Page 31 of Bad for Me

Justin groans. “I can’t let him get to you.”

“I want him to come get me.”

“No! He’s messed with your head!” Justin screams, startling me. “I’m saving you! I’msavingyou!”

He turns down another street. This one looks more residential. Crap. Are we getting close to his place? I can’t let him get me into his house. Once there, who knows if I’ll ever be able to get back out?

I glance at the gun in Justin’s lap. Could I…? No, it’s too risky. Then again, this whole situation is dangerous. Justin takes another turn, then another. When the car begins to slow, I know I have to act.

Gathering all the courage I can muster, I lunge for the gun. It surprises Justin and he cries out, jerking the weapon out of reach. In the same breath, the steering wheel is jerked to the side. I’m thrown against the passenger door as the car veers off the road. The world around us turns white as the car lurches forward into a snowbank, and then it goes black as my head cracks against the dashboard.

15

ISAAC

By some fucking miracle,we catch up to Justin’s SUV.

As it turns into a residential neighborhood, I rev the engine and creep closer.

“Careful,” Bernard warns. “He’s likely expecting someone to be following him.”

I shake my head at the absurdity of that. “He’s expecting us? Really? After knocking you out, he really thinks you’ll be ready to charge after him?” My voice comes out tense.

Dad sucks in a deep breath, one that tells me he’s close to losing any patience he’s still holding onto. “Justin suffers from paranoia. He’ll be keeping an eye on his surroundings. He might not think it’s us, but he could believesomeoneis following behind him.”

My knuckles crack as I tighten my hold around the steering wheel. Leaning forward, I strain to see through the snowfall. It’s coming down harder now. Any harder and I might not be able to see the red of the taillights in front of us.

I can’t lose them. Even though I know where he’s headed and with the cops on their way, there’s an urgency to be the one that gets Meredith to safety. I can’t believe I failed to keep her safe to begin with. Standing there like a fool, I watched as she was dragged out of the house, down the sidewalk, and shoved into the SUV. I’d been helpless. The terror that climbed up my throat and squeezed until I couldn’t breathe had left me lightheaded and panicked. The sight of my father getting to his feet had brought just enough relief that I didn’t go utterly mad.

“We’re nearly there.”

I glance at the screen built into the dashboard. We’re only five minutes away. We have to get to Meredith before Justin can barricade himself in his house. Where are the cops? On the way? Already there?

I know there will be questions, ones that might be difficult to answer by the time this is all said and done, but I’ll deal with them later. The person who needs to worry about the law right now is Justin. Just as we’re about to turn onto his street, the SUV suddenly pulls to the left.

My gasp is loud as I stomp on the brakes. “What the fuck?”

“Watch out!” my dad shouts as the SUV tilts dangerously onto two wheels before righting itself and accelerating into a yard.

As our car skids to a stop, Justin’s slams into a tree in the middle of the yard it just ploughed into.

“Shit!” I keep the engine running as I throw off my seatbelt and shove my door open.

My shoes sink into the snow as I run toward the vehicle. Police sirens wail nearby. They must be close. But I don’t wait for them as I charge forward. Just as I get there, the driver’s door opens. Justin topples out, falling face first into the snow. Seeing him is like a lit match falling onto gasoline. Rage, deep and hot, erupts in my chest. Pushing through the snow, I make it to Justin before he can get to his feet.

Grabbing him by his jacket, I lift him up off the ground.

“You think you can point a fucking gun at my girl?” I roar.

The guy’s eyes flutter halfway open but he only groans. There’s blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. I shake him.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t?—”

“Isaac!” The sound of my dad’s voice pulls me out of my fury. “Isaac, come here!”

“If she’s seriously hurt, I’ll make sure you never see the light of day again,” I snarl into Justin’s face before throwing him down into the snow. I step back, spit on him, then hurry around the car. There, Dad is hoisting Meredith out of the car. My footsteps falter.

Oh shit… No!

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