The voice boomed again, and I clutched my forehead.Rodrigo and his team just located Everest’s car in a ditch off Beek Ridge. I’m on my waythere.
August’s rounded green eyes came in and out offocus.
“Oh my God,” Imurmured.
August’s face swam back into focus. He unwound one arm from around me. Suddenly, his phone was pressed against his ear, and he was speaking intoit.
“Fuck,” he rumbled. “Fuck.”
Two pennies for Isobel’s jar,Ithought.
Such a sillythought.
I stared at the small buzzing spotlight above my head. Or maybe my head wasbuzzing.
Everest’s car was in aditch.
Was Everest in thecar?
I must’ve asked this out loud, because August said, “Hewas.”
Tears curved around my cheeks, disappeared into my still-wethair.
“Is he—” I couldn’t push the last wordout.
“He didn’t make it.” August brushed his thumbs over my cheeks, but the tears fell faster than he couldwipe.
“T-Take me to . . . tohim.”
“I don’t think that’s a goodidea.”
“Please,” I wheezed. “Please,August.”
“Ness—”
I touched his cheek, beseeching him with my weteyes.
He sighed and finallyrelented.
21
As we droveto the scene of the accident, neither of us spoke. August had turned the heater up, but that didn’t stop me fromtrembling.
“Dimples, come closer.” He patted the seat betweenus.
I was too numb to move, so he clicked off my seatbelt, dragged me toward him, then draped his arm around my shoulders, rubbing my pebbled skin, trying to deliver warmth into it. Tears still streamed down my cheeks and around my trembling lips, seeping into his flannel sleeve. I closed my eyes and let the scent of laundry detergent and sandalwood lullme.
Every part of my body felt anesthetized. Except myarm.
I felt my arm . . . felt the gentle strokes of August’sfingers.
“We’re here,” he whispered after what felt like an hour. He eased the pickup to a stop dangerously close to the lip of the mountainside and clicked on his hazard lights, streaking the row of other vehicles with orangeflashes.
A fire truck topped with a huge beam and two other SUVs were parked behind us. I pressed away from August, scraped the heels of my hands over my cheeks, then took a fortifying breath and got out slowly. When the balls of my feet met the ground, I teetered. I flung out my palm, catching myself on the car door. My head spun like a top. I breathed in and out slowly, each breath raking up my chest likeclaws.
A hand curved around my waist and another around my elbow. “Are you sure you want to go downthere?”
“Yes.” I inhaled again. “My bag. You have mybag?”
