Chapter 1
Crash and Burn In The Best Way
Ember
The wiper blades whip back and forth in the heavy rain, yet I can barely see through the deluge. My knuckles whiten around the rental car’s steering wheel as I replay the conversation with my lawyer, Patricia. “File a cease and desist... document his proof of theft...” The words echo in my head, mixing with the thunderous rain, only Georgia can produce in early spring.
Bright headlights reflect in my mirrors, the glare almost blinding. I squint through the water-streaked windshield, barely making out the twisty, country state highway ahead. Out of nowhere, two deer appear in the middle of the road.
I slam on the brakes.
The compact car hydroplanes on the slick pavement. I clutch the steering wheel, unable to direct the car as it careens over the edge and down an embankment. The world spins in slow motion. A massive evergreen rushes toward me.
“No, no, no, no… Fuck!” Impact.
Metal crunches.
Glass shatters.
The airbag explodes in my face with a deafeningpop!
White powder fills the air and I blink, trying to clear my vision.
Stars dance in my head as I sit there, dazed.
My head throbs. The metallic taste of blood blooms on my tongue where I’ve bitten my lip.
Beyond the splintered glass, beams of light pierce the downpour—a tall silhouette wearing heavy work clothes with bright safety bands sprints in my direction.
It’s a man.
He says something, and I shake my head from the ringing in my ears as I push away the airbag.
Opening my door, I ask, “Say again?”
“Ma’am, are you okay? Can you hear me?” A deep voice cuts like a knife through my disoriented haze as I stare up at his towering frame before he crouches next to me.
“I can now,” I croak, groping for my purse strap in the passenger seat.
“What’s your name?” he asks, but he’s looking around and not at me.
“Ember—.” I pull my purse onto my shoulder.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need help getting out of the car?”
I wave him off, though my legs shake as I step out of the driver’s seat, leaving behind the massive, deflated airbag. The ground tilts beneath me, and he leans forward with strong arms that catch me before I fall, but not before I face-plant into his muscled chest.
“Whoa there,” he says again, catching me effortlessly and holding me out from him. “Are you sure?—”
“Please tell me you’re not a mirage I conjured up in a car crash panic. Because if I’m dreaming, I’d like to order you as takeout.”
He smiles. Wow, that is a thousand-watt smile right there.
“Really,” I insist weakly, “I’m okay.”
He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t argue. Instead, he speaks into a handheld radio. “Control, this is Ryan McCallister from Station One. We’ve got a single-vehicle collision at County Road 17, near the Old Mill. One injury, requesting EMS and police response.”
The radio beeps. A reply crackles through. “Copy that, Captain—response in route. Stay safe out there. Rain should let up soon.”
