Jacob
I was just coming around the front of the house when I caught the back of the Lincoln disappearing down the road.
Clearly still avoiding me, but she’ll have to come back at some point. In the meantime, the farrier has gotten back to me and is scheduled to come Thursday morning, and I spoke to Rob who was going to email me a few contacts he has in this area.
I’m just reading his email when I see a call coming in.
“Pearl, what—”
“I need your friend’s number. Something’s happened to Raj,” she cuts in, grabbing every bit of my attention.
“What do you mean something’s happened to her?” I snap, tossing my laptop in the back seat as I get out of the passenger side.
“I think she crashed. I was on the phone with her when she said something about snakes, and the next thing I know I could hear sounds of some kind of impact—glass breaking, metal groaning. Then the call was cut off.”
“Call 911,” I yell at her as I get behind the wheel.
“I did, but I couldn’t give them a precise location. I need time to pinpoint where she is. All I know is she said she was on her way to Williamstown. I thought it might be faster for Hamish to find her. Isn’t he at the farm?”
“I’ll take care of him. You get to work on her location. Call me when you have something.”
I’m already flying past the house and turn onto the road with squealing tires. There really is only one direct route to take from Four Oaks to Williamstown.
I firmly shove any self-recriminations aside and focus on the road ahead. Plenty of time to blame myself later. Instead, I replay my conversation with Pearl, getting stuck on something she said.
Snakes?
I shake my head to clear it, and keep my eyes peeled for any sign of the dark SUV. I almost miss it, there aren’t even tire tracks on the road. My eye catches on a churned-up section of grass along the side of the pavement, and I slam on the brakes. The vehicle is upside down at the bottom of the embankment, leaning against the thick trunk of a tree.
My heart lodges in my throat as I scramble out of the truck and run to the edge, yelling her name. The moment I hear a faint response, I virtually throw myself over the edge, barely able to hold on to my footing as I slide and tumble down the steep slope.
“Raj?”
The driver’s side is propped up against the tree, the front and side windows shattered and the side panel safety bag bulging out. I can’t immediately see her. I push the bag aside so I can poke my head inside, when I hear her from somewhere in the back.
“Please be careful. I don’t know how many are in here in total.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask as I ease my head in.
Immediately, I pull back when I hear an ominous rattle coming from the vicinity of the steering wheel. A timber rattlesnake is coiled up on what is supposed to be the underside of the steering column.
“Are you hurt?” I inquire as I do a quick scan of what I can see inside the vehicle.
“Just a little banged up, nothing serious, provided I don’t get bitten.”
I spot her with her back wedged against the intact rear window behind the third row of seats. She has blood running down the side of her face.
“You’re bleeding.”
She shakes her head. “A few small cuts, that’s all,” she assures me.
Then I catch movement from the corner of my eye and notice three more snakes, slithering along the ceiling of the Navigator.
“What the hell? Tell me you haven’t been bitten.”
Because she’d be in trouble if that were the case. The timber rattler is one of the more venomous snakes in Kentucky.
“Not yet, mainly because I haven’t moved since I landed here.”
“Give me a minute, I’ll get you out,” I promise, although I’m not sure how to go about it.
I could try to get the snakes out, one by one, but I don’t really have the equipment to do that, so I’d have to improvise and risk startling them or pissing them off.
The easiest would be to break the rear window and get her out that way.
“Raj? I have to grab something from my truck, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Her dark eyes are wide and panicked, despite the calm facade she tries to maintain.
“I promise, sweetheart. Two minutes.”
I don’t wait for her to answer before I start clambering up the steep hill, cursing when I slide back a few times. I need my tool bag, which is in the back of the truck, otherwise I wouldn’t have left her behind.
Luckily, going down is a lot faster. I quickly poke my head in to let Raj see I’m back. Then I drop my bag and dig around for a Phillips screwdriver and a hammer.
“Cover your head with your arms. I’m going to break the back window,” I warn her. “Move slowly.”
I watch to make sure the snakes keep their distance while she tucks her head down and crosses her arms behind it. Then I walk around, put the tip of the screwdriver against the rear window as far away from where Raj is pressed against the glass as possible.
I have to put some force behind it when it finally shatters after the third try. First, I knock as much of the glass aside as I can, before I reach inside and slide my arms around Raj from behind.
“Ready?” I ask, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “Use your feet to push back if you can. Speed is key.”
“I’m ready.”
I brace one foot against the bumper and make sure my grip on Raj is secure.
“On one. Three…two…”
As I pull, I can feel her propelling herself backward, the force landing me on my ass, with Raj on top of me. I immediately slide her off me so I can check her out.
“You okay? Did they get you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” she answers, her voice shaking as her body starts to tremble. “Where are the snakes?”
I look around but don’t see any sign of them.
“Hopefully, still in the vehicle.”
I pull up the legs of her jeans and run my hands over her skin. No bites visible. Then I grab her shaking hands and look at her face. Her eyes are almost black, her pupils large. Head wounds are notorious for bleeding, I know that, but it’s still unsettling to see her face covered in it.
“Hey! Is everyone all right?”
An officer is standing at the top beside my truck, a sheriff’s department cruiser parked behind it.
“Do you have rope?” I call back.
“Yup. I’ll grab it,” he confirms.
I have a feeling Raj may need some assistance getting up that slope, and if she doesn’t, I might. I’m feeling a little shaky myself.
I return my attention to her and cup her stained face in my hands.
“Promise you’re good?”
“Yeah,” she whispers.
“Fuck, I was scared,” I admit.
“Yeah, me too.”
I lean in and kiss her hard on the lips.
“You’re okay.”
Onyx
I refuse to leave, even after I was checked by the EMTs.
I passed on the ambulance ride, which did not make Jacob happy. Neither did my refusal of a ride home from him.
“At least sit in the truck while we wait,” Jacob insists.
I allow him to help me up, recognizing his need to hover. I’d be the same way.
We’re waiting for Tri-State Wildlife Management to come and remove the snakes from the SUV. The tow-truck driver doesn’t want to hook up the Lincoln until the snakes are gone, and I don’t blame him.
I’d like to ask the wildlife officer whether it’s possible those snakes came in from under the hood, which is what the officer suggested. He says snakes can make nests in warm places, especially when it gets colder outside.
I personally think although that might be possible for one snake, five is unlikely. All about the same size. That’s a bit hard to swallow. Jacob didn’t seem to buy it either, but he hasn’t said anything.
In fact, he’s been rather quiet since he and the officer hauled me up the embankment, handing me off to the EMTs from the fire department.
“I’m sorry about the SUV.”
I’m talking to the back of his head as he keeps staring down to where the vehicle is still teetering on its roof.
“Don’t apologize,” he rumbles without turning around. “I was just thinking I’m so fucking grateful I bought a tank for you to drive around in. Any other vehicle and the roof might’ve caved in.”
A shiver runs down my back. I know I was lucky, both coming away with just bruises and scratches, as well as managing to avoid a snakebite. I swallow hard. It could’ve been really ugly.
Ten minutes later, a wildlife management officer arrives and is immediately taken down to the SUV by the sheriff’s deputy. It doesn’t seem to take him long before he climbs back up, a moving canvas bag in one hand and some kind of grabber tool in the other. He heads straight for the back of his vehicle.
“I want to talk to him,” I announce to Jacob, who is blocking my way.
He turns around.
“Why? What do you need to talk to him about?”
“I want to know if there is any way those snakes could’ve gotten in the car on their own.”
“Highly unlikely,” he reluctantly admits.
“I’d still like to hear it from a professional,” I insist.
It’s not that I’m purposely difficult, it’s I have a hard time computing someone would willingly do such a thing, and why.
Jacob closes his eyes and sighs deeply.
“Fine. You stay right there. I’ll ask him.”
He turns on his heel and marches away.
I’m not a fan of being ordered around, but now that the adrenaline is wearing off, I don’t have the energy to argue.
“Ma’am? You wanted to talk to me?”
He’s a young guy, early to mid-twenties at most.
“Yes, thank you. I wanted to know what the likelihood is those five snakes found their way into my car.”
“Five, ma’am? I removed seven in total.”
Seven?
I slap my hand over my mouth.
“And I’d say it would be very rare for one snake to find their own way into your car, let alone seven. Someone had to have put them there. I’m sorry, ma’am.”
I try to say thank you but can only manage a nod.
The next thing I know, Jacob is in front of me, leaning down and putting his hands on my shoulders.
“I’m taking you home now, okay?” he announces. “Swing your legs in and buckle up.”
I’m grateful he doesn’t say much else once we’re on the road, giving me time to collect myself.
Someone put seven fucking poisonous snakes in my car. I have to assume someone means me harm. Why? Who does that? Who could do that?
By the time Jacob turns into the driveway, I’m already full-on pissed. Then he parks the truck, kills the engine, and turns to me.
“I need you to pack your bag, you’re off the case. You’re coming home with me tonight.”
Wrong thing to say to me right now.
“Like hell I am,” I spit out, my blood instantly boiling.
“You damn well are. You could’ve been fucking killed,” he barks with force.
But he doesn’t intimidate me in the least.
“I’m aware, thank you,” I counter with as much sarcasm as I can muster. “However, taking me off this case makes no sense at all. You don’t know if this has anything to do with the damn case.” I’m so worked up I can’t seem to stop my volume from going up, or waving my finger in his face. “And even if it does, it means we’ve succeeded in rattling someone’s cage and you’d be an even bigger idiot taking me off!”
He leans over the center console, invading my space.
“Did you just call me an idiot?” he growls.
I’m not sure what possesses me, but I bring my face just inches from his.
“You’re damn right I did.”
Next thing I know, his hand shoots out, hooking me behind the neck, and his mouth slams down on mine.
The kiss is raw, it’s angry, and I’m one-hundred-percent here for it. Which is why, when I can feel him pull back, I grab on to the back of his head and take over the kiss.
I throw everything into it, every last bit of pent-up frustration, anger, and need I’ve been hanging on to these past few days. I’m not shy about exploring his mouth with my tongue, or sinking my teeth into his lush bottom lip. I love the way he growls down my throat when my nails scratch his scalp.
He reaches for me with his other arm, and attempts to pull me over the console and onto his lap, but I’m still strapped into my seat belt. My battered and bruised body protests loudly.
“Ouch,” I yelp, and he immediately releases me and surges back.
“Jesus, God…I’m sorry. I’m…” he mutters.
Then he shakes his head and jumps out of the truck, while I unbuckle my belt. My door is opened and he reaches in a hand to help me get out.
“Did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” I assure him.
He clearly doesn’t believe me when he lets go of my hand and begins walking to the front door. He may think he’s going to leave me hanging again, but the seal is off now, and I have no intention of letting him bow out this time.
I follow close behind him as he opens the door. I’m not surprised he has a key and the code for the alarm. Nothing about him can surprise me anymore.
He gestures for me to go inside ahead of him. I wait until I hear him close the door and reset the alarm. Then I swing around and crowd him, forcing him with his back to the door.
“Rajani,” he mumbles with his hands up.
“Jacob.”
I mimic his tone as I grab his wrists and pull his arms to the side. Then I fit my body against his, rise up on my toes, and kiss him like there’s no tomorrow. I feel his body’s response against my stomach, and press up to him a little harder.
It only takes a moment for him to cave and wrap me tightly in his arms. Then his hands slide down, cupping my ass, and I smile against his lips.
That’s what I’m talking about.