I can’t sleep.

I’m too worried about my mother’s offer to help me out. To make matters worse, I can’t locate an Uber, much less a taxi in this tiny town.

Agitation flowing through my veins, I pace the room, glancing at Hazel every so often, as if I expect her to suddenly disappear.

My nails are ragged, almost bitten to the quick.

“Damn it,” I mutter, wishing I had a nail file. I’ll have to be extra careful around my baby girl, so I don’t accidentally scratch her in the meantime.

I scrub my nails against my jean-covered thigh, hoping that will help, as I form a plan to help us escape.

Grabbing my phone from my back pocket, I check the temperature. It’s not too cold, so if I bundle Hazel up in the car seat, I can push her stroller over to Lincoln, where the bus stop is located. If I pack up some food from the kitchen, I should have enough money to buy a one-way ticket to Castle Beach. It’s only three hours south of here, so I can’t imagine it will be that expensive.

Only to me, a hundred dollars is the same as a million.

“Doesn’t matter.” I grab my bag, shoving in the few things I unpacked and—

There’s a knock on my door and I start, almost screaming.

“Cammie, it’s me.” My brother opens the door, peeking inside. “I’m here to break you out of jail.” His gaze bounces around the room.

“Are you drunk?” I ask as he swaggers in.

He grins. “Unfortunately, no. Something told me it was not a good idea to partake tonight, at least not until I checked on you first.”

“She wants to take my baby.” I gulp.

Caine’s eyes widen in disbelief, then narrow in anger. “Fuck her.” His gaze settles on my bag. “Good. Let’s go.”

“I don’t have a car. A way out of here... but I do have a plan.”

“Awesome.” He grabs my bag and the stroller. “Get Hazel and let’s go. You can tell me about it on the way to Chapel Hill.”

“Not Chapel Hill. Castle Beach.”

His brows push together. “What’s in Castle Beach?”

I don’t know what to say. The longer I stand there doing nothing, the closer it gets to morning. Finally, I move to Hazel and put her in the carrier.

“It’s... I have friends there. A safe place.”

“Castle Beach it is,” he says grimly.

***

I FULLY EXPECT TO GET caught as we creep along the back staircase. Every squeaky step, every grunt Hazel makes, and every growl of my stomach pushes me closer and closer to the brink of losing it.

“Stop,” he whispers loudly.

The light in the kitchen blazes, and I hold my breath.

I can hear my pulse pounding in my head. It’s beating in my chest, like it’s a bird trapped in an attic it can’t escape.

“It’s just Ms. Rose.”

That doesn’t assure me at all. Ms. Rose and my mother are tight, as in Ms. Rose practically raised her. It never made sense to me, that a kind and loving woman like Ms. Rose could raise someone so freaking unemotional as my mother.

But as they say, blood always tells.

And my mother’s parents made mine look like cuddly kittens.

Still, we all have the choice to be different or continue down the same path.

“Y’all can come out now,” Ms. Rose says, and I shove my fist against my mouth.

My eyes widen so much it almost hurts to blink. I shake my head, refusing to take another step, but Caine grabs me by the arm, pulling me in the kitchen.

Ms. Rose is at the island in the center of the kitchen, closing the lip on a picnic basket. She smiles at us, the wrinkles on her face making her look even kinder than I’ve always known her to be. But her loyalty to our mother...

“I expect this to be returned once y’all get back.”

My brother saunters over to her, carefully slinging his arm around her frail shoulders. “Only if you promise not to tell on us. It’s not every day I get to take my sister—”

“Don’t bother to lie for them,” Momma says as she sweeps inside. My heart slams so hard against my chest that I gasp. “Campbell is leaving. After Caine drops her off, he’ll be back with your basket.”

“You’re not going to stop me?” I ask.

“Regardless of what you think of me, I’m not a monster who would separate a mother from her child, especially when the mother is unwilling.”

“Are you going to pay someone to do it for you?” I tip up my chin, refusing to back down.

“Hardly.” She ties her robe tighter around her waist. “It was only an offer. If you can’t see the benefit of the offer or even bother to be adult enough to have the conversation with your father and me, then you should go.”

“That’s what I’m doing.”

“But if you go, don’t come back.” Her gaze strays to the carrier, to where Hazel is sleeping for once instead of awake. “You will not be welcome. Neither of you.”

“Do you expect me to cave to your ultimatum?”

“I expect you to make adult decisions. These are the potential consequences. It’s up to you to choose what’s best.”

“And if Caine helps me to leave. Drives me to... where I want to go, will he be allowed to come back?”

Her mouth flattens. “Your father and I have always encouraged the two of you to be close.”

“Will he or won’t he be punished for helping me?” I grit out.

“No,” she whispers. She clutches at the material of her robe, right at the throat, as if trying to protect herself from having it ripped out. “Go, Campbell. Don’t make this harder.”

“I never wanted to make this hard. I only wanted...” I swallow. It doesn’t matter what I want. It never has to her. “Good-bye.”

Then Caine and I walk outside, pack up his SUV, and leave.