Turning to Hadley, Savannah offered a warm invitation. “Would you like to join us for dinner?”
Hadley returned the gesture with a polite smile. “Thank you for the invitation, but I’ll have to decline. It should be a family dinner.”
It had been a long time since the three of them spent time together, and she didn’t want to intrude on their reunion. She also knew Eric had his hands full today, and she was hoping to get home early to spend some time with Joy.
“I only came along to drop Elissa off. Joy’s waiting for me at home.” Hadley gave Elissa’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll get going. Give me a call when you’re free.”
“Okay.” Elissa caught her meaning right away and didn’t try to persuade her to stay. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll handle everything and keep you updated.”
“Great.” Hadley let go of her hand and made her way back to the car.
Savannah turned to Elissa, her eyes filled with curiosity. “Handle what? Is there something I should know about?”
“Mom, it’s—” Elissa started to respond, but before she could say more, a sudden gust of wind whipped around them and she sneezed loudly.
“Inside the car, now!” Savannah hurried her along. “You’ll catch a cold standing out here!”
As this happened, Hadley’s car started to move down the road. She was already dialing Eric. “Yes, Elissa’s with her mother now. I’m on my way home.”
Glancing at the rearview mirror, she caught sight of Savannah helping Elissa into the red car.
A moment later, her attention snapped forward when a white sedan tore past, narrowly missing their vehicle.
A scowl crossed Hadley’s face as she muttered, “People drive with such recklessness—do they ever think about crashing?”
With her phone pressed to her ear, she resumed her conversation with Eric. “So, I’m heading home—”
A sudden, thunderous crash exploded behind them, rattling the entire car.
Fnd n?w h?s t glov?ls.
“Oh my God!” Hadley gasped without thinking.
The blast was powerful enough that even inside the vehicle, she felt the bridge shudder beneath her.
“What was that?” Eric’s worried voice crackled through the phone. “Hadley? Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure…” Hadley murmured, her hand clutching at her chest as confusion clouded her face.
From the front seat, Tamara spun around, her finger stabbing the air behind them. “Look—something’s happened!”
The warning shot through her, and Hadley spun to look back.
The scene behind them made her freeze, cold dread washing over her entire body.
At the entrance to the bridge, a white sedan had slammed straight into a red car—the very one Savannah and Elissa were riding in.
“Elissa!” Panic flooded her voice as the phone slipped right out of her grasp. Her eyes burned, and she instantly recognized the white car as the one that had just raced past her.
.
.
.