Shelby

My gaze meets Wyatt’s through the shattered windshield, behind plumes of flame and smoke. Oh, God.

Reaching beside me for the hundredth time, I yank on the door handle, but it’s not even attached to the door anymore. Even though the guys had gotten the van flipped right-side up, the roof is caved in so badly, I could never fit through the window.

Thick black smoke rolls through the opening from under the hood, and I struggle to breathe. I cover my face with my T-shirt, but it’s no help.

“Hurry!” I cry out. GP, Priest, and Wyatt all yank on my door, while the others work at different ends of the van, trying anything they can to get it to open somewhere.

“We’re coming, baby,” Wyatt hollers.

I watch in horror as the flickering flames lick out from beneath the hood, growing higher and hotter. “We gotta hurry, boys!” someone yells.

Metal pings, and the sound is deafening as I sit helpless, waiting for a miracle. Acrid smoke invades my nostrils and mouth, winding its way into my lungs, choking the breath out of me.

“Fucking Christ!”

“It’s too hot.”

“Don’t you fucking stop!” Wyatt screams. “None of you stop, not until she’s out.”

The flames are coming in through the window now, and I know it’s too late. I look over to where Hayden sits, cradling Kevin in her arms.

I’m going to die, but I’m going to die knowing that my baby girl is safe. She’s with her father. She loves me, Wyatt loves me, and they both know that I love them. At least, I hope…

“Wyatt!” Tears stream down my cheeks, but there are no sobs. My fate is sealed in that moment, and I’m okay with it. “I love you!”

“No!” Wyatt shouts, his face flashing with anger. He kicks at the edge of the door, and it moves just a little, but we’re out of time.

“Wyatt,” I try again. “I never stopped loving you.”

“Stop it,” he snarls at me, kicking at the widening gap in the door. “Stop fucking saying goodbye to me.”

I can barely breathe now. There’s more smoke than air, and my head’s bobbing as I cling to consciousness. I can hear Hayden screaming from across the road, but the smoke is too thick to see her now.

“Take care of her,” I whisper, but the fire is roaring louder, so I’m not sure he hears me.

“Priest! Grab that crowbar!”

The darkness closes in. “I love you.”

“I smell gas!”

“I know! Move your ass!”

“Goodbye, handsome.”

The world fades away, taking my weightless body into the abyss.