Page 213 of Dare To Live

“You make sure Eli treats you right.”

I smile at him. As much as I like him, Garrett was never meant for me, and I think, deep down, he knows that too. He nods and turns, heading along the hallway. I hurry back into the room and pack.

***

Miles glances at me from the front passenger seat of the car. “You’ve had a week to announce your feelings to him. You know I love you, but why do you have to be so weird?”

“I couldn’t. Not while we were at the Academy. There’s too much bad history between us there. It’s as though I couldn’t physically tell him I loved him, because admitting it could jinx it somehow.”

“You were afraid of dooming your love.” Ivan keeps his eyes on the road as he drives.

He’s been keeping steadfastly to the speed limit and taking things slow, no matter how much I beg him to speed up. I can almost feel the distance between Eli and me growing. It’s like Ivan doesn’t want me to catch up to him.

“That doesn’t sound crazy to you?”

“Many of my family believe in curses and misfortune. I understand more than you know.”

I huff out a shaky breath. “Eli told me last night that he loves me.”

Miles arches an eyebrow at me. “And you didn’t think to tell him then?”

“He didn’t want me to say the words back. Told me to go back to L.A. and to think about what I wanted.”

Ivan’s attention flicks to the rear-view mirror as we take a bend in the road. “Maybe you should have done exactly that. You need time to think clearly and with less emotion. We could turn around now—”

“I’m done thinking about it. I don’t want to waste any more time. I …” The rest of the words die on my lips. My gaze is locked on the back of a car that’s smashed into a tree.

“Is that—” Miles says.

“Eli’s car,” I reply, unable to look away from the wreck as Ivan slows down and passes it.

My stomach hollows with fear.

Ivan brings the car to a stop, and I’m out of the door before he even has the engine switched off. I sprint toward the wreck. Fragments of broken glass are scattered all over the ground. The front of the vehicle is twisted and crumpled from the force it must have hit the tree with.

“Eli!” I scream his name, flying around to the driver’s side.

The airbag has deployed but there is no sign of Eli. My gaze latches onto the smear of red across it.

He must be hurt. Where is he? Oh, god, no.

I scramble around to the front and frantically search for him, but there’s nothing. No hint that he’s been there at all.

“He’s not here.” My voice is frantic. “Where is he? Why isn’t he here?”

“I need to call Bret.” Ivan strides back toward his car.

“Bret?” Miles repeats, as we follow him. “We need to call the authorities. Maybe he’s been taken to a hospital.”

Something about the older man’s grim demeanor sets alarm bells ringing in my head. He hadn’t wanted me to come after Eli. He’s deliberately driven slowly. Did he know something was going to happen?

I grab his arm. “Ivan, what aren’t you telling me?”

“I think Eli is in danger.”

“No shit.” Miles gestures back at the wrecked vehicle. “He was in a car accident.”

I don’t take my eyes off Ivan. “Why do you need to speak to Bret? What does he have to do with all this? Did he do this to Eli? Tell me what you know!”

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