No turning back
Chapter 2
Fallout
Liam looked out at the horizon, the thin blue line where the sky met the sea. He couldn't bring himself to watch Hope go. It was as if time had stopped and he was frozen where he stood. If he turned around he would see that she was gone, he would see her driving away…
And there would be nothing he could do to stop her.
But even thinking about it brought a wave of panic rushing through his body. As if released from a spell he spun around and started after her.
"Hope!"
She was standing by his mailbox, her hand resting on it as if trying to steady herself. Without seeing her face he could tell by the way she was holding herself that she was crying. At the sound of his voice she turned but wouldn't raise her eyes to meet his.
What could he do? How should he feel? In that moment he felt utterly lost but as soon as he saw her tear-streaked face he found himself moving towards her as if drawn along an invisible thread. In a few seconds he had her in his arms, her face pressed against his chest, kissing the top of her head.
He wished that moment could go on forever and he knew, in his heart, that she did too. But her words haunted him, I love you too…
A car pulled up nearby. The sound of the door shutting and the car pulling away.
Liam took a step back and gently turned her face up toward his.
"Come back to me Hope."
There were footsteps on the path. Someone was walking towards them…
Hope reached up and pulled Liam close, kissing him passionately. Then a voice broke the spell.
"Hope."
The moment was gone. Deacon had arrived.
Slowly Hope released Liam from her embrace. With downcast eyes she turned and walked away without a word, without looking back. Deacon ushered her in front of him then turned and gave Liam a long look.
"I'm sorry Liam."
Then they were gone.
"Honey, it's so good to hear from you. Is everything alright?"
That tone. That brittle, needy tone…Hearing his mother's voice Wyatt felt suddenly unsure that he was making the right decision in calling her. He'd had the same mixed feelings when he told her about Hope's kiss. He wanted to confide in her but as soon as he did…or rather, as soon as he saw that look in her eyes, he was overcome with a feeling of regret.
But she was his mother, his biggest fan. Who else could he turn to?
"Everything's fine Mom. I just wanted to see how you're doing."
He was a bad liar, unlike his mother. Quinn picked up on it straight away but she played along.
"I'm fine, but let's not talk about me. I get enough of that here. Have you talked to Hope again?"
"As a matter of fact I have."
"And? Is she going to leave Liam?"
There it was. Exactly what Wyatt hoped for with all his heart, that Hope would leave Liam and start a life with him. But as soon as he heard his mother say it out loud it sounded impossible, even wrong.
"Mom, it's not that simple."
"I know that. But what did she say?"
"She is leaving Liam…
"Oh, honey!"
"But she's also leaving L.A."
"I don't understand. Are you two going on a trip?"
"Hope's leaving L.A. to spend time with her dad and to, you know, make a decision."
"Between you and Liam? I bet I know what she'll decide."
It struck Wyatt that Quinn was not particularly surprised at Hope's decision. He had imagined she might be angry at what, in her view, would be an act of indecision. He knew Bill would see it that way, as Hope running away from commitment.
"I hope you're right."
Wyatt couldn't share his mother's unshakeable confidence that he and Hope would end up together but he was pleased that she was taking the news of Hope's departure so well. Perhaps her time in therapy really had made a difference.
"Where are you now honey?"
Wyatt hesitated. He was parked a few cars away from Liam's beach house. From where he was sitting he could see Hope's car. She was still inside.
Obviously Quinn would approve of this course of action but Wyatt knew there was something underhand in following Hope to his brother's house and Quinn's approval would only confirm this. Following Hope relieved the feeling of fear and emptiness that had crept in as soon as she had walked out the door but how far was he going to take this? Maybe that was why he had called Quinn. When it came to the subtle art of subterfuge there was no one better to ask for advice.
"Wyatt?"
"I'm actually at Liam's house…well, I'm parked outside."
"Hope is there with Liam?
"She's breaking the news to him as we speak."
A car pulled up outside Liam's. A taxi. Deacon Sharpe got out with a large backpack slung over his shoulder. He cast a shifty glance up and down the street before entering Liam's.
Wyatt slid down a little in his seat to avoid being seen.
"What's happening honey?"
"Deacon just arrived…"
A few seconds passed then Hope emerged followed by Deacon.
"They're leaving."
"Follow them."
"What? I can't do that."
"Go after her, it's what she wants."
"No it's not. She wants space, not to be…stalked."
"Honey, listen to me, this is your chance. Don't let her slip away. Show her how much you love her by refusing to give her up."
Deacon was opening the passenger door for Hope. He couldn't see her face but he could tell that she was upset.
"I don't know. I don't think it's a good idea."
The car pulled out and started off slowly down the street.
"Hope loves you honey. Go after her."
Wyatt started the car, still hesitant about following but even more unwilling to let Hope go.
As he drove passed the gate to Liam's house he couldn't help but cast a quick glance in. He couldn't see his brother but he felt a twinge of guilt. Or perhaps it wasn't guilt, perhaps he just felt sorry for Liam. Hope was one step further away from him and one step closer to Wyatt.
Sympathy, that was it, not guilt.
At least, that's what Wyatt kept telling himself.
Just as Quinn Fuller was putting her phone back in her bag she saw she had a message. It must have come through while she was talking to Wyatt.
His call had been a surprise. Well, not entirely. What son doesn't turn to his mother when he is in need? But the fact that he was outside Liam's house waiting for Hope…now that was a surprise. A pleasant one. She couldn't have planned it better herself.
The message on the other hand was what she had been waiting for. It was from Deacon. She was no longer anxious to read it as Wyatt had filled her in on the situation but she opened it anyway.
Leaving now w/ Hope.
Quinn smiled.
Over the years she had learnt that there were three types of men in the world. There were whiney, do-gooders like Liam and Eric Forrester who were so weak-willed they ended up hurting the people they claimed to love. Then there were the big, dumb, loyal kind like Deacon Sharpe. They were handy in certain situations but not what a woman wants in the long run. Not a woman like Quinn anyway.
And then there were men like Bill Spencer. Strong, determined. Winners. They knew exactly what they wanted, they knew how to get it and most importantly, they had the guts to make it happen. It made Quinn very happy to see that Wyatt was proving to be exactly like his father.
With a contented sigh she settled herself down on her leather couch to await the next update.
"Logan. This is a surprise."
Brooke looked up and smiled. She was still sitting at Rick's meeting table, distractedly flicking through a magazine. Thankfully she'd had time to fix her make up but she would have preferred to talk to Eric before Ridge. Things were already tense between them.
"A nice one I hope."
"Of course." Ridge smiled, closing the door behind him and walking over to her. "Nicer still would be if you were here to tell me that you're through with Spencer."
"Well actually I came to see Rick. This is his office you know…"
"Agh yes, little Ricky. The golden boy."
Brooke sighed. No matter what she and Ridge talked about lately it ended up in an argument. In the past, she had always been able to depend on his support and understanding, even when everyone else was against her. Not now. Now they seemed to be at odds over every little thing.
"He doesn't make you happy. I can see it on your face."
Brooke looked away.
"You're wrong. I couldn't be happier with how Rick has turned out." Brooke got up, trying to put some distance between them, but Ridge caught her arm.
"That's not who I'm talking about."
He was close, staring straight into her eyes. He moved his hand slowly down her arm till he found her hand.
For a moment Brooke felt something she hadn't felt for a long time with Ridge, something she hadn't expected to feel again. She wanted to be in his arms. The touch of his hand on hers was still enough to send shivers through her body but it wasn't just desire. All of a sudden she remembered how it had felt when they had been a family, her and Ridge, Rick and Bridget. They had been happy once. It seemed like a long time ago but for a second it felt like no time had passed.
"What's wrong Logan? You've been crying."
"I need to talk to you about…"
She broke off. The events of the last 24 hours kept replaying in her mind but she was unsure how to put what had happened into words. Where should she begin?
"Logan? You know you can talk to me about anything."
Brooke smiled nervously and a tear rolled down her cheek.
"C'mon," Ridge cajoled, "tell me what Spencer did this time."
Brooke pulled away. The feeling of nostalgia she had felt a moment ago was gone. Despite his playful tone she realised he was still thinking about his rival and not simply because he was a rival for Brooke's attention. It was much more than that. Ever since Bill had returned to L.A. he and Ridge competed with each other for everything - love, power, fame.
Big as it was, L.A. just wasn't big enough for both of them.
Brooke took a few steps away from Ridge.
"This has nothing to do with Bill. It has to do with Hope."
"Hope? She's seemed distracted at work lately…boy trouble again?"
Brooke winced at Ridge's insensitivity. Hope wasn't his daughter, not really. Not biologically. He would never love her like he loved Steffy and the fact that Hope and Steffy had competed for Liam's attention for so long just made things worse.
"Boy trouble is part of it. She's very torn between Liam and Wyatt…"
Ridge frowned.
"I don't get it. She finally has Liam…and now she doesn't want him?"
"It's more complicated than that."
"I'm sure."
"It's also about her father."
Ridge stiffened.
"You mean Deacon?"
"Yes…her father, Deacon." Brooke couldn't help adding this. It seemed that Ridge treated Hope like a daughter only when it suited him. Perhaps Hope was right to want to establish a relationship with Deacon.
"What does Deacon have to do with this?"
"Hope's been spending time with him. Getting to know him. She understands how I feel but…he's her father."
"Well, I guess that's as it should be. I wouldn't worry about it Logan. Hope's a smart girl. She'll see through him eventually."
"I agree. But she and Deacon have decided to leave L.A. for a while. Together. A father-daughter road trip."
Brooke was surprised at how calmly she was able to say this. Ridge's aloof attitude to Hope made it easier for her to defend Hope's decision to him even if Brooke still felt uncomfortable about it.
Ridge looked confused.
"That doesn't sound like Hope. And what's Deacon's angle?"
"He says he wants to spend time with Hope…" Brooke stopped herself suddenly and frowned. "Isn't that reason enough?"
"That's not what I meant Logan. Of course it is. But they can do that here in L.A. So why leave? Why now?"
"Hope says it's hard for Deacon here. He knows how we all feel about him…and she wants some time out to think about her future and who she wants to share it with. Bill and I both tried talking to her…"
"Oh, right. Bill to the rescue huh? I bet that went down well with Hope."
Brooke sighed. She felt sick and tired, as if she were spinning round in circles, always ending up back in the same place.
Arguing with Ridge about Bill.
"So no sign of Liam at the office? Alright, well let me know if you see him Allison."
Bill hung up and headed back towards Rick's office.
"Is that my Uncle Bill?"
Bill turned. Caroline Spencer sashayed towards him in a pair of breakneck high heels and before he knew it he was enveloped in a heavily perfumed embrace. His niece. Pretty as a picture but, as Bill knew from experience, a force to be reckoned with if you stood in her way.
"Caroline. My favourite niece."
"Aw. Of course, I'm your only niece but never mind that. Are you here to see Brooke?"
"She's waiting for me in Rick's office."
"Oh, well that sounds promising. Good for you Uncle Bill. I'm happy for you."
"That's sweet but you might be the only one who is."
"So you did something a bit crazy for love. Who hasn't around here?"
"I like your attitude but you better not let your moms hear you talking like that."
"I hear you. Hey, have you seen my sexy husband anywhere?"
"I haven't but Brooke spoke to him earlier." A thought suddenly occurred to Bill. "Say, if you're not too busy maybe you could do me a favour?"
"Sure. Shoot."
"Liam's going to be kind of upset today…it's a long story but, as I'm sure you can guess, a certain Logan is the cause of it. Maybe you could swing by and check on your cousin?"
"Of course. I haven't caught up with my cuz for a bit so I would be glad to help. Poor Liam. I thought things were finally good between him and Hope?"
"Hope and drama are a package deal as far as I can tell. Anyway, I think Liam could really do with some of your positive energy today."
The door to Rick's office was slightly ajar when Bill approached it. He was just about to open it when he heard Ridge's voice inside. From the sound of it, Ridge was working himself up into one of his classic self-righteous rages.
Bill lingered at the door to listen.
"Has it ever occurred to you Logan that it might be difficult for Hope to accept you being in a relationship with Bill Spencer, a man who has caused her nothing but grief?"
"Hope is happy for me. I know because I asked her. When was the last time you took the time to talk to her?"
Bill smiled. Brooke could certainly hold her own in an argument.
"Don't change the subject. Even if she says she is happy for you, how can she be happy living in the same house as Bill? Think what the man has done to her. Think what he did to me."
Bill opened the door. He'd heard enough.
"Well, let's talk about what I did to you. See, from where I'm standing you seem fine. Fit as a fiddle. Whereas Brooke and I, thanks to you, we're still engaged when we should be married."
Ridge met his gaze with a patronising half smile.
Bill slammed the door shut behind him.
A knock at the door startled Liam.
He was sitting at his dining table, laptop out, ready to work. He couldn't face going back to the office but he figured he should try to keep himself busy to take his mind off Hope leaving.
But for the last 20 minutes he had been staring blankly at the screen, unable to think where he should begin. Hope smiled back at him. It was one of his favourite photos of her, from their time together in Italy. Sunlight fell all around her and she was smiling invitingly, her eyes focused intently on him.
Another knock.
"Liam?"
He jumped up. Was it Hope? His head was so foggy that he wasn't sure. He opened the door expectantly…
"Hope…"
"Hi…Sorry, not who you were hoping for, huh?"
Caroline handed him a pile of letters from his mailbox. She looked concerned.
"Thanks. You've heard…how?"
"Well, not exactly. I ran into your dad at Forrester Creations and he said you might be in need of cheering up."
Liam looked away and began rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. His dad had sent her over to babysit him and now she was looking at him as if he were a lost puppy. Even though their concern embarrassed him, he was so grateful that he was worried he might burst into tears. He really needed to pull himself together.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it."
He looked at her straight, trying to compose himself as best he could but Caroline frowned sadly and pulled him in to a tight hug.
"Oh Liam, I'm so sorry. You and Hope have such rotten luck!"
Liam couldn't help smiling.
"Yes we do. You'd think I'd be used to it by now."
Caroline released him and looked at him now with a serious expression.
"Okay spill. Tell me everything. How did this happen?"
Brooke stood between Ridge and Bill, the two of them glaring at each other as if she weren't in the room. She felt as though all the relationships in her life were unravelling and there was nothing she could do but stand on the sidelines and watch the fallout. Despite all of her entreaties, despite all of her love, Hope had chosen to leave. Now there seemed nothing she could do to stop Ridge and Bill from wanting to tear each other to shreds.
"Bill please, I can handle this…"
"I won't let him stand there and accuse you of being a bad mother."
Brooke was so taken aback by the bluntness of this statement she looked as if she had been slapped. His words expressed her unspoken fear - that she was the cause of Hope's chaotic love life and the reason she was leaving L.A. All of a sudden, instead of feeling invisible, she felt horribly exposed.
Ridge quickly picked up on Bill's error.
"You're only making things worse Spencer. Brooke asked you to leave. Now I'm telling you to."
"What are you gonna do, punch me and try to drag Brooke away again?"
"If that's what it takes."
Bill took a step towards Ridge.
"Go ahead tough guy, take your best shot."
Brooke could feel Ridge edging closer…
Just then the door was flung open. Eric and Rick stood in the doorway. They had heard raised voices as they approached. Rick frowned in at the scene in his office, quickly surmising what had been going on. Eric's face was stormy but composed. Rick had already filled him in on the situation with Hope.
"What's going on in here?" Eric demanded, looking from Ridge to Bill and back again. "Ridge?"
"Nothing Dad."
"Nothing? This company, this family, is in crisis and all you two can think about is yourselves?"
Ridge took a step back so that he was leaning against Rick's desk but he held Eric's gaze, his eyes still full of hatred. Bill turned towards Brooke with downcast eyes. She couldn't help feeling sorry for him. She knew he meant well. He was the last person who would ever accuse her of being a bad mom.
"Alright, all of you out. I want to talk to Brooke alone. Rick, you start making the arrangements for a press conference when Hope gets in. Let's get on top of this before the gossip starts."
"I'm on it Dad."
As Rick left Bill approached Brooke.
"Call me when you're done. I'll be at the office."
She gave him a faint smile in response and, with one last glance at Ridge, Bill left the room.
"Ridge, you too."
"Come on Dad. This is a meeting about the company. I should be here."
"This is not a meeting about the company. I want to talk to Brooke about Hope. Rick can handle the repercussions for the company. Family comes first."
"Really Dad? And which family is that?" Ridge demanded.
Eric said nothing in response but stood holding the door open and watching his eldest son with a mixture of pity and reproach. This was an old argument, an old wound. Eric knew he bore some responsibility for Ridge's pain but he couldn't help feeling that Ridge was holding on to past grievances out of a desire for revenge. But revenge for what exactly? And against who? There were too many people, innocent people, who would be hurt by Ridge's anger if he allowed it to dictate his actions.
Finally, seeing that his father would not engage in this argument, Ridge relented and strode out, refusing to look at either Eric or Brooke as he left.
Eric shut the door after him and turned to Brooke with a weary smile. He walked over to her and put both his hands on her shoulders, holding her firmly.
"We'll get through this together, as family. I promise."
With tears welling up in her eyes Brooke buried her face in Eric's warm embrace.
"Wow."
That was all Caroline said after Liam finished telling her about Hope and Wyatt's kiss and her decision to leave L.A.
Caroline got up from the couch and wandered over to the mantelpiece. She picked up a photograph of Liam and Hope.
"I never thought Hope would do something like this."
"Me neither." Liam smiled sadly at his cousin. But as soon as he said it he felt a pang of guilt as if he had said something cruel. Something uncharitable. It didn't make sense though. He had every right to be angry with her. Didn't he?
"It was just a kiss though…"
Caroline nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment.
"But it's not so much the kiss, is it? It's what she said…about being in love with both of you."
"Yeah, there was that." Liam fell silent for a moment, remembering Hope's words. " I can't help feeling bad for her though. I know what it's like to be torn between two people and believe me, it's not fun."
"Hope and Steffy?"
Liam nodded.
"But as much as I loved Steffy, there was always this part of me that believed that Hope and I…I don't know."
"Belonged together?"
"Yeah. Cheesy, huh?"
"Are you kidding, to a hopeless romantic like moi?"
Liam laughed.
"But I don't know if I feel that from Hope anymore. That faith in us. It's different."
"Maybe it just feels that way because you're not the one making the decision this time?"
"Yeah, maybe."
Caroline set the photograph down on the coffee table and sat back down next to Liam.
"Look, it sounds like she wants you to wait so there's still hope, right?"
Liam sighed. It seemed like he had spent more time waiting for his life with Hope to begin than they had actually spent together.
Caroline frowned suddenly.
"Are you sure no one else had a hand in this? A certain jeweler perhaps, or your Dad?"
"No, not this time. But Quinn and my Dad have done a lot of damage in the past. I always thought that made us stronger, as a couple, but maybe I was wrong…"
Liam looked distracted, as though an idea had suddenly occurred to him.
Caroline's phone started beeping.
"Shoot, that's Rick. Sorry, I better get back to Forrester…Hope's holding a press conference this afternoon."
"You mean a press conference about Hope leaving?"
Caroline looked confused.
"You guys do realise that Hope has left already, right?"
"Agh, nope, I'm pretty sure everyone at Forrester is waiting for her to arrive. Oh wow. She's left already? Are you sure?"
"Deacon picked her up and he had his bag with him. So yeah, I'm pretty sure. She must have wanted to leave without too much drama."
"Huh. More like leaving all the drama for the rest of us to deal with. Wow. Those guys are going to flip when I tell them."
She collected her bag and Liam got up to walk her out.
At the door Caroline turned back to him, her pretty face full of concern again.
"Will you be okay?"
"Yeah, I will. Thanks for coming by and talking it through."
"Any time cuz." Caroline hugged him. "You just hanging here today?"
"Actually, I might get out of the house for a while. Probably do me good."
"Definitely will. Call if you need anything."
Liam closed the door after her and walked back into the lounge room. Caroline had left the photograph of he and Hope on the coffee table. He picked it up and returned it to the mantelpiece.
He cast a quick glance at the mail Caroline had brought in. Nothing that couldn't wait till tomorrow. He knew what he needed to do now.
It was time to visit Quinn.
He wasn't sure which facility she was receiving treatment at and he was certain Wyatt would not willingly divulge that information.
But he had a plan.
And he was feeling better already.
Hope was silent and stony-faced as they headed out of L.A. The world flashed by her window, soaked in California sunshine, unchanged despite all that had happened that morning. People were going about their day, smiling and happy…but all she could see was the hurt on Liam's face. He had never anticipated this. He was shocked. Crushed. And that moment, when he realised the truth of what she was saying, that look in his eyes, haunted her.
She was getting stiff and sore too, having sat in the same position for too long. But for some reason she couldn't bring herself to move. Being alone, in such close proximity to Deacon, and feeling vulnerable as it was, she was suddenly too awkward to move, let alone speak. She felt like she was a little girl again, being driven somewhere by her dad, her hands obediently resting in her lap.
Deacon too had said very little since they had left Liam's but all of a sudden he spoke.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Hope shook her head resolutely.
"Good. I don't either."
Hope turned to Deacon, unsure what to make of this response. He smiled at her.
"It's boring, isn't it?"
"Nah, nothing about you is boring. But if you're not ready to talk about it then we can talk about something else. You know, get to know each other a bit better."
Hope smiled weakly but then the look of mute sadness returned.
"You already know everything about me. Everyone does. My life is an open book. Literally."
"I don't mean stuff like that, like who you're dating or who your mom is dating…"
Deacon trailed off. He could feel Hope's eyes on him. His daughter, sitting right beside him, looking to him for guidance or reassurance. For something anyway. Like a real dad. A feeling of panic started to grow in his chest. He wasn't a real dad though. He had nothing he could offer her. There was nothing inside him that was worth anything. Not for her. She was only with him now because of a lie and if she found out why…
Deacon took a breath and looked straight ahead. He stretched his fingers and loosened his grip on the wheel. He needed to relax.
"I meant more…like, tell me something the press would never know. Tell me something I would never be able to guess about you."
She smiled but he could tell that she wasn't completely at ease yet.
"Okay, I'll go first…You know what my favourite thing to watch on TV is?"
"No, what?"
"Guess."
"I don't know, like CSI or something?"
"Ooh, bad guess. Actually, believe it or not, I really love…watching…cooking shows."
Hope laughed.
"No! I don't believe it. Bad boy Deacon likes to cook?"
Deacon looked away, silent for a moment.
"Well, I haven't done much actual cooking yet but, yeah, I'd like to learn."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you that. I didn't mean it..."
"I know, it's okay."
He turned to Hope and smiled. She smiled back and shifted herself in her chair so that she was facing him.
"Alright. Guess what my favourite food is."
"Too easy, c'mon."
"Guess."
"Well looking at you, I'm going to say…salad. Or sushi."
"Ha! Chocolate covered potato chips."
"No way. That's so wrong! Chips and chocolate, ugh."
"It's the best. You shouldn't knock it till you try it."
"Well, when I finally have my own place with a decent kitchen I'll cook you something which will blow chocolate covered chips right out of the park."
Hope laughed.
"That would be nice. You could teach me because unfortunately I take after my mom in that department…"
Deacon grimaced.
"Ooh, I have not heard good things about Brooke's cooking but I thought maybe, you know, that was just bad press or something."
"Nope, trust me, it's all true. Thankfully Liam is pretty handy in the kitchen though…"
She trailed off and turned back to look out the window.
They had got off to a good start but now her mind was wandering back to L.A. Back to Liam and Wyatt. Deacon knew he would have to have this conversation with her eventually. Quinn's plan was for him to take Hope away from L.A and for him to encourage Hope to choose Wyatt. As much as Deacon liked Wyatt he also didn't have anything against Liam. And the fact that they were both Bill Spencer's sons…well, that was a strike against both of them.
He had agreed to take Hope away from L.A. It really did sound like a good opportunity for her to clear her head and a good chance for them to get to know each other. And he had told Quinn that he would helpHope come to a decision but he wasn't clear with her what this meant exactly.
"You know I'm really glad you agreed to come with me Hope. I know it was a big deal for you to leave your mom and work…." Deacon paused, unwilling to bring up Liam again. "Not to mention two half-brothers who will remain nameless…I think this trip will be really good, for both of us."
Hope smiled at him.
Wyatt kept a few cars behind Hope and Deacon. He still wasn't sure how long he was going to follow them. Maybe once they stopped he would turn back. At least then he would know where she was. But he had no idea where they were going or how long they planned to be away.
Every time he tried to make a decision about whether to turn back he would think 'just a little bit longer'. But soon they would be leaving L.A…
Every now and then he would catch a glimpse of Hope up ahead, her face in profile as they turned a corner, and he would feel even more determined to keep following them. It was as if he were chasing a dream that kept slipping out of reach, a dream that he was trying desperately to stay in.
Life without Hope terrified him more than anything he could imagine.
He had to keep going, to keep her in sight.
Just a little bit longer.
21
