“We need to jack the car, if we scrape it open, there’s a chance it’ll spark.” My father crouches by the back corner of the limo assessing the situation from a new angle.
He looks at me with a look he’s never given me before. I don’t know if it’s affection, pride or genuine love, but it makes me want to scream at him to look away.
I can’t fathom feeling anything other than hate for him. After everything he’s done…
“We’ll get her out,” he gives me a sorry smile.
Stop! Stop! STOP!
Crouching down by the door, Francis looks up at me and Freddie. “Fred, put the fucking phone down, we need your help.”
He looks between us, and then says, “You get in there and you get her out. Wayne’s stuck, they’re going to have to cut him out.”
“Cassie?” Ducking into the open door, I ask him before I look right where I left them.
Mum is still pressing the vest to Cassie’s chest, but she’s so pale that she looks grey and her ashy hair looks yellow.
“We need to get her out quickly.” Mum says, her worry permeating her words.
“They said not to move her.” Freddie crouches between my father and Francis, it’s the first time I’ve heard anything resembling panic in his voice.
“She’s barely breathing. I’m getting her out. No more losses tonight.” Francis grits. “On three, we lift and you get that door as open as it will go.”
No more losses.
“One.” My father says as I get ready to ram the door off its hinges if I have to. “Two.” He nods to Francis and all three of them anchor their hands beneath the chassis. “Three.”
There’s a loud keening yell from inside the car at the same time as they lift, and I slam the door into the side of the car. The hinges wince as they fold on themselves and before they’ve finished putting the back corner down, I’m climbing into the car, over Francis and Freddie.
I crawl to Cassie’s side and my chest caves in on itself. Her left hand is loosely holding my bowtie and the other is firmly clenched in Mum’s. There’s so much blood, that I’m certain there can’t be much left in her veins.
“Hey, Buttercup.” Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I wipe away some of the blood crusting her nose.
“She’s freezing, Leo,” Mum murmurs, and it’s only then I notice how dishevelled she looks now compared to when I left her. “I tried to get Wayne’s jacket for her.”
“Freddie!” Sliding in before I’ve finished calling, his eyes immediately go to the blood. “I’m going to need you to help me move her without jostling her too much.”
I grab my tux jacket off Cassie and lay it out above her head.
“What are you doing?”
“We need something we can pull her on. If we pick her up, we might hurt her more.”
Nodding, he gently tidies Cassie’s hair, so it doesn’t get in the way of the jacket.
“Pull on three,” he says as he brings the hem of the jacket down, tucking it under the curve of her shoulders and neck.
He counts and on three we both yank the jacket under her body. Her eyes flutter and I’m sure a groan escapes her bloodied lips.
“Quick!” Francis pops his head into the car. “They’re here.”
There are no sirens, no lights, nothing to indicate an accident or incident.
Freddie and I manage to drag her to the door, a plain white ambulance is pulling to a stop. Followed by a couple of vans and some other nondescript cars.
Clean up.
So much happens so quickly, that I can barely take in what’s going on. Before I know it, we’re driving through the same gates I’ve been through pretty much every day since Kit got assaulted.