"Thank you," she said

He smiled softly, giving a nod. "Of course, anything you need."

It took Electa almost an hour on the payphone to find someone who could come out, and then almost two hours more of waiting, her muscles stiff with tension, until they arrived.

Vexin paced the whole while.

By the time the tire was finally changed and she was behind the wheel again, the digital clock read 2:46. The Church of Angels' service would begin in just over an hour; Vexin might be attempting, depending on him, to disrupt the gate in just over three.

Vexin had hopped back into the passenger seat, nervously looking to the clock as he closed the door.

Ill make it, she told herself, pulling back onto the road and accelerating hard. Ill make it or die trying.

(Oh gosh, Electa. Don't need to think that way, it's not 100% sure you would die in a car crash. In some, the driver speeding is perfectly fine.)

He clung a bit to his seat, clearly still not the most comfortable with the speed.

(Good point)

Soon they were deep in the mountains, on a twisting highway. The route was familiar to her; she'd been to Colorado many times. Electa blew out a breath. They should be in Denver by around four-thirty--they'd have time to spare.

He tried to occupy himself with the views around, but ... what he would have to do was really making him scared. After a while, he leaned his forehead to the window and just closed his eyes. He took his glasses off and held them in his lap, his hands shaking a bit.