“It’s in my purse,” she said, attempting to sit up.
“Stay here,” he ordered. “We don’t want to shift around too much. The car still may slide.”
“It’ll be dark soon. What if they can’t find us?” she asked, not used to the woods and worried about sliding again.
“I’m here,” he assured her. “They’ll find us in a jiffy.”
Liam searched the darkened car for her purse and pulled it from the wedged seats. He dug inside, located the device, and called the hospital.
“I’m Liam Miller, a patient of Dr. Winters. I need you to connect me to him immediately. We have an emergency,” he said calmly.
A minute later, Doc answered the phone. “Dr. Winters.”
“Hey Doc, it’s Liam Miller,” he greeted. “I’m calling from Addyson Parker’s phone. A tree derailed us off the road, and we slid down the mountain.”
“Do you know how far down?” Doc asked. “Did anyone get hurt?”
“We’re about a quarter of the way down on the right. Addyson’s got a gash on her head, and my leg’s stuck under the dashboard. The airbags deployed and helped us, but we’rebanged up. The car doesn’t feel on solid ground. It’s sliding about an inch or two.”
“Don’t worry, Liam. I have a crew on their way and will be there shortly. Tell Addyson to hang in there.”
“Will do,” he said before disconnecting the call.
He grabbed his coat from the back seat and wrapped it around her as the rain poured in from her side. “They’ll be here soon.”
“Thank you. Not to sound as if I wish you ill, but I’m glad you’re here with me. What a wild ride,” she breathed.
Liam chuckled. “You forgot to mention you did stunt driving on the side.”
“A woman can’t tell all her secrets,” she mused. “Will it be dangerous for them to get here? I don’t want anyone else hurt.”
“Doc has lived here all his life. I’m sure it’s not his first rodeo,” he assured her.
“I’m sorry. You’ll miss the memorial,” she said softly as he stroked her hair away from the wound.
“Somehow, I think Lieutenant Merner will understand. In fact, he’d say getting caught in a car with a pretty woman and nowhere to go was a dream come true,” he said, chuckling.
“I can imagine him saying it,” she giggled. “He put up such a good fight,” she said sadly.
“Of course, he did. Since we have some time, why don’t you tell me about yourself?” he asked. “I know Kassie Winters hired you to cover her and Catherine. How did you find this place?”
“My husband spoke about it. He said some of his friends came here to visit. I ran into one of them a couple of weeks ago,” she said, shivering.
“Oh yeah? Are you referring to Cookie and his wife, Fiona?”
“How do you know them?” she said, surprised.
“Cookie and I have crossed paths before on missions. He’s a good guy,” Liam said.
“My husband spoke highly of him. I met the team once. They’re very nice. Dude seems a little… intense. Everyone else seems laid back and fun.”
Liam chuckled. “He beats from a different drum, but a good guy.”
“I liked him. Don’t get me wrong,” she rushed to explain. “His eyes follow Cheyenne everywhere. It feels more than protective, alpha male,” she said, searching for the correct word.
“Yes. It’s more,” he agreed. “Back to you. Where did you come from?”
“I’m from Portland. I retired a couple of years ago after my husband died. When I saw the position posting, I took a chance. A month later, I found myself here.”
