To Love a Shadow, To Be the Sun novel Chapter 258

Summer floored the gas pedal, managing to put some distance between them and the car in pursuit.

But their escape landed them straight onto the airport expressway.

Elara’s jaw was set tight as she stared into the rearview mirror. The other vehicle, ghostlike and relentless, closed in again, hugging their bumper.

What does he want from us?

Suddenly, a black van shot out from the on-ramp to their right.

Summer had no time to swerve. The impact smashed into them with brutal force; their car spun out of control, the world tilting and tumbling in a dizzying blur.

As metal screamed and glass shattered, fragments of memory exploded inside Elara’s mind, whirling wildly.

Two seconds later, everything went dark.

Their car rolled and slammed to a stop against the guardrail, upside down, motionless—a terrible silence settling in.

“It’s done, Ellis.” The man behind the wheel checked the wreck in the mirror, his voice trembling with excitement.

“Hurry up and get out of there. Don’t let anyone trace this back to you—or to me.”

“Understood.”

Both vehicles sped away, vanishing into the city’s night.

Not far off, a black Lincoln glided steadily toward the airport.

The driver spotted the wrecked car up ahead, hazard lights blinking frantically as the overturned chassis glinted under the streetlights.

He eased off the gas and asked, “Looks like there’s been an accident. Should we stop and help?”

Quincy Shelton checked his watch, about to say they were on a tight schedule, when a low, commanding voice came from the back seat. “Pull over.”

The car rolled to a stop on the emergency shoulder.

Quincy was out the door before the engine died, sprinting toward the wreck.

He peered inside and his eyes widened in shock. Without hesitation, he ducked into the crumpled frame and dragged out Summer, who was still barely conscious.

Zane, uncharacteristically, crouched down and reached for Elara’s wrist, checking her pulse.

Inside her mind, Elara was tumbling through a storm of memories, falling endlessly—until a hand suddenly closed around her wrist, halting her descent. Light flooded her world.

“Count to a hundred. When you reach a hundred, I’ll come find you.”

The voice was achingly familiar, yet every face in her mind blurred and failed to match.

Elara tried to see who it was, straining to focus, but all she could make out was the hand gripping hers and the crisp white cuff of a dress shirt.

Then, without warning, the hand slipped away.

Zane finished checking her pulse and stood.

Elara, jolted by the loss, clawed her way back to awareness. She blinked, seeing him now clearly.

With the last of her strength, she lifted her trembling hand, trying to catch his retreating arm, and whispered, “Larry…”