Chapter 229

Serena's POV

My leg was trapped under the collapsed front seat where Brooks, our unconscious driver, was still strapped in. Lucas crouched down to examine my leg.

I watched as he roughly shook Brooks - the aggressive motion a complete contrast to his gentle treatment of me moments before.

"Wake up!" Lucas called out sharply.

The unconscious driver finally stirred, immediately switching to alert mode despite his obvious pain. "Mr. Thorne, sir?"

"I'm alright," Atticus responded.

I noticed Brooks didn't relax - his security training kicking in as he automatically reached for his seatbelt release, which was stuck. Lucas had no time to worry about the driver's situation.

I knew Brooks wasn't just a regular driver. The Thorne family's security team was top-tier - their drivers went through more intensive training than standard security personnel since they were the first line of defense during transport.

"You need to lift yourself up now - her leg is pinned under your seat," Lucas ordered tersely.

"Yes, sir," Brooks responded, his professionalism showing through the pain.

I watched as he took a controlled breath, assessed his injuries with practiced precision, and used all his strength to lift himself slightly. Lucas immediately crouched back beside me, straining to raise the heavy seat.

His voice was tight with effort. "Pull your foot out..."

I tried, but my leg had gone completely numb. A wave of panic hit me - was my leg even still there? The thought made me break into a cold sweat, mixing with the sharp pain from my other injuries, making everything worse.

"We need to move fast..." Lucas urged.

I knew he'd been working non-stop on rescue efforts all night, his strength nearly gone. And Brooks, injured from the crash, couldn't hold his position much longer. If he collapsed, my leg would be crushed again. Worse still, fuel was leaking from the engine - we had seconds before a potential explosion.

I tried to reach down to help lift my leg, but the deployed airbags had me pinned back.

"Focus, Serena," Atticus said firmly. I could tell he was fighting through his own injuries, forcing himself to stay alert. We all had to stay alert.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. All I could hear was Lucas's labored breathing as he strained to hold up the seat. I forced myself to calm down, searching for any feeling in my leg.

Inch by inch... I finally felt it move slightly.

Gritting my teeth, I yanked my leg free. In that same moment, there was a heavy thud as the seat dropped back down, followed by Brooks's exhausted gasp.

My heart was pounding. A split second later, and my leg would have been crushed again beneath the weight of both the seat and Brooks. I shuddered to think what would have happened to my leg in that case.

When I thought we were safe, I saw something that made my heart race: Lucas's hands were pinned under the seat. In the darkness, I couldn't make out his expression.

"Lucas!" I snarled.

I couldn't tell if his hands were pinned because he didn't have enough strength to move them in time. My vision had become blurred with tears, making it even harder to see.

He endured the excruciating pain without making a sound. He summoned all his strength and, together with the driver still strapped in his seat, managed to lift the seat again. In the next moment, he pulled his hands free.

I'm sobbing uncontrollably, my heart pounding in my chest. I can't bear to think about how devastating it would be for Lucas if he lost his hands because of me.

He didn't even glance at his bloodied hands, let alone check his injuries. He immediately reached for me again. As he held me against his chest, I could smell his sweat mixed with the sharp metallic scent of blood.

Lucas used slightly more force to pull me completely free from the airbag. He climbed out through the window first, then reached back in to carefully lift me out, making sure I wouldn't get cut by the shattered glass.

With my arms around his neck, I was finally out of the car. He carried me a safe distance away and gently set me down on the ground, crouching to check me for injuries that might need urgent attention...

"Atticus... Atticus is still inside..." I reminded him.

I saw his hands tense as he was examining me.

"We should save him." I suggested.

I watched him swallow hard, hesitated for a moment and walked back toward the car. He crouched down and used his phone's flashlight to check underneath the vehicle, where thin wisps of smoke were already rising. He didn't hesitate for a second before turning back.

"What about Atticus?"

"The car's about to catch fire," he said, lifting me from the ground and quickly moving us even further away. "If we stay any longer, we'll all die."

"Lucas!" I stared at him in disbelief, watching as he deliberately abandoned not one but two lives - Atticus and Brooks.

"I'm not that noble," he said coldly, carrying me away with increasing speed. "All I care about is that you and I survive. Everyone else doesn't matter."

"Put me down!" I demanded.

His arms only tightened around me.

"Lucas Harrington, I said put me down! If you won't save them, I will!" I snapped. I couldn't be this callous - I couldn't bring myself to be as ruthless as Lucas!

Atticus can't die - he's my only ally against Rachel. If he's gone, she'll be even more ruthless with me, and I'll be as good as dead.