Chapter 13 #3
“Did Atlas tell you I’m still going to be living at his place?”
“I’m glad. And you are always welcome in mine.”
“That would be weird though, right?” he asked, and I nodded.
“Maybe. We would’ve made it work. Because I’m sorry, no more couch-surfing.”
“Atlas’s bed is more comfortable anyway.”
I smiled, knowing that was the truth. Headlights glared in the side mirrors, and I winced. “I hate the new LEDs, they’re ridiculous.”
“This guy’s really speeding up. I’m going to slow down on these curves just in case, okay?”
I sat straighter, worried. “Do you want to pull over?”
“Maybe. Oh hell.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and as I turned to see what had happened, the car slammed into our back bumper. I jostled forward, hitting my hands against the dash as Will grunted.
“Slow down, it will be okay,” I tried to reassure him, but then the car rear-ended us again and hit us one more time. I screamed, right along with Will, as we hit the embankment and began to tilt.
Somehow, we didn’t fully go over as we skated across a flat field and finally stopped inches from a large tree. The sound of crunching metal exploded near us, and I looked up to see another car smash into the tree a few yards away.
Shaking, I looked over at Will. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”
Face pale, Will shook his head. Then nodded. “I mean, I’m okay. Nothing hurts.”
I reached out and gently pried his fingers from the steering wheel, his knuckles white from how hard he held on. “You did such a good job, Will. You kept us safe. Now take a deep breath and let’s make sure you’re really okay.”
He looked so damn young, and my heart ached for him, but I kept part of my attention on the car in front of us.
Whoever had driven into us, forcing us off the road, hadn’t gotten out of their car yet, but that worried me.
Had it been an accident? It surely hadn’t felt so.
But then again, maybe he’d had a medical emergency, and it had all happened too quickly to really know.
“Should we get out of the car?” Will asked, his voice rusty.
“Let’s call someone first,” I said warily, unsure if it was safe to get out on the side of a dark road or when we didn’t know why the accident had taken place at all.
Hands shaking, I nearly called Atlas, but stopped myself.
If I called him before anyone else, he’d freak out and steal his brother’s vehicle to get here and probably wreck himself.
The media was already going to have a possible field day over this, and I couldn’t let him dive into anything that could hurt him. It was already too much as it was.
I quickly dialed 911 and tried to explain the situation. It wasn’t until I heard my own voice that I realized I was in shock. The metallic taste on my tongue intensified, and I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
Everything happened quickly after that. We’d been told to stay in the car since we were safe, but part of me needed air.
Thankfully, the sheriff and Thatcher—who had gone onto shift halfway through the dinner tonight thanks to a call—showed up soon after I hung up the phone. The perks of living in a small town.
The crew moved to both cars, and suddenly I found myself standing by Thatcher, eyes wide. “Is Will truly okay?” I asked.
“We’re checking him out now. Keep your eyes on me, Elizabeth.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”
“The other drive isn’t conscious,” he whispered, and my eyes widened.
“What?” I rasped.
“And it’s Dobson.”
My legs nearly fell out from under me, but then Thatcher was there, holding me up. And before I could say anything or move to help Will, someone shouted my name.
“Lizzie!”
I turned away from Dobson and his broken car and saw Atlas running to me, the panic in his eyes matching mine. He pulled me from Thatcher, holding me close, asking me so many questions practically on top of one another, it was hard to keep up.
“What the hell happened?” he asked over my head, presumably to Thatcher or someone else.
“It was Dobson,” I whispered as I met his gaze. “I’m fine. Will is fine, they tell me, but Atlas, it was Dobson.”
He blinked at me, confused. “It wasn’t—” He shook his head, cutting himself off and confusing me. “Dear God. Will.”
Before I could say anything, Will was next to us, and we were holding him close, the paramedics trying to check us over, and it was all I could do not to break down. I needed to be the strong one, I knew that, but I’d never been so scared in my life.
I still had no idea why Dobson had driven us off the road. I was just thankful we’d survived. And as a news truck pulled up to the scene, Atlas cursed, and I knew this was only the beginning.
Being with Atlas meant nothing would stay in this small town—and I had grown to find a way to be okay with that. But at this moment, I wanted to hide. Or punch Dobson.
Either one.
And from the look on Atlas’s face… I wasn’t the only one.
But he would be leaving soon, and the rest of us would be left behind to pick up the pieces of whatever the hell had gone on tonight.