I think about that, and his words have me concerned. “Chase, has he ever—”
“No, he’s never laid a hand on Dylan or me. Our father’s well aware of the impact of his verbal threats, that he’s never had to use force,” he replies.
I let out a sigh. “Sometimes, words are just as bad if not worse.”
“I know, but I’ve just learned to shut him out. Remember, I’m living my best life.”
“But he’s your father, and you still need to listen to him,” I say.
“Yeah, well, only until I’m eighteen. Unlike Dylan, my father doesn't really care what I do after school. So, I’m free to live my life the way I want. But Dylan doesn’t have that choice, or, at least he doesn't think he does.”
We come around a bend, and I focus on the road ahead but ask, “What do you mean?”
“Dylan’s whole life has been a series of Edward Dandridge planned events, all to ensure my brother’s an unstoppable force when it comes time to take over the firm. My father doesn’t do mediocrity, and Dylan’s lived his whole life under that oversight. His life, until you, was no more than a marionette being controlled by a militant puppet master,” Chase explains.
That explains everything. It explains all that venomous rage their father has toward me—
I was cutting Dylan’s strings.
“Velyn, watch out—”
Chapter 19 Dylan
The ringtone of my cell sounds from in my room. I run down the hall to answer it, hoping it’ll be one of them. They should’ve been here an hour ago.
“Hello?”
“Dylan, there’s been an accident.” Not recognizing the number, it takes me a moment to know who it is, then I realize what she said.
“Who?” I ask.
“Oh, Dylan, come quickly. They’ve taken them to County General. Hurry,” Joan cries out into the phone.
I run to the kitchen and rummage through the drawer for the keys to my father’s Rolls. With the phone to my ear, I ask, “Joan, what’s going on?”
Through the cries, all she manages to get out is, “It’s Velyn and Chase. Oh, dear God, Dylan, it’s bad.”
With those last words, I end the call and run out the door into the garage where my father’s car is parked, jump in, and fly out of the driveway.
Please let them be okay.
When I pull into the parking lot of the hospital, the car has barely stopped when I jump out and sprint toward the Emergency room doors. I search through the halls looking for the main desk, but I find Joan and Stu first.
“Where are they? What happened?”
Joan’s unable to look at me let alone answer my questions, so Stu is the one to reply. “Velyn and Chase have been in an accident. Dylan, it was bad. They hit head-on with a transport truck that veered into their lane.”
Head-on. Transport truck.
My stomach starts to turn, and I can feel the blood drain from my face as the reality of what he’s telling me hits. A rush of tears pools in my eyes, and the sudden ringing in my head is making everything spin. I try to get the words out, but I can’t. My voice feels like it’s being squeezed down into my chest. I can’t breathe.
Stu sees me struggling and moves to my side. “You need to have a seat, son.”
I let him move me through a doorway and into a small room. After a moment, I look up to him. “Are they...are they—”
He sits Joan beside me then takes the other seat just across from us. “I don't know anything. I followed the ambulance here as soon as they left the scene. I didn’t have any way of getting a hold of you, so I called Joan and then called my brother Glen to pick her up and bring her in. We’ve been here ever since waiting on some sort of update.”
I rub both hands over my face hard enough almost to peel the skin off. “No, no-no. I need to know what’s happening.”
I jump from the seat, causing it to hit the wall then head out; Stu doesn’t hesitate following right in behind. Finding a reception area, I head over, almost pushing a guy out of the way. He looks as though he’s going to say something but then must think twice once, he sees the state I’m in.
“I need to talk to someone about my brother and girlfriend…and now. I need to know what’s going on.”
The older woman behind the desk looks over, her eyes searching me, then to Stu, who’s at my side. “What are their names, sir?”
I try to get their names out, but my throat closes as tears erupt and panic takes over. Stu rests a hand on my shoulder, answering for me. “Chase Dandridge and Evelyn Adler. They were brought in by ambulance from a head-on collision.”
I notice the slight jar of realization in the woman’s eyes before she catches herself. She knows exactly who we’re talking about. Her eyes move to her computer screen as she types in their names. Within seconds she looks to Stu and me. “It looks like they have two teams on them. They’re still with both your brother and girlfriend, sir. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can tell you. A doctor will be with you as soon as they can. You said it was your brother they brought in... can I have your name, sir?”
I let out a roar of frustration, but before it turns into anything more, Stu’s already giving my shoulder another squeeze. “Son, their priorities are Chase and Velyn. I know it’s hard, but all we can do is wait.” He then looks to the woman. “His name’s Dylan Dandridge.”
She
