She grabbed the wheel with both hands and pulled hard, fighting it, her pulse hammering in her ears.
The SUV lurched to the right, skidded another few feet, and shuddered to a stop on the narrow shoulder.
The engine sputtered, then died.
Silence dropped, broken only by the ticking of cooling metal and the ragged sound of her own breathing.
Naomi sat frozen, hands still locked on the wheel and her heart slamming against her ribs.
Her mind caught up in pieces.
The truck.
The impact.
The way the driver had come out of nowhere and hadn’t even slowed.
What was wrong with him?
She glanced in her rearview mirror.
The pickup truck sat behind her, close enough she couldn’t see its grille.
She drew in a deep but shaky breath. Forced her pulse to slow.
It was probably a distracted driver. Someone checking their phone.
Accidents happened, right?
So why did something about this feel purposeful?
Why hadn’t the driver even tried to stop?
Heart pounding in her ears, she tried to start her SUV again.
Nothing. She wasn’t going anywhere. Not right now.
Naomi opened the door and stepped out.
Cold air bit at her cheeks. She took two steps back and lifted her gaze.
The driver’s door of the pickup swung open, and someone climbed out.
Just not anyone.
Travis Henderson.
Dread flooded her.
Sheknewshe’d seen that truck somewhere before.
She observed the man as she tried to gather her thoughts.
Travis Henderson had an unshaven jaw and dark hair that fell across his forehead like he’d just rolled out of bed. A toothpick worked slowly between his teeth. He had the kind of looks that might have been charming if they weren’t paired with cold eyes and a crooked smile.
He definitely wasn’t the kind of person Naomi wanted to deal with alone on this isolated road. The way he looked at her made her skin crawl.
Travis straightened slowly as he paced toward her. A faint smile tugged at his lips, and he casually tucked his hands into the pockets of his worn, dirty jeans as he looked at her SUV.
