Page 3

EVE

“Holy shit.”

The words wheezed out as I struggled to catch my breath. My chest heaved. Each breath sent pain ricocheting through my ribs. Smoke and rubber stung my nose, sharp and acrid.

Okay. You’re alive.

The windshield was a spider web of cracks, and shards of glass glittered across the dashboard. The hood was crumpled, steam hissing from the engine as it curled into the air. My hands fumbled as I felt my way around the dark when I noticed the warmth slicking my palms.

Blood.

I wanted to retch, but I fought the urge. I yanked at the seat belt, trying to pull it from the mangled lock. It didn’t budge.

“Come on.” Panic bubbled in my throat. I pulled harder on the release. Eventually, it clicked and I slumped forward, a fresh wave of pain lighting up my side.

The driver’s door was pinned against a tree.

I turned toward the passenger side. The door was warped but intact.

I wondered if the car had flipped at some point, or how far I’d tumbled from the road.

I leaned over the seat, careful of the glass as I grabbed the handle, but I felt woozy as I tried to get the door open.

“ Oh, come on! ” I shouted when the door refused to open. My head swam and my ribs throbbed with the effort.

“Help!” I shouted, voice raw. I tried again. “Anybody!”

Maybe the man on the road had seen the crash, and he would come to help me. Or maybe I’d simply fallen asleep behind the wheel and imagined him completely.

Fuck, this was bad.

I heard footsteps. Crunching through the underbrush, stepping closer to the wreckage.

“Hello?” My voice trembled. “Is someone there?”

The man stepped into view. Tall. Broad. Worn leather jacket. He looked nothing like the shadow I’d seen before. His eyes locked on mine, then flicked to the wreckage. His jaw tightened.

He moved, crouching beside the car. “Hello little one, nice to see you’re alive,” his voice was warm and steady… and so not what I expected.

“Are you hurt? Can you move?”

“I… I don’t know. The door’s stuck.”

He nodded and stepped to the passenger side. He pulled on the handle. Metal groaned but didn’t give.

“Shit,” he muttered, then glanced at me again. “You’ve really gotten yourself stuck, huh? I’m going to have to smash the window, but I need you to turn your head.”

I winced as I faced away from the door, my ribs screaming at the movement as he smashed something against the glass until it shattered.

“Alright,” he said, clearing the glass. “Let’s get you out.”

I grabbed his hand without hesitation and climbed for the window. He guided me out slowly, careful not to catch myself on the shards left behind, until I was out of the car. The moment my feet touched the dirt, pain lanced through my side, and I staggered.

He swept me up quickly—one arm under my knees, the other at my back. My limbs felt like lead, every movement sending jolts of pain and shock through my system.

“What are you doing? Put me down!”

“We’re almost there, Bambi.”

I tensed. Awareness prickled under my skin. I was being carried by a stranger—alone, in the woods. He could be taking me anywhere to do god knows what. Holy shit. I was a sitting duck in a horror movie.

But, instead of carrying me into the woods like my overactive imagination was telling me, he carried me out of the ditch, up toward the road.

“Please,” my voice cracked. “Just put me down. I can walk.”

“Alright. Go slow, little one, you’ve been in a pretty rough accident, and we can’t have you swooning all over me.”

I rolled my eyes, which only seemed to make my head throb harder. Then my feet hit the ground—and I just buckled. He caught me by the shoulder, holding me upright, but my dignity was long gone.

Real smooth, Eve.

“Did you see anyone on the road?” I asked, pointing to the empty bend marked by my tire tracks. “There was someone in there, I swear I almost hit them.”

He frowned, clearly confused about where my head had gone. “No. I was just driving by and saw your headlights flickering through the trees, so I pulled over.“

I looked back at the man to find his eyes locked on me, too sharp to be casual.

It lasted only a second, but something shifted in his pause that made me wonder if he was telling the truth.

His posture was too relaxed, hands loose at his sides.

Still, every instinct I had was on high alert.

He was attractive in the way dangerous men usually were—broad shoulders, easy confidence.

A storm in green eyes that didn’t blink, brown waves covering his forehead.

Exactly the kind of guy that would make you drop all your guards before he pounced.

He gestured toward the wreckage. “We’re about an hour from the nearest hospital. I can drive you, or take you home?”

My pulse spiked. “I’m not getting in a car with a stranger. For all I know, you could be a serial killer. You know, using that charming smile to get unwitting girls into your car, then dragging them out into the middle of the woods to keep as a trophy or something.” I was talking way too much.

His lips twitched. “Ah, so you’re a true-crime enthusiast. So you’ve already profiled me? Should I be flattered or worried?”

“Hardly,” I scoffed, but I could feel the flush rushing to my cheeks. “Just keeping my wits about me.”

“Uh-huh. Maybe you have a concussion. You did just call me attractive and a serial killer in the same breath; perhaps you should see a doctor.”

“That’s not necessary, and I’m not getting into a stranger’s car.”

His smirk only seemed to grow as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a leather badge, flipping it open and handing it to me.

“ Detective Orion Thorn ,” I read aloud. “Oh, right. Because cops never commit crimes against women.”

Orion laughed. “Touché. But if I wanted to kidnap you, you’d already be in the truck.”

“Not comforting.”

He shrugged. “Still true. So, are you gonna let me take you to the hospital?”

I considered it for a moment. My body ached, but I didn’t fancy spending the night in the ER, and I’d probably have to miss my shift tomorrow. I’d just have to suck it up and take a painkiller when I got home.

”No, I’m fine,” I said. I looked back at my mangled car, then at him. “But, can I borrow your phone? I should probably call someone to come and get the car.”

“You’re going to need a tow truck to get your car out of the ditch. Let me help you first.”

”I’m fine right here.”

He looked at me with a mixture of bemusement and disbelief. It felt overbearing being under his scrutiny, and I just needed a moment to think, but he was probably right. I was no safer out here on my own in the dark, and he was a cop… Surely I’d be no more in danger than I was behind the wheel?

I hesitated, the tension in my chest unwinding just enough. “Fine, just please don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t, little one.” He stepped back. His smile was crooked and a little teasing. “You’re safe with me, I promise.”