“We don’t have time,” Nolan snapped. “I’ll explain on the way. He’s at the hospital.”
The words hit me like a punch to the chest.
The hospital.
Without thinking anymore, I unhooked the chain and opened the door.
Nolan grabbed my hand immediately and pulled me down the porch steps.
We hurried toward a vehicle parked near the trees—a vehicle that definitely wasn’t the sedan Jude and I had arrived in.
But then I noticed something else.
The closer we got, the clearer it became.
The car Jude and I had come in was still there. It was parked exactly where we’d left it.
I slowed, and Nolan tugged on my hand, forcing me forward.
“What’s wrong?” He glanced back at me.
I was staring straight at the sedan, my stomach dropping.
“If Jude left…” I began, swallowing back a wave of nausea. “Why is his car still here?”
Nolan’s hand clutched mine so hard it hurt.
The panic vanished from his face, draining away completely and leaving something cold in its wake.
His gaze sharpened. “I don’t want you to fight me.” His tone dropped into a threat.
The words flipped a switch in my brain.
I immediately tried to jerk away from him, but he was too strong.
A hot, frantic panic rushed through me as I tried to pull free.
I opened my mouth to scream—
But he was suddenly on me.
His hand clamped over my mouth before a sound could escape. My mind rang with horror.
I tried to scream.
I tried to fight.
Nothing came out except a muffled, strangled sound beneath his palm.
I thrashed in Nolan’s arms, but his hold was unrelenting.
No. No. No.
I opened my mouth as wide as I could, and I bit down hard on any sliver of flesh.
The sharp, metallic taste of blood tickled over my tongue as Nolan yelled and jerked his hand away.
“You little—!” he snarled, cursing under his breath
