Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“You and the kid okay?” I asked, trying not to stare at her abused face. Given the way it changed color in places, it obviously hadn’t occurred during the crash.
Her lower lip quivered and she whispered, “We’re fine.”
I begged to differ. A peek in the back seat showed the kid wide-eyed and gnawing on a cookie.
“Front wheel is pretty much gone. You’re gonna need a tow truck,” I advised. “Have you called for one yet?”
She shook her head. “I don’t have a phone.”
Of all the dumb things… Heading out in a storm unprepared.
Not my place to chastise, though. She looked beaten enough as it was.
I whipped mine out only to frown. “Fuck. No signal. Will someone come looking for you when you don’t show up?
” I sought a reason to leave before I fucked up my evening.
Rescuing this woman and her child would cut into my moping and staring at a blank screen time.
She shook her head. “No. No one’s expecting us. Guess we’ll have to wait out the storm.”
“Yeah, that’s not a great plan. This storm is expected to last until tomorrow, at least. You can’t exactly stay in the car that long. You’ll freeze.”
“I can keep the motor running.”
“And die of carbon monoxide poisoning,” I barked more harshly than necessary.
“Oh.” Such a dejected sound. “I didn’t think of that. I’ll have to grab the blanket in the trunk,” she whispered with welling eyes.
Oh no. Not fucking tears.
“Don’t be stupid. A blanket won’t be enough.” I couldn’t muster a gentle tone as my irritation grew. Her cluelessness was really leaving me no choice.
“What else would you have me do?” she cried, her sharp query startling the baby in the back eating her cookie. The little one eyed me suspiciously and clutched her treat tighter. As if I’d steal that soggy hunk of mush.
“How far were you going?”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know. Not far, I think. I’ve only been once before.”
Fuck me. I didn’t want to say it but look at her: A frail thing gripping the steering wheel tight but still not managing to hide her tremble. Her need. Her desperation.
A heavy sigh escaped me. “Grab your kid and get in my car.”
“You’re going to drive me to town?” A spark of hope lilted the query.
“Not exactly. My place is close by.”
Her face went pale, making the mottling even more pronounced. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Trust me, I’m not happy about it either, but here’s the thing. I’m, like, maybe five minutes up the road, while town’s a good forty downhill in this crap. I don’t know about you, but I’m not keen on getting stuck or smacking a tree.” The last part hit her like a slap and she recoiled.
Before rallying to blurt, “Who’s to say we’ll make it to your home? Won’t it be worse going upwards?”
“Maybe, but we’re close enough we can walk if needed.”
“We’d get lost in the storm.”
My patience frayed. “Listen, lady, while we’re wasting time yapping, the snow is still falling. Are you coming or not? And let me remind you, once I leave, you’ll likely end up freezing to death in the car, which is your prerogative, but think of the kid.”
The child took that moment to babble and the woman glanced back at her before letting out her own heavy breath. “I’m sorry. You’re right. We’ll go to your house. Just give me a moment to move Zaza to your car and grab our things.”
“I’ll get your stuff. In the trunk I assume?”
She nodded as she emerged from the car. Still just as short, barely reaching my shoulder.
Despite my car already being full of supplies, I managed to move her bags, mostly groceries plus one diaper bag, to my trunk, only to realize while she’d plopped the kid into the back seat of the Panda, she struggled to remove the car seat from her smashed vehicle.
“Is that necessary?”
“Yes,” she huffed through chattering teeth. “It’s to keep Zaza safe.”
“Get in the car where it’s warm. I’ll get the seat.” She opened her mouth, most likely to argue, and I snapped in a tone my drill sergeant would have approved of, “Now.”
I almost felt bad when she recoiled as if I’d slapped her so I added a gentler, “No point in both of us freezing. I got this.”
“Thank you.” A soft murmur as she walked away and got in the Panda.
It took me but a moment to undo the latches and install the seat in my car, the wasted time having dumped a good half inch or more on the ground. Fucking great. By the time my snowy ass slammed into the car, my mood had gone from poor to utter shit.
Percy sat above the steering wheel engaged in a staring match with the woman.
The child clapped her hands in the back singing, “Dinosauro.” Me?
I craved a bottle of something belly-burning to help me deal with the clusterfuck I found myself in.
For a second, I thought about flipping around and driving back to town.
I could drop the woman and her kid off and pickle myself in booze while the storm blew over.
Instead, I put the car into drive and inched it upward. The woman thankfully stayed quiet as the five minutes that I could usually do at a decent speed took almost thirty. But before we managed to crest the rise right before the driveway, the tires spun uselessly.
I slammed the car into park and shut off the engine. “Bundle up. We’re walking the rest of the way,” I announced.
This time, the woman didn’t argue, merely zipped up hers and the kid’s winter gear while I snared Percy and tucked the lizard inside my coat. Percy surprisingly didn’t protest.
I exited the car at the same time as the woman unbuckled the child and pulled the kid into her arms. Then, we began to walk. With difficulty for her, I should add. Her feet kept slipping, her boots having shit traction.
I tapped her on the shoulder. “I’ll carry the kid.”
“I can do it,” she insisted.
“Not in those boots, you can’t. If you slip and fall the kid will get hurt.” Apparently, those were the magic words needed.
She murmured to the child before handing her over. Zaza stared at me with big eyes but didn’t protest as I slung her on my hip like her mom had. She didn’t weigh much at all, not to me, at least, but I was impressed the little lady managed to lug her.
Up the hill we trudged, the woman managing to slide twice, once spectacularly enough her feet went out from under her, and she landed on her ass in the snow.
“Oof,” she huffed.
“You okay?” I offered my free hand to hoist her. She was as light as she looked.
“I’ll be fine,” she grumbled. “Guess you were right about my boots.”
As if there was any doubt. “We’re almost there,” I advised.
As we trudged into the snow-filled driveway, which I only recognized because of the gnarly tree at its corner, I could barely see the chalet since whirling and whipping snow had reduced visibility to a few paces in front of us. Once it did come into sight, the lady dropped her bomb.
“I didn’t know anyone was already staying at Antonio’s place.”
The claim had me pausing before I asked, “You’ve been here before?”
“Once,” she admitted softly. “Guess it wouldn’t have mattered if my car made it or not, since the chalet was already occupied.”
It hit me then. She’d planned to stay here, but I’d wager she didn’t ask permission first. That combined with the black eye led me to growling, “Who are you running from?”
She stiffened. “No one.”
“Don’t lie.” Yeah, I barked, and immediately felt like a piece of shit when she flinched. “Who are you hiding from?”
“My husband,” she whispered.
“He’s the one who hit you.” Stated rather than asked.
“Si.”
That was all I needed to know. “Let’s get you and the kid inside.”
Because even as I knew I shouldn’t get involved, I had to help.
Didn’t matter who this woman was or why her husband hit her. She was broken and I couldn’t grind what remained of her to dust.