Page 8 of Forever Found

“Yeah. I lost control when I hit some ice.” He thumbed toward his mansion. The image of the pretty photographer flickered in his memory again.

“Wait a minute,” Val said. He put a hand on David’s shoulder. “I can help. You guys stand back. I may be able to melt the snow.”

Since Val was a dragon shifter, he could easily create enough heat to carry out the task.

“Just don’t torch my truck,” David said with a laugh.

Val gave a thumbs-up.

David and Diego took their positions beside the tow truck. The areas on both sides of his Silverado were nothing but the open ground…and snow, lots of snow. The closest trees were yards away. Val stood in the clearing, shifting into his dragon form. David had seen him do it plenty of times, but every instant was a remarkable thing to behold. Val’s striking scales shone in the sunshine. With every movement, they sparkled and shimmered in hues of silver and blue. Shuffling forward, he exhaled long pulses of fire at the snowbanks, melting it into a puddle of water as if it were an ice cube, leaving small clumps of snow closest to the Silverado. Steam billowed off the ground and around the truck.

“Way to go,” David said as Val shifted back to his human form.

“Good to have you around, dragon.” Diego removed some heavy chains from a compartment in the side of the tow truck. He attached the chains to the underside of the Silverado. “With the heavy snow gone, it will be easy to get her out.” To David, he said, “Put it in neutral, then I’ll pull it back onto the road.”

David nodded. He climbed in, shifted into neutral, and watched Diego in the side mirror. At first, the tires spun in the icy mud. Soon, the tow truck dominated, and the Silverado began to move backward. David steered, turning the wheels until they found the pavement.

He pressed on the brakes, and the truck stopped. After he put it in park, he stepped out. “Thanks,” he said.

Diego unhooked the chains. “No problem. You still gonna come check out the bike?” he asked as he put them away. Val held the compartment open as the chains clanked going in.

“Sure. And we can take a look at my truck to make sure there wasn’t any damage.”

“Okay. See you in a few,” Diego said. “Hop in, dragon.”

Solis McGuire pulled her gray Subaru Crosstrek alongside them and stopped, rolling down the passenger window. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“It is now,” David said with a smile.

“Glad to hear it,” Solis said, giving him a thumbs-up. Her gaze slid to where his truck had been lodged, and the pickup-sized hole in the snowbank. “Looks like winter has begun.”

She shook her head, smiled, and drove off.

* * *

David closed the door behind him, then strolled into the heart of the shop. A bike lift was positioned in the middle of the work area, but the motorcycle wasn’t on it. Val stood at the front of the bike, arms crossed over his massive chest.

Off to the side. Diego propped his hip against the black-and-gray tool chest as he swiped a rag over a motorcycle part. “This isn’t the season for Sunday drives. Need to drag out the snowmobiles for that. So it’s a perfect time to fix this baby up.”

“And this baby is?” David asked as he came closer.

“A Suzuki Intruder. Only a few things to fix up, new tire, seat, tweak the clutch, and she’ll be ready to go,” Diego said.

“Nice,” Val said.

“Getta load of these sweet skull brake levers,” Diego pointed out.

David leaned in. The skulls were an extra touch. He’d been thinking of a bike for some time. “Am I allowed to sit on it?”

“Sure.”

He swung his leg over, settled onto the seat, and took hold of the handles. “I can almost feel the freedom coming off it right now.” The wind in his hair, the oneness with the road. He loved his truck, but this would simply be fun.

“It’s a lot like my Shadow. I had an 86 Shadow for a little bit,” Diego added.

“How much?” David asked, more since it was expected than because he cared. Money was never an issue. It was one of the concerns he left behind when he died. As an angel, everything was taken care of by unseen forces. Abraham, the commander of the angels, seemed to have endless resources. There was a bank account for all the angels to use. May as well help out the locals and enjoy himself while he could.

“Thirteen hundred,” Diego said with a shrug.