Page 166 of Wrench
¡°I know, Evie¡¡±
¡°I¡¯ve known Wrench too long, he¡¯s too sweet to go out like this.¡± Her voice cracked.
¡°Alone in the desert. On our property! What are you doing to me?¡±
¡°Calm down, Evie. Please.¡± He stood from his chair, trying to grab her shoulders but
she ripped herself away.
¡°Bring him back!¡±
Her eyes were pulled away from the fight by Archer¡¯s now recognizable voice. ¡°Vet!¡±
My throat felt like it could explode. ¡°Isaac,¡± I cried and rushed to where he lay on the
same table in front of Archer, their positions swapped from a mere few hours ago.
Although I already knew he was badly hurt, seeing the man who instilled such a new
spark in my life sitting on the crossroad to death shocked me. Stroking his hair, my tears
fell onto his face, and I wished they¡¯d wake him up. But his ghostly, clammy skin showed
that wouldn¡¯t happen.
¡°Is this her?¡± I forgot all about the woman¡¯s presence until she asked. Everyone had
gone so silent, it felt as though I was alone with Isaac. But before I could look, she was
already at my side. Quickly, I wiped my face and stood to be level. If it weren¡¯t for the
worried, motherly look in her eyes, I¡¯d be intimidated by how much taller she was than
me. ¡°You¡¯re Samantha? The vet?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± I braced for another interrogation from a club member, but she threw her arms
around me. Squeezing me tightly into a warm embrace, she whispered, ¡°Thank you,¡± into
my shoulder. I wasn¡¯t much of a hugger, but I found my arms wrapped around hers, my
body needing comfort.
When she pulled away, she kept one arm on my shoulder, and she dabbed her
eyelashes with her other fingertips. ¡°I¡¯m Evelyn. Tank¡¯s old lady. Thank you, thank you
for saving Archer. And thank you for helping. Please, do whatever you can. He¡¯s our
Wrench.¡±
I looked directly into her hazel eyes, unwavering, and nodded with firmness. ¡°But¡¡±
The doubt I was trying to disguise as bravery trickled out. ¡°I¡¯m just a vet¡¡±
¡°You fixed me up,¡± Archer said, reclined in his seat with his injured leg resting on a
makeshift bench of short wooden chairs. ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to walk again, but hey.¡±
