“A couple hours ago,” I said.
He ran a hand down his face and leaned over the front porch railing. His breathing became shallow and his knuckles turned white from clenching the railing so hard.
“Dad, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
His body shook and he jerked around, his face and eyes red. “I got a call. Levi’s dead,” he choked out.
I sucked in a ragged breath and shook my head, throat closing up. “He’s on his way here. That can’t be true.” There was no way he could be dead. We’d seen him not too long ago.
Tears fell down my father’s cheek and he closed his eyes. “He’s gone, Kassidy. The police say it looks like someone ran him off the road.”
Disbelief and rage consumed me, swallowing me into a pit of darkness. I couldn’t think, breathe, or even attempt to comprehend what he’d said. Levi was my lifeline, my friend and protector. It must be a mistake, I couldn’t lose someone else so close to me.
My legs gave out and my father caught me in his arms. As soon as he touched me, I broke down. The scream that escaped my lips sounded foreign, almost like it came from a completely different person. All I could feel was my heart being ripped in two as I remembered my last moments with my best friend. We’d spent most of the week at odds with each other, until today, when he’d gotten into a fight because of me.
“Jacob,” I growled low. “I’m gonna kill him.”
My father jerked me back, his eyes wild with rage. “You are going to stay here with Sean. After what you both just told me, I know exactly who the police should go after first, unless I get there before them.” He took off for his truck and I raced after him, but Sean held me back.
“Kassidy, stop!”
“I have to go with him,” I cried. I felt dizzy and sick, but most of all, I was furious.
How could Levi be gone? I never got to tell him goodbye or hug him one last time. I didn’t want to remember our last days together with me being pissed at him for keeping secrets. Sean held me tight and gently helped me to the floor. Burying my head against his chest, I cried for what felt like hours.
“They need to pay,” I growled low.
He held me tighter. “They will, Kass. We won’t let them get away with it.”
Logan
For the first time in my life, I experienced true freedom. It was an exhilarating feeling, being able to hop on my bike and ride to wherever I wanted. The twists and turns of the mountain roads were my favorite. We stopped at a stoplight in downtown Oklahoma City, and looked around. There was a hotel up ahead, so I flipped up my visor and looked over at Micah. “Let’s go there and crash,” I shouted, pointing at the hotel.
He nodded and followed me there. Once we checked into the hotel and got to our room, I took a shower and collapsed onto my bed. “What’s there to do here?” I asked.
Micah snorted. “Not a damn thing. Why do you think I wanted to room with you? I’m not gonna find shit as far as pussy here.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a dirtbag, you know that?”
He grabbed the remote control and shrugged. “It’s fun, what can I say? You should try it sometime.”
“I don’t fuck randoms.” I’d done it plenty of times over the years, but I was done screwing around. It got old after a while.
Micah chuckled. “Whatever you say, man. Besides, I want to save my energy for Colorado. That’s where the good riding will be.”
I closed my eyes. “Yes, it will.”
“Oh, your phone rang a couple of times, while you were in the shower.”
My phone beeped in my bag and I pulled it out. It was almost dead, so I plugged it up and scrolled through the calls. I hadn’t checked it in a couple of days. There were missed calls from my parents, Levi, and Richard. Not to mention, some pissed off texts from Levi.
Sliding off his bed, Micah put on his shoes and headed for the door. “While you’re making calls, I’m gonna walk to the store and get some beer.”
“Sounds fucking great.” I was going to need it after talking to Levi. I’d ignored his calls for days and he was pissed. I would be too if he’d ignored me for that long.
I called his number and it went straight to voicemail. He was probably paying me back. I tried a few more times, and on the last try, I left a message about how sorry I was for not calling back. Hopefully, that’d appease him. Levi was one of my best friends and I didn’t want him to think I didn’t care.
The remote control was on Micah’s bed, so I grabbed it and flipped through the channels until I got the news. There was a thunderstorm warning for the majority of Oklahoma, and the last thing I wanted was to ride through the rest of the state tomorrow. My phone rang and I thought it’d be Levi calling me back, but it was Richard.
I answered it. “I was getting ready to call you.”