Chapter 22
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In one fluid motion, Charlie threw her seatbelt out of the way and opened the door. She heard Caleb yell her name and felt him reach for her arm, but she was already too far over.
Pushing herself out of the car, Charlie thought to tuck her body inward a second too late. Bone ground together and muscle tore as her right shoulder took the brunt of the fall. She cried out as she hit the unforgiving ground.
The velocity from the jump left her rolling over and over again, her body becoming scraped and bruised before she finally came to a stop at the road’s grassy edge.
Tires squealed as Caleb hit the brakes, and the car skidded to a stop. Gravel dug in Charlie’s palms and knees and a sharp pain radiated from her right shoulder into her chest when she tried to use that hand for leverage.
It was only through sheer will that she was able to stand. When she did, she noticed her arm was hanging at an awkward angle, the burning, shooting pain enough to nearly make her pass out.
Risking precious seconds, Charlie glanced behind her to assess her odds of escaping. At the same time, Caleb’s car—which had come to a stop several yards down the road—started to back up toward her.
Using her left hand, she held her injured arm against her chest and began to run. Through the still-opened passenger door, she could hear Caleb screaming her name, yelling and cursing as he shot the car in reverse.
Moving as fast as her quivering legs would go, Charlie turned and ran across the shallow ditch toward the dense trees in front of her. If she could get enough distance between them, she could find a place to hide. Then, maybe Caleb may give up and leave.
She held her arm against her body as best she could, but each time her feet hit the ground, she felt a jolt of splintering pain.
Dizziness and nausea assaulted her, and she was afraid she’d start throwing up any moment, but she kept going.
Turning her head to the side to shield her face from the low-lying branches, Charlie pushed herself even harder when she heard Caleb’s infuriated voice coming closer.
“Get your ass back here right now, you stupid bitch!”
Yeah, because that’s going to happen.She ran harder. Faster.
Surprised to see she was gaining a good distance between them, Charlie had just begun to think she had a chance when the toe of her shoe got caught on an exposed root and she fell.
By turning her body mid-air, she landed on her left side, rather than her already-injured shoulder. Her teeth slammed together and her breath left her lungs with a forcefuloof.
She held back the agonizing scream threatening to escape and fought the overwhelming urge to pass out.
Her legs shook beneath her and sweat beaded on her forehead as she struggled to make her way back to her feet.
Weaving side to side, Charlie stood there a moment, working to regain her equilibrium before attempting to run again. She was about to take off when the sound of twigs snapping reached her ears.
Unable to help herself, she turned around to see Caleb’s fist just before it slammed into the side of her face. Charlie flew back as new pain exploded throughout her head as Caleb hovered over her.
His face was red with fury, and his chest heaved with each forceful breath.
“You haven’t changed a bit. Still as stupid as you were the last time I saw you. Where the fuck did you think you were going to go, anyway?”
