Forever His & His Ghost

Chapter 27: Making a Run for It

  I wasn't sure where I was going and surprised myself when I realized where I was. I was headed up the mountain pass where Jaxon had taken me to the lookout so many times. This road wasn't traveled very often, it's what they considered a back road.

     Once you got to the pullover for the lookout, the road turned treacherous for most people as it stayed washed out from the spring rains. There were no guard rails, and just gravel pass that point until you go to the next little town on the other side. Most people didn't travel this way, they always came in through the interstate, but I figured this was the safest way to go. I would just take my time, and no one would find me this way. When I turned the final curve to the lookout, I couldn't help but let my heart flutter and those memories flood my mind.

     I decided to stop but drove just a bit ahead so I could hide the car. I parked and walked back down the road to the trail to the lookout. I stepped into the clearing where I could see the small town below me, and I let the tears roll. I collapsed on the ground in a slobbering mess letting it all out. That's what I needed, I needed to let it out here, leave it here, and move forward.

     "You know I pushed that witch away as soon as she done that, if I had known you were there, I would have left her there just like I did before. You will only ever be the girl for me." I jumped at the sound of his voice behind me. I tried to stand quickly and move but once again his strong arms were around me gently lifting me into his hold. "Skyla why do keep running from me?" He pleaded.

     I pushed myself away gently, "This is the way it has to be. This is the only way to protect you and my family. I have to go. And I am sorry I didn't stay to say goodbye there." I wiped the tears away. He reached for me, and I stepped back again. "No, this can't be, I was only fooling myself thinking it could."

     "What are you protecting me from?" He asked and I knew he was angry from the tone of his voice, it made me flinch a little, I had heard him angry before but never directed at me. He took that as a moment of weakness and had me in his arms again, this time he made sure to place a firm hold on me, as much as I wiggled, I couldn't get away. "Please talk to me."

     I finally stopped struggling and leaned into his chest, this was it, moment of truth. "Jaxon there are forces against us. Well, against me, I don't really know what's going on, but I know my life is in danger as well as yours. We can't be right now."

    "Is that what happened when you left?" He whispered and I only nodded into his chest. "Oh Skyla, why didn't you tell me? I promise I will always protect you. It's my stupid family business, but I swear I am getting out, I have already told my father I want no part of it. My father is in deeper than I thought." He kissed the top of my head, "But please go with me, I promise I will protect you from now on, I will never let anything happen to you again."

     I wrapped my arms around him and propped my chin on his chest, so I was looking up into his eyes. "Jaxon how bad is it?"

     He gave me halfhearted smile, "It's bad. Dad has been hiding how bad his business is really going, he was on the verge of filing bankruptcy, went through mine and Terr's trust funds like it was nothing and we were fixing to lose everything. He got in business with Trey and Samantha's family, and in return they saved his butt. However, there were conditions to that, one was that I was to take Samantha as my wife through an arranged marriage." I felt the air leave my lungs; I couldn't breathe. "I refused, will never happen. They threatened dad, and I told him I didn't care, he made the bed he could lay in it, it was my life. Then he threatened to take it all away from me, I told him go ahead. I had no idea it would ever mean him coming after you."

     "Jax this isn't good."

      He kissed the top of my head, "It isn't but now I know, and I know what to do. I have enough money stashed back to take care of my education and get started after college, but I promise I will bury him and them, they will never come after us ever again."

     "I have to go." I pulled away but he caught me yet again.

    "No, we have to go. Now lead the way." The tone of his voice told me there was no room for a no in this situation.

     "But I didn't bring your stuff. You can go home, get your diploma tomorrow and then we can meet somewhere."

     He pulled me into his arms and stared into my eyes. "I have all I need. It's me and you, no looking back and we leave it all here. Besides, I have a small bag with enough in it in my car." He pulled me into a kiss and poured all his love into it, before slowly pulling back and leading me to the car. "I love you."

     "I love you too Jaxon." I climbed in the driver's seat and put my seat belt on while Jaxon climbed in the other side. "Jax, how did you find me?"

      He took my hand in his and placed a soft kiss on the palm. "I promise I will find you, we will find each other, always." He looked around the car, "Now mind telling me where this came from?"

      "My mom." I laughed; well, it was kind of the truth. "Should we go across the pass, or back through town to the main road."

     "The pass, it will take us about two hours to get across taking our time, but I think it will be the safest route, where no one will find us. If we go back through town there is a chance someone might find us."

     "Okay, do you know how the road is after the spring rains?"

     "It's pretty bad, Mark said the one side is completely gone, but as long as you take it slow and stay to the left against the rock facing you can get over it." He turned in the seat, "And Skyla I love you."

"I love you too." I gave him a smile and pulled out on the road.

      We drove for about a mile before the asphalt turned to gravel and the road began to narrow. It was pure darkness surrounding us, but with Jaxon beside me, I felt like I could conquer the world. The lights from the town below slowly disappeared and the only light was that of the car lights. We decided to roll the windows down and enjoy the cool spring night during our drive. The river below was roaring, well it had to be roaring in order for us to hear it as high up as we were. The crickets were singing, and it was the most peaceful sound I think I had ever heard.

     "You hear that?" Jaxon whispered.

     "Yea it sounds like nature, I love it. Maybe one day we could live in the country."

     "That sounds perfect, but baby that's not what I am talking about."

     I frowned, slowing the car down a bit more and concentrating I could hear it, "Jaxon, that's the gravel popping under the car." I was confused, how could he just now hear that.

     He turned around slowly in his seat and stared out the back window, squinting his eyes, before he turned back around and took a deep breath. "Skyla, you are going to have to speed up just a bit. About a mile ahead is the worse part of the mountain, once we get pass that, we are home free."

     I gassed the car just a bit, "Jaxon, you are scaring me." Why was he talking like this, this road was already dangerous, the left side was a straight up mountain side with no shoulder, and the right side was a straight drop off, I wasn't sure how far down, but I am sure I didn't want to know either. Mark had been right, the right side of the road was washed out, and most of it was sliding down the drop off. If I lost control now it would for sure be a plunge to our death.

      He grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I know, and I am sorry, but there is someone following us, and they do not have their lights on which means they are not out for a nightly drive."

     I pushed the gas a little more, "How do you know?" This time it was my turn to whisper.

     "If you listen really close, you can hear the other gravel popping under their car, but when I turned around, I caught just a glimpse of their bumper." He took a deep breath, "They won't separate us, now we have to go, so baby drive." He kissed my hand and I just nodded.

     What happened next felt like it took a lifetime to happen. I was speeding through that pass, I was determined to get us to the other side safely, Jaxon coaxed me and never showed any fear. The car behind us finally flipped it's lights on and started riding my tailgate so close I could barely see the shape of the head lights. Just as I turned the last curve before we were to go across the peak, I felt the car shudder underneath me, I looked up and the car was literally bumping me, I sped a little faster and the car bumped a little harder. The curve at the peak was on me before I realized it and as I tried to turn into it, the car behind me shoved my car into the rock facing on my left. The front of the car crinkled with the force of the rock and the car hit me again causing the car to spin to the right. I tried to regain control, but the traction was lost to the gravel, and when my tires hit the slide of the dirt going down the bluff all I could see was nothingness in the lights of my car. There was a large rock jolted out from the side and when the car hit it, it turned it front over back until we were in a roll. My body felt like a pair of jeans in a dryer being tossed around, I looked over to Jaxon and he was fighting the roll as hard as he could but was failing miserably. His face was already battered and bleeding, at that moment my life flashed before my eyes, it was ending there.

      The car finally came to a rest while titter tattering on its top against a lip in the bluff. If we moved, we were going to continue plummeting into the unknown below us. I looked over to Jax, the windshield was busted on his side and his head was bleeding, I was guessing he hit the windshield. I took one hand to reach and feel for his, while I took my other hand to feel around the console and see if I could find the burner phone, I had to get us help. I finally found the phone and tucked it in my pocket best I could, I would call as soon as I could get a response from Jaxon.

     "Jaxon?" He didn't move, I tried to move a little to get to him and the car shifted, making me stay still. "Jaxon, please answer me." Still nothing, I placed my hand on his chest, I could feel a faint heartbeat and his breathing was shallow. "Jaxon, I love you, please wake up, we have to get out of here." Still nothing, I quickly looked back over myself, there was so much pain I didn't know where to start, but right then my adrenaline was pumping through my veins so fast, nothing felt life threatening, miraculously.

     "Skyla," I heard him faintly mutter and my heart stopped.

     "Jaxon I am here. Tell me where it hurts, please."

     "Skyla you have to get out of here." I rolled my eyes, there was no way I was leaving him. And leave it to him to still try to be my boss.

     "Jaxon, I am not leaving you. Now open those pretty eyes and tell me how we are going to get out of this."

     "Skyla, I love you, please go, I can't move. Get help and come back."

    "Jaxon, I love you, but I am not going anywhere. If I move the car is going to shift, and roll."

    "Stubborn woman." He mumbled and that earned him a laugh. "Skyla they are coming, you have to go." He whispered, and I could hear the desperation in his voice, as well as a strangling sound.

     I tried to speak again but my words were lost when I saw those eyes peering through the window on Jaxon's side, and they weren't looking at him they were looking at me. I froze, pure evil, but when his eyes landed on Jaxon, he panicked. He managed to reach in and securely pull Jaxon out placing him safely on the ground outside the window. I couldn't take my eyes off Jaxon, even in the faint light that was illuminating the outside I could still see his chest moving, barely but it was moving.

    "You can't say you weren't warned. You were given every chance to walk away. I am sorry you forced my hand at this. But I guess this is goodbye from here." I couldn't see Trey's face, but I could hear his voice and see his feet outside the window on Jaxon's side. Jaxon never stirred so I knew he was unconscious. "Now let's make this quick shall we." I felt the car rock and two men laughing outside of the car, I had now idea who was out there with Trey, but I knew this was it, my final moments.

     The car rocked harder, and I was so scared that I couldn't even get a scream to leave my lips. I closed my eyes as the car was airborne yet again, rolling and tumbling down the rock facing of the slide. Everything whipped by me, and I closed my eyes trying to hold my body as still as possible underneath the seat belt. The last thing I remember was the splash and the cold water that rushed through the windows quickly enveloping my body.

     "I love you Jaxon," I screamed into the night, as I felt the water feel my lungs, and the pain finally was too much to bear, I gave in to the darkness.