Page 98 of Flashback for the Forward

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

Next came a blow to the gut, knocking the wind out of me, leaving me gasping.

“You have the right to an attorney.”

I was unable to defend myself when the final punch landed between my thighs. Curling onto my side in the fetal position, I heaved uncontrollably as nausea overwhelmed me.

“If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read?”

“Fuck you,” I wheezed.

Aiden chuckled. “Good enough.”

The door opened and shut, signaling his departure, and leaving me more scared for Bridget’s safety than I’d ever been in my entire life.

Chapter 30

Bridget

Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Cole’s motionless body slumped over the steering wheel.

When the emergency services arrived at the crash site, his side of the car was so damaged that they’d had to use hydraulic rescue tools to get him out. The only reason I knew he was still alive was because the paramedics relayed his condition out loud to each other as they wheeled him into the back of their ambulance.

Only once he was headed to the hospital did I agree to allow the EMTs to treat my minor injuries. It wasn’t fair that I’d walked away with only a few cuts and abrasions, while Cole had been seriously hurt.

The paramedics insisted that I get a full evaluation, and I consented to having them transport me to the hospital in the hope it would get me to Cole faster. But during the drive, they explained that they couldn’t guarantee we would end up at the same facility.

So after being poked and prodded and made to lie flat while I was inserted into some gigantic machine for scans, I was all but abandoned in a private room to await the doctor’s decision about my discharge.

I’d taken to counting the ceiling tiles to pass the time when the door opened, and a nurse entered.

My vitals were checked for what felt like the millionth time as she asked, “Are you in any pain?”

“It’s manageable.” I’d dealt with far worse.

She flashed me a kind smile, looping her stethoscope around her neck. “Good.”

“Um, would you happen to know if my boyfriend is here?”

With a nod, she replied, “He’s been waiting to see you.”

My head dropped back on the thin pillow, and I said on a relieved exhale, “Thank God.”

Cole was okay.

“If you want, I can send him in.”

Tears sprang to my eyes, and my voice came out watery. “Yes, please.”

The nurse quietly slipped out of the room. A few minutes later, the door reopened, and I held my breath expectantly, only for it to freeze in my lungs as my blood turned to ice when the man who walked in wasn’t Cole.

Aiden shut the door behind him; the quiet latching of it might as well have been the heavy thud of a prison door sliding into its locked position. Because I was trapped, and this time, I feared there would be no escape.

“Oh, Bridget. Thank God you’re okay.”

Though his eyes were filled with evil intent as they stared daggers at me, his voice contained the charm he used to fool everyone but me. And it came out loud enough that it could be heard through the thin wooden barrier.

He was putting on a show.