Page 89 of Making the Call
“Love you, too,” I say as I hang up the phone.
My nerves are frayed by the time I drive off the ferry nearly forty minutes later. Without hesitation, I beeline it to Dani’s. It’s dark, but I still get out to knock on the door. As I run up the steps, I’m pelted with rain. With strong winds, it’s coming at me from all directions, and I hardly think an inch of me is dry when I make it up the steps. As I pound on the door, I’m not sure what’s louder, the wind or my heart beating out of my chest.
Nothing.
I pound again and out of desperation, I holler, “Danika, are you there?”
There’s still nothing. Just the trees blowing hard and rain hitting the siding of the house. Obviously, she’s not here. But where could she be? “Fuck,” I grumble in defeat and stomp back to my car. I can’t catch any breaks today.
Knowing the storm could have dropped some tree limbs, I carefully maneuver my way back to my house at the end of the island. My wipers turned on as high as possible, are still no match for this vicious storm.Shit, it’s nasty out here.
As I pull into my driveway, movement from my deck catches my attention as my headlights sweep the area. What the fuck is someone doing out here in this storm? Are they breaking in?
Instead of pulling into the garage, I park, directing my light onto the deck to inspect it further. To assess the situation, I stay in the car before jumping into action. The person on the porch is drenched as water rolls off them. They’re dressed in a bright red jacket with an oversized hood, purple sweats, one bright-blue sneaker and the other dark purple. The face is hidden by an arm blocking the light so I can’t discern if it’s male or female. The form looks easily smaller than mine, so I should be able to take them on with little effort. I turn off the engine but keep my lights on to illuminate the porch, giving me another moment to decide what I should do. They don’t look threatening. Could they be homeless looking for a warm place to stay?I can’t really blame them if they are.At the same moment, my eyes spot the familiar wheels of a bicycle propped against the deck and… holy shit, she’s here?
I must be fucking hallucinating. There’s no way she’d risk being out here in this fucking weather. Would she? I’m frozen in place as I scrutinize the figure on my deck. After all the shit I’ve gone through in the past twenty-four hours, I can’t allow myself to hope. But when the figure lowers the arm and a lock of curls flies out from under the hood. I’m flying out of my car in an instant.
“What are you doing?” I shout over the wind as the rain pelts my face as I bound up the steps.
Something is said, but lightning flashes across the sky and thunder booms seconds later.
It dawns on me she must have ridden through this storm to get here. Worry sets in, and my protective instincts take over. “What the fuck were you thinking? You could’ve been killed.” My voice is more menacing and gruffer than my intent.
I make quick work at the lock on my door and quickly usher her inside, leaving the door open and zero room for argument. Once I get her inside, she takes off the hood of her coat, and her trademark hair springs in every direction.
Dani starts to say something, but I quickly interrupt, “Why are you out in this storm on a fucking bicycle of all things? There’s no power on the entire island, and it’s dark as fuck outside.”
To stop the constant dripping on the floor, Dani takes off her coat, and I take it from her to hang it on the coat rack by the door. Underneath, she has a lime-green hooded sweatshirt. I pause for a moment to take in her entire ensemble. Dani’s typically put together well, but it’s like she’s been dressed by a color-blind clown going to the circus.
“What happened to you?” I ask in wonder as I reach for a blanket on the couch to hand it to her. She eagerly accepts it and wraps it around her body.
“Ohmigod, Luke. I’m so glad you’re here,” she stammers, though I’m not sure if she’s talking to me or herself now. “I don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t shown up.” Dani shifts her weight from foot to foot and worries her hands wrapped at the ends of the blanket, waiting for my response.
Instantly, I lock eyes with her. She still hasn’t answered my question, and her look of sheer desperation hasn’t made any of my worries go away. “What’s going on?”
“Shit…” She bites on her lower lip and looks anywhere but at me. “I think I’ve made a mistake.”
“Mistake?” What the hell is she talking about?
“I shouldn’t have come here.” She glances to the door and winces when another bolt of lightning streaks across the sky.
There’s no way she should be out in this weather. “Why did you ride your bike here?” It had to be important, to risk riding in this weather.
“I… Uh… Obviously fucked this up.” Through the shadows from the light illuminating my entry, I see her face fall dramatically, and my stomach turns to stone and drops to the floor. “I’m so sorry.”
Fuck. This is bad. She’s seconds away from fleeing… again. I can’t let her go. Especially in a thunderstorm. She turns to grab her coat. “Stay,” I practically shout. I’ve been on edge since yesterday and after finally getting to see her beautiful, though distressed face, I can’t let her bolt again. At least not without knowing why.
“But… But…” she stammers. Fuck! I can’t tell if she’s crying or if it’s from the rain, but her eyes are glistening.
“Danika.” I take a step closer. “What’s going on? Why’d you risk your life to be here?”
“I… I…” Her eyes are wide, and she takes in a deep breath, before releasing it all at once. “I needed to see you.”
But why would she ride her bike in the fucking dark? The thought of losing her makes my blood go cold. I want nothing more than to wrap her in my arms, but I need to be sure I’m welcomed. “Why?”
“Shit.” She looks to the ceiling. “I’m already too late.”
Too late? Too late for what? “What…” I begin, but I’m cut off.
