Page 79 of Maximum Dare
“Talk to me, Daisy.” He reached over and squeezed my hand. “I promise I’ll understand.”
I let out a shaky breath.
Get out of the car.
Forget this.
“We’ve come this far, you and me,” he said quietly. “Despite the odds.”
A tremor ran through me. I’d carried this tragic event around for so long it had come to define me.
“Does it have something to do with your brother, Liam?” he coaxed.
“I can’t…” I shook my head. “I’m ashamed.”
“Why?’
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Liam was scheduled for a flight to Bavaria,” I said, my voice trembling. “He was a member of the ski team and he was flying out there for winter training with his teammates. They all met up at our place first. Whoever was meant to be taking them to the airport was running late, and Liam and his friends were panicking because they thought they’d miss their flight.” My throat tightened as I relived the nightmare that had ruined our lives. “I offered to drive them.”
Max let out a long breath as he tried to piece together the rest of my story.
“Traffic was heavy,” I continued. “With seconds to spare I got them to the airport.”
“Safely?” he asked, revealing that he’d guessed at some other horror.
I gave a nod. “I told Liam to grab his gear from the boot. I didn’t even hug him goodbye because he had to hurry and get through customs. I helped rush them along. He and his mates ran into the airport with big smiles on their faces because they’d made it there on time.” I paused, swallowing hard. “I helped them catch their plane.”
“Oh, Daisy.” Max studied my face, reading my thoughts.
“He made it to his flight because of me.”
“You can’t blame yourself.”
“They tried to make an emergency landing over Stuttgart. They had engine trouble.”
He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it gently.
“If only they had missed that flight,” I said, my voice breaking.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“How could it not be? All those lives lost because I insisted on doing them a favor.”
“I’m sorry, Daisy. Truly, I am.”
“Liam’s instructor told me he was a fine sportsman. He was destined for the Olympics.” I wiped my runny nose with the back of my hand.
Max reached over and retrieved a tissue from the glove box. “Here you are.”
I dabbed my face with it, sniffing, as more tears sprang from my eyes and trickled down my cheeks.
“His coach should have been more considerate of your grief,” said Max.
“I believe their friend was meant to be late, and I interfered with fate.”
Max gathered me into a hug. After a moment, I pulled away. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
