Chapter 1
I was driving to my boyfriend Declan's family Thanksgiving dinner when another vehicle slammed into mine on an empty stretch of road.
The impact jammed my doors shut, and the heavy stench of gasoline quickly filled the air. The car was on the verge of exploding.
I desperately reached for the life hammer in the center console, only to pull out a pink plastic toy.
Panic set in as I dialed Declan's number.
His ringtone echoed from the car that had just hit me.
Declan stepped out, his arm casually draped around his childhood sweetheart, Maeve. She was putting on a dramatic display of fake tears over her terrible driving.
He glared at me through the window.
"She did it on purpose," he muttered.
"The life hammer was switched!" I screamed, banging on the glass. "Get me out of here!"
Maeve flashed a proud grin. "That was me! Cute, right?"
Declan sneered in disgust. "It's just a fender bender. Get out yourself."
Thick smoke started choking the cabin.
I pleaded for help, but Maeve only giggled.
"Cooking in there, sis? The baby's hungry. Let's go, Declan."
He turned his back on me and started walking away. "Stop the drama. My parents are waiting."
Using the last of my strength, I slammed my hand onto the emergency button.
That button was my only lifeline. It immediately transmitted my exact coordinates and a live audio feed directly to my brother, Ronan.
The second I pressed it, a piercing alarm erupted from the car's security system.
Declan and Maeve, who had only made it a few steps away, spun around.
Declan stormed back to my car, his face twisted in pure fury.
He pounded his fists against the glass.
"What the hell are you playing at, Linnea? When does this end?" he yelled. "It's just a little smoke! You hit the emergency button for that? Do you think the entire city's emergency services are at your beck and call? Stop making a big deal out of nothing!"
Maeve covered her mouth, but she couldn't hide her snicker.
"Declan, honey, don't be mad at Linnea," she cooed sweetly. "It's all my fault."
She pulled a small, matchbox-sized black device from her pocket and waved it like a trophy.
"The last time you gave me a ride, I bought this smoke simulator and hid it in her car. I just thought it would be a funny prank, you know? To mess with her a little."
She pressed a button on it. "See? You just push this, and poof! Smoke! It's completely harmless, no toxins or anything. Just for fun!"
Declan's expression darkened with even more rage.
"Did you hear that, Linnea? It's fake! It's a joke!" he roared. "Have you completely lost your mind? Or do you just expect everyone to drop what they're doing and cater to your every whim, exactly like I have to do twenty-four-seven?"
I trembled with a fury that burned hotter than the smoke filling the car.
They were the ones who had been fooling around in their vehicle, with Maeve deliberately yanking the steering wheel to swerve into me.
But I didn't have time to argue.
I pointed a shaking finger at the hood, where the smoke was turning thicker and pitch black.
"Declan, the engine is actually smoking! It's real!" I cried out. "The doors are locked from the inside! You have to open them from the outside! Please, get me out!"
Declan just sneered at me.
"You're getting more and more pathetic, trying to one-up Maeve. Do you really think I'm going to fall for that again?"
I stopped wasting my breath.
Every second spent arguing with them was a second of precious oxygen lost.