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CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN
jack
I pickedup two cases of beer and carried them into the walk-in cooler, what was left of the previous week’s order already shifted out of the way to make room for the new supplies.There was supposed to be some big event at Trinity tomorrow night.College students’ parents would invade Creswell Springs for the entire weekend, and from experience, I knew we would get hit hard.
My uncles were on a run, but they would be back in time to help out.Hopefully, Kingston would be over the stomach bug he’d gotten by then.We already had some of our MC brothers scheduled to work as bouncers, because the past few years, those damn college brats had stirred up trouble.More often than not, fights would break out so bad that shit would get broken, and Ben would have to come out to arrest a handful of people.
Dad and I were down to just a few cases of our hard liquor when my phone went off.Placing a box on the bar top, I fished it out of my pocket.“Yeah?”I groused, distracted by what needed restocking on the top shelf.
“I had to go to Reid’s site.”The hint of panic in Elias’s voice instantly put me on edge, my lungs contracting and pushing out all the air in my lungs.“On my way back… I found her car.There’s fucking blood all over the airbags!”
“Whose car?”I demanded.
“Sammy’s!”His voice broke even as he roared her name.
The pressure in my chest eased enough to allow me to take a breath.“Did you call Ben or 9-1-1?”
“I’m fucking calling you!”he raged.“She’s not in the goddamn car, Jack.There’s so much blood.Ah, fuck.Fuck!”
“Okay, man, I need you to take a deep breath.Maybe she hit her head.Even a nick on the forehead can cause a lot of blood without—”
“She’s not fucking here!’he exploded.“And I can’t fucking breathe.Where is she?I never should have left.Should have stayed.Should.Have.Told.Her—”
“Elias!”I shouted, realizing he was trapped in his head.“Listen to me.I need you to calm down so we can figure this out.Just stay where you are, and I’ll call Ben.I’m on my way.I’ll help you.”
I heard his shaky inhale.“Jack, there were two passengers.I can tell because there are blood smears on both the driver’s and passenger’s sides.There’s a pair of glasses.They’re broken.Was Nishia with her?”
The tightness in my chest returned, but I tried to fight it.My fingers went slack on the neck of the bottle in my hand, and it crashed to the floor, glass and tequila exploding across my shoes and jeans.“I told her to stay at the office until I picked her up.”
“That’s not a no!”
I inhaled with difficulty.“I-I’m on my way.”
Hanging up, I called Nishia’s phone.It rang and rang.She always answered, even if she was busy at work.Even when I knew she was being overwhelmed by calls on the office landline, she never failed to answer, to reassure me she was okay.
Cursing, I walked faster, my chest feeling like it was caving in.Breathing hard, I tried her cell again, but still no answer.
“Are you done already?”Dad asked as he came out of the office.
“I have to… Accident.Sammy.”I wasn’t making sense, but I couldn’t fucking breathe, let alone put an entire sentence together.
“Hold up, son.Deep breaths.”
Unable to follow his instructions, I hit connect on the landline number.It rang at least ten times before someone answered.“This is Jos.”
“Nishia,” I croaked out.“Is she there?”
“Jack?”
“Is Nishia there?” I bellowed.
“Okay, calm down,” she snapped.“No, she’s not here.Samara drove her home.They left about ten, maybe fifteen, minutes ago, tops.”
“No, no, no,” I chanted.
“What’s wrong with you?”she demanded, but I was already hanging up.
“No, she’s okay.She wasn’t with Sammy.”I stabbed my hand through my hair, dislodging it from the bun at the back of my head.“She’s fine.”
