breathe.
“Oh God, baby. You scared me. Holy hell, never do that to me again. Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
As he rambled, he pulled her back and ran his hands over her body.
“I’m okay,” she croaked. “Sean saved me.”
“Thank God, thank God,” he said over and over as he rocked her in his arms.
“Your truck,” she blurted. “It’s gone. I’m sorry.”
He framed her face in both hands and stared fiercely at her. “I don’t give a fuck. You’re all that matters to me.”
Garrett, Sam and Donovan all came running up and staggered to a halt where she, Ethan and Sean were still sprawled on the ground. Sam ventured toward the edge where so many others were standing and peered over.
“Jesus,” he muttered as he came away again.
Rachel turned to Sean, who was still pale and breathing erratically.
“Thank you. You risked your life to save me when the truck was going over.”
“Was glad to do it, but Rachel? Can we never do that again?”
She mustered a smile and reached over to squeeze his hand. “I promise.”
Sam and Donovan reached down to haul Sean to his feet. Garrett bent down and gently helped Rachel up while Ethan also got up.
“You okay, sweet pea?” Garrett asked.
She nodded. “Thanks to Sean.”
She glanced down at the hands that wouldn’t quit shaking. She sagged tiredly against Ethan and clutched at his waist.
“Can we go home?”
Ethan looked toward Sean, whose lips twisted in regret.
“Are you up to answering some questions for me, Rachel? I need to know what happened here.”
Cold fear snaked up her spine as her mind flashed to that moment before impact. It was odd just how clear it all was in her mind. That brief glimpse in the rearview mirror. The feeling of impact. And the second. She frowned.
“Someone tried to run me off the bridge,” she blurted.
Ethan stiffened beside her. Garrett’s face drew into a storm cloud while Sam and Donovan raised their brows in confusion.
Sean frowned, then gestured toward a waiting ambulance. “Why don’t you have a seat in the back and let the paramedic look you over. We can talk while he’s taking a look at you.”
She looked down. She wasn’t hurt. Then she looked around at all the faces staring back at her. Deep concern was etched into their expressions. Sure, she was shaking like a leaf, but did she look that bad?
Ethan guided her over to where a paramedic waited. The first thing he did was wrap a blanket around her shoulders, and then Ethan lifted her to sit in the back of the ambulance.
Dutifully, she listened to the medic’s instructions, and she frowned when she shook even harder. “Shock,” she heard someone murmur. Well duh. She’d nearly fallen off a bridge.
“Now, tell me what happened,” Sean said in an even voice.
She shrugged. “I don’t really know. One minute I was glancing over where the last accident had taken place and then he hit me from behind.”
“He?”
Her brows scrunched together. “Well I suppose it could have been a she. I didn’t see. It was just a supposition.”
“I see. What happened then?”
“He hit me on the left so that I spun toward the part of the bridge that was missing. Then he hit me dead-on. It pushed me closer. I practically stood up on the brakes, but he hit me a third time, and that was what pushed me over the edge.”
Sean exchanged glances with Ethan and his brothers. She couldn’t tell if he was concerned over the idea that someone would try to push her off a bridge or if he was worried she was losing her mind.
“I’m not crazy,” she said softly.
Ethan curled his hand around hers. “Shhh, baby. Of course you’re not.”
“Any witnesses, Sean?” Garrett asked.
“They’re being questioned now. No sign of the other vehicle. We’re looking. No plates, not even a partial. Likely the guy panicked and fled the scene. We’ll find him. He couldn’t have gotten far. There has to be substantial damage to his front end.”
“Can I take her home now?” Ethan asked over her head.
“Yeah sure. I’ll follow up with more later, but yeah, get her home. She looks done for.”
“Come on, I’ll give you a ride,” Garrett said. “Sam, you need to get Donovan back home so he can head out.”
Ethan helped Rachel down as the paramedic smiled encouragingly at her. Though Ethan took a wide berth around the gaping hole in the side of the bridge, she knew what was down there, and she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that