Caught Between Three Billionaire Tycoons - Willa Hart Page 0,12

at me with wide eyes.

“I know, we’re stuck in some scary stuff right now. Don’t get upset with each other, okay? We’re all doing our best, and that’s all anyone can do. We need to stick together, okay? Like the Care Bears or…” Shit. I was out of touch with kids’ stuff. What show was helping kids learn togetherness these days?”

“I’m sorry, Aunt Whitney.” Egan’s voice sounded so composed he could be years older. “I’m sorry, Adara. We all need to help each other.”

“I’m sorry.” Adara gave me a big grin even though her apology was open ended for the entire car.

“Okay. Great.” Both kids smiled at me and I felt a lot better.

“We need to stick together, don’t we, Aunt Whitney?” Egan stared at me with a fierce intensity. His eyes had that strange glow his father’s got when he was caught in intense emotion.

I nodded, even though I could feel that the little guy was reaching out for a family connection. He wanted to believe I’d be there forever. The thought was so painful I just choked down the lump in my throat and blinked the tears out of my eyes as I turned around.

“Okay. I’m getting out. You guys just chill here for a second. I need to check the car.”

When I opened the door, the wind blew a squall of rain right into my face. I closed my eyes and heaved my legs out, planting them in a great big puddle. I paused for a second, looking at the mud splatters up my legs and my submerged boots. With a sigh, I stood up and closed the car door.

I walked away a few paces to look. The car was nose first stuck in the ditch. The revving I had so enthusiastically done had only carved new rivers down the side of the ditch where the wheels had spun. I started walking around the car, seeing no way to get it out.

Right in front of where the nose was buried, there was a thick line of trees and scrub. Even if I could get the car to move forward, there was nowhere to go except into a tree. There was no way to reverse back up the edge of the mudslide. All my attempts at that had only buried us further into the mud.

I stood for a little while, just looking at the car in hopelessness. Wind lashed me and rain sprayed into my face. The road was just getting slicker by the second. Nothing I could think of would work.

I heard the kids singing along to something on the soundtrack and I was so relieved. At least they weren’t so scared now. Inside my chest, my heart started thumping because they were depending on me. I couldn’t let them down. It was fine to act like the sane, rational adult, but I had to follow through.

If we had to walk, how far could they walk? I’d probably have to carry Adara. I could carry her for a while, but she would be too heavy for me if we had to walk miles. Egan would certainly get tired. Walking an unknown distance, with no set location, in a storm? No way.

Again, I thought of bears, wolves and cougars. Would we be safe if we stayed in the car? I had seen some pretty scary YouTube videos about what bears could do to a car.

I couldn’t let any of this happen. I had to figure something out. I didn’t even care about what Aleksy might say, I just couldn’t let the kids down.

I moved over to the car and inspected the wheels. The rain was making mudslides all around the car. The nose was practically buried in the bottom of the embankment. The rear wheels were getting covered by mud that got thicker by the second.

I grabbed a thick branch and started digging at the back of the car, trying to free the wheels. Maybe if I got the wheels free, loosened up the mud, I could get some purchase to move. I didn’t think backing up from the ditch was possible, but if I could just get the car to move at all, we might have a chance.

I kept digging with my branch. It was pretty obvious by now that I was getting nowhere with this approach. The second I pulled some mud away, new rivers poured down the sides. I wanted to curse and swear, but I couldn’t let the kids see my fear. I took