When Adam moved to pump on her chest again, tears streamed down his cheeks. He’d lost her. He hadn’t reached her in time, and now she couldn’t be revived.
In Adam’s fire-damaged peripheral vision, he spotted Sagecarefully descending the ravine. Had she finally decided to help? He continued compressions, water and tears dripping down onto Hayden’s lifeless face. The horror and anguish mingled. Like ingredients in a potion, they conjured up a memory so vivid, it felt as if it were taking place right now.
Mariana sat in the driver’s seat of her car, making eye contact with Adam through the windshield. A little nod—she’d done it. She’d broken up with Bram. Adam felt hope and guilt hit him in equal doses. The car continued several yards down the driveway when suddenly, Adam smelled smoke.
The car was halted now. But the engine was in flames, smoke billowing up into the air.
Mariana was still inside.
Adam never thought about what to do. He charged straight up to the burning car, shouting at Mariana to get out. She blinked, clearly in shock, then tried to move, only her seat belt stuck, the retractor having locked with the force of her braking. She started yanking on it, fighting to release it.
As the flames leapt from the engine, Adam called to her to ease the belt out. But in her panic, she only tugged harder, more frantically. The fire grew, creating an oven of the entire car. The smoke thickened, and she was coughing and choking.
Adam pulled the door open and reached over Mariana in an attempt to free her, holding his breath. His eyes stung from the smoke, so bad he could barely see as he fought with it. Mariana was losing consciousness, fading as the smoke spread and the flameslapped.
Then came thebang, sending Adam flying through the air. Everything went black..
The vision melted away, along with the freshly awakened sense of suffering and loss, leaving with it only a stark realization: Adam had tried to save Mariana, just like his brothers and Hayden claimed.
Sage’s words from up on the bridge finally echoed back into his ears. She was going to make this look like murder. Adam had tried to save Hayden’s life, but Sage was going to twist it, painting Adam as a monster. Just like she and the rest of the town had done with Mariana’s death.
When he tilted Hayden’s head again, leaning down to place his mouth on hers, he’d already given up hope. His friend’s face was deathly pale, lips blue. He gave her a slow breath anyway, doing what little he’d been trained to do until the ambulance arrived.
But of course, no ambulance was coming. Even if Sage had actually called, the hospital was an hour away. In desperation, he tried shouting to her again, but there was no response. It wasn’t until he heard the splash that he realized Sage was in the water.
At first, Adam thought she’d gone completely mad. But when she ducked her head beneath the surface, it all made sickening sense. She had only filmed Adam holding Hayden face down in the water. She’d stopped the camera before the rest of it: Adam turning Hayden over, carrying her to shore. Attempting CPR. Of course she’d stopped filming. Now, Sage was trying to make it look likeshewas the one who’d jumped in to try and rescue Hayden. Likeshewas the one who’d dragged Hayden’s body to shore.
With Hayden gone, no one would be able to refute Sage’s version of events. No one but Adam, whose word was as worthless as his CPR skills.
Adam barely cared about Sage’s plan. Once again, he’d failed a girl. Another girl who meant so much to him. Going through the motions, he pushed a hopeless breath between Hayden’s blue lips.
And she coughed.
Adam flinched, wondering if he was the one who’d gone mad. But he watched as her chest moved, and water bubbled up through her lips.
He snapped to, sliding his hand under her back, folding her upper half forward as she expelled a river full of water, then took her first gurgling breath. He patted her back, called her name, and listened to the blessed sound of her wheezing breaths.
Adam held her, supporting her flaccid body, checking her for a phone and finding nothing. As he did, he spotted Sage emerging from the water, clothes soaked and hair dripping.
She scanned the bank for a moment, and Adam’s attention diverted back to Hayden, who coughed in his arms. He listened and found that she was still breathing. “Are you okay?” he rasped, his own breathing shallow.
Hayden worked up a nod, opening her eyes for the first time, blinking away the water. And then her eyes widened in terror. Adam followed her gaze to the bank, where Sage now charged at them, a large rock in her hands. She raised it high, aiming at Hayden’s skull.
Adam whipped his body around to shield his friend, taking the blow in the shoulder. He grunted, agony rocketing through his arm.
His sight blurred by the pain, he glanced back to where Sage was stumbling, her clothes squelching. The rock had slipped from her grasp. She clutched her hand for a moment, like it might be injured, then quickly bent to retrieve the rock.
Adam had only seconds to lay Hayden down in the sand and struggle to his feet. But his weary body swayed, and Sage was already skirting past him. She wound up her arm, hand gripping the rock, and let out a guttural roar.
Adam clenched his jaw and lunged forward, knocking the girl’s feet out from under her. Sage screamed, the rock falling as they both toppled into the sand.
Adam lifted his head, blinking away the dizziness. He was weak, but he had to get Hayden away from here. Mustering all the grit he could—the kind he needed at the end of the second practice of the day during hell week, when nausea struck and his muscles felt like they’d melted off his bones—Adam stooped to lift Hayden.
Beside them in the sand, Sage groaned and tried to get up. She looked disoriented, and Adam could only hope it would last. He lifted Hayden in his arms and forced his tired legs to move in the direction of the road. He craned his neck enough to check behind him, where Sage was still gathering her bearings.
Adam hurried on, his bare feet stinging the more they warmed up. His injured shoulder cried out.Don’t come after us, he silently pleaded with Sage. He would do whatever it took to keep Haydensafe, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
When the sound of the creek died out, he left the path, clomping straight through the trees. His phone still useless, he forced a deep breath into his lungs and screamed, “Help! Someone, call 911!”
