Page 36 of Beat around the Bush
I hung up and shoved my phone back in my jeans as Reed came through the porch door. “What’s got your face all contorted?”
“Oakley drove off the road,” I explained briefly before taking the porch steps three at a time to go around his house for my truck in the driveway.
I started it up, wasting no time letting it warm up, but I did crank the heater to fight off the chill. It was too damn cold out there for her to be on the side of the road, and the snow was coming down relentlessly.
I sped down the driveway, my snow tires gripping the road like it was a warm summer day instead of almost-blizzard like conditions, and headed toward the location Oakley had sent me.
She better be okay. She had to be.
16
Oakley
With the heater, and the rest of my car, currently not running, the cold quickly seeped into the vehicle. It penetrated my skin through my jacket, wracking a shiver out of me. I cursed myself for not keeping Lennon’s jacket in my car as a backup layer in case something like this did happen. You could never be too prepared in the winter.
I was definitely not prepared to slide off the road. But then again, who was?
My fingers hid in my sleeves, trying to find warmth in the fabric, but I snuck one hand out to grab my phone and check the time. Twelve minutes. That was how long it’d been since I got off the phone with Lennon. I wasn’t sure where he was when he answered, but I hoped he’d be here soon.
I felt pathetic calling him to come to my rescue, but his number was the only one in my phone that didn’t belong to someone in Denver aside from Lettie, and I didn’t want to drag her into this mess. I could have walked home from here and called a tow truck, but I didn’t exactly know my way around Bell Buckle yet, and my sneakers weren’t meant to trudge through the snow.
Dropping my phone back in the cup holder, I tried to crank the key again, but nothing happened. The car acted like it wanted to start but just couldn’t get there. On the third try, I dropped my hand, retreating my fingers back into my sleeve.
Headlights lit up my car, causing me to look up. I shielded my eyes as I saw the vehicle slow to a stop on the side of the road near my car. Hoping it was Lennon, I grabbed the handle on my driver door and shoved it open. Snow fell on my legs from where it had piled on top of my car, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was getting out of here and getting warm.
My feet didn’t touch the ground like they typically did when I swung them out, which caused me to look down. In the dim light of the other vehicle, I could see that my car was at such an angle that the ground was about a foot beneath me.
Figuring there was no other way to get out, I made the small jump, my feet burying in the snow. Icicles shot up my legs, causing me to set a hand on the door to steady myself. The icy substance instantly froze my feet more than they already were, seeping in the holes where the laces were.
Making space, I swung my door shut and eyed the embankment. I didn’t have a choice but to use my hands to climb up the slippery slope. Otherwise I’d just slide down on my feet.
I started to clamber up, trying to find leverage in the snow, but finding it difficult with frozen fingers.
I needed to buy some fucking gloves. And chains. And snow boots. And a warmer jacket. Just all of it. I needed all of it.
“You okay over there?” a male voice called from the rear end of my vehicle. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Lennon, but he had to be here soon, right?
“Down here!” I shouted through my struggle up the snow.
The man’s silhouette appeared as my hand gripped the top of the slope. “Shit, let me help you.”
A gloved hand gripped my bare one and pulled me up the rest of the way. I scrambled to my feet, having a hard time getting my balance with my frozen toes.
“T-thank you,” I said through a shiver.
“You drive off the road?” he asked. His voice sounded familiar, but with everything that just happened, I couldn’t figure out where I’d heard it before.
“S-slid on i-ice.” My arms wrapped around my torso in a poor attempt to warm myself up more.
“Gotta be careful on these icy roads. They sneak up on ya,” he said.
Another set of headlights came into view, lighting up the man’s face. He was wearing a beanie, but I recognized his face.
Scooby Snack Guy.
The now-familiar rumble of Lennon’s engine filled my ears as he pulled over. He’d barely put the truck in park before he was jumping out and storming towards me. If I didn’t know him, I’d be scared. Hell, Scooby Snack Guy should be.
About five feet from me, keeping his stride, he pulled off his jacket. Once he was close enough that I had to look up at him, he wrapped the jacket around my shoulders, pulling it tight in the front.
