The fractured wheel

Chapter 7: The fractured wheel

"Excuse me," I said, leaning slightly forward, trying to keep my voice steady, "you're going the wrong way. My place is in the other direction."

The driver didn’t answer.

He just kept driving.

The cityscape began to blur past. It became less familiar and more industrial. Concrete replaced glass. Steel replaced scenery. My stomach knotted.

"Hello? Did you hear me? Where are you taking me?"

He didn't say anything.

Panic began to claw at my throat. I tried to open the door but it was automatically locked.

"Let me out!" I yelled, louder this time, louder than I had ever spoken to a stranger. Still, the driver said nothing. His hands gripped the wheel, his knuckles white. His eyes never met mine through the rearview mirror.

I reached for my phone. My hands trembled as I typed: I'm in danger, Nathan.

He would get the message, he had to but I couldn't just sit and wait.

I lunged forward, grabbing at the steering wheel.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the driver finally shouted, his voice gruff and full of panic.

"Let me out! Stop this car!"

We wrestled with the wheel. He tried to jerk it back into control, but I fought him, turning it toward the right, away from the open road.

"Let me go!" I screamed again, tears blurring my vision.

The horn blared and the tires screeched. My seatbelt cut into my shoulder then I heard a sound like thunder.

CRASH............

The car hit something, a tree, I think.

Then black.

--------------------------

I woke to distant voices and sirens.

Everything was blurred and swimming. My head pounded and my body was heavy.

And then, a voice.

"Elena! Elena, can you hear me?"

That was Nathan's voice.

His arms wrapped around me. He was shouting something, but it took a while for the words to make sense.

"She's alive. She's breathing. We need a stretcher here!"

I tried to speak, but my lips barely moved. I faded back into unconsciousness.

------------------------

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

The light above was harsh and sterile. My arm had an IV drip. My head throbbed, but I was alive.

Nathan was sitting beside me, hunched over, staring at the floor like he’d been replaying the moment he found me over and over.

"Nathan," I croaked.

His head shot up and relief washed over his face.

"You’re awake," he said, leaning forward. "Thank God. I got your message, then I tracked your phone and came to look for you with the police. Elena, when I found you............ You were bleeding. I thought I...... I mean...... we were going to lose you."

Tears threatened the corners of my eyes. He changed the 'I' to 'WE', I guess he is trying not to make me think otherwise but I could see the concern in his eyes. It's not like I even have any other person who would be worried about me, right?

"The driver… he didn’t say anything. He just........ drove the cab and I fought him. I grabbed the wheel and during the whole scene, the car hit a tree."

"I know but when the police and I arrived, he was gone. He had disappeared, it was just you and the damaged car."

A knock on the door interrupted us then a pair of officers entered.

"Miss Rivers," one of them said, his notepad already out, "we’re very glad you're awake. We need to ask you a few questions."

I nodded, slowly.

"Do you remember anything about the driver? What did he look like?"

I shook my head. "No. I didn’t see his face clearly. He wore a cap and he didn’t say anything until I grabbed the wheel."

"Do you have any reason to believe someone might want to harm you?"

My heart twisted.

"Jasper," I whispered. "And Mia Collins. Both have made threats recently. I don’t have proof, but I know them and I know what they’re capable of."

The officer scribbled something down.

"Thank you. We'll investigate both names but unless we have something concrete, we can't arrest anyone yet. We’ll keep you updated."

They left.

Nathan exhaled slowly beside me.

"You’re not safe, Elena and I can’t let you go back home."

"Nathan..............."

"No Its and buts. Listen to me. You're staying with me. At least until we know what we’re dealing with."

I hesitated. My voice was quiet when I said, "What about my family, I can't just leave like that."

He stood up and pulled out his phone then he dialed a number.

"Mrs. Rivers? It’s Nathan Cain. We have a situation…"

I couldn't hear her side, but Nathan's tone stayed firm and calm. When he hung up, he turned back to me.

"Just as i thought, she didn’t argue, I mean.... she was trying to until I told her it was me. So, no excuses, you’re coming with me."

-------------------

Nathan's home was quieter than I expected. Not the loud bachelor pad I imagined. It was serene with soft lighting. The decor was clean and minimalistic. A fire burned low in the fireplace and some books lined his shelves.

"This is your place?"

"Yeah. Make yourself comfortable. The guest room's already prepared."

I sat down on the couch, still processing everything.

"Nathan, I can’t keep hiding," I said. "I have to go back to school, I mean....... I have to continue living my life. I won’t give them the satisfaction that they desire. "

He crouched in front of me.

"I know and you will, but not yet. You need rest and we need to put protection in place first, like some bodyguards and secure transportation. Everything needs to be in place before I allow you to go out on your own again."

"Why are you doing all this for me?" I asked, my voice cracking. "You made it clear before that we shouldn’t meet again which meant you weren't interested in being around me. So why?"

He looked down, then back up, his eyes looking sincere.

"I am helping you because it's the right thing to do. You were willing to help a stranger once, remember? You gave blood to someone you didn’t know and that stranger was my sister. You saved her life."

That made me smile.

"I didn't do anything special. I just helped a person in need."

He nodded.

"You didn’t know she was associated with me when you helped her and I will never forget what you did for me. You and my sister… you both are the only genuine people left in my life. I won’t let you get hurt, not on my watch."

Something in my chest shifted. A warm sensation clothed me.

I stared into his eyes and before I could stop myself, I asked, "Are you falling for me, Nathan?"

He blinked and paused.

Then he stood, his voice distant.

"No! I’m just being nice to you, so don’t misunderstand my intentions."

I nodded, trying to swallow the tight knot in my throat. I thought I wanted the truth or maybe I didn’t.

"Alright. Thank you… for everything."

"You need to sleep. Get some rest, alright. We’ll talk more tomorrow."

He left and I sat there, my heart feeling heavier than I expected.

Something in me thought he would say he was really falling for me.

-------------------------

Elsewhere, in the shadows of a broken alley, the driver of the cab wiped the sweat from his brow, dialling a number on a burner phone.

"I had an accident while bringing her. She grabbed the wheel and the car hit a tree. We both blacked out."

The voice on the other end was cold.

"And you left her there?"

"When I regained consciousness, I heard the sirens coming, so I ran off."

There was silence on the other end.

Then the voice said: "You fool. You were supposed to bring her, not crash the damn car."

"I know, I.........."

"No excuses. Just lay low and don’t call me again until I say so. Go into hiding because you’ve already made too much noise."

The line went dead.