Clutching her stomach, she finished hacking up the last of its content.
Jesus, how was she still vomiting? She hadn’t eaten that much.
Breathing the cold air, she drew in lungsful as she eased onto her side, planting her ass onto the snowy ground.
It couldn’t have stopped before she had made an ass of herself?
Glancing toward the pulled-over vehicles, Jewell saw the men talking amongst themselves.
Raking a hand through her hair, she lifted her eyes toward the dark skies. She needed to get up and return to the car, but she couldn’t make herself move. All she wanted to do was lie on the ground and go to sleep.
You need to get up, Jewell, she told herself yet made no move to do so, her mind unable to make her body respond.
Closing her eyes, she heard steps coming near her.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” she muttered through cold lips.
A feeling of lightheadedness struck her as she was lifted from the ground to be enfolded in heavenly warmth.
Had she died and gone to Heaven?
Lifting her lashes, she was confronted with Rory’s grim visage, realizing he was carrying her back to the SUV.
Wanting to protest, she found herself lowering her head to his shoulder.
“I’m so tired of being cold,” she mumbled out achingly.
He tightened his arms around her. “You’ll never be cold again. I promise.”
Somehow, she believed him in the depths of her soul as the warmth from his body hit her like a furnace.
Giving herself over to the warmth instead of fighting against it, Jewell snuggled closer. Indistinguishable voices tried to distract her from the enveloping warmth she had sunk into, rather than face the reality of time and place that she was currently in. And Jewell gave in to the struggle to sleep.
The cause of why she had flipped out in the car would be waiting when she woke up. It was never far away during the bleak winter months. The sleet might have stopped, yet in her mind, there were imaginary icy shards pouring down on her like a thousand daggers of glass, striking her over and over … and there was no escape. There never would be …
Chapter Sixteen
A nagging pain in the small of her back finally had Jewell waking from a deep sleep. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking up at Rory above her.
“What …?” Jerking up, she nearly bumped his head before he could pull his back.
“You passed out when I carried you back to the car.” He stretched his arms when she moved away from him, and Jewell saw she had been sleeping with her head on his pillow-covered lap in the back seat. Looking forward, she saw Shade was now driving Rory’s SUV.
Shade caught her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I told you that you’ve been working too hard.”
Jewell took advantage of the excuse Shade gave her. “Where are we?”
“Fort Mill. We have time to gas up and get something to eat before Rory and you are expected at Incog’s place. I just pulled in at a hotel. Viper went in to get a room so you both can grab a shower. We’ll meet you at the restaurant when you’re done.”
“I heard you cursing—”
“A police car pulled Razer over as he made the turn into the restaurant. Knox’s in the car with him. The town had speed trap written all over it. Razer should have been more careful.” Shade gave the criticism as he got out of the SUV.
Avoiding eye contact with Rory, she climbed out and waited with Shade for Viper.
Shade gave her a once-over. “You good?”
“Yeah … Sorry about last night.”
“Shit happens. You’ve been working overtime at the factory to let employees and the brothers have time off with their families. I told you that last order could wait until after Christmas. I should have taken your keys away when I saw you filled half of it by yourself.”
“Moon helped.” Jewell hated to be on Shade’s bad side when he was irritated, which he was with Razer still talking to the police who had pulled him over.
“Nickel’s, Puck’s, and Jesus’s names are going in the punishment bag. They could have filled in when they saw what you were doing.”
“They didn’t know. I filled the order during the night after they had already left.” She only gave the confession to keep the brothers out of the punishment bag.
“Like you did me.”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Next year, we’re doing seasonal employees.”
“You’ll probably have to. I’ll be in Ohio by then.”
“You’ve said that before.”
She stubbornly jutted out her jaw. “I mean it this time.”
Aware that Rory was listening, Jewell was relieved Shade changed the subject, his blue gaze moving over the hood of the SUV. “Viper is coming. I’ll see you at the restaurant. Text me what you two want when you get out of the shower.”