28. Ariana
28
ARIANA
“L et me go!” I cry, my voice raw and desperate.
He laughs. Actually laughs. “Oh, sweetheart. I’ve been waiting for this.”
The streetlamps flicker above us, casting dark shadows between the rows of parked cars. His grip tightens in my hair, and he jerks me to a stop behind a dented old sedan, slamming me against the cold metal with enough force to knock the air from my lungs.
“You and your boyfriend think you can fuck with me?” he growls.
I try to speak, to tell him he’s insane, but all that comes out is a panicked whimper. He yanks my head back again, his fingers still twisted in my hair, forcing me to look up at him.
“I’m gonna make you pay for that. Gonna teach you and your thug boyfriend what happens when people mess with me. I’m sure my crew in that bar has already taken care of your man and his friends.”
His words barely register. My scalp burns, my knees tremble, and there’s a scream caught in my throat like a shard of glass. But I know I have to do something.
As he rants, pacing and shaking me like a ragdoll, I let my hand slide down the length of his arm. Slowly. Carefully.
To his wrist.
He doesn’t notice.
Not as I work the clasp of his watch loose with shaking fingers.
Click.
The watch slips off and falls to the ground with a soft clatter, barely audible over his ranting. I don’t know where Jasper is, but I know this asshole’s friends have no idea who they just messed with. It won’t be long before Jasper finds my trail.
He shoves me again, harder this time, and wrenches open the car door.
“No!” I scream, kicking out as he tries to shove me inside. My foot lands against his shin, but he barely flinches. He just grabs me tighter and throws me into the back seat like I weigh nothing.
The door slams shut behind me, trapping me in darkness.
My chest heaves, lungs struggling to pull in air.
Before I can scramble to find a way out, he’s already in the front seat. The engine roars to life, tires squealing as he throws it into drive and punches the gas. The seatbelt clasp digs into my side as I’m flung sideways, catching myself with trembling hands against the door.
My heart pounds so loud it drowns out the rumble of the road.
He’s laughing.
Like this is a game.
“Hold on, sweetheart,” he sneers, glancing in the rearview mirror. “This is gonna be one hell of a ride.”
Terror twists through my chest, tightening like a vise, but underneath it, something else stirs. Hot. Furious.
I’m not going to let this asshole destroy me. Or the amazing life I’ve just begun to live.
Adrenaline surges, sharp and fast, and I launch myself forward, screaming.
“I’m going to kill you!”
My nails dig into his shoulder, clawing, ripping. I slam my fists into the side of his head, grab the collar of his shirt, and yank with everything I have. He curses, swerving, trying to shake me off.
“Stop it!” he snarls, swatting at me with one hand while the other struggles to keep control of the wheel. The car veers wildly, wheels shrieking as we bounce off the edge of the road.
“Fuck you!” I scream, thrashing with everything I’ve got.
He tries to shove me back, but it’s too late.
The world jerks sideways.
A blinding flash of motion. Screeching rubber. Metal crunching.
And then?—
Impact.
The car slams into something solid with a sickening crack. My head snaps forward, then sideways. Pain flares sharp and sudden. Right before my world goes black.
* * *
W hen I come to, the air is thick with smoke and the horrid smell of gasoline. I feel hands on me. Strong ones. Lifting me. Carrying me.
I blink, vision swimming, ears ringing so loud I can’t hear anything else. Everything is muffled and far away, like I’m underwater.
Jasper’s face comes into view, strained with panic, his mouth moving, but I can’t make out the words.
I try to speak. To tell him I’m here. That I’m okay.
Nothing comes out.
Everything is a blur of flashing lights, shouting, and running feet. There’s motion all around me, but the only thing I can focus on is him.
Daddy.
His arms wrap tight around me, his warmth cutting through the cold, and I let my head fall against his chest.
I’m safe.
Jasper won’t let anything happen to me.
The world turns fuzzy right before everything goes black again.
* * *
I wake slowly, as if surfacing from deep underwater. My head pounds. A dull, throbbing ache that pulses behind my eyes and down the back of my neck. Everything hurts. My muscles feel bruised, my limbs heavy, like I’ve been slammed against a concrete wall. Which, I guess, I kind of have.
My mouth is so dry it’s hard to swallow, and my tongue feels like sandpaper.
A soft beep registers near my ear. It’s faint, but steady. Rhythmic. I blink, my lashes sticking together as I try to make sense of my surroundings.
Jasper’s room.
His scent wraps around me like a blanket. I lift my hand instinctively, but stop when I feel the tug of something in my skin. I glance down.
An IV.
A machine clipped to my finger blinks softly with a glowing green light.
What…?
Panic flutters in my chest until I see him.
Jasper.
He’s slumped in the armchair beside the bed, elbows on his knees, head bowed like the weight of the world’s too much for even his broad shoulders to bear.
“Daddy…” My voice is barely more than a whisper.
But he hears it.
His head jerks up, eyes locking onto mine. And oh, God, his face. There’s exhaustion carved into every line. His eyes are rimmed red, the shadows under them deep and dark.
He looks broken.
“Baby,” he breathes, moving instantly to my side, his hand reaching out to brush the hair from my face. “You’re awake. Thank God.”
I try to swallow again, but my throat burns. “Thirsty,” I rasp.
He nods quickly, already grabbing something from the nightstand. A baby bottle. One he bought for me, but I haven’t used yet. He doesn’t hesitate, just puts it to my lips.
“Open,” he says roughly.
I do, too thirsty to argue, and the second the nipple slips between my lips, I suck greedily, slow at first, then more desperately.
He watches me, eyes locked on mine, like if he blinks, I’ll disappear.
I keep drinking, the room silent except for my soft suckling and the quiet beep of the machine beside me.
When the bottle’s empty, he sets it aside carefully and sits on the edge of the bed, close enough that our knees brush. His hand finds mine, fingers curling gently.
“I’ve never been so scared in my whole life.”
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I don’t have the strength.
He leans in and presses his forehead to mine. “You’re never leaving my sight again, rainbow.”
A protest flickers on the edge of my consciousness, but it fades just as quickly. I’m too tired. Too sore. Too relieved to be here, in his bed, with his warmth surrounding me.
So I don’t argue.
I let my eyes fall shut, the ache in my body slowly giving way to sleep.
His hand strokes my hair softly.
And the last thing I hear before drifting off is his voice, low and fierce. “I love you, baby girl. So fucking much.”