On My Way - Eve Langlais Page 0,14

open everyone was these days.

What happened to the mystery of the act? To the privacy around it?

Then again, with today’s more liberal views, I now knew that Martin sucked as a lover. I’d gotten much better at figuring out what I liked.

Under the covers.

In the dark.

The road home proved eerie this late in the year. The sun had already set, making everything shadowy, turning the familiar into something else. My headlights illuminated the road, the trees flanking it, and the occasional glint of eyes from wild animals watching.

Nothing dangerous, not in these parts anymore. Maybe the occasional bear, but they didn’t usually attack people.

What I did need to watch out for was trees!

I had only a moment to react to the trunk that came crashing down. I slammed on the brake, and yet it wasn’t enough to stop me in time. The tree smashed down onto the hood of my car hard enough my air bags deployed and punched me in the face.

4

Dead. I had to be dead. My ears were ringing. I couldn’t see. Couldn’t breathe.

It lasted seconds—an eternity. Then I heaved in some air, a big gasping gulp, and managed to tilt my face sideways. Ouch. That didn’t feel good. I kind of didn’t want to test the rest of me. I couldn’t feel anything.

What if I was broken? Paralyzed or worse? Maybe my lower body had been severed and I hadn’t noticed yet!

Panic had me huffing for air. It appeared thin, as if I’d run out. Would I suffocate before I bled out? The irrational panic was real, which meant I had to push against it.

Calm down.

Calm the fuck down.

The addition of the swear word had me taking in deep breaths. I took better stock of my surroundings, from the throbbing in my head, which had already eased, to the ticking of metal as it cooled.

Next, I wiggled my toes good and hard. Not paralyzed. I shifted against the weight pushing on me. The deployed air bag had probably saved my life. I dug fingers into the balloon. Beyond the panicked sound of my breath, I could hear the horn going off. A never-ending cacophony that barely made it past the roaring white noise in my head.

What the heck had just happened? Trees did not randomly fall. Not without wind at least.

I shoved at the airbag and flailed against the door until I could open it. Cool night air funneled in, and I took a ragged breath. Spilling out of my car, I took a few stumbling steps before I whirled to look at the damage.

The tree had completely crushed the front of my car. I doubted a mechanic could resurrect my motor. It was a miracle I’d survived. If I’d headed down that road half a second earlier or not braked in time…

I’d have died.

Instead, I lived. By some miracle, I wasn’t even injured.

I should buy a lottery ticket.

Approaching my car—oddly enough the lights still worked and illuminated the gloom—I could smell gas. I’d just quickly grab my purse and jacket and then call for help. Get someone to come pick me up.

What if no one could come?

Worst-case scenario, I’d go on foot. How many miles to the house? Hopefully I wouldn’t have to find out. I needed my phone, which of course was still in the car. I’d been charging it via the cigarette lighter.

The airbag made it impossible to see, so I grabbed a sharp stick and jabbed to no avail. The material was tougher than it looked. I wiggled my arm and part of my upper body past the air bag, reaching between the seats for my phone and found my purse instead. I grasped the worn leather strap and yanked.

Of course, it got caught. As my fingers blindly worked to free it, the smell of gasoline intensified to the point I was blinking my eyes and feeling lightheaded. My purse yanked free, and I couldn’t help but utter a triumphant, “Aha!”

A second rummage past the air bag and I found my phone and held it aloft. My smile turning to a frown as I saw the power indicating it was down to its last five percent. I’d not thought to charge it all day, and the short car ride hadn’t done much to help it.

Oops.

Surely, I’d have enough juice for one call. But who? I scrolled through my contacts. Marjorie and Trish were on a date, as was Winnie. It seemed presumptuous to make Darryl come all the way out here. As