Her Regret, His Resolve; Bouncing Back, Book 2

18

Fine-tune the pacing, clarity, and consistency but do not change the original

Absolutely, I'll fine-tune the pacing, clarity, and consistency while keeping the original content intact:

Tonight was supposed to be a joyous occasion. Russell had planned to propose to his girlfriend at dinner, hoping to finally win her father's approval and receive congratulations from his siblings. He had meticulously planned every detail, from the restaurant to the moment he would pop the question, but everything fell apart. He wanted to make her happy, to give her everything he could, but she kept pushing him away and hurting him.

Grabbing his phone, he angrily wiped the tears from his face and dialed David's number. It broke his heart, but he couldn't take it anymore. The only thing he could do was walk away from the girl he loved before he did something he would regret. He was done feeling like her manservant rather than her boyfriend.

As he drove, the streetlights cast long shadows on the road. His mind raced with thoughts of what could have been. He should have pulled over to collect himself, but he didn't. He never saw the other vehicle in time to hit the brakes. The truck slammed into the driver's side of his classic car with sudden and violent force, shattering the tranquility of the night. The screech of metal on metal and the shattering of glass filled the air.

Fumbling, he gasped in pain as he picked up the phone from where it had fallen, blinking hard through the haze of blood that clouded his vision. As he tried to relay his location to David, someone walked over to the car. The next thing he felt was the sharp edge of a blade sliding between his ribs.

Darkness swallowed him whole, the pain making it harder and harder to breathe. His azure eyes became glazed, his heart slowing as he focused on simply staying alive. Though he’d wanted to leave her, his heart ached at the thought of never seeing her smile or hearing her laugh again.

“Please, if you live, help me.” The voice, thickly accented, wasn’t one that he recognized, but it was clearly a young man, possibly even a teenager. Despite actively trying to kill him, the guy was begging for help. His mind worked to unravel the mystery while his body shut down systematically. His only hope to live hinged on how fast his family got to him.

When they arrived on the scene, Ambrosia quickly ran over to the car where her brother's nearly lifeless body was still in the driver’s seat. The night air was thick with tension, the distant sounds of sirens adding to the urgency. Checking him over, she breathed a sigh of relief that he was still alive. In the nine years since meeting him, she'd come to love Russell as much as she loved Declan. He was a child they never knew existed until he attempted to sabotage the mission Hans led against Cindy.

Glancing down, she noticed the blood seeping through his shirt, soaking the material until it was a deeper shade of red. Not seeing the source of the bleeding, she felt around his chest and paled. "s**t. Declan, I need him out before he bleeds to death. Get a move on.”

His sneakers pounding the pavement, Declan ran over to the car and pried open the passenger side door. "Hold on, little bro. We’re getting you out of this."

"What can I do to help?" Skylar asked as she and David reached the vehicle.

“This happened because of you. Get out of my sight!” Ambrosia snapped angrily. Her eyes blazed with fury, and her voice was sharp enough to cut through steel.

Though he wanted to tell her to stop, David knew better than to anger the woman while she was working. Besides, the auburn-haired woman was already beyond reasoning, and it could very well be him lying in a cold morgue if he wasn’t careful.

"Listen to Donna Ambrosia, Sky," he said, pushing her back toward his car. Running back, he popped the trunk and took out a small grinder. Heading back to the scene, he said, "Here, Dec."

While Declan used the grinder to open the door, David realized that the other vehicle was nowhere in sight. Scanning the location, he noticed the tire tracks. The small pebbles of rubber where the tires had burned against the pavement were still slightly warm. Everything about it screamed premeditated.

"Your daughter needs to stay away from Russell for a while, David," Declan snarled angrily as he finished getting the damaged door off the car. "They’ve been dating for months. He’s had plenty of time to hurt her, but he didn’t. It’s time to rethink how you treat him, too. Russell’s worked hard to get back in our good graces. He didn’t deserve this."

Nodding, the brunet helped pry back the metal, supporting Russell's head and neck as they pulled him out of the car. Grabbing the rag he’d taken from the trunk of his own vehicle, David pressed it against the wound on Russell's side. "Damn it, kid, why'd you have to leave like that?”

"Don't let it bug you, Dave," Declan replied, calming down after his initial outburst. "Did he really call to tell you he was breaking up with her?"

Scrubbing a hand over his face, David said, "I want to hate him, but what he said got me thinking. Maybe I have been too hard on him, but I can't seem to get over what he did. I just wanted to protect my daughter from what my CPS brain perceived as a threat to her safety.”

"My brother was severely brainwashed, but he’s trying. Every day that he’s still here is a testament to that," Declan replied.

David sighed, the weight of his guilt pressing down on him. "I need to give him a chance to prove himself. I need to apologize for this, too."

The auburn-haired man nodded, his expression softening. "He's been through hell and back, and he's still fighting to make things right. We owe him that much."

Ambrosia's hands trembled slightly as she held her brother's hand, her fierce determination to save him unwavering. "We're going to get you through this, Russell," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "Just hold on a little longer."

The ambulance arrived, its sirens blaring and lights flashing, casting an eerie glow over the chaotic scene. Paramedics rushed to take over, their practiced efficiency a stark contrast to the surrounding turmoil. As they loaded Russell into the ambulance, David placed a reassuring hand on Skylar's shoulder.

The paramedics worked quickly, their movements precise and confident. Riding with them, Ambrosia made sure that he was taken care of, her eyes never leaving her brother's pale face. She could hear the steady beeping of the heart monitor, a fragile lifeline in the midst of chaos.

Skylar approached as Declan called Callum to send someone for the Trans Am. The air was heavy with the scent of gasoline and burnt rubber. Shaking his head angrily, the auburn-haired man turned from the girl he had helped train and continued talking to his brother-in-law. "I'll explain later, but David said this looks like a set-up. His street-sense kicked in, so he's doing a survey now. Amber's on her way to the hospital with him now."

"Damn, that guy's got the worst luck I've ever seen, and I've been pretty unlucky," Callum stated. “Ross is sending Gary, Shane E., and Thomas.”

"No kidding," Declan mused, glancing around the scene. The streetlights cast long shadows, and the distant hum of city life seemed incongruous with the intensity of the moment. "David just found a street cam. I'm going to help him get the feed. Are we sending it to you, Sir?"

"Send it to Trace's team, then get your asses to the hospital. I want my wife and Russell under guard in case whoever did this tries to finish the job." Callum barked, an ominous anger seeping into his voice. “I will keep Temperance in the dark until you can find a chance to let her know what happened. She either changes her behaviour or she’s out, and you can tell her that, too.”

“Out?” Though he knew his brother-in-law was a nice man, Declan also understood Cal’s limited patience with abusers of any kind. Realizing he was in total agreement with the demand, Declan said, "Understood, Sir."

He hung up the phone and turned to David, who was examining the tire tracks with a focused intensity. "Let's get this feed and head to the hospital. We need to make sure they're safe."

David nodded, his expression grim. "This was definitely a set-up. We need to find out who did this and why."

Pocketing the phone, Declan snapped at Skylar to get back in the car where she would be safer before jogging over to his partner. "Cal's been updated, he's not happy about what happened, and we need to high-tail it to the hospital when the crew gets here. We need to get the memory card out and send Trace the camera feed, too."

"Nice, and I figured that he would issue that order. That sister of yours is scarier than Hans ever was. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that the two of you were born specifically to join the mob," David said dryly. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the small, blood-stained box he found on the floor of the Trans Am. "Was he planning to marry her?”

Declan’s eyes slid closed, his jaw setting as he nodded tightly. He felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him. The sight of the engagement ring was a stark reminder of everything Russell had hoped for. As he opened his eyes, he saw the mix of concern, guilt, and determination. "We need to get moving."

David nodded, understanding the urgency. "Let's focus on finding out who did this."