She needed to answer the phone, but the light was too bright and she couldn't focus. Madelyn squinted her eyes and fumbled her hand over the passenger seat, searching for her cell phone amid the spilled contents of her purse. Wasn't it night; why was the car lit up? A searing pain shot through the left hemisphere of her brain. Whoever was calling was ridiculously persistent, she thought. Truly, she did not want to talk to anyone. Sleep was what she wanted. Or maybe Harry. But the phone, the incessant ringing. Madelyn shook her head trying to clear the fog so she could answer.

Nothing was making sense; she was in her car, it was night, but there was a white light in her eyes, her phone wouldn't stop going off and her head hurt like hell. What happened?

Madelyn remembered fastening her seatbelt and waving to Harry as she pulled away from the curb. It had been a challenge to leave. She felt as much want for him as he obviously had for her. Their relationship had started in overdrive. She didn't want it to flare and die.

Her autonomy was valuable and she resolved that while she welcomed Harry's support, she still needed to stand on her own two feet. Madelyn wasn't going to let fear or uncertainty about her ex-husband keep her out of her own home.

Knowing that she would have to make the trek up the winding road in the dark, Madelyn had limited herself to one glass of wine over dinner. The day had been packed with emotional highs and lows. There was the threat of Harry's deal falling through, her offer to back him financially and finally being able to celebrate the buyer's agreement to the sale.

She intentionally kept the heat low so as not to exacerbate her exhaustion. The Subaru Outback had been a good investment. It hadn't been brand new, rather it was a lease return. Although she had decent financial reserves when she left Jack, spending unwisely wasn't on the agenda. The used car was perfectly adequate and came equipped with four-wheel drive, which was essential for winter driving up the mountain.

Leaving the lights of the town behind, Madelyn appreciated the magnitude of the black night sky and the twinkling of millions of stars that joined the moon to light her way home.

She had passed only one other car coming in the opposite direction. The approaching vehicle's headlights had been on maximum brightness as they came round a curving switchback. Madelyn had been forced to brake quickly and raise a hand to shield her eyes from the glare. The small, red, oval light on the dash illuminated briefly, indicating that her brakes may need maintenance. It flickered again as she came around the next corner.

It occurred to her that there might be something wrong with a fuse, as the car had been recently serviced and the mechanic would have alerted her if the brakes needed work. She would ask Harry to check the fuses when she saw him next. He had said he was knowledgeable about cars, thanks to his step-father.

Perhaps it was the thought of Harry, working on her car, in his tight jeans, a dirty, thin, white t-shirt with a smudge of oil near the deep dimple in his left cheek that distracted her. She had just veered downhill when a large vehicle came seemingly out of nowhere, flashing white halogen lights in her rearview mirror.

Tapping her brakes to alert the aggressive driver of the need to slow down, did nothing to get their attention. It must have been an SUV behind her, she thought. Their headlights were high, now reflecting in her driver's side mirror as well as the rearview. Madelyn hit the brakes with more force, steering to the right, in an attempt to pull over before the encroaching vehicle made contact with her back bumper.

The resistance under her right foot was soft, and the red light did not fade this time as Madelyn repeatedly depressed the pedal. She felt the tires begin to grab at the ice beneath them before giving up as her black car careened off the side of the road, the aspen and pine trees flying toward the windshield.

Now there was the pain in her head, the disturbing white light and her phone that wouldn't shut up.

Finally, her fingers grasped the loud offender. A picture of Harry filled the screen. She had taken it after their first night together. He had been taking a break from shoveling snow from her driveway and was looking off into the distance. Madelyn had snapped the picture without his knowledge, not certain at the time if she would see him again.

Sliding her finger over the screen she accepted the call,

"Harry?"

"Madelyn, thank God! Where are you? I've called you half a dozen times."

"Harry?"

"Yeah, baby. Are you alright, are you home?"

"No, um... the car, Harry, I think I need help. There was ice, I couldn't stop... the brakes. I went off the road. My head hurts."

"Fuck! Okay, listen to me, Madelyn. Do not move, I'm already on my way. When you didn't text or answer my call, I started up the hill."

"Okay, Harry." Her voice sounded small and frightened.

"Baby, do you smell gasoline?"

"No, I don't think so. Oh, someone is here, I think. There are headlights, maybe they've been here and I didn't know. Can you still come?"

"Yeah, love, I'll be there soon. As long as you don't smell gas, just stay put. Can you tell me where you went off the road? It's dark, I don't want to miss the car."

"I think it was after the third switchback, there was a car behind me. I couldn't stop."

Fucking hell. Harry thought about the pool of fluid that had collected under her car and he scrubbed a hand over his face. It had to have been brake fluid. He was an idiot... he had allowed her to drive up an icy, mountain road in the night, with faulty brakes.

"Keep talking to me, baby. I've got you on the speaker, can you tell me anything else?"

"No, just the other car and then white lights and I couldn't stop. Somebody is here now, I can see them coming to the door."

"Madelyn, just stay in the car, I'm on the second switchback. Do you hear me? Madelyn?"

Harry heard her talking, then the voice of a man responding. The phone line was still open and he strained to hear. He could make out the opening of her car door, then, "I'm fine... no, don't... on his way... stop it," followed by the slamming of the door.

Swerving around the final sharp turn, Harry cursed the slick surface and his inability to drive faster. Something wasn't right. He felt it in his gut.

Coming into the downhill slope where he thought she had gone off the road, Harry braked. A black Hummer came into view, bright halogen lights illuminating the figure of a man pulling a much smaller woman into him.

Unlike Madelyn's brakes, Harry's had no problem coming to a complete and abrupt halt. Throwing his Jeep into park, Harry flew out the door and was running toward the pair, hot breath visible on the frigid air. He recognized the man and immediately understood why the woman was resisting him.

"Get your fucking hands off of her this instant or I swear to Christ I will kill you, Jack!"

***

Author's Note:

Hello! My late afternoon nap translated into a late night of writing for you. Hope you are enjoying the story as it unfolds.

Don't forget to check out 'Slight Pressure' on our collab account PussyJockeys and come play on Twitter @dirtyyarn!!