Chapter 18 #3
She scrambled into the trees to one side of the dirt road and listened as the sound of the engine she’d heard faded away. She let out a long breath of relief, then groaned with the pain it caused in her ribs.
She was getting weaker and wouldn’t be able to crawl much longer, but she had to. She had no choice. Not if she was going to get Kara some help.
A few minutes later she heard another engine, but this time instead of hiding, she stayed where she was, on her hands and knees, listening. It too went by, and Kara finally realized that she was nearing the road she’d taken to get to this dirt path to nowhere.
Cars meant help.
With a renewed purpose, she began to crawl faster. Ignored the rocks digging into her knees and palms. Ignored the sharp pains in her belly. Ignored the blood dripping into her face.
When she reached the main road, Jen wanted to cry. She’d done it!
A car was coming, and she lifted a hand to wave, but it zoomed past her.
Jen blinked in surprise. She’d been so sure it would stop, and she’d be able to call for help. But it hadn’t. Had the driver not seen her, or had he or she decided they didn’t want to get involved in whatever she was about?
It took a few minutes before another car showed up in the distance, and Jen once more waved frantically, but it too drove on by.
Jen was getting mad now. How in the hell could anyone just drive past someone looking like they badly needed help?
The next time she heard a car, she was determined to get the driver’s attention. She struggled to her feet, painfully, and waved her arms over her head, stepping as close as she dared to the road. She wanted help, not to get run over by a distracted driver.
This time, she knew the woman behind the wheel saw her, because their gazes met…
As the car sped past.
Jen sagged in disbelief. What in the absolute hell?!
Then she heard the most beautiful sound—tires screeching.
Turning, she saw brake lights on the car that had just passed. The woman had slammed on her brakes. She was stopping!
Jen almost cried in relief. The car slowly backed up toward her. All strength gone, Jen slumped back to the ground. The woman pulled off the road as best she could and got out, but stayed next to her car door.
“Are you okay?” she called.
“No,” Jen said with a shake of her head. “I need help. The police! And a phone. Please, I need to make a call.”
“Okay, hang on, let me call nine-one-one for you first.”
Jen nodded. She needed to tell the police everything that happened. She didn’t care about getting help for herself, all she could think about was Kara and what she must be going through.
After the woman was done talking to the 9-1-1 operator, she slowly walked toward Jen. “You don’t look good.”
“Yeah.”
“Is there someone else I can call for you?”
Jen nodded and recited Roman’s phone number. She’d stupidly memorized it when she’d been sure the man liked her, and when she had hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d ask her out. But that hope was dead now. She was a freak, just like Asher…no, Nolan, had said.
Roman wasn’t ever going to ask her out. He deserved a beautiful woman who wouldn’t dream of putting any of his friends in danger, like she’d done to poor Kara.
The Good Samaritan dialed the number and put the phone to her ear.
“Hi. My name is Andree Greer, and I was driving when I passed a woman who’s been hurt. She asked me to call this number…Right, hang on.” The stranger stepped closer to Jen and held the phone down to her. “He wants to talk to you.”
Reluctantly, Jen took the phone. “Roman?” she whispered.
“Jen?! Holy shit, where are you? Are you okay? Is Kara with you?”
Hearing his voice made Jen burst into tears. She couldn’t talk, couldn’t tell him everything she needed to. Shame made speech impossible.
She’d failed Roman. Failed Chaos. Failed Kara.
The Good Samaritan took the phone back and did her best to tell Roman where she was and what was going on, even though she had no idea.
Sirens sounded in the distance, and all Jen could think was that at least she’d be able to tell the police what happened, and they’d tell Roman and his friends.
They’d find Kara, hopefully before it was too late.
She wouldn’t have to face them. Wouldn’t have to look them in the eyes and admit that she’d participated in Nolan’s plan to kidnap Kara once more. That she’d been the reason her friend was taken.
Something within her died at that moment, and Jen knew she’d never be the same. She felt dirty, a filth so bone deep she’d never be clean of it.
She’d leave. If she could find Fred, she’d take him somewhere far away from here. So she wouldn’t have to see the disappointment or…hatred…in everyone’s faces. So they wouldn’t have to see her and be reminded of the role she’d played in their friend being sucked back into her worst nightmare.
Her decision made, Jen lowered herself to the ground and closed her eyes as she waited for the police to arrive. She tuned out the voice of the woman, still talking to Roman, and went to a place deep inside her head. Somewhere safe.