Chapter 4

The Escalade merges onto the Long Island Expressway. The evening rush hour traffic is a dense, crawling sea of red taillights.

The driver taps the brakes, trying to navigate the congested lanes. The massive SUV sways slightly.

In the second row, Blair throws his gaming console onto the floor. He starts screaming, kicking the back of the driver's seat.

Cristina laughs from the front seat. "Look at him, Garrett. So much energy. He's a natural leader."

Blair unbuckles his seatbelt and stands up on the leather seat.

He pulls a heavy, solid metal Captain America shield from his backpack and swings it wildly through the air.

The edge of the metal shield slams into Garrett's shoulder with a sickening thud.

Garrett winces, rubbing his arm, but his voice remains sickeningly sweet. "Careful, buddy. Sit down."

In the third row, a primal sense of danger makes the hairs on Elliana's arms stand up. She grips the plastic safety handle above the door.

"Cristina, he needs his seatbelt," Elliana says. "We're on the highway."

Cristina whips her head around, her eyes flashing with venom. "You are barren. You know nothing about raising a child. Keep your mouth shut."

Garrett glares at Elliana through the rearview mirror. "Stop ruining the mood, Elliana. Be quiet."

Elliana sucks in a breath, clamps her jaw shut, and pulls her own seatbelt tighter across her chest.

Emboldened, Blair climbs onto the center console between the front and second rows.

He swings the heavy metal shield forward, intentionally bashing it against the back of the driver's headrest. The driver flinches, his vision blurring for a split second from the impact. In that exact moment of distraction, a sedan in the adjacent lane abruptly cuts them off to make a last-minute exit. The driver gasps, his hands jerking the steering wheel to avoid a collision. The Escalade's tires screech against the asphalt. A hundred yards ahead, a massive semi-truck loaded with steel pipes slams on its brakes in response to the swerving sedan. "Watch out!" the driver screams, stomping on the brake pedal.

The violent deceleration launches Blair forward. He flies toward the windshield.

Cristina screams, throwing her hands over her face.

Garrett unbuckles his seatbelt. He lunges forward, throwing his entire body weight over the console to grab Blair's legs.

Garrett's shoulder crashes heavily into the driver's right arm.

The driver loses the wheel entirely. The Escalade violently fishtails across the lanes.

The front bumper misses the semi-truck, but the entire right side of the SUV is exposed to the oncoming traffic.

A Ford F-150 pickup truck, traveling at sixty miles per hour, plows directly into the right rear quarter panel.

The sound of tearing metal is deafening. The airbags deploy with the explosive force of a shotgun blast.

The kinetic energy transfers directly into the third row.

The reinforced glass shatters. Thousands of shards explode inward like shrapnel.

As the SUV rolls, Elliana curls into a tight ball. She wraps both arms fiercely around her stomach, protecting the life inside her.

Her head slams against the C-pillar. A blinding flash of white pain rips through her skull, followed instantly by a suffocating, blood-red darkness.