Page 66 of All Our Ghosts

“Go. Back. Inside,” he warns again. I round the bike, coming to his side.

“Let me explain.”

He shakes his head, his gaze flickering to Dex, who’s inched his way closer to us. “You had your chance to explain. You actually had a few chances.”

I take a step back, stunned by his words. “I was protecting myself.”

“Good luck with that.” Holden kicks his bike stand and twists his hand, lurching the bike forward. His wheels spin in the mud and gravel before he takes off onto the road.

“God Damnit!” I scream watching him leave.

Dex rests a hand on my shoulder but I pull from his grasp, spinning to face him. I realize I’m drenched, my hair sticks to my face and the dress clings to my body but it doesn’t stop me from thrusting my hand out at him.

“Give me the keys to the truck.”

He shakes his head. “You’ve been drinking, Kade.”

“I am not letting him run awayagain.” I bite through a clenched jaw, forcing the tears stinging my eyes to stay put. “Give me the keys.”

Dex tilts his head back and sighs just before I press my hands to his chest and shove him. “You told me not to give up on him! You told me to trust him! Give me the keys, Dex!”

He looks shocked at my attempt to move him, but my words must strike a cord because within a moment he’s digging the keys from his pocket and holding them out to me. Hope blooms in my chest, only for a moment, and replaces the grief. I’m not letting him get away with running this time. If he wants me to prove to him that I care…that I want him, I have to do this.

I grab the keys and start marching toward the truck. The ground is slick beneath my boots and the rain is only getting worse. I’m not sure how or where I’m going to find him, but I have a pretty good idea where he’ll hide now that he’s back.

“Don’t do anything stupid!” He yells behind me.

“I already am!” I scream over my shoulder, pulling the door open and forcing the truck to start. I throw it into drive and press my boot to the gas, slinging mud and gravel everywhere as I turn the truck to the road.

I glance in the rearview mirror. Dex has already gone back inside, no doubt to let Blake know what’s happened. A part of me feels bad for leaving her there, but I know Blake will understand.

I head towards the only place I know I’ll find him. The one place that other than the Hounds, only I know about. My heart hammers in my chest as a single taillight comes into view up ahead. Even in the rain, I can tell it’s him, but he’s so far ahead of me I’m afraid he’ll make a turn, and I’ll lose him.

I can’t–won’t lose him this time. I won’t allow him to walk away from this. I won’t letmyselfwalk away from this. This is my chance to explain and if he doesn't want to hear me out then at least I can live with the fact that I tried.

Don’t give up on him.

Dex’s words replay in my mind, giving me fuel to keep my boot firmly pressed to the gas.

It only takes fifteen minutes for me to reach the turn-off Holden has taken me to. My teeth chatter and goosebumps rise on my skin as I make the turn off the road a little too fast thatthe back wheels fishtail. I tense, quickly correcting the wheel and take a deep breath as I glance towards the pullout. It’s then, in the dim light and flashing clouds above. that I realize I forgot my jacket in the club.

Holden’s bike is parked near the makeshift path that’s been carved out by years of him and his family using it. I pull the tow truck next to the bike, parking it as fast as I can, and climb from the truck.

“Holden!” I yell through the storm, wrapping my arms around myself as the chill from the rain starts to spread through me. When I get no answer I start towards the trail, but with the rain and the trees being so thick I turn back, moving to the utility box on the truck and searching for a flashlight. My hands wrap around the handle. “Yes,” I mutter, switching it on to make sure it works.

I shine the light over the trees, shutting the box and moving to the path. I follow the trail, keeping an eye on my footing as I step over the overturned logs. Saying a silent prayer for deciding against the heels Blake wanted me to wear.

“Holden!” I holler but again no response.

I curse and continue walking. The rain isn’t as bad with the trees covering me but still my skin crawls with goosebumps. After a week and a half of sunshine and blistering hot weather, of course, tonight of all nights is when Mother Nature decides to grace Pine River with a flash flood.

I push through the bushes, my arms red and irritated from the branches scratching at my skin, hissing when one comes back behind me, smacking me on the center of my bare back. I stop for a moment, sucking in a breath as the pain radiates down my spine but force myself forward. Only a few more minutes and I’ll be at the bridge. Even with the rain I can hear the river rushing nearby. The cracking of wood as the wind blows through the trees makes it even harder to hear anything.

As soon as the edge of the bridge comes into view I stop, taking a deep breath before yelling for him again. I wait until I hear something but it’s useless with the white noise around me. I force myself forward until I see him.

“Holden!” I yell, stepping onto the slick wood as it creaks beneath my feet.

He turns toward me, finally hearing me yell. “What the hell are you doing!” He screams through the storm.

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