Page 66 of King of Wrath

“Nia is innocent,” I fire back, done with this conversation. “You don’t know shit.”

“She’s Toni’s daughter. Of course she’s not innocent.”

“Wrong on both counts. Like I said. You don’t know shit.” I turn to the open door of the chopper, watching the Accord careen down the road, bouncing from side to side. She’s driving way too fast, and she doesn’t seem to have control of the car.

My heart is pounding as I watch the car bounce over a rock, nearly running off the road. “Baby girl,” I’m talking to myself now. “Slow down, sweetheart. You’re going to get hurt.” I can hear the fear in my own voice.

The tarred road is coming up and while I’ll be glad to see her on a real surface, and not bouncing all over the rocky desert ground, she’s coming into the turn way too fast.

And worse, another car catches my gaze coming down the road toward Nia. Is it my imagination or are they on a crash course?

My fists pound on my thighs a roar rumbling from my lips. “Nia,” I grit out. “Please.”

“You love her,” Roman states quietly, watching the car too.

“She’s been a victim this whole time,” I answer back, not touching the L-word. “And she’s still done nothing but help us.”

“How has she helped us?”

I glare at him for a split second before my eyes return to the car. “I’ll tell you after I know she’s all right.”

But the Accord is even less stable than a moment before.

And the car that’s coming…a state trooper.

A snarl rips from my throat.

She hits the tar, not even coming close to making the turn.

She does pump the brakes, the car slowing. The trooper swerves and she shoots off the other side of the road, bouncing wildly until the sedan jolts to a stop in some shrub brush.

I see the airbag deploy and another snarl rips from my lips.

And then nothing.

Nia doesn’t open the door. She doesn’t even move as the chopper does a circle. “Land,” I bark at Carl.

“How are you going to explain what just happened to the troopers?” Roman asks me.

“You’re a smart kid,” I answer back. “Think of something. Fast.”

“Christ,” Roman growls out on a frustrated breath. “You’re serious?”

But he doesn’t say anything else as the bird hits the ground and I spring from my seat, racing toward the car.

I wrench the door open, Nia is so still I stop, my breath sticking in my chest.

“Ow,” she moans as her head turns toward me. “That hurt.”

“Nia.” I’m down on my haunches, unbuckling her seatbelt. “You scared me so much.”

My eyes are scanning her body. My breath rushes out, she looks…unharmed. Nothing broken, no blood.

“Not as much as you scared me.”

My stomach clenches as I go to pull her out of the car.

“Stop,” one of the troopers commands. My teeth gnash but I obey. “You can’t move her in case she’s injured.”

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