Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The wail of sirens had faded into the distance, leaving behind the unnerving calm that often followed chaos. Sawyer stood at the edge of the road, assessing the scene. Brynlee's car sat near the median, its front end a twisted mass of metal. Nearby, a tow truck operator finished hooking up the other vehicle involved, its driver already en route to the hospital, much like Brynlee.

Digging out his phone, he called the local garage to have Brynlee’s car removed. “Geiser’s Garage,” came a voice from the other end. “Mike here.”

“Hey, Mike. This is Detective Sawyer Reed with Brookhaven Sheriff’s Department.”

“What can I do for you, detective?” Mike asked.

"I need a favor. Brynlee Layne was in an accident just a little while ago. Her car’s in pretty bad shape, and I need you to retrieve it.”

"Man, I'm sorry to hear that. Is she okay?" Mike asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, she's on her way to the hospital now. Can you get someone over here to take care of the vehicle?”

“Sure thing. Just tell me where it is, and I'll head over right away."

Sawyer quickly relayed the location of the accident, his mind flashing back to the scene—the twisted metal, the shattered glass. He shook his head, trying to push the images away.

"Thanks, Mike. I really appreciate it," Sawyer said. “I’ll wait here for you.”

“Sounds good. I'll be there soon,” Mike replied.

True to his word, a large red rollback pulled up less than twenty minutes later, and Sawyer lifted a hand in greeting.

Mike let out a low whistle when he saw the car. “Damn. How’s she doing?”

“Some scrapes and scratches, but she wasn’t going too fast, thank God.”

Mike nodded. “She’s lucky she wasn’t hurt worse.”

Sawyer’s lips pressed together in a tight line, guilt and worry clawing at his chest. “No kidding. Thanks for coming out.”

“No problem.” Mike dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “I’ll have this out of here in just a few.”

Sawyer watched as he slid under the car to attach the cable. It fell silent for several moments as he worked, then suddenly Mike shimmied out from under the vehicle, his face twisted into a mask of concern. “Reed, come take a look this.”

Brows furrowed, Sawyer moved closer and crouched next to the car. “What is it?"

Mike leveled a look his way. “Someone cut the lines under Brynlee's car.”

The car had been tampered with? Fury bubbled in his veins. “Which line?”

“All of them.”

The information sent him reeling. “What the hell do you mean ‘all of them’?”

“Take look at this.” Mike pointed to a cluster of cut lines hanging loosely beneath the car. "Brake lines, power steering, and a couple of other vital systems. They’ve been deliberately cut."

Sawyer felt a cold wave of shock wash over him. "Are you saying someone did this on purpose?"

"No doubt about it.” Mike shook his head and pointed to one of the severed lines. “Look here. These cuts are clean, made with a sharp tool—could be a knife or heavy duty scissors, but more likely a pair of snips. This wasn't a mechanical failure, and it sure as hell wasn’t an accident.”

Sawyer's stomach dropped as he stared at the severed lines, reality crashing over him. "You're sure?" He asked the question even though he already knew the answer.

"Positive," Mike confirmed. "Clean cut, too. This was deliberate."

"Thanks, Mike. I owe you one."

Goddamn it. His stomach twisted with dread even as he shook his head, his mind racing. Who would want to harm Brynlee? He pointed at the car. “I’ll need to have this taken in for evidence. Can you bring it over ASAP?”

“No problem.”

Sawyer pulled out his phone and dialed Cam's number as he watched as Mike began to load Brynlee's car onto the rollback.

"Cam, it's Sawyer. We have a problem," he said as soon as the line connected. He quickly relayed the information about the brake lines.

"Jesus," Cam muttered on the other end. “Is she okay?”

“She’s a little banged up.” And still pissed as hell at him, but he didn’t say that.

Cam made a low sound in the back of his throat. “Any leads?"

"Not yet. I just found out as Mike was getting ready to load the car. Brynlee thinks it was an accident. We’ll need to check with her, see if anything happened recently. Someone wanted to hurt her, Cam."

"I'll let Dare know,” Cam replied. "Meet you at the station?”

"Yeah. I'll be there soon." Sawyer ended the call, his resolve hardening.

As he made his way to his cruiser, he couldn't shake the image of Brynlee's eyes, full of terror and pain. Whoever had done this had made a grave mistake. They had targeted someone close to him, and Sawyer would stop at nothing to bring them to justice.

With one last glance at the accident scene, Sawyer climbed into his car, the engine roaring to life. Brynlee needed him, and he wouldn't let her down. Not now, not ever.