AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sorry. Thanks for sending in the calvary to save me.”
“Any time. I love you, Wedding Vanisher.”
I laugh. “That one was kind of weak. But I love you too.”
2
JESSE
I’m driving slow, hands tight on the wheel and eyes alert as I scan the road for signs of tire tracks. The guys are sweaty from practice and my injured ass is perfectly clean in a heavy wool shirt. Carter and Liam were the only ones who managed to get themselves moving fast enough to join me in the search for Jake’s little sister. Nolan and Maddox had just gotten in the showers, so we told them we’d catch up later.
“Think we’ll find her?” Carter asks. He has a mop of brown hair that’s permanently disheveled, mischievous blue eyes, and a knack for turning even the most dire situations into a joke. On the ice, it can be an asset. His over-the-top celebrations and trick shots have a way of calming all our nerves, even in the biggest games.
“There’s only one road into town from that direction,” I say. “We just need to keep looking.”
“A runaway bride, huh?” Liam muses. He’s in the back of the car, cold air blowing through his hair so he looks even more like a movie star than usual. He has chiseled features with green eyes that seem to win over girls the moment he meets them. On the ice, he’s all grace and smooth skating, with a knack for scoring in ways that look effortless. But that’s Liam in a nutshell. Everything seems to come too easily for him, which is probably why he always seems on the verge of boredom. “Why do you think she bailed on the groom?”
“Don’t know,” I say. “Jake wasn’t exactly bursting with details. He texted that she crashed on the side of the road coming in from the east side of town. She’s cold and needs us to get her ASAP. That’s all I know.”
“Think she’s cute?” Carter asks. “Or do you think she’s like a female version of Jake? All big muscles and big eyebrows with a jawline to slice garlic in prison for mobsters?”
“What?” Liam asks.
“Haven’t you seen that movie?” Carter says, circling his hand as he searches for the title. “Ah, shit. I can’t remember what it’s called. The one where the mobsters are in jail and they cook this pasta meal, but they have to cut the garlic so thin they use razor blades?”
“Uh, no,” Liam says. “And it’s concerning that you’ve paid so much attention to Jake’s features. I should tell him you have a crush. Maybe he can cut you out of your clothes with that jaw of his you admire so much.”
“I was only trying to imagine what his little sister looks like,” Carter complains. “You know me, man. Tell me I can’t have something and I just want it more. How many times has he told us his little sister is off limits since we met him? A thousand? I’ve never even seen a picture of her. It’s shameful.”
“Would you both focus on helping me look?” I ask. I keep picturing her shivering somewhere, breath coming out of her mouth in frosty puffs. A wedding is the day most girls spend their whole lives dreaming of. I can’t even imagine how she must be feeling to have run away from her own wedding only to crash her car on the side of a freezing mountain.
“I can look and bullshit at the same time,” Carter complains. “I’m an elite athlete. I could even chew gum while I do this if I wanted.”
“Then maybe quit chatting so I don’t have to listen to you,” I suggest.
“Somebody’s cranky,” Carter says.
“Jesse’s always cranky. It’s part of his charm.”
“Not always,” Carter says. “He has been extra cranky since he hurt his shoulder. Well, I guess he also got more cranky after that thing with Sarah.”
I tense up at Carter’s words. Both topics feel like fucking barbs in my side. I try not to let my irritation show, though.
“Do you know what tact is?” Liam asks. “Sorry, Jesse. I’m apologizing for Carter and his big mouth.”
“It’s fine. Just tell me if you see something.”
“Do you think the car is on fire?” Carter asks. “That would be pretty easy to spot.”
“If Jake’s sister dies before we get to her,” I say. “Jake is going to personally murder all three of us, starting with you.”
Carter folds his arms. “Point taken. We’re hoping the car isn’t on fire, then.”
We drive a few more minutes before I finally see a set of skid marks. I follow them and spot the little red car. The shoulder slopes down from the road and thankfully curves up long enough that she didn’t roll all the way down the mountain. The car is bent in the center so it’s slightly in the shape of a “V”.
I pull the truck to the side and flip on my hazards. I look down at the car and think I’m seeing the airbags at first, except they should’ve deflated by now.
I realize what I’m looking at, though. It’s a big, poofy wedding dress practically taking up the whole cabin of the car. I don’t know how the girl even drove safely with that thing on. Actually, it kind of explains the fact that her car is crashed in a ditch.
