Page 85 of Taming Liberty

I yell out when the car lurches into the left side of my bumper, not letting up this time.

“Shit,” I cry out, moving the wheel left and right to try to keep from wrecking as the tires skid, and I lose control of the car.

The force from the engine behind me pushes until my car is turning at ninety degrees. I scream and let off the gas as my hand jerks the wheel to stop the motion, but I only make the situation worse.

The world spins as the car rolls, and I squeeze my eyes shut as the sound of metal crunching booms in my ears. My body jostles, and pain bursts in my chest.

I lose track of how many times the car rolls, but when it comes to a stop, I’m hanging upside down.

My face scrunches with a cringe, and I groan as I seek out the button for the seatbelt. As it clicks, gravity drops me, and I let out a pained howl. I look down and see the source of the pain in my chest. There’s a piece of glass sticking out of my shirt.

My eyes widen, and the glass moves with each deep inhale and exhale I take. I wrap my trembling hands around the glass, never taking my eyes off of it as I yank it out, the sensation causing a sharp wheezing sound to come from deep in my throat.

I inspect the rest of my body as best I can in this dark, cramped space, searching for life-ending injuries my panicked state is convinced are there, but I only see cuts from glass. I feel like my body’s just been tossed around in a dryer, but otherwise, I think I’m okay.

For now.

Panic seizes my every cell when the sound of footsteps crunching reaches my ears. I hold the sharp glass I just pulled out of my chest tightly as I scoot on my back, away from the sound of the steps. When they stop, a set of jean-clad legs, along with black shoes, is what I see.

I grasp the shard tightly, my eyes wide as the person kicks the car. “Time to come out, beautiful. You won’t like it if I have to drag you,” the familiar voice taunts.

A whimper squeaks out, and I clasp a hand over my mouth, clenching my eyes shut.

No.

No.

No, no, no.

“How about this, I’ll count to five,” Jasper says in his sing-song, psychopathic voice. “One… Two…”

I cry into my palm, gasping when the glass cuts into my skin from my grip.

“Three…”

My eyes burst open, and I open my palm, the red-painted piece of glass balancing in my bloodied hand.

“Four…”

All I really want to do is close my eyes and pray he goes away, but I know, deep inside, I can’t do that. Self-preservation won’t allow it.

I have to fight.

“Five.”

“I’m coming!” I say, my voice panicked.

His legs move like he’s bending, but then he straightens.

“I’m coming out, please don’t hurt me,” I cry, forcing the pathetic plea in an attempt to lower his guard. From what Angel told me about Jasper, I’m going to need his guard as low as I can possibly get it if I’m going to survive.

I tuck the shard into my waistband at my back, then drag myself out of the car on the side opposite of where Jasper stands. He walks around to meet me, and when I get through the window, I find him staring down at me with a smile so eager, it makes my spine shiver. The look alone is enough to tell me that, without a doubt, he isn’t here to bring me back to the island. He’s here to kill me.

How? How did he find me? Angel decided to let me go, what? An hour ago? How could he be here this fast?

He must’ve already been in Spain. Was he watching me?Us?

My teeth grind, my body rejecting every exertion, as I pull myself the rest of the way out of the car, but I try to block out the pain.Survive. I can bandage myself up later.

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