Catching Summer (Second Chances, #6)(46)

“Derek,” I shouted, searching for a pulse. Nothing. There was no breath nor any shred of life. “Goddammit, no! I won’t let you f*cking die this way!” Getting into position, I sat on my knees and concentrated on every step of the CPR training I had just gone through a few weeks ago. “Don’t you die on me, f*cker,” I growled. I went through the motions of breaths and compressions, waiting for a tiny spark of life. “Come on, D! You can do this!”

Cars drove by on the road above, but no one could see us down in the ravine. I had no clue where the f*ck my phone was to call for help. All I knew was that I couldn’t leave Derek, not while there was still a chance. There had to be a chance. Over and over I compressed his chest, refusing to give up. Tears blurred my vision, and I was never one to f*cking cry. Brianna was gone, and all I could see was the terror in her face as we were run off the road. I wanted to erase the memory, but it was etched in my mind. What if it had been Summer and not Brianna? I would’ve wished I was f*cking dead, too.

“Wake the f*ck up!” I shouted. Finally, I heard the one sound I’d been dying to hear. Derek gasped for air and opened his eyes for a second before closing them again. “Thank f*cking God,” I exclaimed, holding his face in my hands. “You’re gonna be all right, brother. Just hang on tight. I need to get us help.”

He was breathing on his own and his pulse was growing stronger. As quickly as I could, I rushed up the hill toward the road, intentionally keeping my gaze from straying down to Brianna still stuck in her car. Whoever was responsible for this was going to pay, and I wasn’t going to stop until I found them. A set of car lights shone in the distance, so I stumbled to the middle of the road, waving my hands in the air. A man and a woman got out of the car and rushed over to me, and all I could remember was falling to my knees and saying we needed help before everything turned black.





Chapter 22


Summer


Time dragged on and still no word from Evan. It was two in the morning, and he wasn’t answering his phone or text messages. He was with Derek and Brianna, so I knew I shouldn’t be worried about him. I trusted him. However, Evan wasn’t the type to say he was going to do something and then not do it. If he was going to be two hours late, he would’ve called me. I didn’t want to check up on him, but there was no way in hell I’d be able to sleep if I didn’t.

Picking up my phone, I called Lara. She was the only one I knew who had Luke’s number. When she answered, her voice was groggy with sleep. “Sis, you okay?”

“I don’t know. I can’t get in touch with Evan. Do you mind giving me Luke’s number? I know Evan was supposed to be with him tonight.”

She groaned. “Well, there’s your problem. He’s with Luke. Evan probably won’t stumble through the door until the sun comes up.”

“Please, Lara. Let me have Luke’s number. I have to know Evan’s okay. Something just doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay, let me find it in my phone.” She yawned and fumbled around on her phone for a few seconds and then recited it to me.

“Thank you, and I’m sorry to have called you so late.”

She yawned again. “You’re welcome. Call me back if something’s wrong. You kind of have me worried now.”

“I will. Hopefully, he’s just with Luke catching up.” We hung up the phone and I immediately dialed Luke’s number. He, too, sounded like he’d been asleep when he answered.

“Yeah?”

“Luke, it’s Summer. I’m looking for Evan. Do you know where he’s at?”

“Evan? He should’ve been home a couple of hours ago. He left with Derek and Brianna.”

My gut clenched. “He’s not here. I’ve been texting him and he’s not answering. That’s not like him.”

“No, it’s not.”

Just then a call beeped through on my phone. “Hey, I have a call coming in.” When I looked at it, it wasn’t Evan, but Kate. “It’s Kate,” I mumbled, my heart dropping. “Why the hell would she be calling?”

“Answer it and then call me back.” Luke hung up so I clicked over to Kate, swallowing hard.

“Hello,” I answered.

I could tell she was in her car by the background noise. “Summer, I want you to listen to me and stay calm. Can you do that?”

“That depends. What the hell’s going on?”

“I’m not exactly sure. I got a call from the police department. Evan’s been in an accident. From what they said, he’s stable, but I don’t think the same can be said for Derek and Brianna. I’m on my way to the hospital. Meet me there?”

I ran to the kitchen and grabbed my purse and keys. “I’m on my way.” My stomach clenched and I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I had known there was something wrong before she called; I could feel it. Thankfully, there wasn’t much traffic in the middle of the night, so I was able to fly as fast as I could down the road. However, I came upon a sight that would forever haunt my memories. A crumpled car that looked like Brianna’s was being pulled out of a ditch, completely mangled and torn apart.

Gasping, I swerved and slammed on the brakes. In the rearview mirror, I watched as the tow truck driver secured the car onto the back of his truck. There was blood on the broken windshield. “Oh my God,” I cried, closing my eyes. That was Brianna’s car. Pulling back out onto the road, I sobbed the entire way to the hospital. My whole body shook, but I had to get there. Over and over in my mind, I repeated the words Kate had said. Evan was stable. I wouldn’t be able to survive another loss, especially his.