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I grit my teeth, slowing to a crawl as I inch forward, trying not to damage anything as I work our way through it. When we get back to something resembling civilization, I'm writing a sternly worded letter to the GPS people.
Except…halfway through the pothole, I push the gas and the tires just spin. The car won't move. I give it more gas, sending up a prayer that I didn't just get us stuck in the middle of nowhere.
The engine purrs. The tires spin. We don't go anywhere.
"Crap."
Naturally, Atlas decides now is the perfect time to jolt awake. He sits up, scrubbing his hand down his face. "Where the fuck are we?"
"Um, in the forest?"
I feel more than see him turn toward me.
"Please don't freak out," I say, fumbling to find the overhead light. "But I think we might be stuck."
"Stuck?"
"Yes, stuck." I press the gas to emphasize the point.
He listens to the engine purr and the tires spin without us going anywhere.
"Fuck," he mumbles. "Can you reach the flashlight tucked right under the lip of your seat, Temptation?"
I put the car in park and unlatch my seatbelt to feel for the light. My hand closes around it and I fumble it out, passing it over to him. "Be careful. We're in a pothole."
He nods and carefully steps out, losing a good foot of height when he does.
Good grief. Maybe I drove us into a crater instead of a pothole.
"Stay in the car, Temptation. It's muddy."
The knot in my stomach grows five sizes.
"Okay," I whisper.
He carefully makes his way around the car, assessing the situation, before he comes back to me. "If we can get traction under the back tires, you should be able to drive out. They're stuck in a mudhole inside the pothole."
"Okay."
"Can you pop the trunk for me? I should have some litter in there we can use."
I fish around for the trunk release before he directs me to it. He rummages around for a few minutes before I lose track of him in the darkness. I peer all around, keeping an eye on the forest around us. It no longer seems idyllic and peaceful, but ominous and threatening, as if a thousand hidden dangers lurk in the tree line, watching us.
I pull my phone out again, checking for signal. Instead of bars indicating the strength of my signal to the nearest tower, my phone simply says No Service. How there are still places with roads and no service, I don't know. Yet here we are. Lost in the middle of nowhere because I took a risk.
Atlas pops up beside my door. I jump, startled, and drop my phone.
"Sorry, Temptation." He pulls the door open, his expression contrite. "Didn't mean to scare you. I've got the litter down and wedged two sturdy branches under the tires to help us get traction. Think you can drive it out of here?"
"I think so."
"Give it a shot then, baby. I'll wait until you're out in case I need to help push it along."
"Atlas, you can't push the car. You have a concussion!"
"Don't plan to push it with my head, Temptation." He smirks at me. "But I'm a helluva lot bigger than you are. If it needs a little boost, I'll be able to move it along a lot better than you will."
I try to find a flaw in his logic, but there isn't one. The only thing I'm going to push if I try is myself right into the mudhole. Strength training days at the gym are my least favorite days…which is precisely why I end up skipping most of them.
