Josh pulled a face. “It sounds as if I’ll be busy.”
“What make of car does Ashley have?” Nikolai asked.
“A white Mitsubishi,” Ashley replied before Josh could ask her.
Nikolai peered through the windshield. “I see it.”
“We’re here, but stay in the car until I come to the door.”
“Matt didn’t give me much of a description.”
“Dark brown hair, blue eyes, six-three in height. I’m wearing jeans and a black leather jacket.” Josh grinned. “Your brother didn’t tell me much about you either.”
Nikolai slowed and did a U-turn once traffic allowed the maneuver.
“We’re parking behind you,” Josh said. “I’m hanging up now.”
“Summer, stay here in the warm. Josh and I will check out her car,” Nikolai instructed.
“She might feel more at ease if I’m there,” Summer suggested. “You’re big men and tall. A bit overpowering for a woman who has suffered a fright.”
Nikolai paused. “Excellent point, sweetheart. But monitor what’s happening around us. Given the circumstances, we don’t want any surprises.”
As he climbed from Nikolai’s vehicle, Josh probed the shadows, searching for anything out of place. His senses didn’t indicate danger, so he strode around the car to stand in the light. Nikolai and Summer joined him, and the woman inside slumped before unlocking her car. She and climbed out, offering Josh his first glance of her.
Ashley Townsend was tall for a woman and slim. She had long, straight honey-blonde hair, and she wore it pulled back in a ponytail.
“You’re prettier than your brother,” he said.
She gave a tiny smile that exposed two dimples, one either side of her full lips. She wore makeup but still looked natural.
Summer snorted. “That’s a cool thing to say to your fiancée.”
Josh ignored his sister’s input. “Ashley, I’m Josh. This is Summer, my sister, and Nikolai, my brother-in-law.”
“Thank you so much for coming to get me. I wasn’t sure what to do. I mean, I can change a tire and do basic car maintenance, but I’ve experienced nothing like this before.”
“Pop the hood for us,” Josh instructed, keeping his tone smooth, instinctively wanting to reduce the stress in her voice and muscles. “What happened?”
“The first thing I noticed was when I tried to speed up my car didn’t respond. My car bunny-hopped, and I haven’t done that since Matt taught me to drive when I was fifteen and shouted at me.”
Summer snorted. “Dillon, my oldest brother, gave me my first driving lesson. He made me cry. I hear your brother is military too. Soldier types tend to own the bossy gene. We can compare notes some time. How many brothers do you have?”
“Only one. I have an older sister too.”
Josh moved around the car to peer under the hood with Nikolai.
“Nothing obvious,” Nikolai said.
“Could someone have added something to the fuel?” Josh prowled around the vehicle and spotted the damage straight away. He walked back to Nikolai. “Someone has tampered with the fuel. There are scratch marks on the flap where someone applied force. Might be best to leave the car parked here and get it towed tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Nikolai shut the hood.
“The fuel cap was forced open,” Josh said when he reached the women.
Summer’s eyes widened. “I read a book club mystery where the baddie added water to the fuel. The fuel is lighter, and it floats to the top while the water drops to the bottom and creates problems with the fuel pump.”
“That’s our best guess.” The snippets his librarian sister collected no longer surprised Josh. She’d always had a thirst for knowledge. “Nikolai and Summer will give us a ride home. We’ll get the car towed tomorrow.”
