Page 121 of Distress Signal

For a moment, there was nothing but the scent of blood—wait, I was bleeding?

Goddesses, I was reliving the night Mom and Dad died.

At least I was alone this time.

“Gas,” I said when I finally located the scent, fear sluicing down my spine.

“Gas,” Aspen confirmed in horror. “Hey, hotshot! We’ve got gas!”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than did a whoosh sound from behind me, illuminating Aspen in a fiery glow a moment later.

“Get back, Aspen!” Crew shouted as he rejoined us.

Oh god, I was going to die in this fucking car. Trapped like a caged animal, burning alive without ever discovering what happened to my sister.

Tears fell rapidly, mixing with the blood I now knew to be coming from a cut above my left eye. I didn’t even remember hitting it.

“Cover your face, Reagan!”

Wait, what?

Crew’s words pulled me out of my spiral, and I did the best I could, turning slightly and shielding my face with my good arm, squeezing my eyes tightly shut.

A moment later, glass shattered and rained down on me, cool night air sweeping in and caressing my overheated skin.

“What about the fire?”

Yeah, those were the first words out of my mouth when I looked at Crew, his face framed in the now busted out window of my car.

Aspen chuckled, and Crew lifted a fire extinguisher.

“It’s out,” he said simply.

“He’s a fucking Boy Scout,” she said with a good-natured eye roll.

“Actually, I’m a firefighter.”

“Oh, I know,” she replied. “I just live to tease you.”

“How are you guys even here? I mean…fuck, thank you. You saved my life.”

“I had a meeting with some of my publishing team up inBoise, and since Crew isn’t on shift tonight, he came with. We were heading home when we spotted you.”

“You were hit, weren’t you?” Crew asked, and I nodded. “I thought I heard another vehicle take off, but I was so focused on checking on you, I didn’t give it much thought.”

“There was a truck. Big. Headlights off. Brush guard. They—” I cut off as a shiver rolled through me. Goddesses, I’d been so close to a fate much worse than some broken bones and a cut on my face. “I think they wanted to take me,” I whispered. “I think this was the same person who took my sister.”

“Shit,” Crew and Aspen swore in unison.

A siren wailed in the distance, preceding the flashing blue lights from the approaching cavalry. From the opposite direction, a big black truck raced up and braked hard, skidding to a stop on the gravel. Another vehicle pulled up shortly after.

“Reagan!”

Finn.

“Over here!” Aspen called. “I’m warning you, though, take it easy. Looks like she’s got a broken arm and a pretty nasty cut on her head.”

She and Crew stepped back, and then he was there.