Page 102 of Rematch
“Hey,” I murmured, reaching over to unbuckle his seatbelt. “We’ve got to go. I’m gonna move you, okay?” I pulled the seatbelt from around him and carefully pulled him out of the car.
He finally groaned from the movement. “Max,” he murmured, his eyes cracking open.
“It’s alright,” I assured him. I put his arm over my shoulder and hooked mine around his torso to hold him up. “I’ve got you.”
He leaned his body on me for balance, his mind likely still spinning from the crash. “Are…are they gone?”
White light flashed above us, catching my eye. I glanced up to see a pair of headlights peeking over the hill, toddling over the edge to check out the damage.
“No,” I said, lowering us to the ground. “But, if we stay still enough for the next few minutes, they might think we’re dead.”
Jayden nodded weakly, leaning his head back against the car. His chest fell up and down in slow, jagged breaths.
“Keep your eyes open,” I scolded as I watched them flutter shut. “You need to stay awake. When I say move, you need to do it. Understand?”
He nodded again.
The headlights cut off, engulfing us in darkness. I couldn’t see three feet in front of me, anymore. Hell, I wouldn’t know Jayden was so close if his arm wasn’t over my shoulder.
I ignored the uneasiness in my stomach from my obscured sight and pulled out my phone. Thankfully, it hadn’t been damaged amidst the crash.
I didn’t want to make too much noise, so I dropped my location with an SOS message to Adrian, Tysir and Wesley. There was no question that one of them would see it. The real question was: would they make it in time?
“Are they going to come for us?” Jayden asked, his voice small.
“Yeah,” I said. “But we can’t wait for them. We’ve got to get you out of here. Are you injured anywhere else besides your head?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Good.” I briefly left Jayden’s side to wedge myself back through the passenger side door. I grabbed my fallen gun from off the floor and dug into the open center dash for another one.
Just as I kneeled back down on the ground, the headlights came back on. More this time.
They shone like a spotlight over the car, searching for any sign of movement.
Jayden pushed himself close to me, and I had half a mind to put my hand over his mouth to make sure he didn’t make a sound. Shoulders trembling, he tried his best to stay still. His eyes were locked on me, waiting for a command or reassurance.
I wished I could give the latter to him. These situations could be unpredictable. I didn’t want to feed him false hope.
We sat frozen for a few moments, holding our breaths and praying they weren’t smart enough to come down here and check for our bodies.
“Shit,” I murmured. I wanted to punch myself in the face for being so stupid. I was so worried about Jayden I’d forgotten to stage the scene.
“What?” Jayden whispered.
“Our seats are empty.”
As if they realized at the same time as I did, a chorus of swears came from high above.
In an instant, a shower of gunshots was pouring from the top of the hill. The bullets shattered the windows and clattered against the metal doors.
I grabbed Jayden’s arm and pulled him up. “Move,” I demanded. “Now!”
He followed me out of the spotlight and into the surrounding darkness.
I couldn’t see three inches ahead of me, but I kept running. Direction didn’t really matter right now. Keeping Jayden safe did.
The roar of an engine echoed through the breeze. I glanced behind us to see the headlights barrelling down the hill. The clicks of doors opening and slamming shut followed.
