Part of me figured the car was owned by someone from one of the local online magazines or something since we’ve seen a flash go off almost every time the Lambo was around. I’m still relatively positive that what this is; some reporter trying to makea buck by following us around and getting the scoop on whatever the hell the five of us are doing.
And since shit keeps happening to Leonor, I doubt the fucker is about to let up.
Again, I just think a Lamborghini is the wrong way to go about it.
“Dr. Morgan’s calling me,” Leonor blurts, breaking the tense silence inside the van. “Why is she calling me?”
She looks up at me then back at Luck, who immediately holds out his hand. “Give it to me.”
“I don’t want to answer.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to hand me your phone.”
Leo looks between us again, our girl worrying her lip between her teeth. “What if she’s calling to tell me I’m dying.”
I roll my eyes and signal to get off the highway. “Somehow I don’t think that’s why she’s calling, princess.”
“You don’t know that. I’m going in because of the thing, she could have got my bloodwork back and?—”
“Give me the phone, Leonor,” Lucky demands gently. “We need to answer it no matter what Dr. Morgan has to say.”
Our girl takes a few seconds to think, staring at the phone that will stop ringing and go to voicemail momentarily. Then she blows out a breath and hands it back to Lucius, who answers on speaker.
“Leonor Allan’s answering service, how may I direct your call?”
“Good morning, Lucius,” Dr. Morgan says with a chuckle. “I take it Leo is with you.”
“And Pete,” my princess blurts. “It’s the three of us.”
“Hello, Peter.”
“Hi, doc.” Waiting at the light, I check to see we still have some very flashy company then look at the clock. “We should be at the hospital in about ten minutes.”
“Excellent,” she says. “I was hoping to catch you before you got there.”
Lucky scoots forward, holding the phone between us as Leo blurts, “Because I’m dying and don’t need the imaging?”
Dr. Morgan doesn’t laugh, she knows our girl better than that but you can hear the smile in her tone. “No, Leonor. If I had serious news to deliver, you know I’d ask you to come to my office.”
“So…”
“So,” the doctor says, still smiling down the line. “I need you to go up to obstetrics when you get there.”
Leo looks at me as I get into the left turn lane then at Lucky. “Because I’m dying?”
Now Dr. Morgan does chuckle a little. “No, Leonor, I can assure you that no matter what was going on, this isn’t?—”
I hear it before I see it, the unmissable sound of an engine revving up, a high powered engine as it does what sounds like a burnout, but it isn’t.
No, that’s definitely not what this is and before I have the chance to process it, everything moves at both lightning speed and snail's pace.
We’re thrust forward into the intersection, the first impact coming from behind, sending the beast forward a few feet with an abrupt lurch. It dazes us slightly, my arm shooting out to cover Lucius and Leonor while we jerk against the seatbelts and just as I turn to make sure they’re both ok, I swear to Christ, time stands still.
Another high powered sports car guns it from our right, weaving in and out of traffic until it clears it completely. I watch in horror as its speed increases, as the blacked out windows and dark exterior come squealing toward us.
I lift my foot off the break, watching the car eating up the distance between us and just as I get the beast to move a little forward, that’s when our world is literally turned on its head.
Metal crunches as the side panel door of the van takes the impact, a head on jackknife that sends our halted vehicle spinning. We roll once then twice, crashing to a stop on the driver's side just as it tried to roll a third time, my head hitting the window as we land flat on my side with a twisted thud.
