Following Her (Unexpected Heroes #2.5)(26)

“Why do you try to lie to us? Haven’t you figured out it’ll never work?”

“I’m not lying. I just . . . I don’t want to ask questions, I don’t want to jeopardize what we have. I can’t do that,” she admitted.

“Have you thought about the fact that you may ruin it if you keep running from how you really feel? Look, I know I’m not the one to give relationship advice, since all of my relationships seem to end before they begin, but I’m telling you, girl, that if a man looked at me the way that Axel looks at you, I’d jump onto him and never let go,” Maycie said.


“I don’t think I want to risk it. If I scare him away, I’m afraid I won’t feel like this with another person. I know this doesn’t sound like me. I know I’m always the strong one, the one who seems like she can handle anything, but I’m not strong when it comes to Axel.”

“I think you should just be yourself and tell the guy how you feel. I can guarantee you that he’s going to be happy about it,” Reese piped in.

“You’re wrong. Guys like Axel don’t settle down. They hang around while times are good and then run the second things look like they’re getting out of control,” Ella insisted.

“Then why in the world would you want to give your heart to a man like that?” Reese asked.

“I don’t. It wasn’t my choice.”

“Ella, giving your heart is your choice. You choose who is good enough to deserve it, and you choose if he’s allowed to keep it.”

Ella leaned back as she tried to process those words. “But I didn’t exactly give him my heart. I can’t say that’s how I feel at all. I don’t know how I feel,” she argued.

“Obviously you do, or he never would’ve lasted this long.”

“I don’t want to talk about him anymore, please. I’m not getting any work done, and I think I just need to get out of this office,” Ella said as she stood.

“Where are we going?” Maycie asked, jumping down from her desk.

“The mall,” Ella and Reese said together. And just like that, they let it go. The women left her office and made it to the shopping center in no time flat, and Ella felt the pressure weighing on her chest ease.

Being with her girls was better than therapy.

Their trip to the mall ended all too soon since hunger pangs were making them weak, so they decided on dinner at their favorite restaurant. They were only on the road for about five minutes when a large black van pulled up behind them and began tailgating. “What in the world?” Ella said, her heart racing as she saw the van in her rearview mirror.

“What’s going on?” Maycie asked as she turned and looked out the back window before gasping.

The van that was following too closely swerved to the left and then came so close to Ella’s bumper that her heart lodged in her throat.

“Speed up before this drunk moron smashes into us,” Reese insisted.

Ella hit the gas pedal and sped up, but the large van followed, and right before she turned a corner, the idiot hit her bumper, pushing her through the stop sign and nearly getting them sideswiped by another vehicle.

“Pull over. This idiot is going to pay,” Maycie demanded.

“No!” Reese shouted. “I think that’s exactly what he wants you to do. You need to go straight to the police station.”

“What are you talking about?” Ella shouted. She didn’t know if she should stop or not, but the car that hit her wasn’t backing away. And she couldn’t see inside his windows through the heavy tinting, even though he was literally on her bumper.

“I don’t like this, Ella. Get out of here,” Reese said.

She didn’t have to be told twice. She hit the gas and changed directions, heading for the police station instead of the restaurant. The car stayed with her, hitting her bumper again and sending her car out of control.

“Hold on!” she shouted, but before the words were even out, she felt the impact as her car slammed into a ditch and flipped a 180, making her lose all sense of direction.

Shock immediately settled in, but then a whole new fear arose as Ella twisted to see Reese groaning in the seat next to her.

“Maycie, are you okay?” she yelled, not able to see her friend in the backseat.

“I think so. My body feels like I just spent two hours at the gym with my evil trainer, but I think other than that I’m fine,” she said.

“Reese?” Maycie then asked.

“I’m okay, too, I think. My head is pounding. I think it met up with the windshield and the windshield won,” Reese said, attempting to make a joke.

“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” Ella said, knowing that ignoring the danger surrounding her had just put her friends in jeopardy.

“Don’t you dare say that!” Maycie snapped. “I’m so glad we’re here with you and you didn’t just go through this alone.”

Before any of them could say another word, Ella’s door was ripped open, and all three girls let out an ear-piercing scream.

“It’s just me!” Axel shouted. It took a moment for them to quit screaming, and then Ella’s body began shaking as she realized they were safe.

“The ambulance will be here in just a minute. Is everyone alert?” Axel asked, his hands running over Ella as he looked in on her first.