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What if this was about him and not Van?
“Mel, do you feel like the truck’s leaning a little?” He gently pumped the brakes to slow down, as they were on the steepest part of the road. They were almost to the scenic overlook. There would be a safe place to pull over there and check things out. He couldn’t do it here. There was no space, and he didn’t trust other drivers not to fly around a switchback and hit him or Mel.
Mel stopped, seeming to understand that the situation had turned serious. “Yes. I think it is leaning. I thought it was the road, but it seems like one of the tires is blown.”
But it hadn’t blown. That would have been easy. He wouldn’t have ever gotten on the mountain pass if someone had simply taken a knife to his tire or he’d hit something in the lot. No. This had been a slow loss of pressure, so he was off balance at the worst possible time, in the most dangerous section of road Bliss had to offer.
How many people had gone straight over the edge? There was a guardrail that had stopped many an accident from proving fatal, but if he hit it just right or got completely out of control, he could flip the vehicle over and they would die on their way down to the bottom.
“The overlook is up ahead. Try slowing down, and we can pull off there,” Mel advised. “Go slow on the brakes. You don’t want to lock them up. You’re doing good, son.”
Mel’s patient voice calmed him, and he remembered everything he knew about driving in the mountains. One more curve and he would be able to see the overlook.
That was when a sedan came flying around the corner, no thought to safety. It nearly came into his lane and when it flew by, slapped slush all over Hale’s windshield. On pure instinct, his foot came down on the brake because he couldn’t see.
And that was when the world started spinning, and he heard a crash and everything went dark.
* * * *
Elisa thought her heart was going to pound out of her chest as she realized who was in that truck. She couldn’t panic. She had to do her job. That was how she would help her dad and Hale.
Please. Please let them be all right. Don’t let me have found them only to lose them. Please.
She wasn’t the kind of woman who pleaded with the universe, but it was right there as she eased to a stop behind the still vehicle. Van was out in a shot, but she had to call this in. The road was too dangerous, and there were too many tourists who didn’t know how to drive, as proven by that asshole in the sedan. She picked up her radio. “This is Leal calling the Bliss station house. I’ve got an accident on the third turn going up to the lodge. Will advise on injuries, but the vehicle will definitely need a tow, and the road needs clearing.”
Gemma’s voice came back over the radio. “Nate’s on his way, and I’m dispatching an ambulance. It’s close. Keep me updated.”
Elisa got out of the SUV as Van managed to get the passenger side door open, helping her dad out. He looked fine, but she wasn’t breathing a sigh of relief until she saw Hale.
“Something went wrong with the tires.” Her dad looked harried, his eyes darting around as though looking for danger.
Because he’d been in danger before, been put in a position where he’d had to fight for his life. She wasn’t sure she believed that it had been aliens, but she absolutely believed her father had PTSD from his time in the military. He’d worked deep cover ops, black ops. His nightmares sometimes came out during the daytime.
“Dad, you’re okay. How is Hale?” She needed to ground him, turn his attention from what might have happened to helping the people around him. He was awfully good at that. She reached for his hand, pulling it between hers. “What happened?”
Her dad took a deep breath and squeezed her hand. “Something was wrong with the back tire. Passenger side. We didn’t notice it until we were already on the road. We were trying to make it to the overlook so we could park there, but that damn car nearly crashed into us and Hale lost control.”
Van was already inside the car. “He’s unconscious but breathing. Did you call an ambulance?”
Her heart threatened to stop. “Yes. Check his pulse.”
She wanted to climb in herself, but she couldn’t get around the other side. The guardrail had held, but it pressed into the driver’s side door.
“What the… Stop. I don’t think that’s how you do CPR.” Hale’s voice floated out, and the groan that came from his mouth was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard.
