on its wheels. Worried about injuries to the occupants, Owen slipped and slid down the embankment to the vehicle.
He aimed the flashlight beam into the driver’s side window. A woman lay slumped on her right side, hair covering her face. Owen knocked on the glass. “Ma’am, can you hear me?”
No movement.
He tried to open the door, but the damage was too severe for him to pry it open. Owen shined the beam into the interior of the SUV and noticed the passenger door was open slightly.
Owen slipped and slid to the other side of the vehicle and tugged. The passenger door opened wider with a screech of metal. He leaned inside and checked the driver for a pulse. Breathing a sigh of relief when he found one, Owen said, “Ma’am, can you hear me?”
Nothing.
He brushed the woman’s hair away from her face and froze. “Gigi!” Heart slamming against his ribcage, Owen grabbed his phone and called county dispatch, identifying himself and giving his location. “Tell emergency responders to step on it. The vic, Virginia Warren, is non-responsive.”
When the night dispatcher acknowledged his orders, he called Levi, his brother.
“Miss me already, bro?” Levi teased. “It’s only been two hours.”
“Shut up and listen. I’m on Highway 96 at mile marker 28. Gigi’s been in an accident. She’s non-responsive.” His heart squeezed as he reported to his brother. “Grab Elliot or Caleb and come get my SUV. I don’t want it sitting on the side of the road. I’m going to the hospital with Gigi.”
“How bad are her injuries?”
“I don’t know.” His voice cracked. Taking a deep breath, he shoved the fear hammering at him behind steel walls to deal with later and continued his report. “She has a head injury. I’m afraid to move her to check for others.”
“We’ll be on scene as soon as we can. Anything we should know?”
“The driver’s door has black paint transfer.”
A deep growl from his brother. “Any sign of the other vehicle?”
“Negative.”
“Hit-and-run?”
“At least.”
“What are you seeing?”
“The investigation will fall to us. I don’t want to influence you and the others. Examine the scene, then we’ll talk.”
“Copy that. Anything else?”
“Yeah. Tell David to stay home with his wife. We’ll fill him in tomorrow when we know more.” His brother, a newlywed, had been away from his wife for two months. He needed time with Emma. This could wait.
“I’ll try, bro, but I’m not holding my breath. Later.” Levi ended the call.
Owen stroked Gigi’s forehead as he waited for the first responders to arrive. “Come on, G. Wake up for me. I need to see your beautiful eyes.”
The minutes ticked by until he finally spotted the lights of the ambulance, fire engine, and responding deputy. Soon, the deputy, Clark Anderson, slid down the embankment to the passenger side of Gigi’s SUV. “What have we got?”
“Vic’s name is Virginia Warren. This isn’t a simple traffic accident. My brothers will be on scene soon. I’m going with Gigi to the hospital. Keep the traffic moving, Anderson.”
“Yes, sir.” He scrambled back up the embankment as fire fighters in turnout gear and the EMTs came down the slope.
The fire fighters used the jaws of life to force the driver’s door open so the medics could check Gigi and figure out how to extract her from the vehicle without injuring her further.
Although Owen hated to leave Gigi’s side in case she woke, the medics needed access to her. He clasped her hand for a moment. “I have to get out of the vehicle so the medics can assess you, G. I’ll be right outside.” His chest hurt when she didn’t respond. She had to be all right. A world without Gigi’s brightness and sassy attitude was unthinkable.
When Duke, one of the medics, came to the passenger side and saw Gigi slumped over the console, concern filled his gaze. “Oh, man. Has she been conscious at all?”
“Not since I arrived.” After another squeeze of her hand, Owen climbed from the SUV, giving his place to Duke. As he waited for the medics to do their thing, he fielded a call from his brother David, the sheriff of Morgan County and his boss. “I don’t know anything yet. The EMTs just arrived on scene,” he said in greeting. The sound of an engine racing came through the phone’s speaker. He frowned. “David, you should be with Emma. I’ll keep you updated.”
“Sit rep,” his brother snapped.
Recognizing the tone as that of his boss, not an aggravating older brother, Owen straightened and told David the information he