Rushing out of his office, he passed Hunter, Kinky, Brick, and Raven.
“Ava’s missing. Harlow thinks she’s gotten caught in the snow.” He didn’t need to say anything more as he left the clubhouse.
Smokey hesitated at the vehicles. He looked at the bike.
Kinky was already in the truck. Smokey ran to the passenger seat as Hunter, Brick, and Raven joined him.
The snow was a pain in the ass, but the truck was designed for this. Smokey stared out of the windows, not liking the snowfall. In a few hours, Ava could have been injured or died of the cold. Anything could have happened.
His knee bounced, and he wanted to run on ahead to make sure she was fine. He couldn’t help but hope that she’d fallen asleep somewhere.
Kinky arrived at her house and Smokey knew she wasn’t there.
“Her car’s not there,” he said.
Without waiting for instruction, Kinky had already put the truck into gear and was heading in the general direction.
“Keep it slow. She could be anywhere.”
Smokey typed in her number.
It rang.
And rang.
Then went to voicemail.
Hanging up, he cursed. There was no sign of her.
“Stop,” he said.
Kinky brought the truck to a stop.
Smokey climbed out, feeling the cold instantly.
He pressed on Ava’s number and waited. It rang in his ear but then he heard something else.
A ringtone.
The line went dead.
He dialed it again and followed the sound.
Kinky, Brick, Raven, and Hunter got out of the truck and followed him.
“Are you hearing this?” he asked.
They all agreed, and Smokey went across the road. As he glanced over the edge, he saw the car. It was nearly covered in snow, but the two wheels were still visible.
He didn’t think, just reacted. The way it fell, it hadn’t gotten too deep near her doors.
With some force, he found the door handle and yanked it open.
Kinky and Hunter helped him to open the door, and there was Ava. Her teeth were chattering.
“Smokey,” she said.
“Fuck. I’m here.” He bent down, looking in the car, trying to find something that would help him ease her out.
She let out a scream as her hands went to her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I think there’s something wrong with the baby.” She whimpered. “I can’t lose it, Smokey.”
“You won’t,” he said. He couldn’t allow her to lose it. That baby was one of the only connections he had to her. If they didn’t share a kid, they had nothing. There was no way he could allow that to happen.
“I’ve got Hunter, Kinky, Brick, and Raven with me, baby. I know after everything, you don’t like them, but they’re going to help me get you out. Okay?”
She whimpered but agreed. “I’m so cold.”
Smokey looked at the car. They couldn’t lift it up.
“I’m going to slide in. Take her weight as I release the belt. Then all of you are going to work together. We’re going to carry her to the truck and then we’re getting her to the hospital.”
“Maybe we should call for an ambulance,” Raven said. “If we move her, what if she has another injury?”
Smokey growled. “We don’t have time.”
She’d been out in the cold for far too long. He didn’t want to risk Ava or the baby’s life. He had to get her out of there and hold her.
Smokey removed his jacket. “Wrap this around her the moment she’s out.”
He looked into the car. He didn’t know if it was a saving grace that she was on her side on the ground. There was no easy way to do this. Either option put her at risk. If he moved her and she had an injury, this could cause more damage. If he left her here, she could freeze to death. That wasn’t an option. Slowly and carefully, he climbed into the car. Ava had pushed the chair back, and he was able to fit in front of her with the steering wheel jammed into his back. He got himself into a position, which meant he was able to look into Ava’s eyes.
“You’re going to wrap your arms around me and I’m going to pull you out.”
“Smokey, I could hurt you.”
“I’m going to hold you. I’ve got you. I’ve got this, Ava. Do you trust me?”
She nodded. Not a single hesitation.
He wanted to puff out his chest, but instead, he made sure he was braced and ready to take her weight. He was not going to fuck this up.
“I’m so scared,” she said.
“Me too. I’m going to get you out of this. Are you ready?”
She nodded. Her teeth chattered as he reached out for the belt buckle. Staring into Ava’s eyes, he clicked the button and she wrapped her arms around him.
Instant cold hit him.
She screamed in pain and he wrapped his arms around her, trying to soothe her.
Kinky, Hunter, Raven, and Brick were there.
With their help and taking their time, they were able to help her out of the car.