Her heart picked up speed. “Let me grab my bag.”
LETTY
The message came at 6:42 p.m. They’d gotten up from a nap after he’d made love to her. She was sitting next to Wyatt, watching a movie, when her phone buzzed in her hand.
Unknown number?She almost ignored it until her eyes caught the preview.
Unknown Number: You’re looking in the wrong direction. Try Blackwater. Before he burns it too.
Her stomach dropped.Blackwater.She looked up with purpose.
Wyatt leaned in. “What?”
She turned the screen towards him.
His jaw hardened. “Blackwater Road has an abandoned shipping warehouse near the old inlet. It’s the same one Driscoll’s phone had pinged near earlier.” His eyebrow lifted. “Who sent it?”
“Unknown.”
He was already pulling out his phone, but before he could dial, Channel 16 chirped.
Rhea’s voice cut through, tight. “Salt & Steel units, possible rollover on Old Ferry Road. One vehicle, unknown number of injured. No EMS on the scene yet. Sheriff dispatch shows delay.”
Wyatt was already moving, and Letty didn’t hesitate.
“Coordinates?” he asked.
Rhea rattled them off. “Road’s narrow,” she added. “Low visibility. Use caution.”
Wyatt grabbed his med kit and tossed Letty hers without looking. He stopped and grabbed her hand. “We need to be very careful. You’ll be out in the open.”
“What choice do we have? It’s what we do.”
“Let’s go.” He released her hand.
They got into the SUV as Wyatt turned up the comms. Letty settled back, getting into the proper mindset to help at an automobile accident. The road was dark beneath the pine canopy overhead, the branches swallowing most of the fading daylight. Wyatt took the turn a little fast and threw gravel from the shoulder into the air.
He slowed as headlights caught the vehicle. An SUV rested on its side with one headlight busted and a cracked windshield.
Steam whistled from the engine as Wyatt got Letty’s attention. “Stay behind me.”
“I always do.”
He stepped out first as Letty reached into the back seat to grab the first aid bag.
Wyatt stopped as Letty turned her head and blurted out. “There’s no crying?”
“Shit. This isn’t good.”
Letty’s pulse ticked up as she pivoted her head. “Do you hear anything?”
Wyatt scanned the tree line. “No.” He stepped toward the SUV, crouched, and checked for fluid leaks.
“Hello?” Letty called out. “Salt & Steel…” She turned to Wyatt. “Maybe someone already took them to the hospital?”
A shadow moved behind the back of the car as Wyatt turned. Something cracked against the side of his head as Letty screamed his name. Two men came out around the SUV.Driscoll.Letty ran toward Wyatt as a hand grabbed her wrist. She drove her elbow back instinctively and connected.
He cursed as Driscoll staggered but didn’t go down. He swung once, fist connecting with a jaw hard enough to drop a man. “Run!” Wyatt barked.
