“Are you okay?” she asked, concern evident in her tone. I could only imagine how terrifying it had been for her to be sitting beside someone who panicked so badly that they stopped breathing and inflicted bodily harm on themselves.
Bristol hissed as Dr. Sanders used an alcohol wipe along her many lacerations. “Yeah. I’m better now. Guess I should have mentioned I have a serious fear of flying.”
Alyssa reached out a hand, which Bristol grasped. “No biggie. I thought you were having an allergic reaction.”
“Nope, all up here.” She tapped her temple.
A rapid succession of dings came from the bag at Alyssa’s side. She pushed blonde hair away from her face and reached inside, pulling out a cell phone. “This has been going off pretty much ever since we landed.”
Lips twisting as she eyed the phone, Bristol mused, “My money’s on Dakota.”
Feeling helpless, I offered, “You want me to handle it?”
Her blue eyes shifted in my direction, and she nibbled on the corner of her lower lip. “Could you? I’m sure Braxton spilled the beans, and she’s worried. My head’s not in the right place to deal with her right now.”
Alyssa’s brows knitted as her head turned on a swivel to look between me and Bristol. She was figuring out there was something more between us, but I couldn’t worry about that now.
Plucking the phone from her hand, I saw multiple text notifications with Dakota’s name attached to them on the lock screen.
“I’m gonna head out to the bus,” Alyssa said to Bristol. “I’ll save you a seat.”
Bristol nodded, and then we were left alone. Well, as alone as we could be in a lobby with a doctor cleaning and bandaging her neck.
Bending down, I brought the screen to Bristol’s face to unlock facial recognition. In an attempt to lighten the mood, I teased, “If you’re hiding a secret love child, now would be a great time to come clean. I’m about to have unrestricted access to your phone.”
A shudder rolled through her slight frame. “Are you trying to give me nightmares?”
Interesting. Was she not a fan of kids? Or perhaps the idea of having one with her ex was what terrified her? Those were questions for another day. We had more pressing matters to attend to—namely, a best friend in Indy who likely wanted answers.
With the phone unlocked, I pulled up the messages:
Dakota:Braxton said there was an incident on the plane, and you were involved.
Dakota:He said there was blood! What the hell happened?
Dakota:Are you okay? Why aren’t you answering your phone?
Dakota:I’m grabbing my keys. If I don’t hear from you in the next five minutes, I’m getting in the car and driving to Pittsburgh tonight. It’s almost a straight shot across I-70. I can be there before midnight.
Well, if all Bristol had in Indy were Dakota and Braxton, at least they cared deeply about her.
“She’s freaking out,” I announced. “Says if you don’t contact her in the next five minutes, she’s driving out here.” I checked the time stamp on that last message. “And that was four minutes ago.”
Bristol groaned. “Can you please tell her that I’m fine?”
“Sure thing.”
Pulling up Dakota’s contact information on the phone, I decided that instead of sending a message, I would call her directly.
It rang exactly once before Dakota’s sweet yet panicked voice came across the line. “Bristol, oh my God! What happened? Was it like spring break?”
My eyes shifted to Bristol, and a corner of my lips twitched. “Not Bristol, but please, let’s circle back to spring break. Were there tiny bikinis involved?”
There was an audible rush of air in my ear. “Maddox. Please tell me she’s okay.”
“She’s fine,” I confirmed. “A little worse for wear, but she’ll be all right.”
“What does that mean? Is she hurt?”
