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“I am not a weird car girl.” Hedra stepped on the gas when the light turned green.
“You hear that knocking sound, right?” Boone said.
“I do,” Hedra said.
“The engine light’s been on since you started driving,” Boone said.
“You only need to worry if the engine light isn’t on,” Hedra said.
Boone laughed, and Hedra grinned before resting her hand on his thigh. “Don’t worry, Betsy will get us safely to our destination. Just keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.”
Boone laughed again. He knew that Hedra was actually freaking out about seeing Mateo. She couldn’t hide the scent of her anxiety no matter how big a smile she wore or how many jokes she cracked, but if being silly was what she needed, he was happy to play along.
Boone arched an eyebrow at Hedra as the car laboured to climb a hill. “Not to keep harping, but will Betsy even make it up this hill?”
“She’s climbed bigger mountains than this,” Hedra said, but she patted the steering wheel and muttered, “Don’t fail me now, sweetie.”
The car wheezed and chugged to the top of the hill. Below them was the Copper River, a deep river that weaved through the valley until it flowed into the ocean. Two bridges were available for commuters to cross the river, and they were currently headed toward the older and smaller of the two. The Copper River Bridge was only two lanes and had seen better days. Potholes marred the pavement, and a determined toddler could break through the guardrails.
It was also often clogged with traffic. At peak traffic hours, a person could idle for over half an hour on the bridge as the line of cars snaked across the river.
The bridge had been the center of a few heated debates regarding safety and inappropriate size for the traffic volume. The city council was voting on tearing down the Copper River Bridge and building a bigger one a few miles further down the river.
As Hedra drove down the hill toward the bridge, Boone was thankful to see that while there was a steady line of cars in both lanes, they were at least moving. Slowly, but they were moving.
“Boone.” Hedra’s voice sounded weird as they approached the bridge. With a trickle of apprehension, he realized the car was moving too fast.
“What’s wrong?” Boone asked.
The sharp scent of Hedra’s fear washed over him. “The brakes. They’re not working.”
CHAPTER 25
Boone watched as Hedra pumped the brakes hard, but the car didn’t slow.
Adrenaline spiking and his tiger growling in equal parts warning and alarm, Boone said, “Be prepared to skid.”
He hooked his hand around the emergency brake and applied slow and steady pressure. Nothing happened, and Hedra’s fear sharpened and thickened as they barreled onto the bridge, the car rattling and shaking.
“What do I do?” Hedra shouted as they approached the car in front of them. It was moving too slowly, and they’d smash into the back in less than thirty seconds. The opposite lane was a snail trail of cars with no hope of them using it, and Hedra shouted again, “Boone! What do I do?”
“There!” he shouted, pointing to the narrow gap between the cars and the bridge guardrail. “The gap!”
Her face bloodless and her hands gripping the steering wheel in a death grip, Hedra steered toward the gap. Her car was small, and they might, if they were very fucking lucky, be able to squeeze through.
They hit the gap, and Hedra screamed when the front bumper of her car hit the back bumper of the vehicle in front of them. Their car skidded to the right as Hedra fought for control, and Boone’s tiger roared when they hit the guardrail with a bone-jolting thud.
The guardrail metal, ancient and weak from years of exposure to the elements, tore wide open with a hellish squeal. Hedra screamed again when the car crashed through the guardrail and plunged off the bridge. There was a sickening drop before the vehicle landed in the river with a shuddering whump that made Boone’s seatbelt lock against his chest.
“Hedra!” Boone unbuckled his seatbelt as the car began to sink.
One to two minutes, his brain screamed at him. It only takes one to two minutes for a car to fill with water.
“Hedra!” He grabbed Hedra’s shoulder, wincing when her head lolled on her neck. He could see blood on her scalp and more blood on her window, and she didn’t open her eyes when he lightly slapped her cheek.
“Fuck!” He unbuckled her seatbelt and unrolled his window, his body shaking when the cold water poured into the car. “Hang on, baby. Hang on.”
He yanked Hedra toward him and dragged her into his seat with him. He sucked in one final deep breath as the car sank below the river’s surface before pushing his way out of the window. Holding onto the window frame, he turned in the icy black water and shoved his upper body back through the open window. Hedra’s bright blue hair floated in a halo around her pale face, and another burst of adrenaline surged through him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her through the window before kicking for the faint light above him.
