Prologue
Now or never.
I lurched forward, slid my zip-tied wrists over Paul’s head, and yanked them against his neck. I pressed my knees to the back of the seat and used leverage to choke him. I pulled with all my might.
“What the fuck!” Cletus shouted from the passenger side.
Paul reared back, his foot slamming down on the gas as he tried to relieve the tension on his neck. The car shot forward and the engine screamed, sounding like it was going to explode. Paul gasped and lifted his hands up and clawed at my arms. His knee jerked the wheel, causing the vehicle to veer out of the lane and onto the shoulder of the highway.
Cletus grabbed on to the passenger door to brace himself as the car continued to swerve.
Anger and adrenaline coursed through me.
I was out for blood.
I tightened my hold on Paul’s windpipe as he attempted to regain control of the car, which kept diverging on and off the road. His foot refused to release the gas.
Cletus reached into his pants and pulled out a pocketknife. He flicked it open and stabbed me deep in the meaty part of my upper arm near my shoulder.
I yelled in pain, but I still wouldn’t let go. It only enraged me further, and I yanked my fists into Paul’s Adam’s apple as hard as I could.
“Let off the fucking gas!” Cletus bellowed.
A gurgle escaped Paul’s lips, and I looked in the rearview mirror. His face was red. Blood vessels and capillaries burst in his eyes making him look like a deep-sea diver who’d come to the surface too fast.
My strength was waning, but if I could just hold on a little longer…
Cletus grabbed my hand and then slid the knife through the zip ties holding my wrists together. I lost my clasp on Paul’s neck and fell backward.
A horn blared from the oncoming lane.
“Fuck!” Cletus yelled, dropping the knife and wrenching the wheel so we didn’t collide with the approaching truck.
Cletus overestimated the torque, and combined with our demonic speed, the small car screeched and skidded across the asphalt, tilting up on its side as we veered to the right.
My body catapulted into the door, and my head smacked against the glass. Stars danced before my eyes, clouding my vision.
I prayed the vehicle would right itself.
But God didn’t hear my prayer.
The car flipped, and the world stilled.
For a heartbeat, we were suspended in midair…and then the vehicle turned upside down.
Screeching metal across asphalt was the last sound I heard before I passed out.
Chapter 1
A couple of months earlier…
“I’mstupid jealous of you right now,” Emily said with a shake of her head.
“You’re jealous of me?” I demanded. “Why?”
“Why? Because you get to examine that hottie over yonder.”
“Over yonder?” I asked in amusement. “You cute little Texan, you.”