by A. J. Logan
“Okay. Is it about his car? I’ve heard that Kyle has already started chopping on it, parting it out.”
“No, that’s not it.” Although it does make me sick to think about the priceless car he’d built with his brother being parted out piece by piece to the highest bidder. But there’s something else more important. “Dylan is Noah’s brother.”
“What?” Parker glances over his shoulder to look where Dylan is paying for our coffees. “Man, that’s insane. I can’t believe he raced at the Dome.”
“He just wants to know about what happened that night. Do you think you could talk to him about it?”
“Sure. But doubt I’ll be much help.”
No. It’s not true. “Why?”
“I wasn’t there.” Parker looks back to me as he grips Willow’s shoulder. “I can’t believe you let him on that strip. This one begged me not to race again after that night.”
Willow’s eyes fall to her books as she uncomfortably shifts in her chair.
It is true. “I thought you didn’t want to race anymore because of that night.”
“Nah. This one didn’t want me back on the track. It was becoming a conflict for me to take bets and participate in the matches, so it worked out for the best.”
“But I thought—”
Willow slams each book shut, shoving them messily into her backpack as she clumsily grabs her things. “I have to go.”
Parker jumps from his chair placing a kiss on her as she quickly walks away. “Is everything okay with her? She seems like something is off.”
Very off. “I don’t know. I’ll talk to her.” I jump up from the table as Dylan has a seat, saying, “I’ll be right back.”
I break out into a full sprint, barely able to catch up to Willow as she drops into the driver’s seat of her car. “Willow, what’s going on?”
“Just drop it. Please.”
“Why?”
“It’s nothing. I just don’t want to relive that night again.”
“So why lie about Parker?” I ask, not being able to connect the dots. Unless … “Is someone threatening you into keeping quiet?”
“No. That’s not it. If you care about me at all, you’ll just drop it and tell Dylan to get as far away from here as possible.”
Standing in the parking lot, I watch as she drives away. I care about her, I do. But I care about Dylan too. If she has answers Dylan needs, then I have to know. I just pray she’s not being threatened or maybe keeping secrets to protect someone else.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Dylan asks as I walk back into the café, clearly rattled.
“Parker wasn’t there.” But he knew that. He tried to tell me. “Why would she lie to me about it?”
“To protect someone.”
“Who? She hates Kyle.”
Dylan reaches over, his hand squeezes mine. Something is about to change. Whatever he has to say will change things yet again.
“Just tell me.”
“Andrew. She’s protecting him.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because she hasn’t been staying at Parker’s, she’s been staying with Andrew.” He pauses as I shake my head. He has to be mistaken, but I know he’s not. “They’ve been seeing each other for a while.”
“Why would she do that? How can she do that to Parker?”
“That, I can’t answer.” Dylan drapes his arm over my shoulder, placing a kiss on my forehead. “Do you want to get out of here?”
“Yes.” I shouldn’t miss another class but there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to focus. Willow and Andrew? Sorting through my memories there’re moments that look completely different. Is nothing as it seems?
56
Dylan
I’d already figured as much but now I know beyond a doubt that Willow is covering for Andrew. What I don’t know is if it’s for something that was an accident or something that was set into motion intentionally.
“Have you talked to Willow?”
Sadie solemnly shakes her head. “She’s not responding to my calls or messages.”
“Just give her some time. I’m sure she’ll explain everything to you later.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” I know what I want to do. But every time I barrel headfirst into something, I end up crashing hard into a brick wall. I can’t do that. Not now. Not after everything that’s happened. I need to find out what happened to Noah, but I need to stay on the path that leads to Sadie. The only one where she’s still by my side. “I have to know, Sadie. I just want to talk to him. Ask him the truth. I did that with Kyle, and I should’ve just asked from day one instead of going around and trying to punish everyone. I almost lost someone I can’t live without because I was so set on avenging something when I don’t even know what happened.”
“Do you want me to come with you? I’m supposed to go into work, but I can show a little late if necessary.” She rubs her palms up her arms. “I’m not looking forward to going back there anyways or seeing Jett again.”
Grabbing her hand in mine, I pull her onto my lap and give her a reassuring kiss. “You don’t have to worry about him. He won’t be bothering you, and he won’t be serving another drink at Big Tobe’s.”
“What did you do?”
“After I left your dad’s that morning, I went straight to the diner and told Toby what Jett did to you. I was ready to burn the place down before I’d let you walk into that building again where he was lurking nearby. Toby called Jett in to speak with him, but he quit on the spot, saying that you were trying to set him up. Toby said he didn’t buy that bullshit because of how quick Jett was to tuck his tail between his legs and run off.”
“Thank you.”
“It still wasn’t enough after what he’d done to you.”
“What else did you do?”
“I gave him a choice. He could either turn himself in and face the consequences, or he could face the one I had in mind.”
“Dylan …”
“He refused to turn himself in at first, and I flipped at the thought of him doing it again—to you or anyone else. It only took one good hit for him to change his mind and turn himself in. I couldn’t let him walk away.”
She remains in my embrace while we sit there, both stuck inside our heads with thoughts of what could’ve been but thankfully won’t be.
“I should get to work.” Sadie slides off my lap, bends down, and places a quick peck on my lips. “Just take Bryce with you, please. He might not have the best tactics, but he should be there if you need him.”
I agree, thinking it would be a good thing to have my crazy but caring best friend with me. “I’ll stop at the diner afterwards.”
Sadie gives me another quick peck then heads downstairs as I look around the hotel room. It doesn’t feel like the place we should be, but thankfully I have her with me until we can figure out exactly where we fit into each other’s lives. She is my life now.
Calling Bryce, I head down to my car and wait for him to stroll out of the hotel and get into the Lexus. “Let’s go.”
He won’t let me self-destruct. He helps me keep my shit together the best I can when I go dark. If he hadn’t shown up in Sunland, there’s no telling what I would’ve done. “Thanks, man.”
“’Bout time you show me a little appreciation.” He gives me a shit-eating grin.
“You’re impossible,” I laugh, cranking up the car.
“Yeah. I know. Let’s go get some answers for Noah.” He looks over to me. “But I need to know your head is on right.”
“It is. This is about truth, not punishment.” Driving out of the hotel garage, the ride is mainly silent as we make our way to Andrew’s place. When we arrive, I sit in the car, watching as he steps onto the porch. His demeaner is meager, he looks crushed. He knows why I’m here.
Shoving the door open, I step out of the car as Bryce shuts his door and leans back against it. He doesn’t have to be at my side for me to know he
’d follow me into whatever I need him to pull me out of. He’s already proven that.
Andrew sits on the stairs as I approach. He looks calm, ready to talk, so I take a cue from him and sit a few feet beside him.
“I just want to know what happened to my brother. Please just tell me what happened that night. It doesn’t make sense. He never drove without a seat belt. He even made a makeshift strap on our ATV because he was worried I’d take off too fast and he’d fall off.” The memory brings a smile to my face, thinking of him on the back of the ATV, hollering for me to slow down. I’m finally listening to him.
Andrew props his elbows on his knees, hunching forward as he stares at his hands. “Noah won the race that night. He’d taken the title from Kyle, then wanted to race for pinks. Kyle refused, but I figured he’d change his mind after he blew off some steam. He was always up for a challenge. Noah wanted to race me, and I figured why not. It was Parker’s car I’d be losing by the slim chance I did.”
Parker’s car. Noah had won it that night. I knew that much from speaking with Noah, so that lines up. “What happened after he won the Porsche?”
“We just hung out, waiting for Kyle to get done fucking so Noah could race him. I was preoccupied with Willow because she was freaking about Parker’s car. I reassured her that Kyle could redeem me and win it back. Everything was okay until all of a sudden Noah started hollering, flipping out that someone was trying to hustle him. He stumbled to his car, shouting for everyone to get away from him. He took off down the runway … then the car jerked to the side, flipping down the strip. All I remember is Willow screaming, taking off, while Kyle ran to Noah. It didn’t make any sense. He was laughing and fine one minute, then the next he was panicking and hauling ass away from us.”
“You didn’t kill him?”
“Man, I do a lot of fucked up shit, but no. I wouldn’t kill someone over something as stupid as a car or pointless race. I wasn’t that desperate. No price I’d have to pay was worth Noah’s life.”
Desperate.
Noah did drive off, but his judgment was impaired. Just like Sadie’s had been when she couldn’t function. “Where’s Willow?”
“Hell, I don’t know. She won’t speak to me. She said I wasn’t worth losing everything she had because I’ll just fuck her over in the end.” He twisted his fingers, and his hands drops to the steps. “But it’s not like that. I care about her. She just won’t give up her perfect, rich boyfriend to give us an actual chance.”
“I need you to call her. Find out where she’s at. Sadie’s been trying to reach her all day.”
“Willow told me she was going to make things right with Sadie.”
“When?” I ask, jumping up from the stairs. How desperate is she?
“Around lunchtime.”
Grabbing my phone, I punch the glass screen, calling Sadie’s number, but it goes unanswered. “Where would she go?”
“I don’t know. Willow said she couldn’t go home because I’d screwed everything up, so she had to explain and make it right.”
The Dome.
57
Sadie
Spotting Willow parked halfway down the runway, I drive through the field, stopping a few feet away. Shutting off the Mustang, I carefully step out. I’d been so relieved when Willow called me, I hadn’t asked any questions when she said she wanted to meet here. She’s sitting on the ground, her back against her tire as her shoulders hunch over. I don’t have to see her face to know she’s crying.
All that time I thought her and Parker had the perfect relationship … I don’t know how to reconcile the person who helped me through the loss of my mom with the person who would cheat on Parker with Andrew and then cover something so heinous for him. I don’t recognize that person, but I will hear Willow out … at least I can ask her why she did it, unlike my mom.
Cautiously walking up to her, I stop in front of her. “Willow.”
“I can’t do it anymore.” Her voice cracks in between sobs.
“Do what?”
“Lie to myself.” Her legs flop in front of her as her head drops back against the tire, her eyes squeezed close. “It hurts too much.”
“Willow, we can get through this. It’ll be all right. You don’t have to do it anymore. You don’t have to cover for him.”
“I wasn’t covering for him,” her voice is so low, I step closer to hear her as she continues. “It was for me.”
“No. I know you care about Parker, but do you have feelings for Andrew? Did he make you do this? Did he threaten you? Force you to lie about it?”
Willow jumps to her feet, holding her hands in front of her face. “I did it.”
Backing away, I look to her as she threads her fingers in her hair, yanking at the strands as she looks down the runway.
“I did it,” she exhales, dropping to her knees.
“No.”
“Open your fucking eyes, Sadie.” She remains on her knees, staring out into the field.
The sound of an engine catches my attention, and I turn to see Dylan barreling full speed in our direction. Willow took Noah from him.
Dylan’s car slides to a stop as he bails out, running towards us. “Sadie, get back.”
She won’t hurt me. She can’t. Too many people have damaged my heart, my perception of reality, for this to be anything other than proof that I didn’t know the real side of anyone. But what hurts the most is Dylan suffered because I was too oblivious to see how twisted everyone around me was. “How could you do it? Why?”
“It just happened.”
“Murder doesn’t just happen, Willow,” Dylan yells, moving forward as I clasp my hand around his arm, attempting to hold him back as Bryce steps in front of him.
“It was an accident. All of it. I started hanging out here more, making wagers because I needed the money. Andrew was always around. Parker was always preoccupied with everything else—work, racing, school. Andrew knew I needed money, so he told me about the deal Kyle had with your dad.”
No. There’s no way I was so blind. But I was. I was drowning in grief while everyone around me was lying, scheming to get what they wanted no matter the cost. But Noah paid the price.
“Noah challenged Andrew to race. He’d done it a million times. Raced Parker’s car and walked away with a win. Only that time, things were different. Noah won. He won Parker’s car. I knew there was no way I could explain what happened to Parker. He’d never forgive me. I pleaded with Andrew to do something, but he didn’t care. It was my life that was over.”
“So, you took Noah’s?”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen. I just wanted to get the keys from him, but he realized what was happening. I’d slipped a pill in his drink. As soon as he started feeling dizzy, I joked around with him, trying to get the key fob from his pocket and when I finally did, he realized what I’d done. He freaked out. He ranted that we were setting him up to kill him because he knew our secret—that we weren’t just making money on races, but drugs too. I tried to tell him all I wanted was Parker’s car back, but Noah wouldn’t listen. He jumped in his car and took off down the track so fast. He was swerving, heading in the wrong direction when all of a sudden, he jerked the car to the side. God, he was so messed up; like, out-of-his-mind high. I didn’t mean for it to happen. The car rolled and it was over. He was gone.”
“It wasn’t an accident,” I intone, my mom’s face vivid in my mind, her decisions that destroyed my family. “Your choices led to it. It’s your fault Noah is dead.”
“That’s why he wasn’t wearing his seat belt. That’s why it didn’t make sense. He wasn’t thinking because you drugged him.”
Willow turns, looking to Dylan with an emotionless, drained stare. “What are you going to do?”
Dylan’s arm tightens beneath my fingers as I cling to him. “Nothing … because you’re going to do it. You’re going to confess, tell the police exactly what happened to my brother. Where you got the pills from, who supplies them, who deals them, ever
y fucking detail. Because every one of you should suffer for what you’ve done to people’s lives. You made the choice. They didn’t.”
“I’ll handle it.” Bryce guides Dylan back from Willow.
I move in front of him, looping my arms around him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see it. I didn’t know.”
“It’s not your fault.” His breath hitches as he continues. “It’s not my fault.”
I hear the relief in his voice, feel the release in his body. Even if he’d heard the words from his mother, he didn’t truly listen to them until now.
58
Dylan
“Thank you for coming with me this weekend.” I drape my arm over Sadie’s shoulder as we walk towards my parents’ house. It’s been a completely different experience than our last visit. I’m fully here with her and she’s fully here with me.
“I was thinking. What if it wasn’t just for the weekend?” Her voice trails off as a smile spreads across my face.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Everywhere I go in Sunland makes me remember what I want to forget. Big Tobe’s, every class, Coyote Café, my apartment—all of it.” She lets out a sigh as she turns to face me. “Marcheur has a fantastic photography program that I’d really like to check into.”
“I didn’t know you like photography.”
“I used to love it, but I haven’t picked up my camera since my mom died. I want to get back to the things that I love. The things that made me happy and find out what I really want to do with my life.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me, and I volunteer to be your first model.”
“Of course you do.” She rolls her eyes as we continue walking towards the house. “There’s one more thing I’ve been thinking about. You won’t let me pay you back for the tuition, and I’m not okay with it. So, I have a compromise. One of many, I’m sure.”
“Name your terms.”
“There’s an important person in my life who needs some help.”