. The sun was above her head, and the echoes of dead dreams were behind her.

LAINIEHADBEENdriving for the better part of five hours before finally stopping in Natchitoches. It wasn't late, but she was too weak to drive farther. She needed food and rest, and found a motel.

Once inside, she dropped her travel bag on the bed and pulled the recharged cell phone out of her purse to see if it still worked, and it did. She ordered food from a local restaurant to be delivered to her room, then sat down on the bed to check for messages.

They were months old, and all from Hunt, with each one sounding more desperate than the last, and all of them taking her back to the night of the storm, relieving her own horror, and seeing his fear for her in the texts. But it was the last message he'd sent that destroyed her.

Lainie, I know in my heart that something is wrong. But I can't save you because I don't know where you are. I don't know what happened to you, but I know it wasn't your choice to disappear. You are my love—my true north, and you always will be. I gave you my heart a long time ago. Feel free to keep it because it's no use to me without you in it.

Hunt

She read it over and over until she was sobbing too hard to see the words, and when she tried to call him, all she heard was a recorded message. The number you called is either disconnected, or no longer in service.

After that, the idea of sending a text was no longer an option. She had to face the hard truth that he was truly lost to her.

Wherever she settled, she would get a new phone and new number. It was a scary thought, because then she'd be lost to him as well. But she wasn't losing this text. So, she took a screen shot of it, then sent it to her email and began trying to pull herself back together.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at her door.

Her food had arrived, and tomorrow was another day.

DENVER, COLORADO, became Lainie's final destination. It took her two more days to get there because of her constant need to rest. But she'd spent her downtime online, researching nursing schools in the city and looking at apartments to rent.

She had one phone conversation with the family lawyer while she was on the road, and he reassured her that he was well aware of her situation and that everything he did for her was in confidence. He told her to contact him once she was settled and had chosen a new bank, and he would make sure that the first annuities from her trust fund would be deposited in that account, and then twice a year thereafter. The irony of being saved from the grave by the woman in whose house she had been imprisoned was not lost upon her.

Within a week, Lainie had rented a small, furnished apartment and was investigating a nursing school program, preparing to embark on a long journey alone.

The ensuing months were often scary and lonely, and there were days when she was so depressed that she could barely lift her head, but this was her reality, and she would find a way to rise above it.

GREGAND brENDA MAYES went through their days in silence, or in screaming fights with each other. They didn't know Lainie had been released from the hospital until they received a final bill, and then they panicked.

"This was dated last week! Where is she?" Tina cried.

Greg shrugged. "She probably went home."

"I need to know!" Tina said. "Take me there now!"

"She won't talk to us," Greg said.

"I don't care, dammit! I just need to know!" Tina begged.

They took Greg's Lexus, and rode in silence all the way to their New Orleans home. As they were pulling up, they noticed that Lainie's car was gone.

"Oh, my God," Tina moaned.

"She's probably just out shopping," Greg said, but Tina jumped out of the car and ran, her hands trembling as she unlocked the door.

The first thing she saw when she opened it was a gold key on the floor. She picked it up and turned it over.

"Lainie's house key. It has that little spot of pink fingernail polish on it," she said, and ran up the stairs and down the hall to Lainie's old room.

The door was wide open. Closet doors were ajar. Dresser drawers were half-open, and everything that had belonged to their daughter was gone.

Tina let out a shriek that sent a chill all the way to Greg's soul. The last time he'd heard that sound was the second before their baby crowned during delivery. It appeared the pain of a mother's delivery was equal to the pain of that same child's death. Lainie might be alive in the world somewhere, but she was dead to them, and Tina knew it. He turned his head and walked away.

HUNT'S ARMYAPTITUDEtests had labeled him proficient in all the things it took to be a pilot, and the thought of flying Army helicopters was his first choice. Over the ensuing months, he went from Basic Combat Training to Warrant Officer Training School, then to Basic Helicopter training to learn how to fly. At the end of that course, he received his wings and went on to in-depth survival training.

By April of the next year, he was on his way to Fort Bragg for training on the Apache simulators on base. His hand-eye coordination, which had made him a good quarterback, his attention to detail, and a near photographic memory soon put him at the head of the class.

Nearly three years after leaving New Orleans, Warrant Officer Gray was now fit to fly Apache Longbows, the most formidable attack helicopters the US Army owned. But the new had barely worn off his rank when the US Army received new orders.

Troops were being deployed back to Iraq, this time to join in the fight against ISIS. It was a sobering moment of Hunt's existence, and on the day of their company's deployment, he was quiet and withdrawn.

He'd made friends, but none of them knew his story. All they saw was what the Army had made of him, turning body bulk to hard muscle. He rarely smiled, and a quick glare ended the beginning of any argument.

They called him Gator, because of his slow, Louisiana drawl, but it remained to be seen what would happen over there. Would they live to come home? Would they come home scarred and missing limbs? Or would they come home in a coffin?

And that was Hunt's mindset. He guessed he might die there, or come home crippled, but without Lainie, he didn't really care.