Page 56 of Just One Kiss

He needed to forget about Katherine and focus on Trevor and what information he might be able to provide that would help them find Kelly. Although finding Kelly might bring a whole new set of problems. It was difficult to know what to believe with the limited information that they had, but he thought there was a good chance that Kelly had killed Russ Miller and had run for her life.

It might be difficult to prove self-defense, but Kelly couldn't stay on the run forever. Or maybe she could.

But what would that do to Brett?She'd be sacrificing her son for her freedom.On the other hand, what good would Kelly be to her son if she was in jail? And how hard would that be on Hannah?

Hannah would take it on herself to raise Brett, just as she'd raised her younger brother when her mom was too drunk to do so. It would be a lot for her to handle. Raising a four-year-old child would consume her life, but she would do it. It just didn't seem fair. She'd spent a lot of time taking care of other people. At some point, it needed to be her turn. And he found himself wanting to be the man who took care of her, who eased her burden. She might not want him to help her, but he would do just that.

The Motor Inn was five miles out of town on a remote highway that led toward the town of Great Falls, fifteen miles south. There wasn't much else on the highway beyond gas stations, fast-food restaurants, and cheap lodging. When he pulled into the parking lot, there was no sign of Trevor's old Chevy Impala.

He turned off the engine and got out of the car, making his way up the exterior stairs to the second floor. He rapped sharply on room ten.

A moment later, Trevor opened the door. He looked like shit. His long, dark hair was greasy. His T-shirt and jeans were filthy, and his body odor made Jake wince. He also didn't like Trevor's bloodshot eyes and pale skin. But there was a clarity to his gaze that he hadn't seen in a while.

"How are you doing?" he asked, as he stepped into the room. His gaze swept the furnishings. There was nothing much there beyond a bed, a dresser and a small table. While there were food wrappers on the table, there was no sign of alcohol or drugs. It was a much different scene than the one at the cabin.

"I'm surviving—barely," Trevor said, sinking down onto one of two hard chairs.

He perched on the edge of the other chair. "Why did you leave the cabin? Why come here?"

"The cabin reminded me of Michelle. We used to go there when we were happy. Being there without her made me really unhappy. I hit up the nearby liquor store after ten minutes. When I finally sobered up on Friday night, I decided to leave, and I came here. I figured this shithole wouldn't remind me of anything happy, and I was right."

"I'm glad you're okay. I've been texting you since Friday night. You had me worried, Trev."

"I know. I'm sorry, Jake. I was detoxing, and it was all I could do to breathe my way through it. But I made it. It's been almost forty-eight hours since I took a drink."

He hoped this was the new start Trevor needed. "That's good. But you don't have to do this alone. I told you I'd help you pay for rehab."

"I appreciate that, but I have to do this my way. I have to be able to manage my addictions in the real world. I went to rehab once before, and it didn't stick. As soon as I got out, I went right back to it. I don't know if this will work, either, but I had to try something different. I'm a mess, Jake."

"Actually, for the first time in a while, I feel like you're on the right path. And when you're ready to come back to work, you have a job. That job lasts as long as your sobriety does."

"I get it. I know I screwed up a few times the past couple of weeks."

"You did. Now you have to do better." He paused. "How did you get here? I didn't see your car in the lot. I'm hoping you didn't drive."

"I got a ride from a woman who was staying at one of the cabins near mine. She came by to ask if she could borrow my car. I told her I had to leave, so if she wanted to drive me, she could take the car after that."

He was surprised by Trevor's words. "A stranger asked to borrow your car and you said yes?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly sober at the time," Trevor admitted. "I needed to get out of the cabin, and I knew I couldn't drive."

"At least you knew that much. Where was her car?"

Trevor gave him a blank look. "Uh, I don't know. She said her car broke down. Her kid needed something for Christmas. I told her if she dropped me off here, she could take the car and then bring it back when she got her vehicle fixed."

"But she hasn't brought it back yet. And it's Sunday afternoon. Do you seriously think she will?"

"Maybe not. Why are you asking me so many questions?" Trevor asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Because the woman who gave you a ride disappeared and left her kid behind."

"What? No." Trevor shook his head in confusion. "She said she left her kid with her sister. He would be fine until she got back. She kept saying that, over and over."

"What else did she say?"

"I don't remember. It's all a blur."

"Try. It's important."

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