really. And while it made for a lonely life sometimes, it never let me down.
Minus the Skeleton thing.
“Stop beating yourself up. Everyone makes mistakes,” I murmured.
Though, sometimes I felt like I made more mistakes than most.
You’re psyching yourself out. Don’t do it. You don’t need anyone. Don’t let them make you feel that way.
I gripped the steering wheel as I came to a stop at the last intersection. I gazed down the road, eyeing the dirt trail that tore off to the left to get to Ash’s wildflower meadow paradise. I had to admit, I’d miss the scenery. Ash lived in a beautiful place, with an almost ethereal feeling to it. I’d miss taking my coffee out to the porch and gazing over the small pond. I’d miss waking up to the smell of wildflowers trickling through the air conditioning vents. I’d miss the soft buzzing of bees as they hopped from flower to flower, pollinating and eating and enjoying their lives.
Maybe I could have my own place like that someday.
Hell, maybe one day I could buy Ash out of his own place and throw him out on his ass.
The thought made me giggle.
“You’ve got this. You always do, Hannah.”
And the next thing I knew, the crunching of metal filled my ears.
The second I took off through the intersection, my body lurched. The scraping of metal against metal filled my ears as the road in front of me fell away and was replaced with the sky. Why in the world was I looking up at the sky? And why did it disappear so quickly?
People screamed around me as my head cracked against something sturdy.
It happened slowly and quickly, if that were even possible. One minute, I was tearing away from an intersection. And the next minute, my car flipped onto its side. The hissing sound of an airbag sounded in my ears before a searing pain ripped its way through my nose, forcing something warm down my face. I coughed as pain tore through my ribs. I fumbled around for my seatbelt and tried to unbuckle it. But the smell of burnt rubber and gasoline filled my nostrils, stopping my hands in their tracks.
What in the world just happened?
The world had toppled onto its side. Smoke filled my vision. I gasped for air and heaved as pain rushed through my body, making my eyes water with tears. Prancing footsteps sounded outside of the car. People screamed and cried out as sirens sounded in the distance. Something akin to running water filled my eardrums, drowning out the rest of the sounds around me.
Until my door was ripped open.
“Ash?” I asked.
I didn’t hear anyone respond, though.
“Ash, is that you?”
I couldn't open my eyes. It hurt too much, and the simple idea of it took too much energy to dwell on. Someone leaned over me before my chest was freed from its confines. Then, a strong pair of arms wrapped around me. Oh, it was Ash. It was him! He’d followed me. He’d found me. And now, he’d come to save me.
“Ash, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your car.”
I didn’t know why he wasn’t talking to me, but I didn’t question it. I clung to him as he pulled me from the wreckage before dragging me off to the side. My head lobbed forward as the sirens grew closer, signaling an end to this madness.
And when I finally opened my eyes, I saw the mangled piece of metal in front of me.
A piece of metal that used to be Ash’s car.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“You should be.”
My entire body froze at the sound of the voice. My arms kicked into gear before my brain did, trying to push the man away. But the pain rushing through my veins robbed me of my strength. He growled and grunted as he tossed me over his shoulder. I stared down at the concrete before he picked up the pace, jogging away from the wreck with me. The bouncing made my head spin. I closed my eyes and beat my fists against his lower back, hoping and praying he’d drop me. It didn’t work, though. Nothing I did got him to drop me to the ground.
And with every bounce, I grew more and more nauseous.
“Put me down,” I choked out.
“Shut up.”
“David, I’m serious. Put me the hell down.”
A door opened. “If you would’ve just listened to me—”
“Put me down, damn it!”
“My pleasure.”
He shoved me into the backseat of a car before my stomach lurched