𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝑫𝒐 𝑼𝒔 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 | ✓

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғᴏᴜʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

Tobias glanced in the rearview mirror  and watched Dillard count the stack of cash her given the couple as Sofia clung to Dillard's arm. The sight brought the curve of a smile to his lips and after a moment he dropped his gaze back to the rocky dirt road he drove down. Ahead of him Esmeray cruised in the Lincoln and what she said when he'd dropped Dillard and Sophia off with money. See, you're not as bad as you think you are, Toby. Not even as bad as the world says you are either.

He listened to the radio and thought to himself as he followed Esmeray down the rough road lined with blooming azalea bushes and sprawling magnolia trees dotted with silky blossoms. It was beautiful and the sweet scent of the flowers intoxicated his senses with more than just its fragrance. If this was a different time, he'd have taken Esmeray down it for a walk. But the costs of his goal prevented such a thing along with their infamous media attention. He hit the brake when he refocused and saw Esmeray taking his Mustang to the left in the small car hideout among a thick swab of azaleas and Jasmine vines. He stopped the Lincoln in the middle of the road and waited for her to park his car in the concealment of the undergrowth, humming a tune under his breath as he sat there.

"What now?" Esmeray asked with an airy laugh as she opened the Lincoln's passenger door, sitting in the leather seat and leaning to plant a smacking kiss on his cheek.

Tobias smirked and revved the gas. He felt the vibrations of power that surged through the car thanks to the three hundred and fifteen horses running under its hood. "We take this baby for a spin."

"Then come back for your car?" She giggled and settled agaisnt the seat as they shot forward like a red bullet. A grin touched her lips at the cloud of dust that billowed from beneath the tires and the roar of the engine.

"Of course baby girl. I ain't gonna leave it behind no siree," he answered with a quick wink. He rested his free hand on her thigh and chuckled with a soft smile. "You like it too much for me to do that."

She playfully rolled her eyes and laughed, leaning into him and enjoying this beautiful day with the one she loved the most. She leaned her head on his shoulder and glanced down at his hand on her thigh as they took a curve faster than most would dare to. The soft press of his lips on the top of her head brought a warmth in her heart and a smile to her face. When she lifted her gaze back up, her heart leapt in her chest. Where a bridge should've been, there was nothing but empty space. She gripped his hand with a tightness brought about by fear. "Toby!"

The moment his eyes met the open space, he slammed on the brake and turned the wheel as quickly and as quickly as he could. He felt the car tilt on its side as it tried to perform his commands and he held onto the steering wheel for fear they would lose control if he lost his grip.

Tobias's desperate attempt to turn the car away from the drop off sent them careening to the right and soaring off the edge of the ravine. The car flipped as it tumbled down the rocky side of the drop off before slamming agaisnt the bank of the muddy waters of the churning river and throwing Tobias out of the window.

God only knows how long Tobias was knocked out before his thick black lashes fluttered and his eyes opened. He squinted at the light and the bright whiteness of the clouds peeking through the open bridge space. His head throbbed and he gently touched it to bring back blood. He breathed slowly and winced when he shifted and he stilled against the pain that flowed through his body. A soft voice met his ears and his heart began to race at that familiar tone and struggled to get to his feet.

"God, please don't let me die like this. Ahhh," Esmeray's muted voice cried out tearfully.

Tobias's heart skipped a beat at Esmeray's begging and he pushed his well being to the back of his mind and forced himself to stumble along toward the car embedded on its side. He felt the heat and heard the quiet crackling of flames and knew he didn't have much time. He limped around to the front of the Lincoln and peered through the shattered windshield to see the bloodied face of Esmeray. "Esme are you okay? What's hurting?"

"Oh my g-gosh thank God!" Esmeray exclaimed with a soft sob. Tears made tracks through the dirt and blood smeared on her face as she reached out and touched the cracked glass between her and the one person who could save her. She bit her lip and glanced down. "My leg's pinned and. . .the fire keeps- ahhh. . . t-touching it."

He let his gaze drop to follow hers and saw the flames licking as her exposed leg and burning her skin. He couldn't see her ankle and was sure it was out the window and pinned by the car. "My Lord have mercy. . . ." he whispered. She was in way more pain than she was expressing and the clock was ticking to get her out. An unearthly fear gripped his chest and squeezed his lungs, robbing them of air. What if he couldn't get her out?

She covered her mouth to hold back a sob as the flames traveled ever slowly up her calf. She coughed, gagging slightly as the nausea swirled in her stomach and she forced it to stay down. More tears left her eyes and she bit her quivering lip. "W-What are we gonna d-do?"

"I'm gonna get you outta there," he stated, getting ahold of himself with a resolute determination. He placed his hands on the heated metal body of the car and gave it a slight push. He grimaced when Esmeray whimpered at the movement but he had to test his plan. "Baby, I'm gonna try and push the car over. When I do I'mma come and get you out. Okay?"

"Okay," she acknowledged quietly. She gripped what she could to brace herself as her chest gently heaved with each shallow breath she took.

He closed his eyes for a moment and send a prayer heavenward. Id the Big Man upstairs had any care for him in the world, He'd help him get Esmeray out of this alive. He opened his eyes and planted his hands on the car, giving it a solid push.

The car rocked precariously a few times and Esmeray screamed with pain as it tottered but held steady.

"I'm so sorry baby girl, so sorry," Tobias apologized softly, gritting his teeth and inwardly cursing. He listened to her whimpers and sobs for a moment before an idea struck him. "I'll be right back just hold on," he told her in a gentle tone before he limped a few feet away and turned to face the Lincoln. He squared up with it as if it was an enemy he was about to take out. In reality, it was his enemy, and one he planned on defeating if it was the last thing he did.

With another whispered prayer, he took off toward the Lincoln at a limping run. In moments he crashed into the side of it with his full weight and sent it tipping over and rocking back and forth in its original position. He rolled over the hood and hit the ground as flames began to sweep over the car. Panic filled his veins and he jumped to his feet and threw himself through the driver's side window and grabbed Esmeray. He pulled her out and ran to the water's edge, sliding through the slippery mud at the bank and plunging her lower half into the flowing current.

Esmeray wept into the crook of Tobias's neck, keeping her arms wrapped tight around him as the cool water flowed around her legs. She trembled agaisnt him and whispered prayers of thankfulness agaisnt his skin while behind them the Lincoln went up in flames.

He held her close for a moment before he scooped her up out of the water. He heard the boom of the car exploding but he didn't really register it. All that mattered was Esmeray was alive. He gently carried her to solid ground and laid her down in the soft grass. His eyes scanned the peeled and melted skin that marred Esmeray's leg from her ankle to her thigh and his eyes widened. Queasiness hit him like a rock as he realized some of her bone was showing through the flesh. What that felt like he didn't even want to imagine, but he was sure it felt ten times worse than it looked.

Esmeray bit her lip, not daring to look down at the extent of her injury. She gave a dry humorless laugh and the cracking of her voice revealed she was fighting back tears. "It's bad, ain't it?"

"That doesn't matter," he declared softly as he knelt beside her. He cupped her cheek and gently caressed it with his thumb, planting a soft kiss on her forehead before staring straight into her beautiful eyes. "What matters is you're alive, and that's more than I could ever ask for."