Page 98 of The Hero
While she attempted to keep her mind off her friends, the phone rang. It was one of the ski resorts nearby. A massive tree had fallen near one of the popular ski runs, and they wanted Jack’s Lumber to haul it away. April told the man that everyone was out of the office, but she’d come out and take a look.
Pushing the chair back from her desk, she stood. She’d just assess the job quickly, so she’d know how many of the guys to send out tomorrow. It wasn’t something she usually did, but she needed to get away from her thoughts. She was being a coward when it came to Jack, and she knew it. She wanted to admit her feelings to her boss, but was scared that if she did, and those feelings weren’t reciprocated, things would get weird and she’d have to leave a job she loved.
April grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out the door of Jack’s Lumber, climbing into her red Subaru Forester and taking off toward the mountains. She vaguely noticed a black pickup truck behind her, the only other vehicle on the long stretch of road, but her mind remained on her destination.
She was mentally putting together a proposal for the ski resort, just in case they wanted Jack’s Lumber to check the trees along all the slopes, removing any others that seemed in danger of falling, when something alongside the road in her peripheral vision caught her attention.
Instinctively, she slammed on the brakes.
A large moose stepped out onto the road, and April jerked the wheel to the right. As she began to slide, she immediately attempted to correct the sharp movement, but it was too late.
She spun, the scraping sound of rocks against the metal undercarriage of her car loud as she ran off the side of the road.
April was jostled in her seat, her head smashed into the window to her left as she let out a small scream—then she was airborne.
The moose had picked the worst possible place to wander in front of her car, because there was a shallow ditch ... then a twenty-foot drop off the side of the rural road to the forest floor below.
The car hit the ground at the bottom of the hill with enough force to take April’s breath away. That might’ve also been the seat belt tightening around her chest and lap, or the airbag going off with a loudpoofand scaring the shit out of her.
Spots swam in front of her eyes. Her head throbbed, and she could feel blood dripping down the side of her face. Everything had happened so quickly!
Seconds went by as April realized she’d never been in this much pain before. Her head pounded so badly, she couldn’t keep herself from puking. Luckily, the airbag had slightly deflated, so the vomit didn’t spray back in her face, but it was almost just as bad when it landed on the roof of her car.
Wait ... the roof?
Turning her head, she blinked in confusion at how the world seemed to be topsy turvy.
Then she realized it wasn’t the world that was upside down—it washer. The car was lying on its roof, and she could see the road she’d driven off, far above her.
The moose was long gone, but the black pickup truck that had been behind her was up on the road. She couldn’t make out who was behind the wheel, but just as she had the relieved thought that whoever it was would surely help her ... the truck began to move.
To her utter shock and confusion, it drove away, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
The longer April lay in her wrecked car, the more her head throbbed. She tried to convince herself that whoever was in the truck probably hadn’t had cell service, they’d just gone down the road to get help. But for some reason, she knew that wasn’t the case.
Whoever it was, they had left her there. Hurt, bleeding, and trapped.
She wanted to cry. Wanted to scream. But her body was shutting down. The pain was too intense. Her head felt as if it was going to explode.
The last thing she thought about before she went unconscious was how quiet the area seemed. The silence was absolute, and it was the scariest thing she’d ever heard in her life.
JJ was frustrated and grouchy. He’d been looking forward to helping Bob and Marlowe move into their new home because it meant he’d get to see April outside the office—except she never showed up. In fact, she seemed to have an excuse every time she was invited to hang out with him and his friends lately.
The woman drove him crazy. He wanted her,badly, but he had no idea how to change the status quo between them.
She was always so professional. And he hated it. Didn’t like the distance she kept between them.
April Hoffman was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. Tall, smart, down to earth, and hardworking, and more than anything else, she was a wonderful friend. She washisfriend. But he wanted more. Was desperate for more. But he didn’t know how to make that happen.
He should’ve made his interest known years ago, but the more time that went by, the harder it was to figure out how to make a first move. And he was afraid he’d lost his chance. Aside from hanging outless and less with Carlise, June, and Marlowe, she seemed to be making an effort to put space between herself and JJ, in particular. Even trying to avoid being in the office at the same time as him. It sucked, and JJ wasn’t sure how to fix it.
After all the furniture and boxes had been moved off the truck and into Bob and Marlowe’s house, JJ finally excused himself when his other friends headed for their vehicles. He was walking toward his Bronco when his phone rang. When he saw the unknown number on the screen, he frowned and brought the cell up to his ear.
“JJ here.”
“Is this Jackson Justice?” an unfamiliar voice asked.
“Yes. Who is this?”
