Page 26 of Fire Bound

In the passenger seat, my phone illuminates as my lock screen finally appears. With a fleeting glance in my rearview mirror, I dive across the middle console and grab the device.

The SUV tries to speed past me, but I quickly swerve to block them. If they get ahead of me and stop in the middle of the road, they’ll be able to box me in.

I glance at my contact list and contemplate who I should call. When I see their name, I click on it without thinking it through. If anyone can get here quick, it’s them. I just hope they actually pick up.

Behind me, they hit me again. This time on my left bumper. I jerk forward but my seat belt keeps me in place as the car swerves on the road again.

A harsh curse escapes my lips when they finally answer on the third ring. “Remington?”

“I’m five miles away from pack territory,” I stammer out, not bothering with a greeting. Now isn’t the time for pleasantries. “I have a black SUV on my ass. They’re trying to run me off the road, Isabeau.”

I don’t know what made me call her, but after our exchange the other day, she feels less like a stranger and someone I can count on to help. And right now, I need help.

The phone is silent for a second and I pull it back to make sure that we’re still connected. “Beau?”

“What do you mean they’re trying to run you off the road?”

I veer to the side again, narrowly avoiding being hit again. “Someone is following me! They’ve already hit my car twice.”

There’s harsh whispering like she’s reiterating the information to someone, but with the sound of my erratic heart pounding in my ears and the turbulent wind blowing through the window, I can’t make out who she’s talking to. If I had to guess, it’s Ransom.

“We’re on our way, Remi,” Isabeau vows.

“Hurry, something is wro—”

The car starts to go around my passenger side. As I quickly angle my car to block them, they abruptly snake around the driver’s side. I know what their plan is before they execute it. I even slam on my brakes trying to put distance between us, but it’s no use.

They slam into me, sideswiping my car. There’s the deafening sound of metal scraping together and crunching from the impact. My fingers wrap around the leather of my steering wheel so tight I’m surprised the whole thing doesn’t bend in my hands.

The impact shoves me toward the edge of the tree-lined road. In a desperate attempt to keep all four of my tires on the pavement, I accidentally overcorrect myself. At the same time, the delinquent driver collides with me once more, this time they connect right into my back side panel.

The force causes the back end of my car to spin out. I try so hard to keep the car straight, but the momentum of the strike causes me to fly off the road.

The portion of the road we’re at now doesn’t have guardrails protecting cars from going into the ditch if, God forbid, they lose control. I don’t know why I’ve never noticed it before, but now as I grapple to brace myself while my car rolls down the shallow ditch, it comes to mind.

My head snaps forward and then backward as my world spins around me. The vertebrae in my neck ache in pain from the force in which my head is thrown about. I’ve never wondered what it was like to be in a blender when it was turned on, but I imagine it’s quite similar to this.

The seat belt digs into my chest and the shoulder that had been knocked out of socket just days ago screams in pain once again. At some point the airbags deploy. The angle in which my head is turned, and my body is positioned, means I’m hit headfirst by the deploying airbag. Had I been sitting normally in my seat, I’m sure it wouldn’t have caused a problem, but being thrown about as the car rolls down the hill left me wide open for injuries.

With one last final plummeting turn, the car finally comes to a stop at the bottom of the ridge.

I blink rapidly, trying to clear my blurring vision so I can take in my surroundings. It takes a moment for me to figure out what the hell I’m looking at. It’s not until the blood from my split lip drips down into my eyes do I piece together that I’m upside down. The seat belt keeps me suspended in the air.

One of my headlights still works, allowing light to fill the damaged cabin on the vehicle. It streams in through the shattered windshield. Smoke and a low hissing sound coming from the hood of the car.

You need to get out, the voice in my head orders.

The fire that Jax wields may not scare me but being caught in real flames seems less than desirable. I try not to think about how I’ll die. While the idea of going out in a blaze of glory sounds ideal, I’d really rather not be burned alive.

My bruised and aching arm drops to my side, searching for the buckle. My thumb presses the red button to release me, but nothing happens. I try over and over again, but still, I hang upside down.

When headlights from up above the road flash over me, I hold my breath trying to slow my erratic heart so I can hear what they’re doing. If I can’t get the seat belt off, I’m basically a sitting duck just waiting for them to come down here and scoop me up.

My limbs shake with adrenaline as the brakes of the car squeak when it comes to a stop. I wait silently for the doors to open, but they remain still. Like they’re waiting for something.

Releasing the breath I was holding, I focus on my hands. Learning to extend your claws and fangs is one of the first things we learn growing up. It usually comes easy, but for me and my wolf, we allow our emotions to dictate how fast we can shift. If I’m scared and panicking, a mental block is put up between us. It doesn’t matter how much I want her to make an appearance, if I let my emotions take over, my wolf will get stuck.

I close my eyes and focus on calming myself enough to make my claws appear, but all I can think about is how it felt to tumble down that hill. This town has always been a safe place, because my pack keeps it safe. The people here leave their front doors unlocked and no one drives aggressively. Whoever did this to me isn’t from around here. There’s only one person that I know of that would want me dead.

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