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I whirl around, facing him for the first time since I had a meltdown. “I’m flagging down help.”
The look on Chase’s face causes me to freeze. I tilt my head, studying him, before realizing his eyes aren’t on me. The horrified look on his face is from whoever is behind me.
Strong hands latch around my arms, tugging me against a large, muscular body. An eerie feeling swims through my veins, the touch unwelcome. I look over my shoulder, my heart palpitating inside my chest when I spot the beast behind me.
A hulking man looms over me, his face eerily painted with a white upside-down cross surrounded by black paint covering the rest of his face. A vile smile curls his lips, and foreboding causes a skeletal finger to run down my spine when my eyes meet his soulless ones.
“Hello, gorgeous. You’re exactly what I’m looking for.”
7
CHASE
I’m frozen in place as Mackenzie storms away after an epic meltdown that stunned me. Her words cracked the heart inside my chest and splintered it into a million pieces.
“You. This is all your fault.”
“You shouldn’t have been allowed to drive Gavin’s vehicle in the first damn place.”
“Now look at what you did. You wrecked it. You destroyed the only thing I had left of my brother.”
“You wanted him gone from the start. To erase his memory.”
My thoughts spin wildly, confusion blanketing me. The moment we shared inside Gavin’s vehicle was perfect. It was everything I had always dreamed of having with Mackenzie but figured I could never have.
The light rain coats me, dripping from my lashes, hiding the tears that fill my eyes and spill over the lids every time I blink. Fisting my wet hoodie as the pain cuts through my heart, I watch Mackenzie’s retreating back. My lungs constrict, making it hard to breathe. Shock and disbelief run through me, and it feels as though time has stopped.
How could Mackenzie think such horrific things about me?
Mackenzie was cold and distant when I first moved into the Collins’ house, treating me like the enemy. No matter how nice I was or how hard I tried to reach her, she rebuffed every attempt, eying me with cold disdain. I was so miserable and lonely that I felt like giving up and going back to that dilapidated trailer.
Mackenzie’s father, Mike Collins, convinced me to persevere. Still rooted to the spot beside the wrecked vehicle, the memory courses through my head.
I stood in the living room, lost in thought. The harsh things Mackenzie said to me before Jamie picked her up earlier whirled inside my head, making me feel like shit.
I didn’t even realize Mike had come up behind me until I felt his large hand on my shoulder. “Please have a seat on the couch, Chase. I think it’s time I shared something important with you.”
I sank onto the cushions, tension blanketing my body. Pearl was working a late shift at the hospital, and with Mackenzie at Jamie’s house, it was just the two of us.
Once I was settled, Mike stared at the glass of scotch in his hand before he began speaking.
“I’m going to be very blunt and share confidential information with you. I believe you can handle it.” Releasing a sigh, he raised his amber eyes to mine. “Mackenzie hasn’t been welcoming to you. Don’t think Pearl and I haven’t noticed. I apologize for her behavior.”
I don’t know how to respond, so I remain quiet.
Mike swallowed hard and then told me about Gavin and Mackenzie’s relationship before the accident and how close they were.
His entire demeanor changed, his anguish palpable as he spilled the details of that horrific night that changed their world. “The car accident altered Mackenzie’s life in numerous ways. Recovering from her injuries was a lengthy process, made worse by her mourning over losing the person closest to her. But it was her guilt that changed her the most.”
As Mike continued talking, I sat there in stunned silence, realizing Mackenzie and I had more in common than I ever imagined.
“She thinks you’re here to replace Gavin. I tried so hard to dispel that notion, but she’s stubborn. She uses it as a crutch to relieve her from the blame she heaps on herself for not saving Gavin. Even though I’ve told her Gavin died instantly from blunt force trauma, she refuses to absolve herself of the guilt. Mackenzie believes if she could have gotten her legs from beneath the wreckage, she could’ve saved him.”
My heart twisted inside my chest before breaking in half, then splintering into pieces for the beautiful girl carrying such a heavy burden on her shoulders.
“I think you can help her, Chase. It’s going to take a helluva lot of patience, and it won’t be easy. I know I’m asking for a lot, but please, don’t give up on her.”
I nodded, torn between wanting to help her and fearing I’d only let him and her down.Just like I did with my sister.
