Chapter Eleven
Eighteen years ago. Detroit, MI. The Pit.
“What are we doing here?” my friend, Macy, harshly whispered to me as I put the car in park.
We were in the middle of an empty parking lot at eleven PM on a Friday night. This wasn’t the place two sixteen (almost seventeen) year old high school girls needed to be. These were the kinds of places my dad warned me about when he was giving me the safety lecture after I’d gotten my license.
“I just want to see if he’s here,” I told her, looking at her.
Macy shook her head in disappointment. “That’s why we’re here? I thought we were going to the movies.”
“We will,” I promised her, looking back into the empty lot. I bit my bottom lip. “I just have to see him again—just to make sure he’s okay.”
My friend groaned. “Nikki, that boy is a lost cause! Besides, no one has seen or heard from him since graduation in May! Which was four months ago, by the way,” she reminded me.
Four months since Cain graduated, but it had been a year since he ended our friendship—on his birthday. That was the day I’d gotten the courage to follow him into the crappy white house, ready to give his mom a piece of my mind.
I’d been so stupid, though; I never expected her to point a gun at me.
I never told anyone about that day, not even my parents.
Not that my mother would have cared. She’s been too busy shopping online or secretly drowning her sorrows in bottles of wine every night. Dad, on the other hand, would’ve cared. It seems the only thing he cared about anymore was me. He worked to take care of me. He cooked for me. He cleaned the house on the weekends for me, even though I did it after school on Wednesdays. He said it made him feel better, taking care of the house. I think it gave him a sense of satisfaction, knowing he had a part in trying to make it home. Mom stopped trying years ago. Honestly, I didn’t know what she was still doing there. She acted like she was trapped with us, like Dad and I were a burden to her, but I knew the truth. She had nowhere else to go.
“Nikki?”
Blinking, I was brought back into the present, where my best friend glared at me from the passenger seat of my little old Honda. I’d worked my butt off at the drive-thru by my school for this car. Dad promised me that he’d match the money I saved, and last month, we came home with this baby.
And for the last month, I’d been looking for Cain. All I knew was he was still in Detroit.
“Macy, I have to try. You don’t—you don’t understand. Cain’s home life—”
She sighed, flipping her hair. “I know. I know. He was abused or whatever, but he’s over the age of eighteen. There’s nothing that can be done.”
“I just want to make sure he’s okay,” I pushed, shoving down my irritation. Macy had the perfect life. Her father owned some paper company, and she had a trust fund. Her mother doted on her all the time, and her dad gave her anything she could ever want. She was lucky.
Cain wasn’t.
I needed to make sure he was okay, and then I could go back to living my life and him living his. Then, I could sleep well at night for once. Ever since he left his house, I hadn’t heard a peep from the woman living inside. The neighbors who lived across the street called the police to do a wellness check, but some man answered the door when that happened. I didn’t watch the rest of the interaction due my mother yelling at my father downstairs over something I did.
I had my own battles to fight.
“Fine,” Macy said, sounding bored. “Where are we supposed to look? Is he going to show up here? Wait—is he a drug dealer?”
No.
“He’s in The Pit,” I said, my eyes staring at the far end of the lot. We were on the wrong side of the tracks, and danger lurked around every corner. I didn’t care. I had to see him.
“The Pit?” she parroted.
A second later, she finally realized what I was talking about, and she straightened in her seat. “Nikki, are you crazy?”
I looked over to her. “Stay in the car,” I told her.
“Are you fucking serious?” she squeaked, grabbing my wrist. “You can’t just walk into The Pit. It isn’t open to the public.”
“I know,” I said, “but I have to try.”
Releasing an unsteady breath, I opened the car door, ignoring her protests. I stepped out, the cool autumn air greeting me as I shut the door. Shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket, I walked across the parking lot, keeping my eyes straight ahead.
A minute later, I was standing in front of a tunnel, the scent of old water and gasoline filling my nostrils.
I pulled my hair around to my right side, tucking it inside my jacket before pulling out my flashlight. Swallowing my fear, I shined it down the dark, endless tunnel. I looked over my shoulder, checking to make sure Macy hadn’t ditched me. She hadn’t.
That girl was annoying, but she was loyal. I could count on her.
“I just need to make sure he’s okay. I’ll lay eyes on him and turn back,” I told myself.
Without another second to doubt myself or this ridiculous plan, I stepped into the tunnel. I didn’t look back, each one of my footsteps causing a soft echo as dread forming in my belly. A chill crawled up my neck as went further into the darkness, my flashlight only showing a few feet in front of me.
Minutes later, a rat scattered by me, causing me to jump, but I didn’t scream. I knew better than that.
After my heart calmed a bit, I continued.
I counted in my head, and when I reached two hundred and twenty-two, I heard the roar of multiple car engines. A smile broke out on my face as relief settled on my shoulders, reminding me that I’d made it.
I found The Pit.
The tunnel curved to the right, and as I followed, a bright light glowed at the end. Sounds of engines revving, music pulsing, and people cheering echoed, bouncing off the concrete walls. I steadied my breathing and tried my best to contain the excitement brewing inside me. A woman hollered loudly, causing me to jump, and suddenly, she ran by me into the darkness of the tunnel. I moved out of the way as a man followed her, winking at me as he went. A few seconds later, I heard both of them giggling, and my shoulders slumped.
“Okay, Nikki,” I whispered under my breath. “We got this.”
I stepped into The Pit, and my mouth felt open.
A crowd surrounded the pit in the concrete, as cars lined up at the spray-painted line about twenty feet below me. It reminded me of an underground Colosseum, people on all sides, chanting and cheering as racers mingled and show off their cars in the center. Some of the cars were pretty neutral in color, while others stood out like star in the night sky, painted in bright pinks, greens, purples, and blues. My head slowly tilted to the side as my eyes narrowed on the opening at the bottom, leading into another tunnel.
“First time?” a male voice asked.
Jumping, my head twisted to the side to find a man in his early twenties smiling at me. He was handsome, in a pretty sort of way. His brown hair was pulled back into a bun at the base of his neck, and he had a colorful dragon tattoo on his right arm.
Maybe he knew Cain.
With that thought in mind, I nodded. “Was it that obvious?”
The man chuckled. “Yeah, it was. You were gawking.”
“Of course I was,” I told him, looking back to The Pit, “It’s amazing.”
He hummed in agreement as I looked at him just in time to see his eyes scanning my body. A small alarm went off in my head. When his eyes met mine again, he lifted his chin slightly. “You here alone?”
“No,” I lied, putting my hands into my jacket pockets. “I’m actually meeting someone—a racer.”
He smiled then, surprise coating his features. “Oh yeah? Who?”
“Cain Donavon.”
The man’s smile dropped, his voice turning defensive as he asked, “How do you know Cain?”
Swallowing, I looked down to the cars. “Well, I—”
“—Cain doesn’t have any friends, doll,” he said, taking a step towards me. His eyes dropped down again, this time to my chest. “Cain’s women don’t refer to themselves as his friends.”
I backed up, my butt hitting the concrete wall, the moisture sinking into my jeans. “I am his friend,” I said, looking around. None of the people nearby seemed to care that this man was crowding me against a wall. When I looked back to the man, his gaze had become predatory, causing a wave a fear to slam into me.
“You wanna be my friend instead? I won’t dump you like he would. I’d treat you so nice,” he rumbled, putting his hands on the wall beside my head.
My heart pounded inside my chest, my fight or flight ready to kick in. I shook my head, panic setting in. “I-I would really like to see C-Cain. P-please,” I pleaded, my voice shaking in fear.
All at once, the man’s face seemed to soften, the hungry gaze leaving his eyes. “Jesus, doll, I was just hitting on you.”
If that was how men in the real world came on to women, then I needed to reevaluate some things. Like me not finding women attractive. I nodded, too scared to speak.
The man pushed off the wall, sighing and muttering a curse under his breath. “Come on. I’ll take you down to Cain.”
I didn’t move, staring at him with wide eyes as my chest heaved.
His dark brow furrowed. “Fuck, I really scared you, didn’t I?”
My mouth didn’t open, even though I wanted to the tell the man to F off. “If you think I’m going to come with you after that, you’re delusional.”
He blew out a laugh. “Says the sweetheart looking girl who just strolled into The Pit like it”s a fucking mall.”
My spine straightened at his insult as I glared at him, “Take me to Cain, or my knee is going in your crotch.”
The man shook his head before jerking it in the opposite direction. “Come on.”
I didn’t trust him, but my desperation to see Cain defied all logic, the need weighing down my soul. With a quick prayer to the Big Man upstairs, I peeled myself from the wall and began following the stranger.
I was an idiot. I’d done a lot of stupid stuff in my life, things I wasn”t proud of, but this was by far the dumbest thing I’d ever done.
And I hated Cain for driving me to do it.
The man led me through a sea of people, some drunk, some high, some just here to see the races, and others just here to find someone to sleep with (per the conversations I overheard). When we’d walked about halfway around The Pit, the music seeming louder on this side, we came to another tunnel entrance. The man turned to me, holding out his hand. “I’m Chase, by the way.”
I eyed his hand for a moment. “I’m not shaking your hand.”
He gave a tight smile. “Yeah, I figured.” As his hand fell away, he leaned in closer. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to be an asshole.”
I nodded. “Cool, thanks. Where’s Cain?”
He gestured into the tunnel. “He’s not racing or next in line to race, so that only means one thing. You’ll find him down there.”
I pulled out my flashlight. “Thanks.”
Without looking at Chase, I made my way down the tunnel. This one was populated with people coming and going, couples making out against the walls, loners smoking cigarettes. I pointed my flashlight to the ground and pressed on, keeping my ears open for his voice. I would recognize that voice anywhere. I scanned the darkness for his pale blonde hair. Minutes passed as I continued through the tunnel, having seen at least thirty people. None of them were Cain.
My stomach began to sink as I rounded the corner, another light shining at the end of the tunnel, followed by a cool breeze.
When I emerged from the tunnel, I found myself in a new parking lot, this one filled with cars and people. Food trucks lined the opposite end of the lot, a DJ was set up to my right, and streetlights illuminated the lot. I looked around, trying to figure out where this one was located.
Focus, Nikki. Find Cain.
Shaking it off, I began weaving through the new crowd, my eyes lingering on the lines of cars with the hoods open, showing off their engines or sound systems. A breeze came through, and I put my flashlight up before zipping up the jacket. I kept my eyes wide, scanning everything and everyone in search of him. When I was almost to the far corner of the lot, I heard a bark of laugher followed by someone saying his name.
My body tensed up as anxiety swirled in my stomach, knives gathering in my throat. I whirled around, trying to find the source of the laughter. When my eyes landed on a pale blonde man leaning against a black car, dressed in jeans and a gray hoodie, my heart stopped.
Cain.
My Cain.
He was here.
I found him.
We were about thirty feet from each other, people migrating between us. He hadn’t seen me yet, but that was a good thing. I didn’t want him to see me. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. I moved then, going to stand on the other side of some random parked car, keeping my eyes on the boy—man—I couldn’t get out of my head.
He’d grown his hair out. It was down his neck, the waves covering his forehead. He had some scruff on his face, but it looked good on him. It suited him. He was bigger, too. I could tell he’d been working out someplace, or maybe he had a really physical job. I didn’t know but I shouldn’t care. He didn’t want me in his life, and over the last year, I’d come to terms with that. I just needed to see him.
I watched as the small group of guys around him laughed at something the short guy next to him said. Then, as the laughter died, something in the distance caught Cain’s attention. He pushed off the car, lifting his chin as he began walking away towards someone—
Oh.
Shit.
It was Chase!
Shit, shit, shit!
Chase and Cain shook hands, then began talking. The more Chase talked, the scarier Cain’s icy eyes became. I watched as his jaw tightened underneath that scruff, and my heart sighed.
She was such an idiot.
My breath caught as Cain began looking around, searching—for me.
“Oh, shit,” I breathed, ducking behind the truck. Scrambling, I moved to the back of the truck, pulling my cell from my back pocket. I looked over my shoulder once more and then headed out onto the sidewalk, making a right. Once I was beside a building and out of view, I dialed Macy.
“There you are,” she yelled into the phone. “It’s been almost an hour.”
“Macy, I need you to come get me.”
“What? Nikki—”
“I found him. He’s good, but he knows I’m here,” I cut her off as my feet gained momentum. I was jogging down the sidewalk, surrounded by old buildings and scary looking houses, looking for a street sign.
“Where are you?” she asked, her voice serious. I heard movement in the background, then the hum of my engine as she began driving.
“I—I don’t know. I’m looking for a street sign. I’m out of The Pit, by some old buildings,” I rushed out, rounding the corner of a building. In the distance, I heard an engine rev, its power echoing down the empty street.
When I came to the other side, I spotted a gas station. “I’m by an Exxon,” I told her.
“Okay, okay. Let me put that into my GPS. Hold on. I’ll call you back.”
Biting my lip, I stopped jogging and leaned against the building. He was alive. He was happy. That’s all I needed to know.
“I can finally let go,” I told myself, tipping my head back to the night sky. I closed my eyes, feeling thankful for the first time in a long time.
I saw a flash, and I opened my eyes again, looking down the street from where I came. My heart stopped for the second time tonight as the headlights drew closer and closer to me, a powerful engine rumbling behind them. The black car swerved before coming to a stop against the curve.
Every fiber in my body was telling me to run, but for some reason, I couldn’t. I was paralyzed. The car shut off, the headlights dying, and then the driver’s side door opened. The second I saw his hair, I braced. The second his eyes landed on me, I wished I’d run.
Fury. So much fury. It consumed him. It radiated from him.
Yet, he was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
With calculated steps, he rounded the front of the car, stepping onto the sidewalk.
My mouth decided that this was the appropriate time to open. “Cain—”
Suddenly, instead of the creepy man crowding me against the wall, it was Cain. His hands slammed against the brick on either side of my head as I let out a yelp. His throat was in my line of vision, his scent all around me. For the first time in over a year, I felt at peace. The noise in my head hushed, leaving me in a warm, comfortable silence. Nothing else mattered—school, my parents’ broken marriage, the ghost in the window across from mine, or the constant worry I had over Cain. He was here.
Finally.
“Look at me,” he demanded harshly.
My eye flicked up to meet his, and I was lost in his icy gaze.
His nostrils flared as he glared down at me, a muscle in his cheek jumping. “Are you fucking stupid?” he bit off.
“Most likely,” I breathed, not blinking. I didn’t want to miss a single second of this.
Cain leaned down, baring his white teeth to me. “This is no time to be fucking cute, Dominique. What the fuck are you doing here?”
I opened my mouth, but the sound of a whistle had both of our heads snapping to the side. The warmth I’d been feeling vanished all together as I watched a group of three men make their way towards us. Cain remained silent, shifting his arm to conceal my face.
When I looked back to him, the look in his eyes forced my hands to latch onto his hoodie. “Do you know those men?”
He returned his attention to me once more, his eyes hard. Shaking his head slightly, he growled, “Follow my lead.”
Before I could ask him what the plan was, he closed in, his lips crashing against mine.
A shock of electricity cut through me, scattering throughout my body, charging me. I whimpered at the contact. I’d never been kissed before. I didn’t know what to do, but that didn’t stop my eyes from closing.
Then, a very low, soft groan came from his throat, and he tilted his head to the side. The sound was like a song to me. I wanted to hear more of it. I needed to hear more of it. His tongue touched my lips, and I opened for him, gasping. Wasting no time, he plunged in, my tongue meeting his as his lips moved against mine.
Follow my lead.
Follow my lead.
Follow my lead.
For shits and giggles, I told myself.
My fingers straightened and pressed into his hoodie, feeling his solid body underneath as my lips began to move with his. One of the men whistled again, followed by some chuckles. Cain shifted, pressing his body against me. Then, I felt his hands cupping my head, his fingers snaking into my hair.
“Leave them alone,” one of the men barked. “That man isn’t going to share her.”
I tensed.
“My lead,” Cain grunted softly against my lips.
As the men’s footsteps faded away, Cain continued kissing me, his thumbs sweeping back and forth across my cheeks. He caught my bottom lip between his teeth, sending another wave of electricity through me. I felt a throb between my legs. I’d always felt it anytime I thought about him, remembering the last time I saw him—the way he’d held me against him.
I whimpered again, my hands fisting his hoodie as I pulled him closer. His weight pressed me further into the brick, and I felt something against my lower stomach. He grunted into my mouth, biting my lip before releasing it. His tongue swooped in again as his fingers tangled in my hair.
“Fuck,” he growled against my lips, kissing me harder—faster.
I liked that.
I liked when he growled. The sound was…unlike anything I’d ever heard before. A sound escaped me, and he pulled away. Then, his lips were on my jaw, trailing down my neck as I tried to catch my breath. Another low sound left him as soon as his lips touched my neck. He shifted again, and I gasped as he shoved his knee between my legs while his other hand dropped down, sliding around my waist, anchoring me to him. The throbbing became more intense, and I felt a tingle in my breasts.
My body moved on its own, my hips rocking slightly against him.
Cain’s teeth scraped against the sensitive skin on my neck as his grip on my hair tightened. It only encouraged me, my hips moving faster, the hardness of his leg providing just the right pressure. He growled in my ear, his hands going to my hips, moving me harder and faster against his leg.
I let out a whimper before his lips found mine again, his tongue invading me, tasting me. His fingers squeezed me, holding tight as he moved my lower body against his thigh. Something was building—something beautiful. His lips left me again, trailing down my neck, his teeth grazing my skin.
“Cain,” I gasped.
“Yeah, baby,” he pushed out.
Baby.
My hands snapped up to his biceps, holding on for dear life as my legs began to shake. “I—I—,” I choked out on a moan.
He growled again, this time into my skin as his hands snaked to my ass, guiding me still. “Dammit, clover,” he pushed out. “Fuck.”
A smile stretched across my skin.
He was back.
I had my Cain back.
Pleasure zapped through my body. “Touch me,” I pleaded.
I felt his tongue at my ear. “Fucking drive me insane, you know that?” he clipped.
Words weren’t an option. It was here. My chest heaved as I gasped for breath, rotating my hips faster and harder, my core rubbing just right against his strong powerful thigh. I moaned, my eyelids fluttering as hot, blinding pleasure took over.
This was a climax.
Cain was making me—
I cried out, my thighs tensing around his.
“Fuck, yeah,” Cain grunted, his hands moving me faster, adding to the pleasure. His lips met mine again, kissing me until I couldn’t comprehend anything.
Then, all too soon, I was released from him. He staggered back, chest heaving, eyes the darkest I’d ever seen them. Our harsh breaths were the only sound I could hear, aside from my racing heart. I watched as he looked around for the men, and when he did look back at me, I noticed how swollen his lips were. Slowly, I brought my fingers up to my own as warmth pooled between my legs, evidence of what he’d done to me.
Cain kissed me.
Cain…
We…I…
We stared at each other for some time, a heavy, scary silence between us.
Minutes later, I heard my name being shouted. Reality came crashing back.
I broke Cain’s gaze and looked over to find my car at the gas station, Macy running towards me. She cried out for me, and goosebumps spread across my skin like wildfire. Cain and I would have to figure everything out later.
I pushed off the wall, running to her. “Macy?” I shouted, worry in my voice.
“Nikki!”
We collided in the middle of the street, arms going around each other.
She was shaking against me. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice shaking. She pushed me away, hands on my shoulders. “Are you hurt?”
I noticed the tears in her eyes, her new mascara running down her cheeks. “I’m fine, Macy. I’m okay. Are you okay? Why are you crying?”
She threw her hands out to her sides, screaming. “Because I couldn’t find you!”
A hand clamped around my arm, and I whirled to find Cain glaring at me. His eyes were normal once more, the blue brighter than the stars above. “Get out of the fucking street,” he ordered, dragging me to the gas station. I reached back for Macy’s hand. Once we were under the bright lights, surrounded by gas pumps, he looked at Macy. “Get in the car. I need a word with Dominique.”
Macy looked at me, and I gave her a nod. “I’ll be just a minute,” I promised, heat still in my cheeks.
Had she noticed my swollen lips? The blush in my cheeks?
When she was inside the car, Cain grabbed my wrist and led to away from the pumps, closer to the building. He let me go, turning to face me, his body half hidden in the shadows.
“You can’t come back here, Dominique,” he stated.
I flinched at his tone, confused. “Excuse me?”
He ran his hand through his hair, causing the sleeve of his hoodie to pull back, and I got of glimpse of the ink covering his wrist. “I didn’t stutter. You don’t belong in The Pit.”
“I didn’t come here for The Pit, Cain. I came here for you,” I shot back, pain beginning to form inside my chest. “I came here to make sure you were okay.”
He shook his head, laughing slightly. “Why the hell would you risk your life—not to mention your friend’s life—for that?”
“Because you’re my friend,” I told him, thinking about what just happened between us. “You’re more than that—
Then, he was in my space, snarling, “What did I tell you last year? Huh?”
I was taken aback. What the hell had changed between a few minutes ago and now?
We’d just shared something—something wonderful.
Why was he acting like this?
Why couldn’t I be here?
What was so bad about wanting to be around him?
My eyes flicked across the street and back to him. “What about what just happened between us?” The question came out as a whisper—fleeting and weak.
His jaw ticked, but his eyes never left my face as he said, “It shouldn’t have happened.”
Pain flickered in my chest, the spark ready to destroy everything I thought I’d gotten back.
“Why don’t you want me in your life?” I whispered, my eyes scanning his face. “What did I do to make you hate me?”
Pain slashed in his icy eyes, but he blinked it away quickly. “Leave. Now.”
“You just kissed me,” I continued whispering. “You kissed me. You kept kissing me. You…” I trailed off, the lump in my throat becoming too much. I was too embarrassed now.
A shadow fell over his face, and the next words out of his mouth threatened to shatter me into a million pieces as he backed away. “I kissed you because if I hadn’t, those men would’ve done much worse. Do you understand that? I kissed you because it was the only way to fucking save you.” He looked me up and down. “I’m a fucking guy. Of course I got carried away.”
That hurt, but I had a feeling he was far from done.
An engine roared in the distance, growing louder by the second. My neck twisted just in time to see a red corvette slow down in front of the gas station. The shadowed figure in the driver’s seat shifted, and I could feel eyes on me.
When I looked back to Cain, I found him glaring at the driver, his body completely still. Alarm bells went off in my head.
Who was that?
When I looked back to the car, it peeled away from the curve, speeding off into the night.
“Who was that?” I asked, looking back at Cain.
He ignored my question. “You don’t fucking belong here. Go home to your loving parents, do your homework, and be a good girl. You don’t belong in my world.”
“Cain—”
He surged forward, lingering over me as his upper lip curled. “This isn’t some fucking game. This isn’t a fairytale. Get the fuck out of here. You and me are nothing. Do you understand?”
“You don’t mean that,” I breathed, tears stinging my eyes.
As he took a step back, he broke me.
“I. Don’t. Want. You.”
Each word was a hard blow to the chest, like bullets firing off.
It wasn’t the words themselves; it was the venom lingering behind them. “I never want to see you again,” he quipped.
No. I refused to listen to that bullshit. “That’s bullshit, Cain,” I shot back, my voice shaking.
His eyes flashed. “Don’t fucking come back here, Dominique.”
“You don’t own me. I choose where I want to go. You don’t get to—”
“You racing in that car?” he asked, cutting me off and gesturing to my Honda.
I was silent.
He gave me a cruel chuckle as he looked to the ground, nodding to himself. “Right.” When he raised his head again, my Cain was gone. The boy I’d grown up with was gone. In his place was a cruel stranger. “You have no interest in racing. You have no reason to be in The Pits. If I catch you here again, you’re going to have a very serious problem.”
I scoffed, letting a tear fall. “Why? You going to hurt me?”
Cain’s jaw flexed. Then, he snapped his fingers and pointed to my car. “Get in, drive away, and never come back. That clear?”
A new realization slammed into me then.
What if he was protecting me from something? What if…what if he was in danger? What if that driver…
Dark thoughts invaded my mind, poisoning me.
The Pit wasn’t some popular hangout. Bad people ran it, and last year, the cops had a huge drug bust involving some Pit drivers. They were gang leaders. I
“Dominique,” Cain barked.
My head shot up to meet his gaze once more. “What are you hiding?”
“Go home.” With that, he left me.
I watched as he walked across the street, folded into his car, and took off. The old Cain would’ve made sure I got into the car. The old Cain would’ve been kind to me instead of trying to push me away.
“I’m going to find you again,” I promised his red taillights in a whisper, and I looked to my Honda, knowing the choice I had to make.
Months later, after graduation and a lot of practice, I showed up to The Pits ready to race. I raced two times, losing the money I’d won from the first race.
I made connections.
I talked to people, and by the end of the night, I was terrified.
No one had seen Cain in over eight months.
I’d been right.
He had been in danger.
The fear ate at me, chewing me up from the inside out. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. My dad was worried, and after a long discussion, I told him I needed to take a year before going to college. I lied and told him I wanted to travel. He agreed and gave me access to the savings account he started for me when I was baby, the one that Mom didn’t know about. It wasn’t much, but I was grateful. In the middle of summer, I packed my bags and said goodbye.
My parents thought I was going to travel the country, so I could see all the wonders of America.
I didn’t care about that.
I only care about finding Cain.
Years passed. I moved from city to city, making connections in the car communities, searching.
I never found him.
Then, I got a letter.