Shadow Heights (The Dark Side Trilogy Book 1)

by E. N. Goeking

  I turned on some music and searched the web while I waited for Jaden to arrive. When it was nearing time I got my things together and headed downstairs. I grabbed a bottle of water and drank it while reading the morning headlines. Nothing too exciting but then again, it was a small town. There’s a certain safety that comes with living in a small town. That’s probably why a lot of people choose to live that way. I, however, loved the city life. There was always something going on and plenty of things to see and do. You were anonymous in the city but in the sticks, everyone knew your name, especially if you were new in town.

  I looked out the window at the cloud-filled sky. It was in different shades of gray but the rain had stopped for the moment. A loud roar groaned down the highway and I soon saw a motorcycle coming up our driveway.

  Much to my surprise, it was Jaden driving the motorized growling machine—an American Harley. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and black jeans with black leather boots. His hair was down and flowing in the wind behind him. I had never seen him dressed in anything besides black and the pureness of white brought out more life in him. Even the color of his cheeks was more of a flesh tone. He revved his engine a few times before shutting off his bike and walked up the front steps. I jogged out of the room to meet him.

  When I reached the hallway, I slowed down my pace and nearly slid across the floor. I caught my balance and composed myself. I opened the door and his scent made its way into my nose as the wind blew past him into the house.

  “Come in,” I said. He hesitated with my request but after seeing my confused expression, he took a few steps inside. “I didn’t know you had a motorcycle.”

  “There’s a lot of stuff you don’t know about me,” he grinned. “Does that scare you?”

  “No. You can’t expect to really know someone when you’re basing it on a few conversations.” He laughed.

  “That’s not what I meant. I was referring to motorcycles.”

  “Oh,” I said quietly. “A little. I’ve never been on one before.”

  “I know you’ll like it.” He dazzled me with his eyes and all of my anxiety withered.

  “All right. I’ll do it.” He shifted around the room and uneasiness could easily be read in his stiffened arms. “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” he replied but I had a hard time believing him. “I haven't been in here since I moved and the place looks really different.”

  “The realtor told us they redid the whole inside. You know, to make it more modern. How long has it been since you were last here?”

  “It’ll be ten years next month.” He tilted his head to peer up at the towering open space above us. His thick neck twisted as he spun his head round, tendons popping out from his skin that were oh so delicious. “That color really brings out the caramel in your eyes.”

  He reached down to touch my cheek and lifted my face to meet him. He kissed me with ardor and I quickly returned his affection, moving my lips just as fervently. He stopped himself and squeezed his hands tightly behind my back as we looked into each other’s eyes.

  “Let’s go,” he said, pulling me with him. I grabbed my things from the stairs and put my sunglasses on as we made our way outside. It still wasn’t raining but I was worried that it would start up again while we were driving. He got on the bike first and helped me get on behind him.

  “What if it starts raining?” I asked.

  “Just hold on tighter,” he replied with a grin. I moved my hands down to his waist and fastened them securely. I positioned myself better for the drive because I knew I couldn't fidget around while we were moving. When he started the engine, I screamed from alarm and we both started laughing.

  “Sorry,” I said into his ear. He revved the engine and I felt the entire bike vibrating underneath of me.

  “Hold on tight,” he shouted over the exhaust pipe. When he started to take off, I squeezed my grip around his waist. He stopped when we reached the road and watched for traffic. “When I turn, you need to lean with me!”

  I placed my chin on his shoulder and looked onto the road as he did. He revved his bike and turned onto the highway. He drove around town for a while until I felt comfortable about going faster. He turned onto a two-lane highway and we picked up speed fairly quickly. I couldn’t hear anything as the bike rattled and the wind blew hard against my ears. He charged down the road like a blasted cannon and continued to gain speed as we plunged down a hill. I started to laugh as I got the roller coaster feeling in my stomach and held on for my life.

  “Woo!” I shouted as we reached the bottom. It was so enlivening riding out in the open, battling the wind and yes, the bugs. But there was also the danger aspect. I felt the inertia and gravity pulling on me as we ripped through the air. It was thrilling being at a constant risk of injuring ourselves, and it was electrifying to ride on something so dangerous and fast while holding on to someone so magical.

  He turned onto a black-top paved road and a streak of lightning touched down a couple of miles ahead. I felt the charge of its power graze across the earth below like waves. The smell of metal lingered in the air and the clouds were starting to move faster across the sky.

  I hope we get back before it starts.

  As the wind shifted directions, his long hair blew all around us and whipped me in the face. It felt like getting smacked by flying hay. I bore it the best I could and rested my head on his shoulder, pressing my cheek against his to withstand the lacerations.

  He began driving faster, slightly increasing his speed every second. Fearing I would fly off the bike behind us, I peeped over his shoulder to check the speedometer and I nearly screamed. It was quickly passing eighty and he had no signs of stopping. Slow down! I wanted to scream but little use that would do me when he couldn't hear a thing.

  I felt the speed pulsing through my veins and I lowered my head to his back to shelter my face from the restless wind. We drove through the countryside surrounded by cornstalks and cows and it was very peaceful considering how fast we were going.

  Finally as we neared Shadow Heights, he started to slow down and I was relieved when I sensed the speed decline though my body still felt like it was flying. He set his feet on the ground and stretched his arms while waiting for the cars to pass. I ran my fingers through my hair to work out some of the knots but it was impossible to pass through. It was completely windblown and unmanageable like a bird’s nest. I felt droplets of rain falling upon my skin as we coasted through town. He took me back to his place and pulled his motorcycle into the garage. The rain soon poured down in buckets that pummeled against the heat of the asphalt. We stood near the open doorway and watched it splash around like waves on the river.

  “I think I actually enjoyed that,” I admitted. He was still standing a few feet away; a cloud of smoke masked his face.

  “I knew you would.”

  “I can still feel the wind pulling at my skin.”

  “I can still feel you squeezing me so tight,” he provoked further.

  “I’m sorry. You should’ve told me.”

  “No, I liked it. It made me feel like your protector.” I shied away from him and stared out at the road. “Would you go somewhere with me tonight?”

  “Sure. What did you want to do?”

  “You tell me. Do you have any ideas?”

  “The movies are always cool.”

  “All right. I could deal with a movie but I don’t even know what is playing.”

  “Either do I,” I said with a laugh. “We don’t have to go to a movie but what else is there to do in a small town?”

  “Well...some of the guys wanted to go up to our shooting spot tonight.”

  “Your shooting spot?” Maybe the weapon collection I saw in his room wasn't just for decoration.

  “Yeah. I own some property outside of town. I have a cabin a few miles out and there’s a fishing pond nearby. We have a shooting range of sorts set up out there.”

  “You’re one of those bad boys that mothers warn the
ir daughters about, aren’t you?”

  He grinned. “Do you think I am?” He inched toward my body, backing me into a corner and it stole my breath away as I realized the sudden power he had over me.

  “Yes...I do.” He leaned his head toward me as if he was planting a kiss but stopped before he reached my mouth.

  “Maybe I am.” I bit my lip as he walked away, leaving me with disappointed lips. He dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. “So, did you want to go?”

  “Yes,” I breathed in a letdown.

  “Awesome. Let me call the guys.”

  Between his phone calls, I went inside to use the bathroom. It felt different as I walked into his empty house. It was so loud the night before that it was hard to imagine it silent as it was.

  I brushed through my hair carefully so I didn’t rip it all out. There were so many knots that I had to undo some of them by hand. I powdered any shine and stepped outside. I found Jaden waiting for me on the couch, his feet and hands tapping to a rhythm in his head.

  “You ready to go?” he asked while standing up.

  “Yep.” He got up and headed past me into the kitchen.

  “We have to pick up some beer on the way and they’re going to meet us there in an hour.” When he walked by, I noticed the large black case he was carrying.

  “What’s that?”

  “My guns.” He stopped in place and looked back.

  “Oh. How many do you have?”

  “Three but I’m only taking two with me. I’ve got ammo at the place.” I must’ve appeared frightened because he asked, “Are you scared of guns Mina?”

  “In all honesty, I’ve never been around guns let alone fired one so I can’t really say that I fear them.”

  “I’ll teach you. You’ll be a real pro.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I highly doubt that.”

  He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a drink of water. “You should have more confidence in yourself.” Like I haven’t heard that before.

  I went out the back door and waited for him on the porch. He locked up and took my hand as we ran through the rain to his car. We were both quiet on the drive but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. We were relaxed enough that we could just sit there without speaking. A light mist was still in the air but there were no splash of droplets pounding on the glass.

  I started feeling nervous about the whole thing. I didn’t want to appear like the typical frightened woman who was too scared of the big bad gun. I had always been curious about them and thought it would be fun to shoot one once just to say that I did but still, it was a gun.

  When we were ten minutes out of town, he turned down a windy gravel road. It was a bumpy drive and he took it slow. After a while, I could see a patch of trees in the distance next to a small log cabin.

  “I own all of this,” he said while making a circular motion with his hand.

  “Really? So you can do whatever you want out here.”

  He nodded with a devilish grin. “Trust me. I do.”

  We pulled in front of the cabin and got out. The cabin was hand-crafted all around and was made completely of wood like a traditional log cabin in Lincoln's days. It had a wrap-around porch in front with chairs set up near the door. We each grabbed a case of beer and walked up the gravel driveway.

  When we got inside, he switched on the light. I was amazed to see how much room there really was. It didn’t look as big from the outside. There was a huge living room and a full kitchen with a dining area. There was also one bathroom and two bedrooms. A large stone fireplace was situated in one corner with a sword bolted to it. He definitely liked weapons, that was for sure or maybe it was another family heirloom.

  He set his case of beer on the floor near the refrigerator and I brought my case over to help him unload the cans onto the cold metal shelves. After that was finished, he ran back out to his car and grabbed everything else. I looked around the room at the various items he had sitting around. The whole place was decorated much like his house, in the very same depressing tones and without any personal touches.

  “It’s not raining at all now,” he said with pleasure while walking back inside. He left the door open to circulate the air in the small space and the temperature had dropped by ten degrees in only a few minutes. He pulled out a fairly large black handgun from the case and ran his fingers along the smooth metal. In all honesty, it sort of turned me on to see him holding it. Maybe I was attracted to the dark side.

  He grabbed a clip of ammo and shoved it into the bottom. It made a loud snap as it locked into place. He pulled back the hammer and cocked it. He laid it on the table and made sure the safety was on before moving on to the next. I was curious enough and walked up to look at the guns from a closer perspective. I placed my hand on the loaded one and traced my fingers on its outline. He watched me without any signs of nervousness.

  “Hold it if you want. Just don’t pull the trigger.”

  I picked the gun up from the table and was surprised at how heavy it was. “I’m gonna have to hold this with both hands,” I commented after feeling the extra weight.

  “Well, you should. It’ll give you more stability. You know, less shakes.” He laughed as he saw my hand struggling to hold it up. He stood behind me and placed his hands on mine. He moved my fingers around the chamber until they were positioned in the right place. He then showed me how to aim the gun by looking down the barrel, lining up the knob on the end.

  His warm breath blew across my face and it smelled surprisingly refreshing, like wintergreen mint. His cheek was pressed against mine as he helped me steady my arms and all I could think about was kissing him.

  “Just hold it like that and you'll be fine.” A car drove up outside and they honked while pulling up next to his Mustang. I sat the gun down on the table and Jaden went out to greet them. I leaned over and saw Ryan get out of the car, Logan getting out with him.

  I never really looked at Logan until that day and he was kind of cute. He had shaggy brown hair and facial features that were frequently found on male models but it had never been my type. He was a few inches taller than Jaden as he stood next to him outside. Either way, they both towered over me.

  Ryan, dressed in jeans and a white tank, ran up the steps and they followed behind.

  “Hey Mina,” Ryan yelled, looking surprised to see me. “It's nice to see ya.” He came over to shake my hand. Jaden and Logan were talking privately in the living room so I grabbed two beers out of the freezer before they got too cold. I handed one to Ryan and Jaden’s lingering gaze alerted me of his attention.

  Logan pulled a gun out from the back of his pants and sat it on the table with the others. It was a little smaller than Jaden’s but was still big enough to hurt someone.

  Ryan began telling his work stories for the day and he was very good at delivery. He should’ve been a stand-up comedian because he was always very animated when he spoke and was also good at doing voices.

  “You guys know Mrs. Waterton?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” they answered.

  Ryan looked at me and said, “She’s this little old lady who’s gotta be in her nineties. She drives real slow and can barely see over the steering wheel. You know the type.”

  A hazy image formed in my mind and I nodded in recognition.

  “Anyway, she comes into the store today and I was thinking to myself—is she lost? She said ‘I need something small and lightweight to smoke this marijuana out of.’ She actually brought out a bag.”

  “What kind was it?” Logan interrupted.

  “Dude, does it really matter?”

  “Yeah it matters because if she's got some kush, I might have to look her up. She can be my new dealer.” Ryan grew frustrated while everyone chuckled at his friend.

  “You're fucking up my story, man.” Logan held his hands up and Ryan continued. “First I was amazed but then I remembered store policy. Fuck store policy, it’s the law and my boss has cameras up all over the store. Once she flashed that
green, I knew I had to get her out of there. ‘Ma’am, these are for tobacco use only.’ And I refused to sell to her. If anyone comes in the store and mentions weed, we automatically have to refuse the sale. It’s fucked up how the system works. Anyway, she started getting angry with me so I told her to bring it up to her congressman or buy some papers from a gas station. I about had to call the cops but she finally gave up. She created a totally different image of herself to me.”

  We all laughed throughout his drawn out story. He had captured the little old lady’s voice so well and a play of characters lived out his tale in my imagination.

  “I'm gonna have nightmares about her now. She could easily hurt me.”

  Logan laughed loudly. “Only you would be scared of an old lady Ryan.”

  I never understood why people are so against legalization of marijuana. It has known medical benefits and it is legal to get from a doctor in select states. I would say more problems are caused by alcohol than any other substance and yet everyone drinks it and it’s perfectly accepted. Even priests drink. The world is so very hypocritical, always has been. How is it even possible to ban something that grows naturally on this earth?

  “Some real crazies come into my work but I’m used to it. Makes the day go by faster.” He chugged the rest of his beer, belching loudly afterward, and walked to the refrigerator to grab another for himself.

  I could smell Jaden as he approached me and I didn't even have to look over to know it was him. His brawny arm wrapped itself around me and held me close.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said into my ear. I looked him in the eyes and watched him leave. Ryan followed after him. Logan and I stared at each other for a few minutes before either of us thought of something to say. I hate those awkward pauses between strangers but that just proves how alike we all are on the inside.

  I found him to be a little intimidating. Maybe it was the way he looked. I'm sure most girls would find him more attractive than Jaden but he didn't have that special something that I look for in the opposite sex.