Chapter Thirteen

 

 

 

Zack and Portia got the car accident call right as they were about to stop for lunch, and Portia groaned.

“No-o-o.”

He agreed with the sentiment, but he still radioed in that they would take the call. Rhonda, their dispatcher, told them that there was also ambulance on the way, so Zack pushed the gas pedal a little harder. Hopefully it was just a precaution, but they couldn’t be sure.

He almost drove off the road when he recognized David’s truck.

“Fuck,” he said, pulling the cruiser to the side and getting out as soon as he’d turned off the engine. He saw David leaning against the side of the truck, alive, standing and seemingly fine, but Zack’s heart was still lodged in his throat until David looked up and slumped in relief when he noticed him.

“Hey.” He leaned into the touch when Zack grasped his arm, probably too hard for someone who was just in a car accident. “I’m fine, but I’m not sure about Jack.” He blinked and straightened up. “Jack. I think he may be in shock.”

Zack had been a deputy sheriff for a few years now, and he had never hesitated to help anyone. And he would never, ever tell anyone that for half a second—not even that—he hesitated. His wolf, restless and irritated after realizing David had been in danger, did not like the fact that Jack was with him when it happened. Didn’t like that at all.

But when David pulled back from him and waved toward the other side of the truck, Zack shook it off and remembered where he was and what he was doing here. He looked around and saw Portia talking with the driver from the other car. Zack couldn’t see the driver’s face, but he could see the guy was holding a baby in his arms—a baby that was screaming bloody murder.

Then Zack turned and saw Jack leaning against the passenger door on the opposite side of the truck from where Zack and David were. He seemed to be staring at the forest, as if it would give him the answers about what had happened.

Which was what Zack wanted to know as well. The front of David’s truck was smashed into the tree and the back was busted on one side. From the way the cars were positioned, the other car had to have caused the dent in the back.

With his blood boiling and no answers, Zack turned to David, who was frowning, glancing between Jack and the other driver with a crying kid.

Then the terrible thought came and Zack heard himself say it out loud before he could stop himself.

“Are you still drunk?” You can’t smell any alcohol, his brain reminded him a moment later, but he’d known David and Jack were drinking last night—

“What?” David turned to him, eyes wide. “No, of course not.”

Zack’s nostrils flared. “Then what the hell happened here? How did you drive off the road? The other car bumped you in the back from the side, so…” He drifted off when he saw Portia come over.

Something shut down behind David’s eyes and he crossed his arms over his chest before turning to her. “Can I give my statement to you? The deputy here doesn’t seem to be interested in hearing it, since he has already made up his mind.”

Zack opened his mouth to argue, but Portia nodded at him. “Why don’t you try talking to Jack? I’ve already spoken with Connor, and I’ll talk with David here.”

He wanted to protest. There was no way he was leaving David’s side now. But David didn’t look at him anymore, turning away from him pointedly. Portia tilted her head in the direction of Jack and mouthed, “Go.”

Zack took a step back then another one. The baby stopped screaming in the background and he glanced there for a second, only to pause. He knew this guy. Then Portia’s words registered. I’ve already spoke with Connor. Connor Warsen. The man who’d left Harrington Hills—and Jack—about a year and a half ago was apparently back in town.

Connor nodded at him when he saw him look, and Zack nodded back reflexively. Then he rounded David’s car and stood next to Jack, who didn’t even glance at him, didn’t turn. He seemed frozen like that, shoulders hunched, arms twisted against his stomach. From this angle, Zack couldn’t be sure, but when he took a step forward and stood in front of Jack, he confirmed it. Jack’s eyes were glassy with tears.

The last remains of the aggravation he’d felt went away at the sight, and Zack clasped his hand gently over Jack’s shoulder.

“Do you have any injuries that you know of?” he asked quietly. There was no way he was asking Jack if he was okay, when the answer was staring him in the face.

Jack’s lips parted and he blinked a few times. “No,” he whispered.

“Does anything hurt?”

“No. But I may still be…” Jack hesitated and swallowed. “I may be in shock. Maybe.”

“That would be completely normal,” Zack assured him. “An accident can shake a person, regardless of whether anybody was hurt or not.”

Jack let out a shuddering exhale that was probably intended to be a snort. “I think something else shocked me more.”

As if on cue, the baby wailed again. Jack closed his eyes.

“I get that it’s hard on you,” Zack said slowly, and he allowed himself only one glance at David as he did. “But I need you to tell me what happened.”

“We were going to Linwood, since David wanted to buy bathroom tiles and I offered to help. The road was clear, save for one car driving from the other side. It was fine, then suddenly, when that car was close, it swerved really badly, heading into our lane. David was super quick, but he didn’t have anywhere to go. We hit the tree to avoid the collision, but he— But the other car still bumped into us from behind.” He put his fist against his lips. “Better than hitting us in the front, I guess.”

“Did you drink anything prior to the drive?” Zack made himself ask, even when the memory of David’s accusatory look showed up in his head.

“What? No.” Jack frowned. “I just told you. It was his car—”

“I heard you. But these are questions I have to ask.”

Jack sagged. “No, I didn’t drink anything. And neither did David, damn it.”

“Were you distracted in any way or—”

“No distractions. We weren’t even saying anything right then, and it happened so fast that I barely noticed until David took the sharp turn.”

Zack breathed out in relief. “Good.” He squeezed Jack’s shoulder. “Good.”

Before he could say anything else, he heard the ambulance coming. He looked over at Portia, who had just finished taking David’s statement. Their eyes met, and she nodded. It’s fine, she was telling him, but he still couldn’t relax. And the distance from David was making his skin itchy. He had to fight the urge to get close, to run his hands over David to check if he was really unharmed.

He wouldn’t want to talk to you right now, Zack told himself, but that only made his wolf want to whine. You’re on the job, and there are people around. He tried the different approach and it worked a bit better.

Zack stood back and watched the paramedics work, but his gaze kept going back to David again and again. David didn’t talk with the paramedic long and from what Zack heard—he would use the excuse of work for eavesdropping, because he would go crazy if he didn’t hear some positive news right now—David was fine.

Portia appeared next to him. “I took photos of everything we need, so we can get out of here as soon as the medics are done. I’m guessing you want to drive Jack and David back?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t care how much David protested, Zack was getting him home. “I’m guessing Connor and the baby are getting a trip to the hospital. We need to take care of both cars.”

“I’ve already made the call. The tow will be here soon. I’ll stay and catch a ride with them.”

Zack glanced at her. “You don’t need me around, huh?”

“Not when you’re like this, no.” Portia bumped her shoulder into his. “But don’t worry, you’ll buy me lunch and tell me all about what just happened here, and we’ll call it even.”

“Two lunches and no talking, how about that?”

“Keep it up and it will be two lunches and talking.”

Zack shut his mouth then and walked over to the front of David’s car, staring at the dented metal and broken lights. His stomach turned at the sight. Logically, he knew it wasn’t a bad accident, especially not for the werewolves, but he wasn’t really using his logic now. He looked up again. David was leaning against the side of the car next to Jack, staring with him at the forest. They didn’t seem to be saying anything.

When he glanced at the group gathered next to the ambulance, he noticed Connor turning to look at Jack. Well, at Jack’s back. It lasted only two seconds or so, then Connor was focused on the baby again, but, coupled with Jack’s reaction, Zack wondered if maybe the whole town had missed it—maybe he’d missed it, maybe these two hadn’t been a short-lived fling after all.

You can keep a secret in this town after all, he thought, shaking his head. Who would’ve thought?

When Zack noticed the tow car on the horizon, he walked back to Portia.

“I’m going to take the guys with me now. Call me when you’re done here. I should be at the station by then.”

She glanced at where David and Jack were still turned away from everyone, then back at Zack. “How about you call me when you’re done?”

Zack nodded. “Fine.”

He turned and took a deep breath before coming up to where David and Jack were standing.

“Come on. I’ll take you both home,” he said softly, not wanting to spook either of them.

“Are they gone?” Jack asked, not moving.

Zack opened his mouth to tell him no, but the sound of the door shutting made him turn, and he saw one of the paramedics patting the closed doors on the back of the ambulance then circling it to the driver’s seat.

“They’re going now.”

David didn’t say anything, but when Jack straightened up, he did the same. Zack realized he was taking his cues from Jack, letting him lead, and Zack almost felt jealous. He would be, in any other situation, but something in Jack made Zack forget about his feelings. As he watched his cousin blink then slowly turn to walk back to the sheriff’s department’s cruiser, he wanted to pull the ambulance door open and drag Connor out to kick his ass for whatever he’d done to Jack.

Instead, he reached out right when Jack was about to pass him by and pulled him into a hug. Zack secured his arms around his cousin’s body and nuzzled his shoulder with his chin, spreading his scent—pack scent, family scent—over Jack. For a long few seconds it felt as if he was embracing a statue, but then Jack lifted his arms and returned the hug. He sagged into Zack’s body with a wet sigh and hid his face in Zack’s chest.

They stood like this for a minute before Jack pulled back and, without looking Zack in the eyes, walked the rest of the way to the car. Zack turned and bit his lower lip when he realized David was already in the backseat of the cruiser. It wasn’t like Zack had planned to embrace him like he did Jack—I would have. Given the chance, I would have—but the way David cut off their contact sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Finally, he nodded at Portia and at the guys just getting out from the tow car, then he got into the cruiser. As he shut the door, he sat back and inhaled the scents of Jack and David, reminding himself they were both safe, as the two crashed cars stood right in front of him.

Zack glanced in the rearview mirror and the question, Are you okay? got stuck in his throat again. No, they were not okay.

Neither was he.