Crash into Me (Heart of Stone #1)

I'd known Rogers since I was a child and knew full well the concerned tone in his voice was more for Nina than for me. My surrogate father, he'd warned me many times since this all began that she'd run away when she found out. That she had seemed to make him even more smug than he usually was.

"I know what you're going to say. You're going to tell me that I should have told her the truth in the beginning. Well, that wasn't an option. How exactly does a person inform someone that his father killed her father and certain people in his own company want her dead? I had to do it this way."

Rogers' frown deepened. "The problem is that she didn't realize this wasn't going to last forever."

"Fuck you. You don't know how I feel about her. I intend on this lasting forever, so get out of my way so I can find her and bring her back where she belongs."

Storming past him, I felt his hand grab onto my forearm. I stopped dead and stared him down. "I'm not interested in a lecture right now, Rogers. The woman I love is out there and I need to get her back."

He nodded and released his hold on my arm. "Fine. But keep in mind that no matter how much money you have, Tristan, it's not about that for her. I've tried to tell you this all your life. There are some people you cannot buy. She's not like the other women you've been with."

"Which is exactly why I love her. Why are you making me the monster here? It was my father and Taylor who had her father killed. I can't help it I fell for her."

"Tristan, sometimes it doesn't matter what you want to happen. For some, trust broken cannot be mended."

"That's fucking ridiculous. She loves me as much as I love her. I didn't kill her father and once she realizes that I was only trying to protect her, she'll be able to trust me again. Now stop giving me platitudes and make sure everything's ready for her when she returns."

I quickly got to the car and drove out of there remembering Jenson's details on where she was headed. If she changed direction, he'd call me, so all I had to do was drive like a bat out of hell and catch up with her.

The memory of our first night together in this very car replayed in my mind making me smile even as my gut churned in pure terror that what Rogers had said was true. Never before had I wanted to be with a woman and not simply have it be a fuck-her-and-forget-her thing. There was something about the way she never pulled any punches that I loved from that first night. For the first time in my life, a woman made me want something other than just a one night stand. She made me want the rest of my life with her.

That wasn't something I planned to let go without a fight.

Now all I had to do was convince her that I wasn't the bastard she thought I was.

I got the Jag up to near a hundred, letting the V-8 open up and slowing down only on the dark curves, but for miles I couldn't see her. Somehow, I couldn't picture Nina driving much faster than the speed limit, if her actions that first night were any indication, so I should have been able to catch up to her.

Tapping my Bluetooth to answer a call, I heard Jenson's voice in my ear. "She's on Longtree Road, sir. You should be able to find her easily. I believe she's stopped."

"Good! Thanks, Jenson."

A quick left and then a right and I was racing down Longtree, but I still had no sign of her. I got ready to call Jenson to see if he'd gotten his directions screwed up and my phone rang again.

"Hello? Is this Tristan Stone?" a man's voice asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"Sir, my name is Jacob Nestle. I'm from the New York State Police. A car registered to your name was in an accident tonight. A BMW, sir."

I jammed my foot on the brake, and the Jag skidded to a dead stop. My hands were shaking too much to hold onto the steering wheel. My mind went blank with terror and I mumbled, "The woman driving the car...what happened?"

I couldn't bring myself to ask how she was, dreading the words he might say.

"Sir, she's been taken to Roseland Memorial Hospital with severe injuries."

The man continued to say something, but I didn't hear him. Every part of my brain shut off, except for the part that screamed for me to get to that hospital. I had to see her.

I stood in the doorway to Nina's hospital room where I'd remained for hours watching each labored breath she took. Someone touched my arm and I looked down to see Jordan standing there next to me.