Cade: I said I’ll be there.
I pushed my cell into my pocket and sauntered back into the main part of the diner. I decided to sit in a booth with a couple of the waitresses instead of in the main area they’d set up. I wanted to be able to watch Aria without having eyes on me. I needed a few minutes where there was only me and her, and no one else around.
My cell buzzed several times over the next thirty minutes, and when I knew I was cutting it close, I stood from the booth and exited without saying goodbye. They didn’t need to know I’d left. Today was about Aria and only Aria.
I crossed the lot, got into my car, and huffed out a breath to try to calm myself. I shouldn’t have had to leave. I should have been able to stay until the party was over, and then I should have been able to hold her and kiss her and tell her how much I loved her.
But I wasn’t able to do any of that. Instead, I had to leave and sit through a dinner with Willow, her sister, and her pare
nts. I moved my neck from side to side and cracked it, feeling some of the building tension break. My cell vibrated again, and I ignored it as I turned the engine on and reversed out of the spot toward the back of the lot.
Straightening my car, I was about to drive when another car came whizzing in. I recognized the passenger as Aria’s friend, Hope, but I had no idea who the leather jacket-wearing guy driving the car was.
Frowning, I idled, watching as Hope rushed into the diner and exited with Aria a few minutes later. Aria was shaking her head, but she had a huge smile on her face, and then the driver revved his engine.
My heart started to pound harder in my chest, my pulse thrumming as I watched Aria get into the car. The driver sped off with both of them in tow. Panting, I stared at the empty space they’d been in, willing myself to calm the hell down, but it was no use, I was right back there, in the driver’s seat, revving my own engine and thinking I was a badass nothing could possibly touch.
“What’s the highest speed you’ve ever gotten to?” Annabelle asked me, leaning over the center console.
I raised a brow and glanced away from the road and straight at her cleavage. Her breasts were practically hanging out of the dress she was wearing. “I dunno,” I said, shrugging as I looked back at the road. “Maybe one ten?”
“Yeah?” she purred. I could tell she’d already had a few drinks before we left the apartment. Annabelle wasn’t an in-your-face kind of girl, but she wasn’t shy either. It was why we’d started to date a couple of months back, but when she drank, she was hard fuckin’ work. Like tonight.
Or maybe I was pissed because I wouldn’t be able to drink. In this college town, all the parties were always in bumfuck nowhere which meant someone had to drive. We’d taken it in turns—me and my two roommates who were sitting in the back of the car, beer bottles open on their laps and a case between them—but it didn’t mean I looked forward to being the only sober one.
“Do it,” Annabelle insisted. “Do it. Cade, show me how fast you can go.”
I pulled up at a stoplight and shook my head. “No. I can barely see with my headlights on. It’s way too dark on the back roads.”
“Just do it, bro. You know how wet she gets when you go fast,” Barry shouted, causing Austin to laugh up a storm. They were both drunk, that much was obvious, and we hadn’t even made it to the house party yet. It was going to be a long night.
I gritted my teeth as they all cheered, egging me on to go quicker. I’d only had the car for a couple of months. The truth was, I didn’t know how fast she could go, and I was kind of intrigued to see what numbers I could get out of her.
I pushed my foot down on the gas pedal, revving the engine as I stared at the lights we were stopped at. The red still flashed back at me, and a couple of seconds later, it went off, and in its place was green. My leg bounced off the brake, and my tires squealed up a storm, and then we were off, and I was determined to get the highest number out of her I could. The laughter surrounded me, encouraging jeers from the two guys in the back, and a squeal from Annabelle.
I flicked my gaze to Annabelle and saw headlights heading right for us. I was going too fast, but he’d run a red light, and then metal was crunching, and Annabelle’s excited squeals turned into terrified screams. The car rolled so many times I lost count, and then everything was gone.
No noise.
No lights.
Just…gone.
I gasped a breath, trying to get rid of the memories of that night. I’d been a fool, an immature fool. If I had crossed the section at the appropriate speed, maybe they’d still be here today. Maybe one of them would still be alive. But I’d been going too fast when the impact hit on the passenger side, and neither of the guys had worn a seatbelt.
It was a combination of fault, but I knew I would have been the one to get the blame, especially with the amount of alcohol in the car. The broken beer bottles and leaking gas were the first thing I could smell when I’d come to, and then I saw their lifeless faces.
My eyes squeezed shut as I shook my head, trying to get the images out of my brain, but all I could think about was Aria sitting in a car with someone who wanted to show off the way I had.
I pulled my cell out, scrolling past all of the messages from Willow, and opened Aria’s name up.
Cade: Please be careful. And wear your seatbelt.
I pushed my cell back into my pocket and gripped my steering wheel. Even if she didn’t understand why I’d said it, I was hoping she’d read it and listen to me. There was nothing I could do about it now, so I lifted my foot off the brake and gently pressed the gas, aware of how slow I was pulling out of the lot. But I didn’t care. I’d never risk another person’s life again, which was why I headed right to Willow’s.
I’d already taken three lives, and I was determined there wouldn’t be a fourth.
Chapter Eight