Losing Faith Read Online Free PDF Page A

to cooking, this was one error she had made intentionally. Bubbles of nerves continued to rise within her stomach, causing her hands to shake. She set the spoon back in the bowl and watched as Tuck put spoonful after spoonful of spicy chili into his mouth before washing it down with the cool Sprite.
    He drank until his glass let out a slurping sound. Then he set the glass down and looked at Trista. “I think—,” he said slowly, blinking a few times. “I think I need another, doll.”
    Trista forced a smile. “I’ll get you another,” she said. She got up from the table and walked over to the counter where she found the second can of Sprite. Her heart pounded harder and harder in her chest as she realized there was no turning back now. A crashing sound boomed throughout the kitchen, causing her to flinch. She closed her eyes, placing her hands on the counter, and let out a long sigh. Then she straightened herself, popped the top on the can, and took a long drink before dumping the rest into Tuck’s glass.
    She turned to find Tuck face down on the table with his half-eaten bowl of chili sideways on the floor. She set the glass on the table next to him. “There you go, doll .” She carefully fished out the wallet from his back pocket and removed the photograph of her and him, leaving the cash untouched as she placed it on the table next to his Sprite.
    She grabbed the suitcase from beneath their bed and walked back to Tuck, who looked as peaceful as she had ever seen him. Even now she hated herself for finding him handsome. Any woman would, she reminded herself. His appearance had never been his problem. Then she pulled the engagement ring from her finger and set it on top of his wallet before heading to the front door.
    She placed her hand on the door handle and took one last look around the tiny house. Like the tiny bubbles surfacing to the top of the glass, her bubbles of anxiety had finally found their way out, freeing her. And for the first time in a long time, she could finally breathe. A cold gust of wind nearly took her breath away when she opened the door. Heavy snowflakes fell in front of her, and she smiled. It was going to be a bad storm all right.
    She had been counting on it.

Chapter 4
    Trista
    Trista turned on the radio and scanned the stations for an update on the weather. Earlier that morning, the weatherman had referred to it as the worst storm Nashville had seen in over a decade. And although she had been counting on a bad storm, she needed to stay ahead of it.
    She pulled into Brianna’s driveway and left the car running as she stared at the house, waiting for Savannah to come out. Trista thought back to when she had dropped her off a few hours earlier. Savannah had been more than a little curious as to why Trista was so anxious for her to hang out with her friend. She had told her that she was working on a surprise and needed a little time to make it all happen. That seemed good enough for her fifteen-year-old daughter. Besides, she loved nothing more than hanging out with her friends. If socializing were a subject in school, Savannah would receive nothing lower than an A+.
    She watched as shadows moved back and forth behind the curtains. She knew the clock was ticking. Not only did they have a flight to catch and a storm to beat, but she also had no idea how long the tranquilizer would keep Tuck asleep. But she knew what she was about to do to Savannah. Uprooting her life and taking her away from her school and friends would be tough. And as much as Trista hated her life with Tuck, there were things about this place she knew she was going to miss. Sure, she had been so preoccupied over the past two years that she hadn’t had much of a social life, but she loved the hospital where she worked. She especially enjoyed working with the other nurses there. They had been her lifeline after Anthony had passed away, and she was going to miss them very much.
    The guy on the radio went on and on about how