A Sound Like Hope (Fallen Tuesday #3) Read Free Page B

driver
flashed the lights and pulled to the curb. Trent knew it was a hired driver so
he went to the backdoor. When he opened it, he found Luke in the backseat
waiting for him.
    “ Got
some friends following you, ” Luke said.
    “ Yeah,
I know. ”
    Trent got into the car and it peeled
away, cutting across lanes, knowing just how to escape the cameras and
questions.
    Once they were away from the
airport, Trent looked at Luke and offered his hand.
    “ Good
to see you, ” Luke said. “ Alive and everything, you know? ”
    “ I
know, man. I ’ m sorry about
this mess. ”
    “ What
mess? Our bassist going to jail? Or our bassist fleeing to California? Or our bassist
acting like a complete ass? Or the fact that our radio show interview turned
into nothing but questions about you. Did you know, we only played one song because
there was no time left? What mess do you want to start with? ”
    Trent swallowed his pride for the
moment. “ How about I
apologize again and then explain what happened. ”
    “ I
know what happened. Chloe happened. My question is … why? ”
    “ I
have no idea, ” Trent said. “ I was having a beer and she
magically appeared. She started her shit, so I left. I did the right thing. I
got into my car and sat there. But she followed me, then a cop showed up, and
next thing I knew, I was going to jail. ”
    “ There
are pictures of you in cuffs, ” Luke said.
    “ I
know. What was I supposed to do? ”
    “ Damnit, ” Luke whispered.
    “ I ’ m sorry, ” Trent said. “ When
Frank got me out, I had to get the hell out of here for a little bit. I don ’ t know what to do when I see
Jake. ”
    “ Why
does it matter? ” Luke
yelled.
    “ Because
it does, ” Trent said. “ He knows what happened. ”
    “ It
was years ago. ”
    “ Look,
I can ’ t wait to get back to
playing music, both in the studio and on the radio."
    “ Yeah,
well as of right now, Frank doesn ’ t
feel confident putting us on the radio anymore. ”
    “ Why? ”
    “ Because
of what happened yesterday to us, Trent. ”
    “ Let
me talk to Frank. I can work this out with him. I ’ ll
do the next show and I ’ ll
answer the questions about myself. There ’ s
nothing to hide, man. I did nothing wrong. The charges won ’ t stick and this will blow over. ”
    “ Is
that what you think? ” Luke
asked.
    “ Yes.
Why? ”
    Luke put a hand to Trent ’ s shoulder and shook his head. “ What makes you think Chloe ’ s gone? ”
    The question sucked the air out of
Trent. He blinked fast. “ Well …”
    “ I ’ m just saying it because it needs
to be said. As much as this bothers you, it ’ s
the same for Jake. The reason I know is because he ’ s been trying to get in touch with her. ”
    Trent closed his eyes.
    The past was no longer in the past.

(3)
     
    A few months ago when Emily Unther
took her ten year old nephew, Nicholas, into her home to raise him after his
father left, she knew it wasn ’ t
going to be all sunshine and happiness. Nicholas had always been wild, acted as
though he had a sense of freedom nobody else did, and most of all, he respected
nothing, including himself. That ’ s
what bothered Emily the most, the fact that the young boy didn ’ t respect himself. If there was
something to break, he broke it. If someone dared him to do something, he did
it. And now, halfway through instructing a yoga class at the fitness center she
owned with her best friend, Terri, Emily found herself in a downward dog
position, exhaling a deep breath, listening to serene music softly playing in
the background, while tears filled her eyes.
    On more than one occasion she had
considered what to do with Nicholas. She wasn ’ t
a mother and she did not have that special bond with him. She didn ’ t carry him in her womb, she
didn ’ t push him from her
body, and she didn ’ t feed
him as mother and son. Yes, she had fed Nicholas many times when he was a baby,
but that was when her sister, Amelia, was still