Dead Man’s Hand by Giulia Lagomarsino
Ciara
The snow was already blowing across the road so hard that I couldn’t see. I squinted, trying to make out the edge of the road, but it was nearly impossible. I was kicking myself for insisting on having a car instead of something larger. But that was me, always ready to argue if I could get away with it. And with what I was doing, I wanted things done my way.
I took a deep breath and started reciting my pertinent details. “I’m Ciara Donnelly. I’m twenty-eight years old, running from my abusive ex in Vegas, Sean McConnell. I’m here to work at the casino and lay low.”
It wasn’t that much information to remember, but you’d be surprised how quickly you could mess up the details if you weren’t careful. Besides, this was one job I couldn’t mess up. My father relied on me to get certain jobs done, and this was one he really needed to be sure about. Basically, if I didn’t come home with the answers he needed, I shouldn’t bother coming home at all.
I should be used to it by now. My father was not an easy man to deal with, and he demanded the best. It didn’t matter if I wasn’t technically one of them. I had my role to play, and it was vital that I do my part so he could ensure the safety of everyone under his protection. Failure was not an option on this mission.
I took a deep breath, blowing it out as I navigated the dangerous mountain roads. I should be getting close to town, or at least, that’s what my GPS said. After I got there, I needed to get set up with my new job. Then I could get to work for my father.
The tires started to slide as I made my way down the mountain road. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, praying that I could just make it into town for the night. I already had a room reserved at the casino, so I just had to make it there. Then I could start on my plan.
A large truck coming my way took up way too much of the road. My eyes widened as I realized that we weren’t both going to fit on this small two-lane road. I squeezed my eyes closed as the truck just barely made it past me without hitting me. Blowing out a breath, I chuckled at how ridiculous I must have looked.
“Ciara, you’re acting crazy,” I muttered to myself. “You’re going to be fine.”
I slowed as the road curved, careful through every turn, but I hadn’t planned on just how treacherous this would be in the winter. On the next curve, I carefully turned the wheel along the road, but the tires didn’t move. I slid straight instead of turning with the road. Another truck headed in my direction was now right in my path. I slammed on the brakes, jerking the wheel, hoping that I would somehow get out of its path, but the car spun out of control, hitting the edge of the road. The car slid to the side, the back end barely hitting, but not enough to stop the car from rolling over.
I screamed as the car started rolling down the dangerous mountainside. My head slammed into the window, and my body bounced around the car, despite being strapped in. The car finally groaned to a stop. I glanced around, my head fuzzy from slamming into the window. The car was facing the road, the back end facing down the mountainside. I tried the door, but it was jammed and I couldn’t get it open. Panicking, I jerked the handle over and over again, but nothing happened. I was stuck. Taking a deep breath, I unbuckled my seat belt and moved across to the other side, hoping I could get that door open, but as I moved, the car groaned again, and as I looked back, I realized that the car was only being held in place by a tree, and just barely at that.
“I have to get out of here,” I whispered, terror washing over me. I hurried across the car, probably moving faster than I should have, but I was terrified. This wasn’t the way I was supposed to die. I yanked on the passenger door, but it was stuck too.
“Hey!”
My eyes flashed up to a man running down the mountain, slipping along the way as he tried to reach me.
“Help!” I shouted. “I’m stuck. I can’t get out!”
“Don’t move,” he commanded, his voice low and threatening. For just a moment, I wondered if he was here to kill me instead of save me. As he approached and looked around the car, I noticed his face was ruthless, evil. I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. It didn’t matter who he was, as long as he got me out of here.
“Do you have anything to break the window?” he shouted.
Break the window? I searched around the car frantically, but everything was laying haphazardly after the tumble down the mountain. I had no clue if there was anything to help me.
“Do you have a window punch?” he asked, his eyes boring into mine.
“I…I…”
“It would be under the driver’s seat,” he said calmly. “I need you to check.”
Nodding, I brushed my hair out of my face, only to come away with a sticky hand. I stared down at the red that coated my hand, watching my fingers shake in terror.
“Lady, you need to get moving!”
I nodded, but before I could move, the car shifted backward, dropping down the mountain a good ten feet before hitting another tree. I screamed, grasping onto anything I could. When the car stopped moving again, I closed my eyes and fought the nausea swirling in my stomach.
The man was outside the car again, this time with a gun in his hand. My breath seized in my chest as I stared down the gun. Oh God, he really was going to kill me.
“Calm down,” he said, lowering his gun slightly. He looked through the window, and then back at the car. “I’m going to shoot out the window, but this car isn’t going to hold. Once the window’s broken, I need you to climb out right away. Okay?”
I nodded, but it all felt robotic. All I could focus on was that damn gun.
“Duck down, okay?”
I did as he asked, but inside, I was shaking. I heard the crack of the gun and my head jerked up as I heard more glass breaking. He was using the gun to break out the rest of the glass.
“Move!” he shouted, kicking me into high gear. I scrambled to the other side, but as I climbed across the seat, the car shifted again. I reached out my hand, barely grasping his as the car slid even further. “Give me your other hand,” he shouted. I thrust out my hand, but my body went airborne just as the car broke free from where the tree was holding it. My eyes connected with his just as I lost my grip on his hand.
Time slowed as I looked behind me at the steep drop the car plunged over. I screamed as the back end of the car slammed into the ground below. My body jerked as I slammed into the back end of the car. Then the car started rolling front over back down the mountain. My head hit something several times and my body flopped around the car like a rag doll. I vaguely noticed the car had stopped moving before everything went black.