Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
CALLUM/CASH
Now
Shadowed Truths the metal warped and twisted. “Livianna!”
I pull harder and throw my weight against it. Nothing. The door is jammed shut, bent too far to open.
Through the shattered window, I see her. Slumped against the deployed airbag. Her head is tilted at an angle, and blood streams from a gash above her eyebrow. Her eyes are closed.
“No, no, no, no.” I’m numb as I reach through the broken window, glass cutting into my forearms. “Baby, wake up. Come on, wake up.”
A sound behind me snags my attention. An engine revs.
I glance over my shoulder just in time to see the black SUV backing up, tires squealing. There’s no license plate. The front bumper is dented, but the vehicle is still mobile.
The driver—a man, maybe forty, with dark hair—stares directly at me for a split second. Then he throws the SUV into drive and speeds away.
“Hey!” I start to rush toward him, but Livianna groans, and my gaze snaps back.
“Lily?” I reach for her again, my fingers finding her shoulder. “Stay with me, love. Help is coming.”
Her eyes flutter open, unfocused and confused. Blood drips down the side of her face, soaking into her hair.
“Callum?” Her voice is barely a whisper.
“I’m here. I’m right here.” My hands are shaking. I can barely hold on to her. “Don’t move, okay? Just stay still.”
“I can’t…” She tries to shift and cries out in pain.
“Don’t move! Please, Lily. Just stay still until the paramedics get here.”
People are gathering now. Someone tries to peek in through the windshield to assess Livianna. Someone else is talking to 911, giving them the street names and describing the crash.
I keep my palm on Livianna. It’s the only point of contact I can maintain through the wreckage. Her breathing is shallow and rapid. Shock, probably. Or worse.
“You’re okay.” I have no idea if that’s true. “You’re gonna be okay.”
Her eyes drift closed again.
“No! Lily, stay with me.” I squeeze her arm gently. “Keep your eyes open. Focus on me.”
“Hurts.” The word comes out slurred.
“I know. I know it hurts, but you have to stay awake.”
Sirens wail in the distance, getting closer.
“The baby.” Her hand moves to her stomach.
My brain short-circuits. “What?”
But her eyes are closed, and she’s not responding.
“Lily? What baby?” I shake her, careful not to move her too much. “Livianna, what are you talking about?”
Nothing.