Page 24 of The Engineer

The approaching bend was severe. The yellow sidelights highlighted a severe ditch bordering the road. Lethal ice mocked his control.

“Hang on.” Griff threw a protective arm across Jo and yanked on the unresponsive steering wheel. The car pitched off the road and into snowy obliteration.

15

The world was a roaring maelstrom of scudding snow and tumbling darkness as Jo’s world tilted violently sideways. Her seatbelt snapped taut as the car slammed to a shuddering halt.

Jesus.

Her heart thrummed against her breastbone, threatening to shatter her ribs. She blinked as an eddy of snow danced in front of her eyes. Shocked bone and muscle protested as she looked right. Her door was buckled open. Icy air whispered across her bare hands and fragments of rounded glass littered her lap.

I’m alive. A wet flake landed on her cheek.

“Jo?” The voice came from far away, echoing through her mind. The snow on her cheek stung. “Jo.” Strong hands gripped her shoulder painfully, digging into her flesh. She sucked in a wheezing breath.

“Thank fuck. You had me worried there.” Griff. It was Griff speaking to her. Reality smashed back into her stunned brain.

“Just breathe.” His voice was a reassuring rumble close by.

She closed her eyes and did as she was told. Cold air had never felt so good as it did right now, sliding in and out of her bruised lungs.

“Let’s get out of here.” The car rocked under his weight and her seatbelt released with a click.

Jo willed herself to open her eyes. Metal caged her in, swamping her. Jo yanked at the twisted car door, finally giving it a kick when it resisted her efforts. It sprang open, letting the frigid wind cut through her. Breathing too fast, she maneuvered her boots out of the footwell. The world swam, her head reeling with hyperventilation.

“Jo, wait—”

She tumbled from the car, landing on her feet, but adrenaline had turned her knees to mush. She collapsed, snow soaking her knees, clogging her eyelashes.

“Fuck.” A heavy weight landed beside her and Griff shucked a chunky jacket across her shoulders. “Christ, woman, when I tell you to wait, you wait.” His voice was imperious, commanding, but right now it was a comfort. A man in control who would do what needed to be done.

“I just had to get out.” She allowed him to help her to her feet, her lungs heaving. “Your driving leaves a lot to be desired.”

A wry grin tweaked the corner of his lips and his firm hand brushed the glass from her thighs. “Window imploded. Are you cut?”

Jo shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

His bulk was a reassuring solidity at her side, but the wind nipped her exposed skin. The world was dark and even when she twisted to look around, there were no reassuring glowing pinpricks of human habitation. “Where’s the road?” She squinted into the snow, but it was impossible to see more than a few feet. Night pressed around her like a suffocating shroud.

“Above us, we’re in a ditch.” Griff showed a dismissive palm to the twirling snow. “Doesn’t matter. We won’t be climbing back up that way in a hurry.”

“What? We need to get back to the road. We need to get help.”

“No. There are turisthytte—tourist huts—nearby. They’re well equipped. Fireplaces for heat, beds and cooking facilities, but most importantly for us, completely isolated. I know where we are. There’s one about thirty minutes walk from here.”

Panic rose in her throat like a wild, feral thing. “What do you mean? We need to get back onto the road, get help. We can’t stay out here.” She waved numb fingers at the swirling night.

“What, and wait in the snow? We’ll freeze solid by the time another driver comes along this road at this time of night. We need to find shelter.” He tugged her arms into the jacket sleeves.

“Can’t we call for help?” She pulled her cell from her hip pocket and thumbed it awake. Her heart raced. No bars. No signal at all. Frustration engulfed her. No. Not now.

Griff retrieved a small pen flashlight from the car and popped the hood. Metal creaked as he shoved it fully open.

“What are you doing?” It was impossible to see past the breadth of him.

“Need to check something.”

Jo waded through knee-deep drifts to join him, her arms locked across her chest.

---