“Open it,” he said, and I did, lifting the little hasp and opening it up.
“Oh, shit,” I murmured. There were three of his hand-turned Christmas ornaments inside. I looked up at him.
“I told you, I made them. They belong with the rest. It’s…” He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush… ha ha, fucking ha ha, I thought bitterly. “It’s your tradition now.”
I pressed my lips together and sniffed, staring into Rush’s brown eyes under his thatch of blond hair that had some iron in it now. I nodded and slipped off my stool, hugging him tight.
“Thanks, man.” He hugged me back tight, and we slapped each other on the back.
“You’re welcome. I’m kind of glad, you know? That you kept them.”
“Me too,” I said. I backed off so I could look at him. “I can’t wait to show Eedee.”
He smiled and nodded.
“I’m happy you finally pulled your head out of your ass on that one.”
I gave a rueful chuckle.
“Me too.”
My phone lit up, buzzing across the bar top – mine and Eedee’s Christmas tree on the screen.
“Eedee, babe, hi, are you here?”
“Sage?” Her voice sounded high, frightened.
“Babe, what’s wrong? Where you at?”
“I… I don’t know. I’m on my side. Someone hit me, pushed me off the road and they just left!”
“Hold on!” I said and conversations around me ceased. “Just hang on, baby. I’m gonna come find you. I’m gonna come get you!”
“Please hurry!” she said, and she was definitely crying.
“I’m on my way, just stay in the car!”
“What’s going on?” Dray demanded.
“It’s Eedee. Someone hit her, pushed her off the road. She’s in a ditch somewhere between here and her house.”
Chairs scraped, a bottle broke against the floor, and Dray yelled out, “Alright, alright, alright! Calm down! Sage, take the club truck, go! We’ll be right behind you.”
I took the keys Dray tossed me and went for the door just as Rev pushed it open to come in.
“Where’s the fire at?” he demanded.
“It’s Eedee,” I said. “Come on!”
He was right on my six as we went out the door, dread making me want to puke.
God, you right motherfucker! I thought savagely. Don’t you even fucking dare!
“Zander, what’s wrong?” Red called as we went to get into the truck.
“Not now!” he yelled back, and I got behind the wheel.
“Slow and steady,” he said in dad fashion. “Not gonna help her if we get dead in the process.”
“No, shit,” I said, and with grim determination, crawled down and out the club parking lot and out onto the highway.
My phone buzzed and it was Eedee again. I handed the phone to her dad.
“Yeah, baby, I’m here. Daddy’s here, Smoke’s driving. We’re coming to get you.”
He put it on speaker. “Daddy, I’m scared.” She sobbed, and it broke my heart.
“We’re coming, baby,” I called out.
“I remembered the road. I was passing Old Blyn Road. I’m in the ditch and I’m on my side and the engine cut out. I can’t get my seatbelt off and it hurts.”
“Are you hurt bad?” her dad demanded. “Where does it hurt honey?”
She took in a brave, deep breath. “Where the seatbelt is digging – ow!”
“Don’t move, baby. We’re coming,” Rev said.
“Eedee, do you think anything’s broken?” I called out.
“No,” she answered and already, she was calming down. Just knowing we were coming; she was calming down.
Rev pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Pauley’s towing, this is Derek, how can I help?”
“Ghost, it’s me, Rev. Somebody hit my baby girl…”
“Eden?” I called out.
“Yeah, I’m here!” she called.
“Okay, talk to me,” I said. “Nothing’s broken, any cuts?”
“No!” she called. “I don’t think I’m hurt.”
“Okay, okay good, we’re coming, baby.”
“Dad?” she called out.
“I’m here, baby. I’m on my phone with your uncle Ghost. Just hang on. We’re coming!”
My heart was still hammering wildly in my chest. It was so hard to fucking see, and I was having all kinds of irrational thoughts. Shit like worrying about how long it took a person to freeze to death – which was stupid. We were gonna be there long before that could happen, but still.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!” Rev cried, and he had the door open before I could even roll to a complete stop. I blasted the heat, threw it in park and I was right on his heels.
“Eedee!” I yelled and I could hear her crying, yelling, and screaming for me. The road was raised here, and the ditch deep. Her driver’s side was up, passenger side down, the metal of her driver’s side door crumpled and already accumulating snow.
“Alright! Come on!” I heard behind us and whipped around to look back over my shoulder. Dray, Trigger, Reaver, Thirteen, and Archer were piling out of Archer’s truck behind ours with tools.
Rev jumped down onto the car, onto the rear driver’s side door.
“Be careful!” I shouted, and he scrambled at the handle on the driver’s side door. Eedee’s hand appears on the glass which was fogging inside.
“Unlock the door, baby. Hit the switch, unlock it!” he cried. I got down into the ditch and went around, bracing my shoulder against the car’s roof.
“I need help!” I yelled and Trig and Archer were there, bracing the car with me so that it wouldn’t move, so they could get her out.
In the span of time it took for me to get from there to here, I went from cursing God out to thanking him profusely.
Thank you, God. Thank you, fucking Jesus.
“I got you, baby. I got you,” Dray said, and he and Rev reached down into the car. My heart felt like it was about to come out of my fuckin’ chest. I wanted to see her, I needed to see her.
Reaver braced against the roof of the car, looked me in the face dead serious, and said, “Go.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I scrambled back up out of the ditch to the road, Thirteen reaching down to gimme a hand, bracing himself and hoisting me up. I turned just as Dray and Rev hoisted Eedee up out of her rumpled car. She gave a sharp cry like something hurt and I was there, at the edge of the road to take her. They passed her to me and Thirteen and the second she was back on solid ground with me, I wrapped my arms around her and swore I would never fucking let go again.
She sobbed against my chest, and I held her tight, relearning for myself how to fucking breathe again.
“It’s okay,” I muttered fervently. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. I’ve got you now.”
Rev jumped over and put a hand on her hair, and smoothed it back from her tear-stained face.
“You okay, baby?” he demanded, and she nodded, seeing him without seeing, shock written all over her face.
“You hurt?” he asked, and she shook her head dumbly.