Powerful (The Driven World) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,63
lifts his chin. “Saw you in the paper.”
“But you didn’t remember my name?”
Holding his hands out to his side, he shrugs. “I’m into chicks.”
“Right. Well, you have a good day.”
The guy spits on the sidewalk and laughs. “Yeah, you, too.” He points to the reception desk. “Drive safe and tell Athena I said hello and wish her all the best.”
He’s weird. I turn my back on him and proceed to the desk. “Hello, I have a car on order.”
“Certainly. What name?”
It’s so refreshing to find someone who doesn’t know me. It’s another reason I love Athena so much, she doesn’t see the movie star, she sees me.
“Livingston.”
Candy runs her finger down a list and finds my name. “Ahh, yes, here you are. Do you have any identification, Mr. Livingston?”
Pulling out my wallet, I hand over my driver’s license, and she fills out the forms.
“It’s a good thing you preordered. Your car is in spot twenty-five. There’s an envelope with your name on it on the windshield. Thank you for choosing Speedy Car Hire and have an awesome day.”
I tap the keys on the counter and smile. “Thank you.”
I put my license away and saunter over to the car. Written in big letters on a manila envelope is Livingston. Subtle. With a shake of my head, I pull it out from under the wiper and get into the car. As I drive out of the lot, I see the guy in the red silk shirt. He’s wiping his hand and gives me a grin and a two-fingered wave. Some fans are just weird.
Checking the time, I’m a little behind schedule, so I give the car some gas. Weaving through the traffic, I quickly make my way through the cars. Coming up, I need to make a right-hand turn, so I put my foot on the brake, and nothing happens. I pump my foot up and down on the pedal, but the car’s not slowing. Fear fills me as I grip the steering wheel, my training from Colton Donavan kicks in, I can make the bend. I move over to the far lane so I can take the curve. Turning the wheel, the car starts to slide. It’s then I see the woman running to cross the road. If she keeps going, I’m going to kill her. I jerk the wheel in the opposite direction for a moment. The car sort of skips, and then it flips over and over and over. Metal and road grind together, the airbags go off, I’m upside down, and it feels like the car is sliding forever. The noise is overwhelming. Suddenly, the car stops, jerking me sideways, my head connects with the window, and the world goes black.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Athena
Three hours I’ve been sitting in this lobby, waiting for Kris and our new life to start. He’s left me again. Like a fool, I believed his broken promises. Pulling my cell out of my clutch, I check the messages. There’s nothing from him. Standing, I walk toward the elevator, time to change and go back to being the Athena who’s happiest on her own.
“Ms. Goddess?” I turn, and Tyson, the hotel manager, is standing behind me.
“Yes?”
“Have you seen the news?”
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t.”
The man’s face pales, his gaze darts away from me, and he taps his lips repeatedly. “It’s all over the news. Kris Livingston has been in a car crash. It…” he pauses and grabs my shaking hand, “… it doesn’t look good.” My knees give way, and Tyson quickly moves to support me. “I’ve got you, Ms. Goddess.”
Somehow, he gets me to a seat as I try to take in deep breaths of air. I slap my face repeatedly to gain some clarity. When the world stops spinning, I look at Tyson. “What hospital?”
“The media is saying New York-Presbyterian ER.”
On shaking legs, I stand. “Could you call me a cab or a car service?”
Tyson signals to one of his workers who comes rushing over. “Find a car for Ms. Goddess, she needs to get to the NYP ER.”
With his hand on my arm, Tyson guides me through the front doors to the waiting cab. As I climb in, I try to smile at him. I need to thank him, but he’s barking orders at the cabbie as he slams my door shut, then we are moving. I’m confused, scared and full of guilt. While I was running Kris down, he was maybe fighting for his life.
Closing my eyes, I concentrate on