AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Konstantin curses. “Turn around. Drive back to the house. I’ll get something to—Fuck, I don’t know. Crash into the gates.”
I want to tell him there isn’t enough time. There are no roads for me to turn around. The next intersection is packed with early morning commuters.
“Paige!” Konstantin yells, trying to get my attention.
But I need all of my focus for what is coming next. There is only one option.
I twist the wheel to the right and drive directly into a lamppost on the side of the street.
The impact is a flurry of crunching metal, the explosion of the airbag, and shattering glass. Smoke swirls out from the engine in big clouds.
“Holy hell, what happened?” Konstantin roars. Somehow, the car’s Bluetooth is still playing his voice through the speakers. “Are you alright? Talk to me! Paige!”
I take stock of my body. I can move my arms and legs, I’m conscious, I can still breathe. Still, it takes me a moment to find my voice. “I… I think I’m okay. I crashed into a lamppost. The brakes weren’t working.”
“Don’t move,” he orders. “I’ll be right there.”
The line goes dead.
I try to push the airbag out of my face so I can remove my seat belt, but the battered cabin of the car around me makes it difficult to do anything. The door is jammed, and no matter how hard I push, I can’t seem to wedge it open.
Suddenly, a man appears through the shattered window of my door. He’s dressed in Spandex with a workout band around his bicep.
“I was running and I saw you—” He shakes his head. “That was crazy. Ma’am, are you alright?”
“The—the door is jammed.” Saying the words out loud breaks something loose inside of me. My throat clogs with tears, and I have to swallow back the panic.
The man starts pulling on the door, and I push with my shoulder as hard as I can. Between the two of us, we manage to pry the ruined metal open. He takes my hand and helps me out on shaky legs.
“Are you alright?” he asks, helping me stay upright.
“I’m okay,” I tell him. “I’m—”
My words fade in the roar of an approaching engine. I look up as a bright red convertible races down the street towards us.
“Oh, boy.”
“Are you hurt?” he asks urgently.
“No,” I mutter under my breath. “But that might be about to change.”
A second later, the convertible screeches to a stop in front of us. Misha leaps out, looking like a storm about to break. His voice is a rumbling thunder cloud. “Paige. What happened?”
“I don’t know, to be honest,” I admit. “I was driving and the brakes wouldn’t work.”
The man in workout gear nods. “She was going along and then,boom. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her head straight for a lamppost. I thought she was crazy, but it’s a smart move if the brakes weren’t working.”
“Actually, the smart move would have been to wait for Konstantin,” Misha spits at me.
“How predictable.” I glare at him before turning to the nice man who helped me. “Thanks for stopping to help. You can keep going. I don’t want to keep you.”
His eyes slip towards Misha. “And you’ll be fine here…?”
“I think she’s safe with her husband,” Misha growls. “I’ve got her now. Off you go.”
I blush with embarrassment. “Yes, thank you. I’ll be fine.”
The man gives me a parting nod and jogs off down the road, glancing back over his shoulder every few seconds.
