Welcome to the Wattpad Block Party - Winter Edition III!
Round FIVE of this popular event is coming your way the entire month of February 2017 and it's going to be epic! The invites have started to roll out and everyone from your all time favo...
Check out a sneak peek of StylesLegend's SNOW Anthology story, CRASH!
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The glass of the window was cold against my forehead as I leaned against the frosty surface. A deep sigh pushed past my lips, fogging up the window and obscuring my view of the white world in front of me. It didn't really matter. The snow falling from the sky blocked everything out on its own. It had been falling for hours and showed no signs of relenting.
I shifted my shoulders, struggling to find a comfortable position but it was impossible thanks to the tight, metal confines gripping my wrists. The ache in my body started after the handcuffs had been placed, growing more persistent with every passing mile. I glared at the back of his head, wishing that I could reach through the grate to steal his keys just to have a moment of respite from the uncomfortable position. I shifted again, trying several options but to no avail.
"The more you move, the more uncomfortable it'll be," Jack said, eyes darting to meet mine in the rearview mirror.
"Sure," I muttered.
His green eyes flashed to mine again, his brow arching as if he were about to reply but thought better of it. He focused on the road in front of us, which was nearly impossible to see in the white flurry.
I let out a frustrated sigh and gave up trying to get comfortable. My gaze returned to the window, trying to distract myself from his presence, but the haze of snow provided nothing interesting.
"Were the handcuffs really necessary?" I grumbled.
His gaze flicked to mine again, and this time I held it. It was strange seeing him after so long, especially in such circumstances. I had yet to process that he was even sitting a few feet away from me wearing a police uniform.
His eyes left mine, refocusing on the road. "Sorry, Matilda. It's protocol."
His voice sounded deeper than I remembered. It seemed like four years wasn't long enough for him to change so drastically, but he probably could have said the same about me.
"Mattie," I corrected automatically. "Don't call me Matilda."
He nodded but didn't respond, allowing silence to envelop us again.
Wind howled around us as he drove, and the intensity of the storm increased as snow poured down on us. The police car seemed to be crawling, but that didn't stop the tires from slipping, causing my stomach to lurch. The restraints holding my arms only made me feel worse as I couldn't stabilize myself.
"Careful, would you?" I snapped.
"The roads are getting bad," he replied sharply. My eyes traveled down his uniform-clad arms to his hands as they held the wheel. The speedometer showed we were going well under the speed limit, but still I could feel the wheels struggling to maintain their grip on the road.
"Take it easy, would you?" I snapped. My nerves jolted through my body.
He didn't reply. All I could see in the mirror was the tightening of his jaw. The car gave another lurch as the wheels slipped, causing the back end to whip around, reversing our direction. I sucked in sharply and squeezed my eyes shut, bracing my body for impact. The breath was forced from between my lips when the car slid downward, rolling several feet before stopping with a soft thud.
Half of the car was buried beneath a snow bank.
He cursed, slamming his hand into the wheel. The car was still running, but we'd gotten stuck in a ditch and would never be able to get it out on our own.
"Good going, Jack," I hissed, grimacing as I leaned forward to try to relieve the pressure on my wrists.
Again, he ignored me. His hand reached for the radio and he tried to call out, but he was met with crackling static. Frustration ripped through me as I listened to his futile efforts to reach someone. After several minutes of trying he let out an irritated huff and threw his radio onto the passenger seat. I studied him as he sat in silence, his gaze focused on nothing. He seemed to reach some conclusion as his eyes flashed to me.
"Looks like we're walking," he said.
My jaw fell open. "Are you stupid? That's the last thing you're supposed to do in this situation."
Warnings from my mother ran through my mind. They reminded me of all the stories she used to tell me when I was younger about people freezing to death because they didn't wait in their cars for help.
"We'll never get help here. We can't stay here," he said.
As if on cue, the engine gave a few short sputters before dying. My heart sank. We sat in a silence for a few moments.
"We're in the middle of nowhere," I pointed out, irritation rising in my voice. Since I couldn't use my hands to gesture, I tipped my head toward the window.
"No, we're not," he snapped. He undid the seatbelt crossing his body and gathered some items.
I gaped at him in disbelief. We were in the middle of the woods, at least twenty miles away from the nearest town. There was nowhere for us to go.
"You go out there, then," I said. "I'll stay here."
His brows arched above his narrowed eyes. "You're in custody. You have to come with me."
"I don't feel like freezing to death. Thanks, though."
"Mattie!" he snapped, causing me to jump. He twisted in his seat, looking me in the eye for the first time since he'd arrived on the scene of my arrest. "You're coming with me now or you will freeze to death by staying here."
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