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PROLOGUE
Ainsley
Slowly, I lift my head, my body screaming in protest. I blink rapidly, attempting to push away the fogginess, but it lingers. The seat belt cuts into my chest, rubbing the violent burn that it had already left there. Something warm drips down the front of my face. I go to move my arm, but I can’t lift it. I groan out loud in pain, my eyes slamming shut.
It takes a moment for my brain to register what is going on. The day plays back to me in my mind and my heart pounds rapidly in my chest. I peel my eyes open again, slowly turning my head to look for Killian. I know that we got into an accident, but where the fuck is he?
“Killian?” I attempt to call out for him, but my voice is barely audible. I can barely hear it. I glance around the car, noting that his seat is empty. The windshield is broken with blood spattered across it. There’s blood on the deflated airbag.
Wherever he is, I don’t think that it’s good. I just need to find him and make sure that he’s okay.
Using my uninjured arm, I feel around until my hand lands on the buckle for my seat belt. I press down on it and the movement alone steals the air from my lungs. I’m out of breath, gasping for oxygen as my chest constricts. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but my body is fucked right now. Everything hurts. My vision is blurry and every time I move, my surroundings spin.
I attempt again, clenching my jaw as I use as much strength that I can muster to push down on the buckle. It takes everything out of me. My head hangs in defeat as I leave my hand on the buckle. My chest heaves with every shallow breath. I blink my eyes rapidly, attempting to clear my vision, but it only gets worse. A droplet of blood lands on my lashes.
I’ve had some moments in my life where I felt helpless, but never like this. The edges of my field of vision start to close in on me. I can’t fight the darkness. I can’t stay awake. It pulls me under without giving me a choice. I have no option but to succumb to it.
* * *
“We needto get her out of here as quickly and as carefully as possible.”
An unfamiliar voice speaks, but it sounds so far away. I fight against the heaviness in my head that threatens to suck me down under. My head swims in the darkness. I can slowly feel myself resurfacing. My eyelids stick as I attempt to pry them open.
Finally, something gives and my eyes open. I blink rapidly, my eyes adjusting to my surroundings. A young man dressed in a medic uniform is close to my face. His eyes widen as I meet his gaze. “You’re awake.”
I groan in response. Everything hurts like a motherfucker, and I still don’t know where Killian is. “Killian.” My voice cracks as I whisper his name out loud. “Where is he?”
The medic’s jaw tightens and my question goes unanswered. “We need to get you out of the car. That’s our number one priority. Can you tell me what all hurts?”
“Everything.”
He nods in understanding. “Are you able to move at all?”
“I can’t move my right arm. I haven’t tried to move anything else.”
“What about your neck?” he asks, his eyes searching mine as he flashes a light, inspecting my pupils. “Do you have any pain in your neck? Your head?”
“Yes,” I whisper, knowing that none of this is good. “Where is Killian?”
“We need to worry about you right now.” The medic pauses, his eyes softening. “We looked him over. He had a few scratches, but he’ll be fine.”
“Where is he?”
The medic ignores me, turning away from me for a moment. “Brad, I need your help getting her out. Bring a collar. We need to stabilize her neck before we move her.”
I sit in silence, in agonizing pain as the two of them develop the safest plan for moving me. It isn’t long before they have my neck stabilized and are carefully removing me from my totaled Bentley. It doesn’t matter, it’s a fucking car. What matters is if Killian is okay.
This is all my fault.
Tears spring to my eyes as pain shoots through my body as they lift me from the car and place me on the stretcher. The heroin that I did earlier doesn’t even come close to touching the pain. It’s completely out of my system at this point and I feel every fucking thing. Emotionally and physically.
“I need to know what you were on so I can treat you properly on the way to the hospital. I don’t want to give you anything that could counteract with anything that is already in your system.”
I swallow hard. “Heroin.”
The medic nods, lifting the head of the stretcher. All the air leaves my lungs and a sob gets caught in my throat when my eyes find Killian.
He’s bent over the hood of the cop car, his face turned to the side, pressed against the metal as the cop leans against him, securing handcuffs around his wrist.
