Page 65 of Darkness

“What’s it called?”

“Clearwater Beach.”

She closes her eyes, lifting her face to meet the setting sun’s rays. “I get why you like it here. I do too.”

Reaching out, I take her helmet from her hand and place it on the bike. It’s a bad move—I feel it in my bones—but she needs this moment, a moment of freedom. I don’t know when she’ll get another one. So, I move in behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her to me. I’m unsure if she’ll fight me on it, but when she cuddles into me, her head falling back on my shoulder, I take every ounce I can get.

I gently kiss under her ear. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Eva’s eyes are still closed as she basks in the setting sun. “I understand. The problem is, you did, but I don’t want to hate you for the sake of it. Not when my body doesn’t hate you… at all.”

Exhaling, I hold her tighter. “I can’t promise there will be many moments like this, chiquita. I can’t promise you excursions to fancy places or to give you the world. Not until I find a way to fix the fact you’re meant to be dead.”

Her eyes open, and she watches the sun slowly fade as it sinks farther below the horizon. “I’m not sure how you’ll fix it, Nycto, but you will find a way. It may not be today or tomorrow. Hell, it might take a year… but I can wait. Being here now, seeing this will tide me over. It’s worth it just to be here with you.”

“We’ll stay until the sun is gone, but then we need to get back. We can’t be out in the open like this for too long, chiquita. It’s dangerous.”

“Thank you. Thank you for bringing me. I reacted when I found out—”

“You had every right to.”

“You’re damn right I did. What I was saying was I reacted. I’m not sorry about how I reacted, Nycto, but I am sorry I did it in front of everyone. I never want to put your presidency in jeopardy or make your brothers think less of you because of me.”

Hearing her words means more than she could ever understand. “Being president means a lot to me. It shows those asshole kids I’m worth something, that I’m more than they thought of me growing up, but I’m making bad choices when it comes to you. You blind me, Eva.”

She exhales, turning in my grip to face me. Her arms loop around my neck as she stares into my eyes. “I make bad choices when it comes to you too. Maybe we blind each other. Maybe we’re not good for each other,” she suggests, looking crestfallen.

I bring my hand up to caress her cheek. “Maybe we’re not, but I never was one to follow the rules. I’ll break every damn rule if it means being with you.”

Her bottom lip trembles, then she leans forward, pressing her lips to mine.

I lose track of how long we stand next to my ride kissing, but the sunset fades to twilight, which turns to nightfall. When I finally pull back from her, her eyes are brighter than the twinkling stars above. She might be angry at me, but we’ll work through this together. It will take some time, but we’re going to be okay.

“I need to get you back. The guys will send out a fucking search party. We have a forty-five-minute ride home.”

She glimpses over her shoulder at the beach one more time, then inhales. “I love the smell of the ocean… I hope we get to come here again sometime.”

My fingers tighten around hers. “I promise, chiquita, I’ll bring you back one day.”

She dips her chin, then slides past me to grab hold of her helmet. I help Eva secure it properly, then jump on my ride. She moves in behind me, and I take one last look over Clearwater Beach. I start my engine, duck-walk out of the parking space, rev the engine so Eva grips hold of me tighter, then take off toward home.

As I exit the Pier 60 parking lot, a couple of cars follow behind us. I take off quickly to get to the roundabout to take me back over the Memorial Causeway. One car turns off down Mandalay Avenue, but the other follows behind. While this isn’t a strange occurrence, I’m keeping an eye firmly on my six.

We were out in the open, for far longer than I planned. Time crept away from me. It’s on me if something happens because of this.

Tension rolls through me as the black SUV keeps its tail on us. As we reach the Courtney Campbell Causeway, he continues to follow. An uneasy churning in the pit of my stomach tells me something may be wrong. After this stretch, if he doesn’t take off in a different direction, then that worry is likely right. I hammer down but not so fast I alert Eva that something is up.

I continue my course home, but I will change our route if this car follows too closely. As I turn down the next street, he continues to follow. This is a little too fucking coincidental. There’s no way he’s come all the way from Clearwater Beach to this exact spot. He’s a definite tail. I take a right next, but he drives right past me, continuing on. Pulling to the side of the road, I peer over my shoulder to see where the car is heading as Eva follows my line of sight, but it’s too late. It’s gone. My stomach knots, my muscles tensing all over as sweat beads down my brow.

“What’s going on?” Eva asks.

“Nothing. Thought I saw something. We’re good,” I lie as I take off back toward the clubhouse at lightning speed.

Ominous pulls open the gate while tapping on his wristwatch. I flip him the bird as I ride us in, then park my bike. Void rushes up the ramp, throwing his hands in the air like a damn madman. Eva jumps off the back, and I turn off the engine.

“What the fuck, Nycto? I was about to send out a search party.”

Eva places her helmet on the rack on the fence, then I lean in and peck her cheek. “Chiquita, go spend some time with Ivy. Got club business I need to attend to.”

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