Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
ACE
It was Friday, just one day shy of a week since I’d shared my feelings with Tessa. Except for Sunday, when our entire group of friends had visited with Chloe and Hawk, I hadn’t seen Tessa.
We’d spoken to one another regularly throughout the week, and fortunately, our conversations felt like they always had. I’d been worried that after I’d shared all that I had, it would change things between us. It hadn’t, and for that, I was grateful.
But I did feel some conflict. Because I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if we’d ever have more than just our friendship. Now that it was out there, all I wanted was for Tessa to tell me she felt the same and wanted to explore something even more meaningful between us.
Since it was approaching the end of my workday, and I missed Tessa, I decided I’d give her a call to ask if she wanted to spend some time together over the weekend.
No sooner did I shove my hand into the pocket of my jeans to pull out my phone, it rang.
Looking at the display, I smiled at the sight of Tessa’s name and picture there.
I’d snapped the photo the night we went roller skating because she’d looked so beautiful; I couldn’t resist.
With any luck, Tessa was reaching out in hopes of spending time together this weekend, too. I swiped my thumb across the screen, eager to find out. “I was just about to call you,” I said.
“Ace.”
My entire body locked.
I’d always liked the sound of my name coming from Tessa’s lips, but I didn’t like the way it sounded now. Panicked. Distraught. Something was very, very wrong. My thoughts immediately went wild, believing her ex had decided to contact her again.
“Tessa? What’s wrong?”
“My… My car. It’s destroyed. I was just in an accident.” Her breathing was fast and shallow, and I suspected her heart was pounding with her panic.
My legs began moving through the shop, instinct carrying me forward. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
“I wasn’t hurt. No physical injuries, but I’m freaking out.”
“Okay. It’s okay, Princess. As long as you weren’t hurt, that’s all that matters. Was anyone else hurt?”
“No. It was just my car that got damaged. I hit the guardrail.”
My brow furrowed. How the hell had that happened?
Recalling the sound of Tessa’s panicked voice, I realized I could worry about the details later. “Tell me where you are, and I’ll bring the flatbed.”
“I’m so sorry, Ace. You probably already left work.”
“I haven’t, but it wouldn’t matter if I had. I’d be there for you no matter what. Now, tell me where you are so I can help you.”
Tessa rattled off her location and confirmed she’d be okay for the next ten minutes until I got there.
After I disconnected the call, I found Phoenix and said, “Hey, I’m taking the flatbed out.
Tessa just called and said she got into an accident.
The car is trashed, but she confirmed she’s okay.
I’ll assess that personally once I’m there, and if she’s good, I’ll bring her back here with the car. ”
“She’s okay, though?”
I jerked my chin down. “She said she was.”
Nodding, he said, “Alright. If you get there and it’s serious, please call me.”
“Will do.”
A moment later, I was out the door and on my way to Tessa. Despite her reassurances that she hadn’t been injured, I felt a bevy of emotions coursing through me. I didn’t think I was going to be able to truly relax until I saw her with my own eyes and could confirm she’d been unharmed.
By the time I arrived, I was shocked to see that the police were there.
Even though Tessa had been out of sorts on the phone, there was nothing beyond that which indicated to me that she intended to call the police.
I came to a stop, got out, and had managed to only take a handful of steps before Tessa’s body collided with mine.
My arms wrapped firmly around her and held on tightly. She was in tears, her body bucking with her sobs.
Something about her reaction felt far too extreme for a simple accident. Sure, it was scary enough, but with no injuries to her and nobody else involved, something was off.
“It’s okay, Tessa. You’re alright.” One hand stroked up and down her back. “Tell me what happened, Princess.”
It took her a few more minutes to calm herself down, and when she did, I loosened my hold on her. “I never saw him.”
“What?”
“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 before I 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 a truck 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.”
I extended my hand to him and introduced myself. “Ace Townsend.”
He shook my hand. “Officer Kelley. You need any help with finding a place for this?”
“No. Tessa’s brother and I own a body shop, so we’ll get this taken care of for her,” I replied. “What are the chances of finding out who did this to her?”
“Based on what Miss Stone said, it’s going to be extremely difficult. Except for the color of the truck, she didn’t know the make or model. And she claimed she managed to swerve before hitting him, so we can’t even try to find a truck in the town with damage to the rear bumper.”
I felt so uneasy about this whole situation. Not that I wanted her to experience anything like this ever, I truly hoped it was just a random road rage incident. “Okay. Thank you, Officer Kelley.”
He pulled a piece of paper off his notepad and held it out to me. “If she needs anything else, this is the police report number she’ll be able to use.”
I took the slip of paper and shoved it into my pocket. “Thanks. Am I good to get the car loaded up?”
Officer Kelley gave me a nod. “Yeah. I’ll stay here with my lights on until you’ve got it on the flatbed.”
“Appreciate it.”
For the next few minutes, I focused my attention on getting Tessa’s car loaded onto the flatbed so I could get it to the shop and take her home. But even as I simply tried to keep my thoughts only on what needed to be done, something else was lingering there.
Something was nagging at me. What if this hadn’t been just a random road rage incident?
I didn’t know him well enough to make any definitive statements about him, but I wondered if Tessa’s ex had this in him.
All the attempts he’d made recently to connect with her hadn’t gone his way.
Was it possible he’d try to harm her as a result?