Page 47 of Choose Me

The driver was unconscious in the front seat and slumped at a weird angle over the steering wheel. I crawled toward Everett and shook him, but he didn't wake up. I checked for a pulse, my fingers covered in blood. I let out a sigh of relief when I felt a faint one. I looked around for my or Everett's phone, but they were nowhere to be found. I crawled over the center console into the passenger seat, my vision blurry and my movements unsteady. The driver had a radio that he could talk to base attached to his waistband. I pulled back his jacket and reached around his stomach, feeling for it. With shaky hands, I managed to unclip the radio from his belt.

I pressed the button on the side, "Base, this is Ava--uhm, Sparrow One. We've been in an accident. Someone ran us off the road."

There was a brief static moment before a voice crackled through the speaker. "Sparrow One, can you repeat the last transmission? You're coming in broken."

"We need help," I cried into the radio. "We've been in an accident. Someone ran us off the road. We're in a drainage ditch."

"Copy that. We're tracking your location. A team is on the way."

I clutched the radio to my chest, feeling a sense of relief wash over me.

"Ava?" Everett called, his voice weak.

"Everett." I crawled back into the backseat with him.

"Are you and the baby okay?"

"I think so. We need to get out of the car. Do you think you can move?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

I fought back tears as I gingerly ran my fingers over his right eyebrow, which was split open by a deep laceration. Blood oozed out from an unseen wound on his side, staining his shirt bright red. His face was deathly pale, and I knew he needed medical attention quickly. The door on his side was bent in, and it didn't budge when I pushed on it.

"Shit. Let's try my side." I slid over and grabbed the door handle, shoving the door open with a creak."Can you move?"

He nodded weakly.

Okay, let's try to get out of here," I told him as I reached for the arm on his uninjured side. "I need you to help me."

I wrapped my arm around his waist, helping him slide across the seat. Pain shot through my head as we moved together, and I winced as I tried to steady myself. I shook my head, trying to clear the dizziness. We stumbled out of the car, collapsing on the ground as we landed. Everett's breathing was heavy, and I could sense his pain.

I prayed our rescue was almost here.

I looked around, taking in our surroundings. The drainage ditch was narrow, and the car had come to a stop at the edge of a small stream. Trees and bushes surrounded us, and the moon was hidden behind a thick blanket of clouds, casting an eerie shadow over everything. A gust of wind blew past us, and I shivered.

"I'm going to try and get the driver out. Stay right here." I told him. I pulled the door handle to the driver's door, but it didn't budge. I carefully leaned inside the busted window and yanked on the handle on the inside of the door, but nothing happened. I was about to check for his pulse when Everett called my name.

"Ava?"

"Yeah?"

Silence.

"What's wrong, Everett?" I asked, slowly backing out of the window and facing him. My stomach sank when my eyes met his. Standing beside him, with a gun pointed against his head, was the exact masked figure from the penthouse.

Margaret.

"Put your hands above your head."

I slowly raised my hands as she instructed.

"You, stand up." She turned her attention to Everett. "Now."

Everett glared at her and winced as he pulled himself up in a standing position, clutching his side with his hand.

"Both of you walk to the van." She gestured toward the black van parked underneath the bridge, hidden from sight. I hadn't even noticed it when we got out of the car.

Neither of us moved.

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