“Jealous?” Ally ribbed.
“When I have all this at my fingertips?” he ran a hand through his short, dark hair. “Not a chance. And come on – he may be sexy, and he may be a rock god, but I’m sure it’s not fun and games all the time. I mean, he probably has those paparazzi bottom-feeders chasing him all over the world, splashing his visit to the pharmacy to buy haemorrhoid cream all over the front page – that’s gotta suck, for sure.”
Ally leaned forward to swat him hard around the head. “Don’t you dare drag him down to mortal level like that! Anyway, I’m sure he has people to do all that stuff for him.”
“True. I bet he has people to apply the cream for him too.”
Ally leaned forward to slap him again but he ducked out of the way.
“Quit it, you two. Don’t make me the grown-up here,” Jack grinned as he took his foot off the gas in anticipation of the approaching corner.
The road was still wet, even if the rain had stopped. The country road had been lined with trees for the past half mile, trapping the light from the headlights, bouncing it off the undergrowth and back out onto the road again. The effect was eerie and he was grateful when the trees gave way to the open countryside again.
“You need to put a leash on her – she’s outta control tonight!” Callum grinned.
Jack glanced at Ally in the rear-view mirror and she smiled back, winking wickedly. She was in a playful mood tonight, still on a high from the concert. He could relate. Adrenaline hummed through his veins and his ears still rang from the noise. It had been worth the long drive there and back but he suddenly wished they were home already. The ring tucked safely into the pocket of his jeans dug into him as a physical reminder of what lay ahead.
Distracting himself, he leaned over to turn the music up and Eddie Vedder’s sultry voice filled the car. Ally swayed to the music in the back seat, a satisfied smile on her face. He turned his attention back to the road as they rounded the corner.
Headlights cut through the dark, directly into their path, and his heart leapt into his throat. His gut knew instinctively what was about to happen mere seconds before the car hit them.
Callum yelled as Jack automatically wrenched the steering wheel away from the blinding light. It all happened so fast, he didn’t even have time to slam on the brakes.
The impact was mind-blowing, sending a shuddering jolt throughout his entire body that turned his limbs to jelly. Time stopped as they skidded across the road, the buzzing in his ears blocking everything else out. Then they were upside down. He squinted out through the windshield, his brain struggling to process what was happening. He felt like he was moving simultaneously in slow motion and fast-forward, and it crossed his mind that this might be how he died. A strange calmness washed over him. His fate was completely out of his hands.
The car suddenly bounced as it left the road, ripping through a fence, the trees ahead rapidly filling the windshield as he mentally braced himself for the impact. The crazy rollercoaster ride ended as abruptly as it had begun, jolting him again, throwing a spear of pain through his shoulder and neck that momentarily left him breathless.
And then there was silence. Buzzing, humming, vibrating silence.
CHAPTER 1
“There are four questions of value in life; what is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love.”
- Johnny Depp
Jack bolted upright, bathed in sweat, his heart racing. It took him several long moments to remember where he was.
The sky is darkest just before the dawn.
The small window revealed very little light. It was early. How long had he slept? A couple of hours? It felt like less. How could one nightmare squeeze such a lot into such a short space of time? One of the many mysteries of the universe.
The fear subsided slightly as he recognised the nightmare for what it was. When he was young, his mother would soothe him with “It’s alright, it was just a nightmare. It wasn’t real.”
But this wasn’t just a nightmare, and it was real. He collapsed back onto the pillow and stared at the grimy ceiling.
Four years had passed and still he could recall every last detail of that night. In his waking moments he had control for the most part, but when he slept it was a different story. Memories, grief and guilt soaked him like acid, eating away at him.
Pushing the covers off, he swung his legs down onto the threadbare carpet. His entire body ached. The trembling hand he ran through his short brown hair left it standing on end, the nightmare still nipping at the edges of his subconscious. Ally’s face flashed in front of his eyes. He squeezed them shut, trying to block her out as he fought to regain control.