STRIKE: Storm Runners Motorcycle Club 2 (SRMC) (27 page)

The engine was on fire. Flames and smoke rose into the air, choking me as they blew through the open window. Pushing open the door with one hand, I reached for my seatbelt with the other, but it wouldn’t come loose.

Oh god, oh god, oh god.

It must have gotten jammed in the wreck, I realized. It had tightened, trapping me against the seat. It was too hot. Panic roared through me as I fought with my seatbelt, my slippery hands unable to get purchase. When I tried to wiggle out of the seatbelt, it only locked tighter. I was going to die only inches from my open car door and freedom.

A low growl made me turn my head. A gray wolf stood watching me, his fur gleaming in the light of the flames. He cocked his head to the side.

Too hot. My head swam and my eyelids drifted. Keeping them open was an enormous effort, so I let them drift closed—just for a minute.

Another growl—this one close to my ear—forced my eyes open and I gazed through them blearily to see the wolf standing with his paws in my lap. I was too far gone to be scared, just regarded him with dull eyes as he lowered his mouth to the belt trapping me to the seat. He chewed at it, tugging until it loosened, then went to work on the top strap. My body slumped forward as it was freed and I tried to crawl out of the car after he moved back, away from the flames.

I was too weak. Could only slump against the bloody airbag.

He whined and came back, taking hold of my belt and pulling me from the car. My body hit the ground hard, rocks and dirt cutting into my arms. The wolf kept tugging, yanking me back through the trees and toward the lake. Once we’d gotten close to the sandy beach surrounding it, my car erupted in flames and twisted metal. The sound of the explosion hurt my ears, and I clapped my hands over them to ward off the sound. Lying there, curled up on the beach, I watched bits of flame and sparks light up the sky like fireworks, then lost consciousness.

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