Family Sins(65)

“No.”

“Why not?”

“They committed murder and are still living their privileged lives. With the incident being their word against ours? Why bother?”

Riordan frowned.

“I understand how you feel, and I hear your theory. But we still don’t know why Miss Champion’s car went over the cliff.”

“You don’t know yet, but you will find out. But by the time you do, something else will have happened. If anyone else in my family is harmed, or even threatened in any way, and the law still has done nothing, I will go to war with them. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The hair rose on the back of Riordan’s neck. Leigh Youngblood had just given him fair warning.

“Okay, I hear you,” Riordan said. “I’ll have both vehicles towed into the county impound and get my crime scene team to check them out ASAP. And I’ll have Chief Clayton start investigating your accusation today.”

“Thank you,” Leigh said, and then heard a commotion and saw a lot of people beginning to gather at the edge of the road. “What’s happening?”

Riordan glanced over his shoulder.

“I’d say they were bringing up the injured woman. Excuse me. I need to be there,” he said, and hurried away.

Leigh followed, praying Talia’s injuries weren’t life-threatening. It would kill Bowie if anything happened to her now.

*

While all the confusion was happening up on the road, Bowie and Jesse were waiting for help to get down to them.

Initially, when the car had rolled away, leaving Talia in Bowie’s arms, he was more or less perpendicular to the slope. Desperate not to move Talia any more than he’d already been forced to, he dug in his heels to keep from sliding and dropped the rest of the way to the ground. His arms were beneath Talia’s breasts, and he had her head immobilized between his chin and his chest to brace her. He hadn’t moved since, except once to grab Jesse, and now they were stranded, waiting for someone to get Talia before they dared to move.

The sun was directly overhead and brutal. There was a bit of a breeze that high up, but not nearly enough. He needed to shade her face, but didn’t have anything.

“Hey, Jesse, do you have a handkerchief or a bandana in your pocket?”

“Got a yellow bandana.”

“Can you get to it without sliding away from me?”

Jesse moved enough to pull it out of his back pocket.

“Here it is!”

“Would you please unfold it all the way and then lay it over Talia’s face so she won’t get sunburned?”

“Yes, yes, I can do that,” Jesse said.

Still holding on to Bowie, he opened the bandana, then gently covered her face with it.

“That’s great,” Bowie said. “Thank you, brother. You’re really doing a good job.”

Jesse smiled. It was a smile of innocence that touched Bowie’s heart.

Bowie was relieved the sun was off her face, but he was concerned about her breathing, which didn’t sound good. There was a slight rattle to her breath every time she exhaled. He feared everything from internal bleeding to a deflated lung, and he was hanging on to each breath she took as his lifeline. He’d turned himself into a backboard to keep her as immobile as possible and just needed this hell to be over with. Sweat was burning his eyes, but he didn’t dare move.

Then he began to feel a change in her breathing and tried not to panic.

“Jesse, I think my girl is waking up, and we don’t want her to move until doctors can check her out, right?”

“Yes, sir. What do you want me to do?”

“I need you to scoot down beside me and just hug her legs a little so she can’t move around. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I’m gonna hug your legs and hers, but not too tight.”

Bowie sighed in relief.

“Yes. Exactly. Go ahead now and scoot, but don’t ever turn loose of me, okay? I don’t want you to accidentally fall farther. Mama would be really angry with me if I brought you home hurt.”

“Won’t turn loose. Gonna hug your legs now,” Jesse said, and did just that.

Bowie breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the weight of Jesse’s arms across their legs, and it was none too soon. Within seconds Talia stiffened and let out a moan that tore through him. She began mumbling, but he didn’t understand until he listened closer.

“No brakes...no brakes...no brakes.”

Bowie groaned. His mother had been right.

“Talia, can you hear me, baby? You’re alive. I’m holding you in my arms.”

She moaned.

“Don’t move. You’re hurt, but help is on the way.”

She moaned again, then he heard her whisper, “Hurt...”

“I’m so sorry. Stay strong. Don’t die, baby, please don’t die. I love you so much.”

“Brakes,” she said again.

“I heard you. I’ll tell them. No brakes.”

She sighed.

He felt her body go limp again, and it scared him until he realized she had just passed out. He could also feel Jesse patting them. If love could heal, she would already be well.

“Thank you, Jesse. Thank you. You’re my hero, do you know that?”

“No more war. No more medals,” Jesse muttered.