Worth Fighting For (Fighting to Be Free 2)

Mom’s body sagged in relief as she nodded, reaching up and patting Nana’s hand, which still rested on her shoulder. The gratitude in her eyes was easy to see, and some of the life came back into them, too. Maybe the prospect of returning home was what was making her so worried and keeping her so low.

* * *

After Nana’s suggestion, the air in the room shifted, became less stifling, and everyone seemed more relaxed, including my mom, who sat holding Kelsey’s hand, listening to her talk about her science project at school.

Moving to the Poconos with my nana would cause a little issue with Jamie being an hour and a half away, but I was pretty sure we’d work something out. I wasn’t losing him again now over something as silly as having to drive to see each other for a while; after all, it wasn’t as if it was a full ocean away.

When visiting hours were over, we said our good-byes and I noted that Mom looked like she was in a much better place than she had been for the last couple of days. “Shall we go for lunch?” Nana offered as we climbed into my car.

I winced because I’d made lunch plans with Jamie. “Um, I can’t. I said I would meet a friend,” I replied, shooting Kelsey a look because a wide grin spread across her face when I said the word friend.

“Oh, maybe we could still go, Kels?” Nana suggested, turning in her seat to see Kelsey, who was buckling her seat belt in the back.

“Sure, that’d be great,” she answered. “Maybe we could go to that noodle bar and then get ice cream after?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Nana agreed.

My tummy rumbled at the thought of noodles, wondering what Jamie would suggest we eat for our late lunch. Then an idea struck me—I could suggest takeout to eat in his bed! A longing sigh left my lips at the mere thought as I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. A few cars behind me, Ed pulled out too, looking bored as he followed.

I dropped off Nana and my sister outside the noodle bar and headed for home. Jamie hadn’t called yet, so I wasn’t sure what time we were meeting. I decided that when I got home, I would send him a message telling him I was hungry. Maybe I’d send him a naughty flash down my shirt and then pick out some killer heels to wear to lunch. I wondered if he still had a slight shoe fetish. My cheeks flooded with heat just thinking about it as I smiled to myself.

I stopped at a red light, turning on my radio and singing along with Sia about her elastic heart, bobbing my head in time with the beat as the light changed to green. I shifted into drive and rolled forward, signaling a left turn.

If I’d been looking properly, I would have seen the white van speeding toward the deserted intersection opposite me. I would have seen him run the light. I would have seen him twist his wheel ever so slightly so that he was lined up to smash into the side of my little bug. But I wasn’t looking, I was too busy singing along with the radio, thinking about Jamie and food and my mom.

Everything happened so quickly, I barely even had time to react or fear for my life. The van struck the passenger side of my car with such force that it knocked all the breath out of my lungs and made my teeth rattle. Metal grated against metal, tires scraped against the road, gravel flew into the air. The windshield smashed from the force of the impact, spraying glass across my face and body. My head collided with the car door, and my vision blurred.

Pain gripped my body everywhere at once. The seat belt constricted, doing its job but forcing the air out of my lungs even further. My hands tightened on the steering wheel as the force of the collision shunted my car sideways several feet. My mind wasn’t making sense.

There was a feeling of weightlessness; everything that had been on the floor of the car was suddenly on the roof, then the floor, then the roof again as the car rolled several times. The noise was the worst; the scraping, loud bangs, and crashes made my teeth grate and my ears ring.

When the car finally stopped moving, it was in a ditch at the side of the road and everything was upside down. My arms were dangling, touching the roof, which was now where the ground should have been.

I blinked a couple of times, turning my head and seeing the contents of my purse scattered over the roof of my car, mixed in with the glass and broken pieces of my beloved bug. I groaned, the pressure across my chest and waist immense. I could barely draw breath; my lungs felt like they were being crushed by the seat belt that pinned me upside down to my seat.

Blood ran down the side of my face, tickling where it touched, dripping with a plop, plop, plop onto the ceiling of my car underneath me.

I groaned, trying to lift my arms, but they were heavy and uncoordinated as I floundered awkwardly, attempting to reach the buckle of my seat belt so I could free myself. Maybe then I’d be able to breathe. But my fingers fumbled fruitlessly at the buckle.

I smelled gasoline, acrid and burning my throat as I panted, trying to fill my lungs. I have to get out of here!

“Help,” I croaked, blinking as everything seemed to gray out and then come back into focus again. I tried my legs, noticing they worked although the dashboard seemed to be pressed against my knees, which would make freeing myself hard, even if I could get my belt off. “Help,” I tried again, my voice barely above a whisper.

I turned my head, ignoring the sharp twinge in my neck, and could see a pair of feet heading toward the vehicle. They weren’t rushing, just walking steadily toward me, the black boots worn and heavy looking. I blinked again, my eyelids getting heavier each time they closed. I could hear scraping on the driver’s door, a crunching of something being pried open. I licked my lips, tasting blood there. I was blacking out, I could feel it coming. As the door finally cracked open, a man leaned in, dropping the crowbar he’d held and reaching behind him, pulling out a large silver knife. As he reached toward my seat belt with it, beginning to hack me free, I opened my mouth to thank him, but nothing came out. The last thing I saw just before I passed out was the large spider tattoo on the side of my savior’s neck.

CHAPTER 26

JAMIE

AS THE DOOR to Ellie’s house clicked closed behind me, I pumped the air with my fist in triumph. I had never expected she would take me back; I’d never felt I deserved the first chance, let alone the second one she was giving me, so hadn’t expected to wake up next to her glorious body and beautiful smile this morning. I was walking on a cloud as I headed to the side of the sedan and bent down to lean in and talk to Ed.

“What’s up, buddy?” I greeted him, grinning.

He raised one eyebrow quizzically. “Are you drunk?”

I laughed and ran a hand through my hair. “No, just woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.” Right bed, more like. “I gotta go. I’ll be back just after lunch to take over.”

He nodded, his eyes flicking back to the house. “Yeah, I heard.”

“I’ll give you a call later,” I said, already turning for my car, not waiting for an answer. I couldn’t keep the smug grin off my face as I slid into my seat and started the engine. Before pulling away, I sent a quick message to Ray and Dodger, asking them both to meet me at the warehouse ASAP. I wasn’t really looking forward to telling them the news that I was abandoning ship, but they were good friends; I hoped they’d understand.

When I pulled up at the warehouse, it was after ten and no one was around. After opening up and turning all the lights and the little space heater on because the place was like a freezer inside, I decided to spend some time working on my car. I was too wired to do anything else, and couldn’t set the ball rolling on any legal business transfer papers until I’d spoken to the boys about it. I knew they’d be a while yet. Ray had replied to my message saying that he was at his eldest daughter’s soccer practice, so he wouldn’t be in until after eleven. Dodger would be in later than that; he hadn’t replied, but he was a night owl and late sleeper. His day didn’t begin until after lunch.

So that was how I spent the next two hours, elbow deep in my Subaru, giving her a fine tune-up. Not that it really mattered. I

wouldn’t be racing again. I’d promised Ellie I would leave this life, and that meant all elements of it. Now that she was back, I didn’t need to risk my life racing when I would rather curl up around her and watch a movie. That trumped everything, even the adrenaline high I got from fast cars and boosting. Ellie was all I needed.

Ray came in first, gushing about his little girl and what a mean left foot she had and how she was a natural on the soccer field. Dodger arrived a few minutes after, still rubbing his eyes and yawning just after eleven thirty.

“Morning,” I greeted him cheerfully.