Page 135 of Fall of a Kingdom

But I just couldn’t. Not after finding out about Barrett’s brain tumor.

Now, it was the wee hours of the morning, my visibility was fucked, and I was driving along a treacherous road that was known for having some of the worst accidents in the UK.

I slowed my speed as I approached the bridge.

The windshield wiper blades were swishing back and forth to keep the glass clear, but the snow was thick and heavy.

Weak beams of light appeared in my rearview mirror, and they were rapidly approaching. I laid on the horn to alert the other driver, but their speed didn’t change.

“Shite,” I muttered. I pressed on the brakes to light up the car and alert the driver behind me, but due to the slick bridge, my wheels spun, and I lost traction.

I blasted the horn again, but it was futile.

An old farm truck careened into the back of my car and we slid in tandem to the bridge railing. But the truck was too heavy to stop, and with the slick, icy road and no traction, the truck propelled both vehicles through the guard rail over the bridge.

As the impact occurred, my airbags detonated and dazed me for a split second. I braced for impact as the Aston Martin fell into the river.

As the car plummeted into the water below, my head hit the airbag a second time, and my seatbelt slammed into my chest, pinning me to my seat. My teeth rattled and my vision was spotty. A waterlogged tree limb had impaled the windshield in the center of the car and cold water gushed inside.

I reached for my seat belt, but my right arm felt like it had been pumped full of concrete and refused to move. The dashboard didn’t give off enough light to allow me to see to get my bearings. The water was freezing. My lungs burned as they struggled to draw air.

My vision wobbled in and out as water continued to fill the car.

I unlatched my seatbelt with my left hand and then reached for the door handle, but I didn’t have the power to wrench the door open against the force of the water.

I’d been on death’s door before.

But this? This was different. This was like watching my life end in slow motion. Powerless to stop it.

I thought about my wife.

“I understand, Barrett,” I said. “I understand, why you didn’t tell me. God, forgive me.”

River water swirled up to my chest.

I could no longer fight.

My eyes closed, and everything went dark.

Chapter47

BARRETT

“Hawk, wake up,”I commanded, shaking my son awake while I dialed the head of security.

“Wha—”

“You need to go upstairs and put on your clothes. Warm clothes,” I added. “Do you understand?”

He nodded.

“Good, then wake your brothers and tell them to do the same. Find the flashlights in your bedside drawers. Hurry.”

He scrambled off the lounge and ran to the door. It opened with force, hitting the door stop as he ran out of the room. Betty jumped down and ran after him. I was too distracted to command her not to.

“Barrett,” Tony said as soon as he answered my call. “I have no idea what the fuck is going on with the system. The monitor shut off and then flashed back on, and I just thought it was because of the storm. We’ve got those backup generators so the system can’t go down for very long and I wasn’t worried at first. But my guys patrolling the grounds aren’t answering their radio checks anymore.”

“This is a security breach,” I said.