Page 46 of When We Collide

Well, there’s no turning back now.

The minutes feel like hours as I’m lying there, nerves jangling with every sound outside. I can hear the muffled voices of the crew as they finish loading the vehicle, the soft thud of gear being stacked near my feet, narrowly missing my ankle. Finally, the trunk slams shut, plunging me into near darkness.

Oh, my fucking Gosh.

Panic grips me tight and I force myself to stay calm, so I don’t hyperventilate within the first five minutes. I need to conserve my breath. Slow and steady Jeyla, you’ve got this.

The SUV’s engine rumbles to life, vibrating through my body as the vehicle rolls out. I feel every bump and turn, trying to remain as still as possible. The voices up front are faint but familiar—Dean and his co-pilot, discussing the operation. Thank God I’m in Dean’s car. The gravity in their tones makes me swallow hard. My throat suddenly feels dry like I’ve eaten a spoonful of cinnamon. What have I gotten myself into?

Time stretches on as the SUV speeds along the deserted roads, the glow of the airbase lights fading into the distance. My mind continues to race. How long can I stay hidden? What am I going to do once I arrive? The enormity of my decision crushes me, but the thought of being close to Dean, of being there if things go wrong, keeps my resolve firm.

How long have I been in here? I dosed off and woke up and we’re still driving.

Wincing I try and shift into a more comfortable position but the heavy bags on me makes it difficult to manoeuvre. My legs are stiff from the cramped space and they’re starting to go numb and prickle with pins and needles. Whatever is resting on my leg is likely cutting off the blood supply.

“Alpha One, this is Base Command, do you copy?”

“Go ahead, Base Command,” I hear Dean’s voice reply.

“Uh… we’ve got a situation. The surveillance team just flagged something from the cameras back at the base. Thought you should know.” The voice over the comms is urgent, cutting through the routine checks. “You’re not going to believe this, Dean, but we’ve got footage of your wife… Jeyla. She’s in the trunk of the SUV you’re in. She slipped in while we were loading up.”

Oh bollocks.

I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed that I’ve been busted.

There’s a moment of silence. “Repeat that, Command?” Dean speaks again, his voice tight with disbelief now.

“She’s in the trunk, Dean. We saw her on the surveillance cameras.”

Suddenly, the vehicle stops abruptly when whoever that’s driving—I’m assuming Dean—slams his foot on the brakes. The gravel crunches under the screeching tires and I groan inwardly when something sharp digs into my hip.

“What do you mean she’s in the trunk?!” I hear Dean’s voice bark. Oh boy, the ire in his tone has the hairs on my neck standing on end. I can picture him with that deathly scowl on his stupid handsome face. Do I reveal myself? I’m starting to feel really faint from all the fumes and it’s becoming suffocatingly hot in here. My body is damp with sweat. “Fuck’s sake, Jeyla. You’re going to be the death of me, I swear to God!” I hear a thump followed by Dean’s voice utter moments later… though I could be wrong. My mind isn’t in the most stable condition right now.

The sound of doors opening and boots hitting the ground echoes in the stillness.

“Fucking Christ. Open the boot and get the gear out. Hurry up!” Dean’s voice snaps, his tone panicked.

I hold what little breath I have left in my lungs, my fingers clutching the edges of the tarp. The trunk latch clicks, and suddenly the night air rushes in as the door swings open lettingin a gust of cool air that feels like heaven on my sweat soaked skin. I hear footsteps approaching, the faint shuffle of someone reaching for the equipment, each one being pulled off me in a hurried manner. You’re busted, Jeyla. My heart thumps loudly in my ears as I brace myself for what’s coming.

With a sudden jolt, the tarp is violently ripped off me, causing my body to freeze and every muscle to tense in response. My eyes snap open. My vision blurs at first until it adjusts to the streetlights outside. I’m greeted with Dean's worried expression which quickly transforms into one of pure anger when he acknowledges that I’m unharmed and conscious. The bright lights above illuminate his gorgeous face, accentuating the furrowed lines on his forehead and the tight clench and angry tick of his jaw.

I can feel his breath hot against my damp skin as he leans in closer to help lift me out of the trunk. I’m readying myself for the onslaught of his ire, but instead he sets me down so I’m sitting at the edge of the trunk and looks me over as if doing a quick wellness check to ensure I’m in fact all right. The sight of my discomfort and vulnerability only seems to heighten his fury.

Dean steps forward, grabs my face with both his large hands and shouts, “What the fuck are you doing, Jeyla?!”

My head goes faint when I draw in deep breaths to fill my deprived lungs and I can feel my stomach lurching. Shit. It’s coming. Leaning over I empty out what little I have in my stomach.

I just about make out Dean cursing under his breath as his fingers move from my face to gather my hair and hold it back while I heave. “Go grab Hansley and a bottle of water now,”Dean orders the other officer riding along with him who I hear utters a ‘yes Captain’ before scampering off.

Once the contents of my stomach—which was mostly water—is emptied I sit upright and groan. “Captain?” Another officer hurries over to us with a large bag full of equipment that he drops on the floor beside his feet. Ah, he must be the medic of the squadron.

“She’s been trapped in the trunk for over three hours, look her over. I’d like to know she’s not going to drop dead on me before I fucking kill her myself.” Dean instructs irritably, his eyes still on me, his gaze an equal mixture of concern and vehemence.

“Dean, I’m fine.” I assure with a shake of my head when the medic holds one of those pulse readers to attach to my fingers. Dean’s angry gaze becomes even more infuriated. If looks could kill, I would have dropped there and then. Not wanting to dig myself into a deeper hole of shit I hold out my finger and the medic slides the little device on my finger. My eyes follow Dean as he paces back and forth, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“All her stats are fine, Captain.”

“See, I told you I was fin?—”

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