If Trey weren’t so freaked he’d have picked on Dominic for mispronouncing the town to rhyme with “news” instead of “Lewis.” Tourists did it all the time. “Okay, so Beebe. What hap—were you guys in a car accident?”
The silence made him wonder if Dominic had nodded his answer.
“Words, babe.”
“Yes. Someone swiped us. We went off the road.”
Trey didn’t realize he was on his feet and slapping on tennis shoes until he had to figure out balancing the phone and tying laces. “Who’s we?”
“All of us. And Joshua. Had a gig in Fenwick. No money for a hotel so we were going home after.”
“Okay. Are you hurt?”
“Not really. Linc was driving. His side went into a telephone pole, Trey. Fuck.” Dominic’s voice broke completely, and Trey cursed the physical distance between them.
“I’m on my way, Dom, okay? I’ll be there in, like, forty-five minutes. Won’t be any traffic at this hour. Do you need me to stay on the phone?”
“I’m not sure—hey. Benji’s coming out.”
“Okay, good. You guys sit tight. I’m on my way.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“No need. I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
Trey paused, the words “I love you” dangling in the air. “See you soon.”
He didn’t even wake Bobby to ask. He snagged the car keys off the kitchen table and left. Adrenaline hit him the moment he eased the car onto the road, and it stayed with him for the entire drive north. He sped whenever he dared, leaving behind the resort area for an empty landscape of sand dunes and asphalt, until he eased back into another resort.
Everything passed in a blur, his attention laser-focused on getting to Dominic. Nothing was more important in that moment, until he finally zipped into a parking space near the emergency room entrance. He didn’t have to look hard to find Dominic in the mostly empty waiting room. He had a bruise on his forehead, and he looked up with such devastation in his eyes that Trey braced for the worst kind of news. Next to Dominic, Benji had a wide bandage on his forearm and a bunch of small cuts on his face.
Dominic stood, and Trey wrapped him up as best he could. He held tight while Dominic shook apart in his arms. His eyes sparked with tears over Dominic’s pain, and he regretted every moment they’d lost to anger these past few weeks. Unnecessary anger over petty things.
“How are the others?” Trey asked.
Benji shook his head. “No idea. I think Tyson broke something. He was screaming about his arm. Joshua . . .” He rubbed at his eyes. “He was on the driver’s side too. Backseat. They were both hit pretty hard.”
Trey didn’t know what to say to make Benji feel better about Joshua. Someone he loved was in probably critical condition, and Trey couldn’t imagine that kind of fear. He couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if Dominic had been hurt worse in the accident. “What about the other car?”
Anger lit in Benji’s eyes. “Hit-and-run.”
“Fuck. They drove off?”
“Yeah.”
Trey untangled himself from Dominic, then cupped his boyfriend’s cheeks in his palms. Made Dominic focus on him, even though the desolation in his face made Trey want to weep. “Do you want me to call your parents?”
“I called them after you.”
Trey’s heart soared. He’d been Dominic’s first phone call. “Are they on their way?”
“Yeah. Roxy is staying with Starr.”
“Okay good.” Dominic’s parents would be a welcome presence in a very fucked-up situation. “What about Tyson’s aunt or cousin?”
“Don’t have the numbers,” Benji said. “And I don’t know where Ty’s phone is.”
