Chapter 1 - The Tailgate
The light turned green.
I placed the phone facedown on the console and kept driving toward the children’s hospital.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I glanced in the rearview mirror.
Emma was staring out the window, completely silent.
Lily sat rigidly beside her, her small hands clutching the damp towel draped over her lap.
My phone vibrated again, the buzzing sound loud in the quiet cabin.
I ignored it and pressed my foot harder on the gas pedal.
We were only three miles away from the emergency room.
I just needed to get Lily in front of a medical professional.
Whatever I had seen beneath her swimsuit strap was not a normal injury.
It had looked strangely precise, like a grid of dark, raised lines.
My phone started ringing loudly, showing Sarah's face on the screen.
I reached over and turned the device completely off.
I needed to stay focused on the road ahead.
Suddenly, a massive black truck swerved into the lane directly behind my SUV.
The driver accelerated dangerously close to my rear bumper.
I tapped my brakes to warn him to back off.
Instead of slowing down, the black truck sped up.
The heavy steel grill of his vehicle slammed violently into the back of my car.
Emma screamed from the backseat.
Lily covered her head with her arms and curled into a tight ball.
I struggled to keep the steering wheel straight as the tires squealed against the pavement.
The truck bumped us again, harder this time, pushing us toward the ditch.
I checked my side mirror to see who was trying to run us off the road.
The tinted windows of the truck rolled down just an inch.
May you like
I caught a glimpse of the driver's face.
It was my brother-in-law, David.
