Or is this really it? Is this end for me?
I only allow myself a moment to wallow in my fear and doubt before shaking the thoughts from my head. No, this can’t be it. This won’t be it. I will fight with whatever I have. No matter what it takes. I have more to fight for than just me at this point. For the first time in so long, I care about whether I live or die. I’m not ready to join my parents. I want to spend the rest of my days and nights wrapped up in Rafe’s arms for as long as I can. For as long as he’ll allow.
Scrambling with my phone, I turn the flashlight app on and scour the trunk for the self-release button that all new cars have. I’m thankful that it’s a larger vehicle, so I have room to move freely. As my hands and eyes roam the trunk, my heartbeat quickens. When I spot the latch to freedom, I cross the space and shine the light on it. All hope drains from my body.
Where the release latch should be, there’s nothing but a sawed-off stub. I reach my hand out and try with all my might to twist it, but it won’t budge. It’s as if this car were made to carry someone in the trunk.
I fall back against the wall when I realize . . . it probably was. Even still, I won’t let it get me down. It won’t break me down. Holding my phone out, I shine the light and freeze when I spy a red stain on the fabric. Inching closer, I shudder. I know what it is.
An influx of questions starts rolling through my brain.
Who the fuck is Adrian Morningstar?
What did he want with me?
Why does he seemingly have two sides, and what makes each one come out?
And most importantly, if not himself, who in the hell is he protecting me from?
My phone vibrates again, and I’m quick to silence it.
“Gabriella?” Adrian’s muffled voice comes in through the trunk
“Adrian!” I call out, pounding on the back seat, where, yet again, the release is missing. “Adrian, please don’t do this!”
Silence answers me. Knowing I have no other choice, I open my phone and pray that the light won’t shine through the back seat, especially if Adrian’s watching me and listening intently. The last thought keeps me from calling, so I open my texts to find a multitude of them from Rafe, ranging from informative, to questioning, to downright panic. The last one causes me to pause.
Rafe: Baby, where are you? Where is he taking you? Whatever you do, please, baby, please remain calm. Don’t listen to a damn word he says. You can’t trust him.
I frown, wondering what the hell Rafe knows and how he knows I’m with Adrian. Still, he’s my only hope, and I’m quick to text back.
Brie: I don’t know, Rafe. I have no idea where we’re headed. He was talking all sorts of crazy before someone drugged me. Then he led me down the tunnel to a waiting car. I’m in the trunk.
Rafe: He drugged you?!
Brie: No, it wasn’t him. He was in front of me when it happened. I didn’t know anyone else was in the house. I don’t know who it was.
Rafe: Jesus, baby. Fuck, just stay calm and hold on. I was worried something like this was going to happen when he found out about us, and I’m so fucking sorry I wasn’t there. But I can track you through your cell phone. Hold tight. I told you I’d protect you, and I will. I’ll stop at nothing to get to you.
Brie: Rafe . . . if anything happens, you need to know . . .
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him just how much he’s changed my life, how strongly I feel for him, but for some reason, I stop myself. I don’t want him to find out this way. No, I firmly think. I will tell him face-to-face. He will hear it from my lips.
Rafe: I know, baby. I know. Me too. I’ll be there soon.
A slight swell of relief rolls through me as I trust what he says. I close my eyes and practice the breathing techniques that helped me cope with panic attacks after my parents’ murders. It calms me, but still, the more time that passes, the more my resolve falters.
A sudden jerk jolts my eyes open, and they widen when the sweetest sound fills my ears. Police sirens blare in the distance, the sound becoming increasingly louder the closer they become. Rafe was right! He is coming for me.
The relief, however, is short-lived as I hear Adrian’s string of curse words, his voice laced with panic and, more terrifying, desperation.
“Fuck, Gabriella! This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m trying to save you, to get you far, far away from him! I swear to God I’d never hurt you. Hold the fuck on!” he screams, but his voice is drowned out by the sound of squealing tires then metal crunching on metal as the car connects with some unknown source.
His words do nothing to ease my fears, and I close my eyes tight, praying that this isn’t my time. It can’t be my time. I finally have so much to live for.
I curl into a ball as the car twists and spins, and suddenly, I’m lurched across the trunk as the car goes into freefall.
Down.
Down.
Down.
Splash.
And my whole world goes black.
THE DARKNESS THAT’S SEEPING in, I quickly realize, is water, and it registers that we’ve most likely run off the side of a bridge. Hope swells, and I pray that the police get to us in time. Panic and fear, however, quickly take over as the water rises higher and higher.
“Adrian!” I scream. “Please, Adrian, I’ll do whatever you want. Just please let me out! I’ll go with you anywhere. Just please, please let me out!”
My heart shatters as I say the words, but right now, I’ll say and do anything. But all I’m greeted with is silence. Adrian either isn’t out there or doesn’t care. Either way, I’m all alone with no escape route.
As the water rises, all of my hope fades away, and I brace myself to see the end.
It’s often said that, when you’re on the brink of death, your life flashes before your eyes. You relive the fond memories, see glimpses of your most significant moments and freeze-frames of loved ones you’ll sorely miss.