Page 55 of Rebel

Leaping out of a moving vehicle may be the end of me. If I stayed, I would truly be dead. Taking the risk was my only hope for survival.

I didn’t bother with words. I had to act now. In one swift motion, I grabbed the door handle and flung the door open while simultaneously launching myself from the vehicle. Everything happened so fast.

The road beneath me was a blur as it rushed by. River’s frantic grab as I jumped out slowed my momentum momentarily. His fingers caught the edge of my shirt but slipped free. I hit the hard pavement and rolled several times. Thankfully, I’d managed to leap far enough away from the vehicle that I didn’t fall under it.

We hadn’t yet left town. Fueled by adrenaline, I pushed to my feet and staggered toward the closest house, shrieking at the top of my lungs for help. The Venom guys had no choice but to flee before they were seen. I was safe for now.

An older man emerged from the house, took one look at me, and screamed for his wife to call 911. How bad did I look?

I collapsed in his front yard, the sky spinning above me. At some point, I’d lost my earbuds in the melee yet still had my phone tucked into my back pocket. I wasn’t sure if it was still in one piece. My arms refused to work when I tried to reach for it.

“Don’t move.” The man hovered above me, his face pinched in anguish. “Help is on the way. Don’t try to get up. Everything will be okay.”

He was doing his best as an innocent bystander to keep me calm while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. How was my Mom going to handle this call? So badly I didn’t want her to see me like this. What would I tell her?

Everything became hazy when the paramedics arrived. They loaded me into the back of the ambulance, asking me questions that I couldn’t answer. At some point, they gave me something that made the world slip away.

I succumbed to the darkness and finally the pain receded.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

STORM

My mom was in a total panic when she arrived at the hospital. Thankfully, the doctor had good news. Other than a few bruised ribs, a nasty gash on my elbow, and some gnarly road rash on my cheek, I’d escaped serious injury. No head trauma or broken bones.

The doctor said it was a miracle. He was probably right. The SUV hadn’t been going at highway speed yet, which had worked in my favor. When everyone grilled me about what happened, I told them that someone had tried to abduct me.

I probably should’ve told them the truth about River and his friends. Instead, I kept that part to myself and said that I didn’t know who had tried to grab me. A police report was made where I repeated the same thing to them.

Would they even be able to do anything about River if I told them? It would be my word against his. I had no proof that he was trying to frame Rebel. This felt like something the Kings had to handle.

Several hours later, I was released and able to go home. I wanted nothing more than to rest in my own bed. Mom helped me up the stairs to my bedroom, plying me with a flurry of questions, asking if I needed anything at all.

“Just some sleep. Maybe a warm bath. Don’t worry about me, Mom.” We reached the top of the stairs and turned toward my room. I thought I heard a noise from inside, so I raised my voice to speak louder. “You should get some sleep as well. Pop some melatonin and have a cup of tea.”

I accepted her careful hug, hoping that Rebel wouldn’t be lounging on my bed when we opened the door. To my relief, there was no sign of him. Although the scent of his cologne lingered on the air.

Mom didn’t seem to notice. She was too preoccupied with making sure I felt comfortable. After reassuring her several times, she finally left the room.

Rebel emerged from the bathroom. He took one look at me and flew into a fury.

“What happened to you? Who did this, pet? Was it River? I’ll fucking kill him. I’ll fucking kill him right now.” Falling to his knees on the carpet in front of where I sat on the edge of the bed, he gingerly took my chin in his hand.

Studying the red, raw scrapes down my face, his gaze fell to the bruises around my throat. Emotion choked me at the pain in his eyes. I would never again doubt that he cared about me.

I nodded, wincing at the pain in my ribs. Each breath ached. “Yeah, it was River. He grabbed me off the street when I went for a walk. He must’ve been stalking my house, waiting for me to leave.”

“Tell me. Tell me everything.” Rebel’s touch was gentle as he outlined the bruises on my throat. “Jesus Christ, I am going to skin that motherfucker alive.”

My voice shook as I recounted the incident to him. I told him everything, including River’s plan to frame him further, as well as what I’d told the police about my abduction.

“I didn’t know if I should tell them the truth. Should I have told them? Did I screw up?” I leaned into him when he sat on the bed next to me, savoring the way he felt.

“You did good, Storm. Telling them that River is framing me probably would have been useless. It’s better if they don’t know anything. Especially because I’m going to kill him.” He pressed a kiss to my temple, trying not to hug me too tightly. “I should go. I need to find him. This ends tonight.”

Rebel started to stand up. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him back down on the bed next to me. “Don’t go. Please. I need you here with me right now.”

“I can’t let him get away with this. He needs to be stopped before he can make another move against me. If I end up behind bars, I won’t be able to protect you from him.” Worry laced Rebel’s tone with every word. I’d never seen him so shaken.

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