Expired Getaway (Last Chance County #7) - Lisa Phillips Page 0,15

save herself only to wind up hurting more. Damaged. Lost.

Clarke followed her cry, and Bridget scrambled for a new plan.

He was gaining on her.

She headed for the road. If she could get to her car, then she had a shot at getting out of here. After she regrouped, she could figure out what to do next.

How to turn the tables on Clarke.

Bridget stumbled down the incline toward the dark highway, the echo of his footsteps right behind her. The berry bush plan hadn’t worked. The second she hit pavement she almost collapsed but planted one hand on the grit of the road. She stumbled to her feet.

A car honked.

Bridget twisted away from the oncoming vehicle and tried to turn back, but she wasn’t quick enough.

The car clipped her side, and she flew through the air.

Six

Aidan slammed on the brakes. His tires squealed as the car came to a halt. As soon as he threw the lever to park, he jumped out. The woman lay on the grass on the side of the road. Unconscious from the fact that he had…

Aidan tried to breathe through the terror as he fell to his knees beside her. He’d hit a woman with his car. Sure, she’d run out in front of him and there’d been nothing he could do to stop it from happening. An accident. A tragic once-in-a-lifetime scenario.

He touched her shoulder, but couldn’t look. Instead, he hung his head. As the images replayed in his mind, he saw the flash of her cheek as she turned. Her arm. Past the feeling that she was familiar—as though he’d seen her somewhere before—it seemed like she might’ve been bleeding. At least, he’d gotten a glimpse of wet and red in the second before he clipped her with this car.

Lord. He whispered a prayer for help.

Aiden didn’t do it often. But he needed God right now.

Seeing her fly through the air like that? All he could do was hold back the urge to hurl on the asphalt as he pressed two fingers against her neck. Blonde hair hung over her face, obscuring her features. Did he know this woman? Would it matter? Whichever the case, it wouldn’t take away from the fact she was hurt, and it was all his fault.

A steady beat answered the press of his fingers.

Aiden nearly sagged on the ground in a sigh of relief, all of it washing over him in a wave he couldn’t control. A whimper escaped his lips.

He managed to grab his radio and call in the need for an ambulance.

“Copy that,” came the reply from dispatch. “Help is on its way.”

He brushed back hair from her face, though he had no right to touch her after what he had done. There was no excuse. Even if it had been unavoidable, it still never should’ve happened.

Her hair was so long, it tangled in his fingers. Eyelashes fanned across her upper cheeks, partially lit by his headlights.

He needed to know who she was.

Aiden didn’t think he recognized her as someone who lived in town. The EMTs would find a wallet, or ID, if she had one on her. He wanted to look more closely at her face, but he was distracted by the blood seeping through the sleeve of her sweater. She was injured, and he might’ve paralyzed her for all he knew.

A branch cracked to his left in the trees.

Aiden spun toward the sound. “Who’s there?”

He pulled his weapon, just in case, but stayed beside her where he would remain until help came. No way would he abandon her now. Not when it was his fault she was in this condition.

Aiden had messed up again. Of course, since it was pretty much par for the course of his entire life. He was dumb to think he could get away with doing good things for this long. All that striving to be better to make up for the ways he’d messed up. Sure, he was young, but he’d acted foolishly and was careless with his actions.

After becoming a father so young, he had to grow up quick and started facing his imperfections.

He’d tried to make amends.

Become a police officer.

Being Sydney’s father was a pleasure he didn’t take for granted, but he still strove every day to be the best dad he could be. The best man she would ever know.

The woman moaned.

Aiden touched her shoulder, not sure if she would appreciate being woken up right now when it could be extremely painful for her. She was probably