Page 170 of Savage Don

There isn’t any time left.

“Ray…” Francesca whispers, her gorgeous face stained with blood. “You came for me.”

“I always will,” I tell her, desperately unlatching her seatbelt.

Then, just like that, the world goes silent.

The rushing wind freezes and the chaos outside disappears as the trembling wheels finally give out on this old, speeding Cadillac, and we’re lifted into the air.

There’s nothing I can do anymore but wrap my arms around the love of my life and hold tight.

The first flip erases the eerie silence. All of the chaos comes crashing back down us, along with the noise and the pain.

The second flip crushes the opposite side of the car.

The third flip crushes us.

I don’t have time to be afraid.

Suddenly, a tremendous flash of pain rips through the back of my skull.

The world goes black.

38

Francesca

At first, all I can smell is that familiar earthy scent.

It engulfs me completely, and despite the darkness, I feel oddly at home.

Then, I slowly start to feel the warmth of his body as well. The soft beating of his heart. I feel the strength of his arms and the power in his chest and the love in his embrace as he holds me like I’m the most important thing in the world.

It’s almost peaceful.

Nothing moves. Nothing hurts. Nothing matters—nothing except the two of us.

A deep breath floats out from my lungs, up through my throat, and out of my lips. When I inhale again, everything explodes.

The peace is gone, and I’m ripped back to reality.

Ray is still holding me tightly. His scent still drifts up my nostrils. But the peace of his embrace is shattered against the sudden blare of noise and pain.

“Ray…” I rasp, slowly remembering what just happened.

The car, it crashed.

Did he jump through the fucking window to protect me?

In the distance, I can hear police sirens. A little closer than that, I can hear honking horns and car alarms and shouting.

“Ray,” I mumble again.

But he doesn’t respond.

His body remains still as I try to move, but my arms and legs are still tied together, and it takes a great deal of pain and effort to roll over enough to see what’s going on.

Like a heavy blanket, Ray’s body slides off of me. Only then is the chaos that we created revealed.