The two of them sat up to check their bodies. Her calf had a large scrape from the rough grass, and her entire body ached faintly.
The car was already wrecked, its hood crumpled and emitting white smoke, making Averi's heart pound with fear.
Averi wanted to retrieve her phone, but Dallas stopped her. "It's leaking fuel. It could explode at any moment."
There was blood on his forehead, and his hand was badly scraped, but otherwise, nothing else was immediately visible.
Averi didn't want him to notice her shaking and asked briefly, "How are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just some scrapes," Dallas said nonchalantly, lowering his head to check his phone. The screen was cracked but still functional. He was about to call for help when Averi interrupted, "We should get out of here first. We don't know if they have any other plans."
Dallas said, "They shouldn't. I kept an eye out behind us and didn't see anyone following. Besides, the best backup plan would have been to arrange for a truck to crash into us before you even noticed anything, not to strike after confirming you're unharmed."
Adding another person would mean an extra, unpredictable factor. The decision not to do so might have been made with this consideration in mind.
He knelt down to check her calf and said seriously, "You need to get that wound treated as soon as possible."
"I'm fine." Averi took a deep breath, grabbed his shoulder, and said firmly, "Dallas, I'm seriously asking you, please don't call the police."
The air hung heavy for a long moment before Dallas looked at her intensely and said, "You know who did it."
Averi pursed her lips and replied, "I have a suspicion, but I can't be sure. If my guess is correct, we definitely can't call the police." Pausing for a moment, she continued, "Do you have somewhere I can hide for a few days? I don't want to go back now."
She needed time to verify her suspicions, although she wasn't sure where to start.
The project was Santino's initiative, and she was Santino's biggest obstacle. She wasn't sure what else to think.
Family conflicts must be resolved internally. Once exposed, they would damage the entire J Corporation, and no one would look favorably upon a company embroiled in internal strife.
More importantly, Averi understood Christopher. He wouldn't send his own son to jail. He would likely raise his hand high and let it fall lightly, or worse, blame her for airing their dirty laundry in public.
Given Santino's precedent, no matter how much Christopher relied on her now, Averi dared not take the risk.
The only variable was Dallas.
Averi wasn't sure if his personality would allow him to help cover up the situation.
Dallas looked at her, silent for a long time, and then said, "I have a buddy whose hometown is nearby. Why don't we go there? We don't have IDs, so we can't stay at a hotel. Besides, staying at a hotel would make it easy for us to be tracked down—it wouldn't really count as hiding."
He was willing to help her.
Averi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into place. Even though her body ached, she managed a smile, "Thank you."
To keep up appearances, the two of them didn't dare to hitch a ride near the accident site, so they made their way along the mountain road toward Dallas's buddy's hometown, Maple Creek Village.
They hadn't gone far when they encountered an elderly villager driving a tractor. Averi lied, saying they were hiking and had fallen down a hill, losing all their belongings. She asked the villager to give them a ride to the village to make a phone call.
That's how they arrived at Maple Creek Village. Dallas led her to knock on the door of a small, white clapboard farmhouse.
The one who opened the door was a short-haired, round-faced girl with delicate features, looking no older than seventeen or eighteen, dressed in school uniform. Upon seeing Dallas, she first froze, then widened her eyes in surprise, "Dallas, y-you actually came? My brother said you went to work as a bodyguard, I thought I'd never see you again."
Dallas smiled and repeated Averi's story about falling while hiking, asking, "Denise, can we use your place to treat our injuries?"
"Of course." Denise Curtis eagerly agreed. After inviting them inside, she noticed Averi's presence and couldn't stop looking at her, "Is she the young lady you're supposed to protect?"
Before Dallas could respond, Averi answered, "Hi, sorry to bother you. I'm Averi, what's your name?"
She smiled warmly and said, "Averi, don't mention it. I'm Denise. My brother Ralph used to be in the service with Dallas."
Averi smiled gratefully, "Thank you. Is anyone else home?"
"There's also my grandmother. My second aunt gave birth to a baby cousin yesterday, so Grandma went to town to visit her. She'll be back for dinner."
Upon learning that only the elderly and children were home, Averi relaxed a bit and thanked them again.
If she wanted to, she could be an incredibly gentle big sister. Denise was indeed charmed, repeatedly saying it was no trouble, and ran back into the house to fetch water and medicine.
The first-aid kit was large, containing all kinds of emergency medicines, prepared by Ralph before he left, unexpectedly benefiting Averi, an outsider.
Denise was in her final year of high school and had to return to school after lunch. Before leaving, she lingered, turning back every few steps as if she had something to say.
Averi guessed her thoughts and offered, "We might stay a bit longer, I'm really sorry."
The young girl immediately beamed, "No, no, it's better with more people, it's lively. Averi, you can stay as long as you want." Realizing she might have been too forward, her ears turned red, she glanced at Dallas secretly, then turned and ran off.
And the man who carried her youthful sentiments seemed completely oblivious to her feelings.
