Page 68 of Crashing Into You

And spot Simon in the car park, climbing into a black four-wheel drive. There’s someone in the passenger seat, huddled against the window. As the vehicle moves out, I catch a glimpse of a pale, terrified face.

Claire.

The bastard has got Claire.

Claire

Simon pulls onto the road in a spray of gravel, heading away from the pub towards Fairhaven. Sobbing with fear, I hastily wriggle into my seat, putting the seatbelt on. Everything seems crystal clear, like I’m in some sort of heightened reality. I don’t think he’ll kill me. But I have no idea what the fuck he thinks he’s doing.

“We do not need to talk.” I decide to try a reasonable tone, though it’s tough when I’m crying. “Please, just let me go and we can forget about this.”

“Let you go?” He laughs, without mirth. “You think I’m fucking kidnapping you?”

“Aren’t you?”

“No! And what we need totalk about,” he spits, turning an enraged face my way, “is the fact you fucked someone else! When you were promised to me! So now we need to talk about how I get to have what I want.”

“What you want?” Cold fear pools in my stomach. “Come on, Simon. This is crazy. You need to move on with your life.” My voice is trembling. I wish it wasn’t. I glance around for something, anything, I can use. My phone and bag are in the pub, but Joss and Sal will notice I’m not back. And those guys in the car park saw me being pulled towards Simon’s car. I cling to the slim thread of hope that someone might be coming after me.

“Oh, I’ll move on. Once we fuck.”

“I am not sleeping with you!”

“No?” He pulls the car to the side of the road, the movement sharp, skidding to a stop. He jabs his finger in my face. “I had fucking blue balls for months, being with you! Telling me you were saving your precious virginity, only to give it to the next guy who comes along!”

“Fuck you!” I scream, fumbling for the door latch. I unlock it. He clicks it locked again. “You got plenty from me!”

“I didn’t get what Iwanted. You are mine, Claire. And I’m tired of waiting.” He throws the car into gear again, dirt scraping beneath the tires as we drive away again.

And I realise he isn’t kidding.

We’re heading towards Fairhaven. There are no cliffs here, but beyond there the road rises, the land dropping away beneath it. Simon’s family have a house set back from the ocean road, hidden among gum trees. Once he gets me there, it will be a lot harder to get away. He could do anything to me, and there won’t be anyone to hear me scream. He’s driving erratically, speeding up and slowing down, overtaking cars. I swallow, my throat tight. Surely he wouldn’t do that to me, to both of us?

I need to get out of this car.

I grab the steering wheel, trying to get control. Simon hits me, a backhander that sends my head back. I taste blood in my mouth. Fuck him. Anger takes over my fear. I scratch his face, lunging for the wheel again. The car is all over the road. Simon shoves me back. I grab the handbrake, pulling it up as hard as I can.

And everything seems to slow down.

Simon swings around, his mouth and eyes wide. He wrestles with the wheel, trying to control the car. I slam back against the door, hurting my shoulder. The car shakes as we leave the road, rattle and scrape of stone as we smash through the bushes, careening down towards the beach. I’m screaming. Then I hit my head.

And it all goes black.

Bryce

I am going to kill Simon.

I don’t know or care how; I just know I’m going to do it.

It was one of the worst moments of my life when I watched him drive away with Claire. I raced back to Joss and Sal. “Call the police. Now. Simon’s taken her. I’m going to follow them.” Then I ran into the car park, jumped in my car and sped after them.

Black rage fills my heart, my focus crystal clear as I follow his four-wheel drive onto the Great Ocean Road. It feels like torture to be so close to Claire and not be able to help her. She must be fucking terrified.

Then Simon swings the car to the side of the road, pulling to a stop. I see him yelling at her, and her screaming back. I pull in behind them, about to open my car door and go and rip his head off. But he speeds away again. I follow along, my fury increasing when I see Claire’s head snapping back as he hits her. He’s driving like a maniac. I need to stop the car somehow.

Then the car spins out of control. For one heart-stopping moment I think it’s going to roll. But instead, it veers off the road, crashing through the bushes towards the beach.

Claire.