Chapter 130 #130
Chapter 130
~Dwayne's POV~
The impact was coming.
But not the way they planned it.
In that split second, I made a choice.
I slammed my foot on the accelerator and jerked the wheel hard left.
Not away from the collision.
Into it.
Head-on.
But on my terms.
The automatic decoy car the one Luke and I had rigged weeks ago as insurance was already in motion. We'd planned for this. For Dante's inevitable move. Just didn't know it will come this early.
The black sedan behind me was Frederick's for sure. The one in front was the distraction. The kill shot.
But what they didn't know was that my car had reinforced steel plating. Front and rear.
I wasn't taking chances.
The headlights were blinding now. Three feet away.
Luke's voice screamed through the phone. "DWAYNE!"
Impact.
The sound was deafening. Metal screaming against metal. Glass shattering. Airbags exploding in my face.
The force threw me back against my seat, seatbelt cutting into my chest.
But I was alive.
The other car, the one that came at me head-on crumpled like paper. Its entire front end collapsed inward.
The real threat was behind me.
I shook my head, clearing the ringing in my ears, and checked my mirrors.
The black sedan that had been tailing me swerved hard, trying to avoid the wreckage.
But there was nowhere to go.
It clipped the back of the decoy car, spun out, and slammed sideways into a concrete barrier.
Hard.
The impact was brutal. The sedan's side crumpled completely, windows exploding outward, metal twisting.
It flipped once. Twice.
Then rolled to a stop upside down, wheels still spinning.
Silence.
For three seconds, everything was still.
Then my door was ripped open.
"Dwayne!" Luke's face appeared, pale and frantic. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine—"
"You're bleeding!"
I touched my forehead. Blood. Not a lot, but enough.
"Just a scratch. Help me out."
He grabbed my arm and pulled me from the wreckage.
My legs were shaky, but they held.
The security team surrounded us immediately, weapons drawn, scanning for threats.
"Secure the sedan," I ordered. "I want whoever's in that car alive."
"Yes, sir."
Two of them ran toward the overturned vehicle.
I looked at my car. The front was destroyed. Completely totaled.
But the cabin was intact. The reinforcement had done its job.
"Jesus Christ," Luke breathed. "You could've died."
"But I didn't."
"You drove into it! You actually drove into the collision!"
"It was the only option. If I'd tried to avoid it, they would've hit me from behind. Sandwiched between two vehicles. I'd be dead."
"So you just what? Decided to play chicken with a speeding car?"
"I decided to survive. There's a difference."
One of the security guards called out. "Sir! We've got the driver!"
We ran over.
They'd pulled a man from the sedan. Mid-thirties. Bleeding heavily from a head wound. Unconscious but breathing.
"Is he alive?" I asked.
"Barely. Ambulance is two minutes out."
"Good. I want him stabilized and under guard. Nobody talks to him except me and Luke."
"Understood."
Luke knelt beside the man, checking his pockets.
He pulled out a phone. Smashed but potentially recoverable.
And a wallet.
He opened it. "Frederick Montgomery. Age thirty-four. Address in Queens."
"Frederick," I said quietly. "So this is Dante's hired gun."
"Was Dante's hired gun. This guy's not doing anything for a while."
Sirens wailed in the distance.
"Dwayne," one of the guards said. "You need medical attention."
"I'm fine—"
"You're bleeding from your head and your hands are shaking. You need to get checked out."
"He's right," Luke said. "You're going to the hospital."
"Luke—"
"Don't argue. Shailyn will kill me if something happens to you and I didn't make you get checked."
The mention of her name stopped me.
Shailyn.
She was going to lose her mind when she found out about this.
"Fine. But I'm calling her first."
"No. I'll call her. You just focus on not passing out."
"I'm not going to pass out."
"Sure you're not."
The ambulance arrived, along with three police cars.
EMTs rushed over, immediately checking my vitals.
"Sir, we need to take you to the hospital."
"I can drive myself—"
"No, you can't. Your car is totaled and you potentially have a concussion. Get on the stretcher."
I looked at Luke. "This is ridiculous."
"Get on the stretcher, Dwayne."
I climbed onto it, feeling like an idiot.
They loaded me into the ambulance.
Luke climbed in beside me. "I'm coming with you."
"You don't have to—"
"Yes, I do. Someone needs to make sure you don't try to escape the hospital."
"I'm not going to escape."
"Right. Just like you weren't going to drive headfirst into a collision?"
Fair point.
The ambulance pulled away, sirens blaring.
My phone buzzed.
Shailyn: Luke just called me. Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay.
Me: I’m fine. Just a scratch. Heading to the hospital now.
Shailyn: I'm coming.
Me: You don't have to—
Shailyn: I'm already in the car. Which hospital?
Me: Kington
Shailyn: I'll be there in ten minutes.
I put my phone down.
Luke was watching me. "She's coming?"
"Yeah."
"Good. She'll keep you from doing anything stupid."
"I don't do stupid things."
"You literally just drove into a car."
"That was strategic."
"That was insane."
"It worked, didn't it?"
He couldn't argue with that.
\---
The hospital was chaos.
They rushed me into an exam room, checking for injuries.
A doctor shined a light in my eyes. "Any dizziness? Nausea?"
"No."
"Blurred vision?"
"No."
"Headache?"
"A little."
She nodded, making notes. "You're lucky. Looks like a minor concussion. We'll need to keep you for observation."
"How long?"
"At least four hours. Maybe overnight."
"I can't stay overnight—"
"You can and you will. You were in a major car accident. We need to monitor you."
I started to argue when the door burst open.
Shailyn.
She looked terrified. Eyes red like she'd been crying. Breathing hard like she'd run the entire way.
"Dwayne!"
She crossed the room in three steps and threw her arms around me.
I hugged her back, ignoring the doctor's protests.
"I'm okay," I murmured into her hair. "I'm okay. I promise."
"Luke said there was a collision—" Her voice cracked. "I thought I lost you."
"You didn't. I'm right here."
She pulled back, hands framing my face. "You were bleeding."
"Just a scratch."
"That's not just a scratch!"
"Compared to what could've happened? Yes, it is."
She looked at the doctor. "Is he going to be okay?"
"He'll be fine. Minor concussion. Some cuts and bruises. Nothing serious."
"Thank God." Shailyn sagged against me. "Thank God."
The doctor cleared her throat. "I'll give you two a moment. But then we need to finish the exam."
She left, closing the door behind her.
Shailyn looked up at me, tears streaming down her face. "What happened?"
"Frederick tried to kill me. Just like Dante planned."
"Thank God you're alive. But why so early?”
"We were prepared. The decoy car. The reinforcements. All of it worked."
"And Frederick?"
"In custody. Critical condition but alive."
"Good. He needs to talk. To testify against Dante."
The door opened again.
This time it was Dante.
His face was a perfect mask of concern. "Dwayne! Oh my God, are you okay?"
I looked at him. Really looked at him.
The fake worry. The rehearsed shock.
All of it bullshit.
"I'm fine, Dante."
"What happened? I heard there was an accident—"
"Not an accident. An attempted murder."
His expression flickered. Just for a second. "What? Who would—"
"We'll find out. Don't worry."
He came closer, putting his hand on my shoulder. "This is unacceptable. Even though I don't like you, I won't wish you dead. Whoever did this will pay. I'll use every resource we have."
"That's very generous of you."
"You're my brother. Of course I'd do anything to protect you."
Brother.
The word tasted like ash.
Shailyn's had a straight look.
She knew. She could see right through him too.
"Thank you, Dante," I said evenly. "That means a lot."
"Of course.”
"Right."
He smiled. That perfect, practiced smile. "I should let you rest. Call me if you need anything. I'll be waiting for you Shailyn."
"I’m coming."
He left.
The moment the door closed, Shailyn turned to me.
"He knows."
"Of course he knows. He planned it."
"And he just stood here. Pretending to care."
"That's what he does best."
"When do we expose him?"
"Not yet. We need more. Frederick's testimony. The recording. All of it."
"And then?"
"Then we destroy him. Completely."
Luke walked in, phone in hand. "Frederick's awake. Cops are with him now."
"Is he talking?"
"Not yet. But he will. Especially when he realizes he's looking at attempted murder charges."
"Good." I looked at Shailyn. "We have him. All the recordings. All the evidence. Everything we need to put Dante away for life."
From that moment, something shifted in me.
Dante wasn't my brother anymore.