Page 60 of All I Feel

“I swear, he came out of nowhere.”

My eyes shifted behind her to look at the car. The entire side of it had clearly swiped the guard rail, just like she’d told me on the phone. But with this new information, things were starting to fall into place. I didn’t see the animal that likely darted out in front of her anywhere on the road, so she must’ve avoided hitting it. “A squirrel?”

Confusion washed over her expression, her lips parting slightly as she shook her head. “No. What are you talking about?”

“You said he came out of nowhere. I assumed a squirrel. Was it a deer or a dog?”

“Ace, it was another car.”

Now, I was the one who was confused. “I don’t understand. You told me that nobody else was hurt.”

“Yeah, because he drove off.”

Tessa had gotten into an accident, and the guy responsible just drove off? This didn’t make any sense.

“Can you tell me exactly what happened, and start at the beginning?”

Nodding, she took a few settling breaths. “I’d just left work and was heading home. Everything was fine until I got to the stop sign on Pine Street. I stopped, confirmed it was clear, and made my right turn. I barely made the turn beforeI heard the horn blaring. The guy was on my bumper in seconds.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“He was swerving behind me, driving like a maniac.” Tessa swiped at her cheeks, where her tears had fallen and left trails of sadness in their wake. “When he finally moved into the other lane, I assumed he was just going to go around me, so I slowed a bit. He did, too. I’ve never been so scared in my whole life.”

Keeping my emotions in check was a grueling exercise in patience. I was on the verge of losing it, but if I did, I wouldn’t be able to help Tessa through this or figure out precisely what happened.

“How did you wind up in the guardrail?”

Her breath hitched a few times as she inhaled deeply. “He taunted me for a bit, speeding up or slowing down whenever I did. And finally, I guess he’d had enough of toying with me. He sped up just enough to pull slightly past me. Then he cut me off at the last second and slammed on his brakes, leaving me no choice but to swerve to avoid hitting him.”

I didn’t want to assume the worst, but I had to ask. “You didn’t recognize the vehicle or the guy driving, did you?”

Tessa shook her head. “The police asked the same thing when I told them what happened. It happened so fast. The only thing I can really remember is that it was a dark blue truck, and I was utterly terrified. Beyond that, I know nothing.”

“So, as far as you can tell, this was simply an act of road rage?”

Nodding, she said, “Yes. I don’t know how I missed atruck that big. He must’ve just been so angry that I cut him off. It was unintentional, though.”

My hand drifted up her back and into her hair, where I massaged her scalp. “Alright. At least you’re safe. That’s really all that matters.”

“My car is destroyed.”

Lips twitching, I said, “You do know what I do for a living, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll fix it for you. Don’t worry about that right now.” I dropped my hand to her opposite shoulder and curled her body toward mine. “Have you given the police all the information they need?”

Tessa glanced at the officer, who had just stepped out of his vehicle. “I think so.”

I gave her a squeeze. “Okay. Let’s get you in the truck. I’ll talk with the officer for a minute and get your car loaded. Then we’ll head back to the shop.”

“Okay. Thank you for coming, Ace.”

Smiling at her, I said, “I’d do anything for you, Princess.”

With that, I urged her toward the front of the flatbed, opened the door, and helped her up. Once I had her safely inside, I moved back to talk to the officer.

He jerked his chin up. “Miss Stone said she called a friend for a tow.”