“I can’t let you drive that in this storm. You all will be dead by the morning.”
I have enough guilt that I’m dealing with. I don’t need this too.
She glanced at the gun again. Next, she tilted her head from side to side as if weighing the pros and cons of the situation. I watched her without saying another word.
I knew people would be taken aback, but she seemed terrified. Surely, she would be. A crash like this on a snowy night. What was she doing out here with her kids anyway? Where was her husband? She hadn’t mentioned anyone coming to help her out, just AAP. What about a family member or at least a boyfriend? What’s going on?
We both stood there in silence.
Even the dogs remained quiet.
Snow fell around us.
It gave me time to study her more.
I shouldn’t have, but I let my gaze roam over her body. While she had a big jacket on, it had been opened in the front, exposing the lush swell of breasts pushing up her sweater. Feeling guilty, I stopped any further exploring and turned back to her face.
I leaned a little further to assess her.
Are those bruises? No.
It was hard to tell with the snow coming down and messing with the property’s light. But what I knew for sure was that dread and hopelessness covered her face.
Damn.
I picked up the weapon.
She edged away and widened her eyes.
“Here.” I gave her the shotgun.
“What?”
“Take it. You’re scared. I’m cold. Maybe, if you feel safer, we can get the hell out of here.”
I took a few steps her way and then handed it to her.
Shocked, she took it from me.
“Hold it forward. Point it at me.” I gestured to the weapon’s back. “It’s on safety right now. Click it and you can shoot me. Although I would like it, if you didn’t.”
She shook as she held the gun and pointed it my way. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Get the kids out of there so I can move the vehicle.” I walked over to the opened door.
Nervousness laced her voice. “Guys, come on outside! Bring your bags.”
The door opened.
Three small figures stepped outside. Two girls and a boy. One of the girls were almost as tall as the woman, but not yet. The boy was the next in height. The other girl looked to be the youngest. She stood so close to her bigger sister that they seemed to be melded together.
“Mom?” The oldest girl widened her eyes. “Where did you get the gun?”
“He gave it to me. We’re going inside.”
“What?” The boy looked at the dogs and then me.
I extended my hand. “I’m Yoshiro.”
None of the kids shook my hand. In fact, they stepped back and checked their mother’s reaction.
“Nice to meet you, Yoshiro.” The woman walked around, barely holding the shotgun correctly. It was more pointed toward the ground. “My name is Ebony. This is my daughter, Kia. That’s Jalen and my youngest is Poppy.”
I nodded and dropped my hand. “Are the keys in the ignition?”
“Yes.”
“Back up, so I don’t hit all of you.”
“Okay.” She walked back and the kids followed without being told. In fact, they all moved as one unified group. When they stopped, the kids got behind her.
Thankfully, Salt and Pepa only wagged their tails. We didn’t get any guests besides Kevin. The dogs had to be eager as hell to play with the kids.
I pointed at my furry friends. “That’s Salt and Pepa. They won’t bite.”
“Salt and Pepa?” The boy’s face shifted from worry to a little bit of curiosity. “Like the seasonings?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Like the rap group. Ever heard of them?”
He raised his eyebrows. “The rap group?”
I rocked my head and snapped my fingers, hoping to calm the rising tension. “You know? Ah, push it. Oh. . .baby baby. . .Oh. . .baby baby.”
A giggle came from Ebony. I could tell she hadn’t intended on any humor. She’d been on guard, but my attempt at rapping could turn any frown upside down. She stopped immediately and returned to seriousness.
The oldest girl, Kiara tried not to smile, but it came on her face anyway. The boy laughed and shook his head. And the youngest was the toughest in the audience. She just got further behind her older sister and gazed at the dogs.
Pepa howled as if to shut me up.
“Okay. Okay. Tough crowd.” I climbed inside of the SUV, adjusted the seat to my long legs, and started the vehicle. Luckily, it came on. With some patience and maneuvering, I pulled the SUV out of the ditch and parked it on the side. There would be no need to drive it further to the house. None of the roads had been ploughed. It would just make the vehicle worse.
I shut the SUV off, turned off the lights, and jumped out. “Okay. I have a friend that can look at it when the roads clear. He’ll give you a good rate for whatever’s wrong.”