“Get on the highway,” I yell.
“Fuck, no. We’ll get pulled over the second we get on there. Find us another way out of this fucking place.” He grips the wheel so hard his knuckles turn white. “This is why I hate the fucking suburbs.”
Ignoring the cop car behind us, Chase goes faster. I can hear everything on the police scanner, and the officer behind us isn’t the only one who will be on our tail judging by the sound of it. They’re talking about how they found the stolen Maserati and how they’re en route.
I knew this job was a bad idea. My gut feelings are never wrong. But we didn’t have a choice once we accepted an advance from the buyer. The second we took the cash, he owned all of us. We had to deliver the cars. This was supposed to be my last job. I promised Jade and myself I would stop after this one. And now, while that might be true that I’ll never do this again, it might be because I’m behind bars for the next ten years.
This time, there’s no CCTV I can hack into to save the day. We either have to pull over and surrender or find a way out of this godforsaken neighborhood without getting shot at. The cop is on our ass, his lights and siren blaring through the quiet town.
Chase whips around another turn, and then we come head-on with another cop car. He swerves to the left toward what looks like a wooden bridge. The closer we get. I realize there’s missing planks in the bridge. It’s not even suitable for people to cross let alone capable of supporting the weight of this car.
“You’re not,” I say, wishing I could stop him before he floors the gas. “Chase, we’re not gonna make it. What the fuck are you doing?”
“I got this,” he says with venom in his tone and determination on his face. “Hang on.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have a death wish?”
He ignores me, his eyes fixed on the final destination. In this case, being good at math and science doesn’t matter because even though I know there’s no way we’re getting across that bridge in one piece, I also have no say in the matter. So, I prepare myself for the inevitable, my body tensing up at the possibility of our imminent deaths.
Now, four police cars are behind us, so close they’re trying to run us off the road. Chase has no choice but to attempt driving over the bridge. It’s either that or we’re definitely going to jail.
I think of Jade and how much I want to see her again. Her beautiful face and bright blue eyes pop in my head as I suck in what could be my last breath. I want to live, and I also don’t want her to visit me from the other side of a Plexiglas window in prison. She deserves better than me anyway, but still, I think I’m in love with her. For once, I can finally see a future for myself that involves another person other than my friends or family.
It’s as if my life is flashing before me as Chase drives onto the bridge. I can see it all so perfectly and don’t want it to end. Holding onto the door handle, I close my eyes and pray he can make the jump from one side of the small bridge to the other. About fifty feet below us is a shallow body of water, so while we won’t drown, we also might hit the bottom of the valley and die on impact.
“Shit, it’s not gonna hold,” Chase growls.
Like an idiot, he slowly attempts to get to the other side. The cops were smart enough not to follow his dumb ass, so at least we have that advantage.
“I told you,” I snap.
The wooden bridge is too old, too unstable to support our weight. One tire falls through the opening in the planks, and before Chase can floor the gas one last time, the car drops through, the bridge breaking in half. Pieces of wood snap as if they’re exploding around us.
We’re falling.
Falling so fast I shut my eyes.
When the car hits the ground, it rolls onto the passenger side, and my face smashes against the glass that breaks. Shards dig into my cheek combined with a searing pain that shoots up my arm followed by a snapping sound that must be a bone. When I try to move my arm, it has no feeling, it’s as if it is broken in a dozen places.
Chase climbs out of the car, and then reaches his hand in for me to grab it. With only one arm that’s of any use, I take Chase’s hand and force him to pull most of my body weight out of the car. We fall onto the ground together, and I let out a sigh of relief, though I’m in so much pain my entire body is numb.
“My arm is broken.” Picking the small fragments of glass from my face with my other hand, I demonstrate for Chase.
His eyes widen when he sees my right arm is hanging lifeless at my side. “Do you think you can make it up there?” He points to a small hill where we were initially headed.
“I don’t know.” It’s the truth.
“I don’t care if I have to carry you up there,” he says, leading the way. “We’re fucked if we don’t get out of here. Thank God this is a creek and not a fucking river.”
“I probably wouldn’t have a fucked-up face and a broken arm if it was.”
He shakes his head, smirking. “No, we would’ve drowned in-fucking-stead.”
Police are on the other side of the ravine from us with their lights flashing and sirens sounding. From what I can tell, the side where the police are standing with their guns raised in the air is a different town, which makes where we’re going out of their jurisdiction. But that doesn’t mean a different police force won’t be waiting for us at the top of the hill.
Chase tells me to climb first so he can support my weight if I need his help. Using my left hand, I step onto the first rock. The lower portion is easier to navigate, and it’s not until we’re about halfway up that I need two hands.
“Here.” Chase moves in front of me to hold out his hand. “Just hang onto me, and I’ll try to pull you up the rest of the way.”
I’ve never felt more useless in my entire life. I’m always the one who has to take care of everyone else, not the other way around. The pain spreads throughout my body with each tug on my left arm. But it’s not long before we climb the rest of the way up to the top, at least in one piece.
We crash on a patch of grass, out of breath and dripping with sweat.
“You hurt at all?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “Nah, I’m good. Just a few scratches.”
“At least one of us is whole.”
“You can’t go to the hospital,” he informs me, telling me something I already know. “We’ll have to call Rome’s cousin to look at that.” He points at my right arm and sighs. “We lost the Maserati. You’re fucked. And now all of us are fucked.”
I nod. “We need to find a replacement by morning, and I didn’t bring my laptop with me to check DMV records.”
He pushes himself up and extends his hand to me. “I’ll call Rome. He’ll figure it out.”
Stealing another car is the least of my problems. Whether or not we make it out of this alive and not wind up in jail, my hockey career is over.
* * *
The truth hurts. And right now I want to do anything other than admit to myself that my life is fucked. After Roman’s shady concierge doctor cast my arm, I had to deal with the fact I may never play hockey again. The doctor said it was broken in so many places he would be surprised if I ever regain a full range of motion in my right arm which means my career is fucking over.
And with it all of my dreams.
The end.
“Do you need anything?” Jade stands in front of my bed and stares down at me with wide blue eyes.
She looks sad. I know she’s upset for me, and I love her for that, but I don’t want her moping around my house every day with me. She should go and live her life instead of sitting here and waiting on me. I can take care of myself. I’ve done it for so many years, I almost hate that she insists on pouring my drinks and making me food, but I do appreciate it.
Jade is the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. I know she’s doing all of this because she cares about me, maybe even loves me back. I don’t understand why she does. I’m a fucking mess.
The doctor gave me pain medicine, and bec
ause I’m so damn depressed, I’ve been taking more of them than I should. I don’t even want to leave my bedroom for school. Right now, whether it’s true or not, it feels like everything I’ve worked for has gone out the window.
I don’t want to be a burden to Jade or anyone living in my house, especially now that my chance at going pro has been flushed down the toilet along with the income I needed to support my family.
Jamie sticks his head through the slightly open door and knocks before he enters the room. “Hey, I thought I’d check on you.”
Jade smiles and then says, “I’ll go make you something to eat.”
I ate an hour ago, so I assume she’s giving me some time to talk to Jamie alone. Jade knows how close we are. She closes the door behind her, leaving us alone.
Jamie has a bottle of beer in each hand.
Probably shouldn’t drink with all the pain meds, but hey, what else is there to do other than hate my-fucking-self for messing up my life?
Smiling, I sit up and take one from him. “Thanks, J.”
He sinks to the mattress next to me with a nod and taps his bottle against mine. “Figured you could use this.”
“You guessed right,” I say, before taking a sip.
He tips his beer to his lips. “I talked to Preston and the twins, and they spoke to their dads for you. This isn’t over, you know. You’ll have another chance. Tyler Kane and Alex Parker will let you try out for the Flyers if your arm heals okay.”
“The doctor didn’t sound too optimistic.”
“After your arm heals, you can get back to training. With enough conditioning, you should be able to play again in a few months.”
Frowning, I hold up the cast on my right arm. “Not in enough time for the Draft. What if the break doesn’t heal right? What if I don’t have enough feeling in my arm to hold a stick?”
“You’re a fighter,” he says, hopeful. “You always do what you gotta do to survive. I have no doubt you’ll get through this. Even if it kills you.”
I chug half of my beer and lean my head back against the wall. “I may need a fallback plan.”
“How’s your app coming along?”
“I haven’t had much time to work on it lately. It’s not even good enough for beta.”
“My dad can help you. He has a lot of friends in the tech and financial sectors. Worst-case scenario, you can always work at his company. He would give you a job in a second.”
“Yeah, I know. I talked to him yesterday.”
“Hockey isn’t the only option. I decided I’d rather work for my dad than see if I get drafted.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re kidding me. I thought you wanted to at least try.”
He shakes his head. “I love hockey but not more than I love writing code. Chasing after The Queen for all of these months only made me realize how much I’m supposed to work with my dad. And now that he’s starting a new company, I won’t have to deal with Cece again. We can start fresh. If you don’t get into the NHL, I hope you decide to come work with me. I’d love to have you on my team. I can use all the hands I can get on my new game.”
“I can’t believe you wrote a game just to get Shannon back. That’s some real nerd shit right there.”
He chuckles, sipping his beer. “I started it before we ever hooked up, but while we were broken up, I couldn’t finish it. And that’s when I realized she was the answer. She’s my muse. So, I named it after her. You should play Quest for Shanaya with me. It’s like Mage Wars only better.”
I laugh. “Don’t tell your dad that.”
“He’s the one who helped me finish it.”
I hold out my fist for him to bump. “Can’t wait to play it with you.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jade
Men are such a pain in the ass when they’re sick. And Killian is being one giant asshole right now.
“You can’t push me away, Killian.” I stand over his bed, my hands on my hips, glaring down at him. “I’ll strap myself to your fucking headboard so you can’t get rid of me. I’m not going anywhere. Just because you’re mad about not being able to play hockey ever again, doesn’t mean you get to kick me to the curb. Nope, not gonna happen.”
He laughs, shaking his head. “You’re so stubborn. You never take no for an answer, do you?”
“Isn’t that what you like about me?”
“It’s definitely a reason we’re together. If you hadn’t been so persistent about being involved in my life, we wouldn’t be here right now, that’s for sure.”
“Let me help you, Killian. I want to take care of you.”
“I’m not dying. I have a broken arm, not cancer. There are people who have real problems. You know, your talents would be better suited at helping them.”
Ever since he broke his arm, I’ve been here to take care of him. Hearing him say that’s one of my talents has only reinforced the fact that I’ve been thinking about a career change. I like nursing people back to health.
“I know, but let me stay with you.” I sit on the edge of the bed next to him. “Don’t push me away. We need to work through this together and not work against each other.”
“I love you,” he mutters under his breath, and his words take me by surprise. “But I don’t fucking deserve you. You should walk away while you still can. Not like my life is going anywhere now. You could have a better life with someone else.”
His words take me by surprise. He loves me? Or is it the fact he’s taking handfuls of pain pills at a time. I don’t even think he needs them for the pain, more like to put himself out of his misery. All he’s done since the accident is lie in bed and wallow. I don’t blame him. If all of my dreams were no longer a reality, I don’t know how well I would take the news either.
“You don’t mean that, Killian.”
“Yes, I do,” he slurs with one eye open. “I knew there was something special about you from the beginning. You’re a hard person not to love. Stealing your car was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Oddly enough, that’s the cutest thing you’ve ever said to me.” I hold my hand over his, pinning it to the mattress. “I love you, too, Killian. I’d have to either be crazy or crazy in love to do the things I do for you.”
He tilts his head to the side, half awake. I can tell the medicine is taking its toll on him. He’s been fighting sleep for a while now.
“Maybe a little bit of both,” he says with a hint of a smile on his lips.
Even doped up on pain pills and barely awake, he’s still the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on. I still see the boy I sat next to during freshman orientation when I look at him, except now he’s all man. And all mine. He can push me away all he wants, but I’m not going anywhere. I won’t allow him to mess up everything good in his life. No matter how much I show him I love him, he’ll never think he’s good enough for me. But he shows me every day that he’s everything I ever wanted, my very own knight in casted armor.
I never thought we’d make it this far, but we have, and now I worry about his future. If he doesn’t have hockey as a career option, where will that leave him? Will he follow his friends down a path of destruction, or will he do the right thing and try to get a job working in tech.
I can only hope and pray that his arm heals correctly, and that the NHL is still an option for him. The only reason he’s even at this college and paying the hefty tuition is to make it pro. My heart hurts for Killian as he dozes off, both eyes now closed and a soft snore escaping his lips. He’s sacrificed so much to get where he is right now. I don’t want one wrong decision and bad luck to take it all away from him.
I cuddle up next to him in his bed. For the last two weeks, I’ve been taking care of him. I guess that makes me his nurse which made me realize I like helping people. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Through all the sadness and pain, I’ve somehow managed to find my purpose.
After he’s sound asleep, I creep out
of his bed and slip from the room, closing the door behind me. I haven’t been around much at the chapter house since Killian got hurt.
Shannon texted me an hour ago to let me know she was waiting for me in my bedroom. This is the perfect opportunity to make the call I’ve been delaying. When I told Shannon I was considering a major change right before graduation, she didn’t think I was crazy. In fact, she supported me, which is the reason I need her with me.
Watching as Killian fumbles through life, his dreams crushed by the massive change, made me realize I have to stand up for myself and go after what I want, starting with my father. I power walk across campus to Greek Row and rush up to my bedroom where Shannon’s waiting for me on my bed.
She leans back against my headboard with her arms folded behind her head. “Might as well get it over with now,” she says. “He’s not going to like it whether you tell him today or next week.”
“You’re right.” Phone in hand, I take my place next to her and dial my father’s number, holding the phone up to my ear.
“Jade,” he says on the third ring. “It’s not Tuesday. Is everything okay?”
I talk to him for ten minutes every Tuesday to give him the usual updates, no more and no less. He’s so busy with work he can only carve out a small block of his precious time each week for his only child. How sweet of him? He’s such a charmer.
“I want to be a nurse,” I announce, bracing myself for his reaction. “That’s what I wanted to tell you. It couldn’t wait until next week.”
He laughs into the speaker. “Be serious, Jade. No daughter of mine is going to clean up after people.”
“Would you listen to yourself? Nurses do more than clean up after patients. They help people. That’s what I want to do. I want to make a difference in someone’s life.”
“You can make a difference by coming to work for me,” he growls. “We have an opening you can fill in the New York office. Everyone needs money. Think of all the good you can do helping people get loans.”
Kissing Killian: Face-Off Legacy #5 Page 12
