Dazed, Jewel turned left, then right, looking for someone, anyone she knew.
She found Big Al and the other employees outside, huddled around each other in the parking lot.
“All accounted for, now.” The big man enveloped her in a hug. “How’s Colton?”
She shivered. “I don’t know. They said his vitals were good, but they took him to Athens. I…have no way of getting there.”
“I’ll take you.” Jolene stepped forward, her lined face showing the strain. “As soon as we make sure all the customers got out, okay?”
Grateful, Jewel nodded. Glancing around the parking lot, she saw other clusters of people, standing in tense groups, talking and watching the drama unfold.
She wanted to help, but knew in the confusion and the crush of police officers and firefighters, the best thing they could all do was stay out of the way.
Colton. She had to get to Colton, to stay with him. A mate’s place was by his side.
Immediately, she shut down the random thought. Colton wasn’t her mate. They weren’t even lovers. They were good friends, nothing more.
“Are you all right?” Jolene touched her shoulder.
“I think so.”
“I hope no one was seriously hurt.”
“Or killed,” Big Al echoed.
They all watched while the paramedics tended to the injured.
Big Al fidgeted. Finally, unable to take it any longer, he grabbed the arm of a silver-haired officer. “Theodore? Any casualties?”
“Not that we know of.” The older man’s face looked grim. “We haven’t found anyone dead yet, but a hell of a lot of people are injured.” He strode off, responding to a call from inside.
Anniversary’s lone ambulance, already gone with Colton, wasn’t enough to handle all the people needing medical attention. Another ambulance was called in from Athens, one more from Carthage, and several private citizens volunteered their vehicles. As far as she could tell, none of the injuries, miraculously enough, appeared life-threatening, though Jewel was positive she’d seen several broken limbs.
“What about the driver of the car?” Jolene wondered out loud. “I wonder who it is, and how the hell he was going that fast in the parking lot to come clean through the building.”
The driver of the car…Jewel froze. Though she’d managed to avoid thinking about it, she had no choice but to connect the dots. She knew why the car had smashed into the building. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t been working there.
“I don’t recognize that Buick.” Al scratched his head. “Texas tags, but it must be from out of town. I’m thinking it was some tourist who had too much to drink.”
“See if they’ve found the driver,” Jewel urged. “Or I will.”
Something in her tone made Al look hard at her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m sure. I just want to see who did this.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Without another word, he took off to talk with the police clustered in groups outside the unsafe and unstable building.
He returned a few minutes later. “They haven’t found the driver. No one was inside the vehicle. But that car was reported stolen in Houston two days ago.”
“Maybe the driver got out.” As if sensing Jewel’s unease, Jolene moved closer. “For all we know, he might be one of the hurt ones they transported to Athens.”
“Maybe.” But Jewel knew the driver would never be found. He’d probably rigged the gas pedal, and hadn’t even been in the Buick when it hit. The car had been meant to send another message. Though apparently he wasn’t ready to kill her yet, Leo wasn’t above hurting those she cared about to make her suffer.
Cared about? She drew a sharp breath, the truth slamming into her. She cared about Colton. A lot.
“Jewel?” Big Al stared at her. “You’re not about to faint or something, are you?”
Startled, she raised her face. “No. I’m just horrified, that’s all.”
