Page 23 of Jagger

Shit. Shit. Fuck. Hell and damn.

I rounded the same corner, willing the goddamn wipers to go faster. Even I could barely see a freaking thing. The second corner I rounded allowed me to breathe a slight sigh of relief. She’d almost driven off the edge. Honestly, I hoped she had no idea just how close she was. The slight thud had been a slow roll of her bumper against a tree.

That purposeful maneuver or act of karma had saved both their lives.

It was treacherous enough that it took me a few seconds to be able to pull over. With every move I made cautious, I stepped out, watching the road before crossing. Bella was fighting to get out and little Cally was screaming and crying from the back.

I moved within view of Bella, lightly knocking on the window. If the little vixen thought she was going to continue playing this game with me, she was dead wrong. This time, I would lock her in the room and wait downstairs to ensure she didn’t leave.

Not that her prized Mercedes was going anywhere anytime soon. It would take me a couple of days to get a tow truck out here.

Or at least I could tell her that, convincing my buddy at the tow shop to put her last on the list. I was also grateful her SUV wasn’t in the direct path of a car. Not that it didn’t mean some asshole would run into it. I would need to report the incident. She had no idea what kind of trouble she’d caused me.

Her door was only slightly stuck and with a few hard pulls, I managed to open it, immediately sticking my head inside. “Are you finished with playing games?”

Maybe I was a little harsh, but her holier than thou attitude had grated on my nerves.

“I’m not playing a game. This is my life.”

“You’re right. It could have cost you your life. You’re coming with me.”

Thank freaking God she didn’t argue, allowing me to help her from her beloved SUV. Once she was standing, I headed to the other side, unfastening and gathering Cally into my arms.

“It’s okay, honey,” I whispered, trying my best to calm her down. She was clinging to me, her little nails digging into the back of my neck.

“Do you always play the hero?” Bella asked as she slipped trying to get to the back of her vehicle.

“I’m no hero, city girl. I’m just not interested in dealing with the paperwork if you’d driven off the side of a cliff.”

Cally was calmer than before, still sniffling but at least no longer hysterical.

I’ll be damned if Bella wasn’t struggling to get the car seat out.

“We don’t have time. The roads are becoming impassible. Grab your bags. We need to get the hell out of here.”

“You don’t understand.”

“No, you don’t understand. I risked my life to save yours.” I turned toward her, giving her an even harder look than before.

She stiffened, but finally nodded.

“Be careful,” I told her, easing the little girl into my backseat. “Stay put, honey. Mommy will be right here.”

“My bear!”

“I’ll get your bear.” This was such a pain in the ass, but I felt compelled to save both of them. Even in boots meant for snow, I found myself sliding given the slope of the road. I managed to grab the toy and most of the luggage, grousing the entire time back to my Range Rover. After tossing the items inside, handing off the koala to Cally, I had to fight all the nasty, chastising words I wanted to say to Bella. I reminded myself the woman was going through something she had no idea how to handle.

I asked myself for the fifth time this morning why it mattered.

But it did.

With my passengers safe inside, I said a silent prayer I could turn around and get us back safely. It was a crap shoot at this point.

Bella insisted on riding in the back, not only comforting her daughter but doing everything she could to protect her child. The pained look on her face was just another reminder that she’d been through hell and back. I should know what that looked like by simply glancing into the mirror.

There was no hiding the effects of horrific events no matter how many smiles someone might be able to plaster on their face.

I managed to get successfully turned around, but even the tires I’d had installed after moving here were having a tough time making it back up the slope. Every time we slid even a few inches, Bella moaned.