“Storm, grab a bottle from behind the bar,” Blaze instructs and Storm stands as Blaze pulls another chair over to the table and sinks into it. “We’ll work this out.”
A few of the guys disperse as Storm and Fuzz gather around Rodriguez and throw back a shot in honor of Laney. Pushing off the wall, I check the time on my phone and shake my head. It’s damn near three in the afternoon so if Clay went out last night, he should be waking up right about now and I need to go look for him. Blaze glances up as I approach the table and I nod to him.
“I’ve got to go look for Clay. Give me a call if you need me.”
He nods. “We’ve got it covered for now, I think.”
Nodding, I slap his shoulder before giving Rodriguez’s a squeeze in support as he downs his second shot, not even sparing me a glance. That’s all right. I understand all too well the hell he’s going through right now. Leaving them to their drinking, I grab the keys to my truck out of my pocket and step outside, wincing at the bright sunlight beaming down on me.
Shit.
I really need to start keeping regular hours but with my job as a private investigator, that’s almost impossible. While everyone else is out living their lives, I have to be working to capture it on film for our clients before coming back to the clubhouse and crashing in the early hours of the morning. Not to mention the jobs we have to do, sometimes at a moment’s notice, to help out folks in need. None of it is really conducive to having a life.
Sighing, I slip behind the wheel of my electric blue ’67 Chevy and start it up, smiling at the deep rumble she makes as the engine fires to life. Besides my bike, this truck is my pride and joy and I’m like a little kid every time I get behind the wheel.
Shifting my focus to my brother, I pull out of the parking lot and start heading toward one of his usual hangouts. If he’s not there, then I’ll have to check the next one and so on. It’s the same thing I’ve been doing for the last week and I haven’t been able to find him yet and even though he’ll come around eventually, I can’t just sit back and do nothing. Of course, I’ve also been doing this for six years and it hasn’t made a bit of difference. As I pull up to a stoplight, I run my hand over my face and lean back in my seat, wondering if this whole situation is just hopeless. I hate to think it but some days, it really feels that way.
I glance up to check the light as a large red truck barrels through the intersection, smashing into a little black sedan who had the right away. A cloud of dirt billows into the air as fiberglass sprays everywhere and the car spins three times before coming to a stop just inches from my front bumper. One look at the mangled mess in front of me sends my heart racing. Throwing the truck in park, I open the door just as the red truck backs up, rights itself, and whips past me, fleeing the scene.
Jesus Christ.
“Piece of shit,” I mutter as I slam the door and race around to the front of the truck, wedging myself between the two vehicles. “You okay?”
Ice blue eyes, full of fear, turn toward me as the little blonde behind the wheel gasps for air, clawing at her seat belt frantically. It’s like one of the damn movies Iris always used to rent when I was a kid - everything seems to stand still as our gazes connect and something I can’t quite describe smacks into me, knocking me off balance. It’s like a punch to the gut and everything around me blurs because all I can see is the angel in front of me. Even through her fear and the haze of adrenaline, she’s beautiful in a classic kind of way that makes me think of summer barbecues, white picket fences, and apple pie.
A car horn blares behind me and it snaps me out of my daze as I reach through the open window and grab one of her hands and give it a squeeze. Another punch to the gut as her skin meets mine and I suck in a breath, my heart racing.
Shit.
What is this?
She settles slightly at my touch and I offer her a reassuring smile.
“Are you okay?”
“Um…” she mutters, blinking and I rip my gaze away from her gorgeous eyes to check her head. It doesn’t look like she hit it but she seems really disoriented and the thought that she could be more injured than I realize makes my stomach flip. “I think so.”
“Does anything feel broken?” I ask and she tries to move in her seat before wincing and shaking her head.
“No, I don’t think so.”
I nod. “Okay. Just try to relax and don’t move. I’m sure the ambulance will be here soon.”
I didn’t call them but we’ve gathered a bit of a crowd now and I see at least three people on their phones. She gasps, jerking my gaze back to her as she tries to move and hisses in pain.
“Whoa, take it easy, babe. Just wait for help to get here.”
“My baby!” she exclaims, her worried gaze meeting mine and I glance in the back seat where a car seat sits. My stomach sinks.
Shit.
“I’ll check, okay?”
She nods and releases my hand so I can move to the back seat and peer around the car seat. A little head pops forward and a little girl who looks just like her mama flashes me a toothy grin. Smiling, I move back to the front seat and grab her hand again, something settling inside me from her touch.
“I think she’s okay.”
A tear slips down her cheek. It guts me. “Really?”
“Well, she’s grinnin’ at me, so yeah, I think she’s good,” I answer with a nod. I’d do just about anything to ease her worry right now. She lets out a sigh of relief and relaxes back into the seat, closing her eyes. When she doesn’t open them back up right away, my heart lurches in my chest and I give her hand a squeeze.
“Hey, darlin’. Stay with me.”
She tries to move again and lets out a hiss of pain.
“Just hang on. I think I hear sirens in the distance.”
“I need to get her,” she forces out through clenched teeth and I shake my head and reach into the car with my free hand to gently turn her face to mine. Our eyes meet and it punches me right in the gut again.
“You won’t do her any good if you’re hurt. Just wait for the ambulance. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
She studies me for a second before nodding. “Okay.”
“Okay,” I repeat with what I hope is a reassuring grin. “I’m Lucas, by the way. What’s your name?”
“Quinn.” A shy smile sends my heart racing and I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “And that’s Brooklyn.”
I glance in the back seat again, smiling at the baby girl staring at me in the little mirror secured to the back seat headrest.
“Sorry to be meeting you both like this,” I answer and when Quinn doesn’t reply, my gaze flicks back to her. She has a faraway look in her eyes and my stomach clenches as fear races through my veins. I squeeze her hand and force her gaze back to mine. “Stay with me, okay?”
“It hurts,” she whispers and I nod.
“I know.” The sound of sirens fill the air and I let out a breath. “They’re almost here, though.”
She nods. “How’s Brooklyn?”
“Good. Pretty sure she’s trying to flirt with me,” I tell her, glancing back at the cooing baby again and she laughs before wincing. “Just a little bit longer, sweetheart.”