Christian stood on the end of the sofa and reached up to open the door overhead.
“What happened?” Viktor wedged himself between the seats to join us.
Shepherd flicked his cigarette butt out the door once Christian climbed out. “Detour.”
Blue’s disheveled hair obscured most of her face. “Everyone okay? Kids?”
Eve swept her hair back, her eyes glittering with tears. “My elbow hurts.”
“You could have internal bleeding,” Adam pointed out. “We should go to a hospital.”
Eve blanched.
“This is not an option,” Viktor said. “Everyone out. Shepherd will examine you. Blue, find his bag.”
Adam reached for the door. “Oh, you mean the guy who almost killed us? Yeah. Sounds like a plan.”
I gave Eve a boost before following. Once outside, I walked to the back of the trailer where Christian and Shepherd were standing. I spotted a dead deer beneath an overpass, but that wasn’t what they were looking at.
“You got a spare?” Christian asked.
“In the back.” Shepherd leaned over. “Son of a bitch.”
I leaned over and saw that the tire had blown out. “Forget the tire. The trailer flipped over. We’re not going anywhere.”
Christian swiveled around and arched his brow. “Is that so?”
He stepped off the edge and dropped to the ground.
Adam had already jumped onto the road and was standing with his arms out, waiting for his sister.
Eve sat on the edge and jumped when the undercarriage popped. “Don’t drop me!”
“Don’t be a drama queen. It’s like eight feet from the ground.”
“But I can’t see anything.”
“Come on already. The gas line might be leaking, and the whole thing could blow.”
Shepherd grinned. “That kid watches too many movies.”
“Viktor wants you to check them over and make sure they’re okay.”
“If they’re walking and talking, they’re fine. I’ll look at them after we get the tire on.”
I knelt down and hopped onto the road. On the opposite side, across a grassy ditch, an eighteen-wheeler went flying by. Trees surrounded the road, and four of the streetlights were out, putting us in a dangerous spot.
On top of the trailer, Claude stood with Carol in his arms. He looked fierce, unlike the gentle giant I was used to seeing. His nostrils flared as he took in the scents around us, but any scents were likely masked by the smell of burning rubber and metal. He jumped to the ground, his knees bending with the landing as if they were shock absorbers. Carol hopped out of his arms and staggered backward.
Blue appeared next. “We need to hurry up before someone calls the state police.”
Viktor sat on the edge and judged the distance before jumping off.
The RV rocked.
“Not until we’re off!” Blue yelled.
“Jaysus wept. Hurry your arse up. I don’t have all day.”
