Page 184 of Stolen Voices

I spin the car off to the side, doing a one-eighty. As suspected, the black SUV steers toward the driver’s side door. I close my eyes and relax, ready to absorb the impact.

Metal crunches. Glass shatters. Airbags pop.

A burning, blinding pain rips across my face and chest as my body jerks sideways. My seat belt tugs me back into my seat, and my head collides with the side of the car. Searing pain to the side of my head has my ears ringing and a thick, sticky liquid drips down the side of my face, blocking my view. My head slumps toward the passenger side, where Callie is strapped safely into her seat. Relief floods my system.

Callie is safe.

She looks scared, her eyes are wild, and her chest is heaving, but she otherwise looks perfect. No blood or broken bones, at least none that I can see.

Callie reaches for me as she shouts, but she sounds more like Charlie Brown’s mom, whomping away, making it hard for me to understand her. I want to assure her I’m fine, but the words won’t come out. Smoke and the taste of burned rubber coat my tongue, making it hard to swallow. The pain in my chest gets sharper, and my breaths get shorter.

What the fuck is happening?

Before I can figure out what’s going on, the darkness blurring the edges of my vision swallows me whole and everything turns black.

forty

Callie

“Elijiah!”Iscream.Heturns towards me and his head bobs like he can’t hold it up. Blood trickles down the side of his face. “Oh my god, Eli. You’re bleeding. We need to get you out of this car.”

My crazy man purposefully spun the car around so the psycho behind us would hit him. What in the hell was he thinking?

Flashes of the oversized black SUV hitting us from behind make me flinch. They purposefully drove us off the road—hitting us from behind, making us spin out and lose control, then crashing into us again before driving off.

Was this Silla too?

I push the thought away, focusing on Eli and what I need to do to get the fuck out of this car. Someone shouts my name in the background, but my head is foggy as if I’m swimming under water. All I want is to get to Eli. He’s hurt. Badly.

Time sluggishly moves through the hourglass like quicksand as I scream and cry, begging for Eli to talk to me. To let me know he’s okay.

“Eli! Please, talk to me.”

When he opens his mouth to speak, he takes a gasping breath, and his eyes roll to the back of his head. His body shudders as he passes out.

“No! Fuck! Eli, wake up. Please wake up. Don’t leave me.” I panic and thrash in my seat, trying to get to him.

No. No. No. Please don’t let anything happen to him. I won’t survive losing Eli. He’s my everything. We’re supposed to be starting our life together, not ending it.

Shut up and think, my brain shouts to staunch the panic gripping my thoughts.

Step one, get the hell out of the car.

I push away the airbag, desperately reaching for the seatbelt release button. My finger finds the button, but when I push it, the strap stays pressed across my chest, preventing me from getting out. Tears stream down my face as I tug and scream in frustration at the seatbelt trapping me.

Eli’s chest heaves rapidly as more blood drips down the side of his face.

“Fucking hell!” I claw at the seatbelt.

The taste of smoke burns my throat as I scream and shout at the man I love to wake up. I want to rip my fucking hair out as I watch Eli’s breaths grow shallow and wheezy.

“Ohmygod. Ohmygod. Ohmygod. No. This can’t be happening. Eli. I need you. Please wake up. Please.” I sob as I grit my teeth and tug at the seatbelt again.

“Callie! Fucking stop and listen to me.”

I freeze at the sound of a familiar voice filling the car’s cabin.

“Mason?”