Page 12 of Unstable

Cars became a colorful blur in her peripheral vision as she clenched her fingers around the wheel and sailed past the stop sign and right into traffic.

CHAPTER

FIVE

Roman's heart banged against his ribs as he watched Rina blow through the stop sign at the end of the road. Her tail lights were lit up bright red, but the car never slowed. The squeal of rubber on pavement filled the air as an oncoming car swerved out of Rina’s path, narrowly avoiding her.

“Rina!”

Her Honda fishtailed wildly, then jumped over the median, sending the car into a spin. Knox’s voice came from the other end of the phone, but Roman couldn’t make out the words. He had called to apprise Knox of the situation with Rina but had forgotten all about him the second he watched her car spin out of control. “Gotta go.”

Throwing a glance in the rearview mirror, Roman slammed on his brakes and yanked his truck to the side of the road, then jumped out. He hit the ground running, already checking for traffic as he sprinted across the road to where Rina’s car now sat facing him. The engine had stalled, but, with the exception of minor damage, the car appeared to be intact.

Thank God.

To his right, the driver who had swerved to miss Rina had also pulled over. He shoved the door open just as Roman ran past. “Call 911!”

Through the windshield, Roman could see white particles still floating in the air from when the airbag had deployed. He yanked the door open and leaned in, already reaching for her. He framed her face in his hands. “Ms. Sterling?” Her eyes appeared hazy and unfocused, and he tried again. “Rina?”

She licked her lips, then blinked, long and slow before meeting his gaze. “I… I’m good.”

Roman's eyes swept over the parts of her that he could see. “Do you hurt? Neck, head, anything?”

Face still trapped by his hands, she tried to shake her head. “Just… just a little sore. Whiplash.” She drew a deep breath. “My face hurts.”

Thank God she had been wearing a seat belt or it would’ve been a lot worse. “You’ve got a couple little scrapes, but nothing major. Nose doesn’t look broken.”

“Okay.”

She still sounded dazed, so he reached across her torso to release her seat belt. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”

The driver Roman had seen appeared at his side as he helped Rina from the car. “Is she okay?”

Rina swayed on her feet unsteadily, and Roman locked an arm around her waist. “Yeah. You good?”

“Fine.” The driver gestured toward the car with his phone. “Police are on their way, I just hung up with them.”

“Thanks.”

Roman turned back to Rina. “You want to sit?”

She nodded, and he gently lowered her to the ground, where he squatted next to her. “What happened?”

“I—I couldn’t stop.” Her entire body trembled. “The brakes just… I pressed the pedal, but⁠—”

“It’s okay,” he said, cutting off her incoherent rambling. He settled his hand on her back and rubbed gently. “Just relax. It’s gonna be fine.”

A moment later, he heard the faint sound of sirens approaching, and he pushed to his feet. He watched as the police pulled up to secure the scene. A second unmarked car arrived a few minutes later, and a tall man in slacks and a blazer stepped out. He met Roman’s gaze over the hood of Rina’s car and gave him a tight nod. He stopped to speak with one of the patrolmen before heading in their direction.

Not moving from where Rina sat by Roman's feet, he held out a hand to him. “Roman Incardona.”

“Lieutenant Roy Shepler. Anyone hurt?”

Roman gestured to Rina. “Just a few scrapes and bruises from what I can tell.”

He lifted his chin in affirmation. “We’ll have EMS check her out. What happened?”

“Brake failure, I think.” Roman pointed to his truck across the intersection. “I was following her, and I could see the taillights but she never slowed down. She says she pushed the pedal but nothing happened.”