Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
LOXLEY
If I’d given him the chance to stop me, I knew I wouldn’t have gone through with it. But I couldn’t do that to him.
The second I turned my phone on and checked my emails, the truth hit me like a freight train. Sam already knew where I was, and there was a plan in place to turn Miles into the villain.
Those emails contained correspondence between Sam, my music label, and the PR department.
I was copied on everything so I’d be aware of their strategies.
There it was in black and white—a press release ready to go with Miles’ picture under the headline: Obsessed Fan Uses Uniform and Handcuffs to Abduct Rising Star Loxley Adams.
Attached were drafts of documents meant for the media, including Miles’ address, phone number, and even private details about his brothers and grandparents. They were prepared to ruin his life.
The emails went further, discussing how Miles would inevitably lose his job. Even if his eldest brother’s influence could help prove his innocence, the damage would already be done. Social backlash would ensure he was branded forever.
I couldn’t let that happen. Not to Miles. Not to his family. They’d already been through enough. The last thing they needed was for my problems to ignite a new firestorm in their small town.
And Sam knew. He always knew. That’s why, when I got up that morning and packed my things, I received a text saying there was a car waiting for me at the end of the driveway.
I hadn’t arrived at Miles’ house with bags, so everything I’d bought online during my stay was tossed into a trash bag.
Tears blurred my vision as I dragged it down the long drive.
I didn’t even question getting into the car with another stranger.
I knew where they were taking me. Right back to Nashville where I could get back on whatever schedule they wanted me on.
By the time the sun was fully up, we pulled into the parking garage of the building where my lonely condo stood waiting, just as empty as I’d left it.
The first thing I did was take a shower, tears mixing with the hot water as I let the anger and pain flow out of me.
It wasn’t because I was back, it was because I knew, when Miles woke up and realized what I’d done, he’d hate me.
And a world where Miles hated me was worse than the life I’d left behind when all of this started.
When I stepped out of the shower, I wrapped myself in my robe and collapsed onto the couch, hoping for sleep.
But it wasn’t long before a team let themselves in, bustling around me, preparing me for my return to the stage that night.
They’d decided my return performance would be in Nashville before I hit the road again for an extended tour to make up for the canceled shows.
“Where’s Sam?” I asked as the hairstylist frowned at my newly dyed hair.
“He’s on his way,” another woman muttered, flipping through racks of stage outfits.
Sometime after lunch, Sam stormed into the condo, all business. He didn’t mention why I was there or what had happened. He didn’t need to. By being there, I’d already made my choice to protect Miles. And as long as I stayed on stage, Sam wouldn’t make Harmony Haven a living hell.
I was numb, an obedient robot. I went through the motions just like before.
By 4:00 PM, a car came to pick us up and take us to the venue. The band was waiting, ready to rehearse a few songs before the show.
Normally, I’d perform an acoustic set with the guitarist before the main act. It was a stripped-down, intimate moment that I usually loved. But when he asked which songs I wanted to play, I shook my head. “None of them.”
“You still not feeling well? That must’ve been one hell of a flu.”
His casual tone stung. Even the band didn’t know the truth. They thought I’d been sick. And though I hated lying, the fewer people who knew about Miles, the better.
“Loxley!” Sam barked from the side of the stage. “Radio interview. Now.”
I followed him to a room where a local station was set up. The interviewer greeted me with a familiar smile. It was the same woman who’d interviewed me the day I met Miles and I relaxed a little in her easy-going presence.
“Geez, Loxley,” she said. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better. One second you were fine, and the next, your show was canceled.”
“Are we live?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not yet. Just wanted to say I’m glad you’re okay. It must’ve been rough.”
“Thank you,” I replied with a small smile.
When we went live, the interview followed the scripted narrative: I’d been sick, lost my voice, and needed time to recover. She played along perfectly, though I could see in her eyes she didn’t buy it.
When we wrapped, she leaned over and touched my hand. “If you ever need anything, you let me know.”
I nodded but followed Sam out without a word.
That night, I took the stage, sang my set, thanked the crowd, and walked off. Straight out the back door.
Sliding down the wall outside, I caught my breath like I always did. Sam was gonna come get me. He was gonna insist the night wasn’t over and I cried knowing that if the threats to Miles and his family hadn’t been hanging over my head, I would have run away again. Right back into his jurisdiction.