Page 12 of Doc
She had a point.If someone had deliberately caused the crash and then mishandled the investigation, they might have overlooked a dash cam -- or chosen to ignore it.
“Even if the camera is still there, it’s been exposed to the elements for weeks…” I trailed off, not wanting to crush her hope but needing her to be realistic.
“I have to try.Wouldn’t you, if it were your parents?”
I would.Hell, I’d have torn apart the entire county looking for answers.I ran a hand through my hair, weighing the risks.
“If we do this, we do it my way.We go in quiet, we stay alert, and at the first sign of trouble, we leave.Immediately.No arguments.”
Nova nodded quickly.“Agreed.”
“And we tell no one where we’re going.Not even the club.Not until we know what we’re dealing with.”The President wouldn’t like me going rogue, but until I knew who to trust, I refused to take chances with Nova’s safety.It wasn’t likely any of my brothers would be involved in something like this, but I’d heard the horror stories about past betrayals.
“When do we leave?”
“Now.”I checked my watch.“It’s after midnight.Roads should be clear, and we’ll have darkness for cover.”I pulled out my phone and disabled the location tracking -- a precaution that went against club protocol but felt necessary given what we were potentially up against.
Nova moved with quick efficiency, sliding select documents into a messenger bag.I watched her gather what she needed, struck by the contrast between her petite frame and the steel in her spine.In that moment, she reminded me of soldiers I’d treated in the field -- the ones who kept going despite impossible odds, driven by something deeper than fear.
“You should change.”I gestured to her sleep clothes.“Wear something dark.Practical.And bring a jacket -- it’ll be cold out there.”
While she disappeared into the bathroom to change, I took the opportunity to check my weapon, ensuring it was loaded and secured under my cut where I could access it quickly.I hadn’t expected to need it tonight, but after seeing those crash photos, I wasn’t taking any chances.
Nova emerged wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie, her hair pulled back in a practical ponytail.The oversized clothes made her look even smaller.
“Ready?”I asked, already knowing the answer.
She nodded, clutching her messenger bag against her side.“Let’s find out what happened to my parents.”
As I led her to my truck, I scanned our surroundings with heightened awareness.If Nova was right -- if someone had deliberately targeted her parents -- then we were about to poke a very dangerous hornet’s nest.And I had the uneasy feeling that someone might be waiting for exactly this moment.
Chapter Four
Doc
The truck’s headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the empty highway stretching before us.I kept my speed steady, hands at ten and two on the wheel, gaze constantly checking the rearview mirror for headlights that might linger too long behind us.Nova sat silent in the passenger seat.The soft glow from the dashboard cast shadows across her face.She stayed quiet after we left the apartment, every mile dragging us closer to the spot where her parents had died -- where someone had stolen their lives on purpose.
“Turn left at the next crossroad.”Her voice came out barely above a whisper.“Then about two miles down, there’s a bend in the road.”
I nodded, flicking my gaze to the side mirror again.The road behind us remained empty, but the prickling sensation between my shoulder blades -- the one that had kept me alive in combat zones -- hadn’t subsided.
“You’ve been here before?”I asked, making the turn onto a narrower, less maintained road.
“Once, for the roadside memorial.”Her fingers tightened around the notebook.“I couldn’t… I couldn’t come back after that.”
I understood without her having to explain.Some places hold too much pain to revisit.As a combat medic, I’d avoided certain streets overseas where I’d lost men, where I’d kneeled in sand turned to mud with their blood.A few weeks wasn’t nearly enough time to dull that kind of memory.
The road curved ahead, revealing a stretch of highway bordered by a steep drop-off on one side.A simple guardrail -- replaced since the accident, judging by the newer metal gleaming in my headlights -- was all that separated the asphalt from the ravine below.I slowed the truck, pulling onto the narrow shoulder about fifty yards past the curve.
“Is this it?”I asked, though I already knew the answer from the way Nova’s breathing had quickened.
She nodded, her knuckles white where they gripped her mother’s notebook.“Yes.”
I killed the engine but left the keys in the ignition.Force of habit from years of needing to leave in a hurry.The silence that followed seemed to press against my eardrums, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the night breeze and the soft ticking of the cooling engine.
“Wait,” I said as Nova reached for her door handle.“Let me check the area first.”
I stepped out of the truck, scanning our surroundings with practiced eyes.The road stretched empty in both directions, with the nearest streetlight at least a quarter mile away.The ravine dropped steeply to our right, while dense woods crowded the opposite side of the highway.A small roadside memorial -- flowers long since dried, a simple wooden cross -- marked the spot where Mary-Jane and Daniel Treemont’s car had gone through the guardrail.
