PROLOGUE
SUN
The warm wind hits my face, miles flying by beneath the wheels, and the sun flashes off Dogger’s helmet. I feel weightless, free, and so damn happy. That wild, reckless joy bubbles up inside me, like it always does when I hop on his bike, when I catch the scent of his leather jacket.
The thrill fills every cell in my body, every inch of my skin humming with light, like I’m radiating pure bliss. Every part of me wants to lift off, to soar with the wind.
Dogger and I are like a perfectly tuned machine. We move in sync. We get each other in every way. We love speed. We love freedom. We love chasing the horizon, heading for places we’ve never been.
Sometimes, when I ride with him, I just laugh out loud.
I giggle like an idiot because I’m so stupidly happy and all that energy has to go somewhere.
It feels like I’m blasting into the sky, a rocket, flying through the clouds.
A wild falcon, lifting off higher and higher, and Dogger’s always right there beside me.
Today we’re climbing Crooked Hill in Rockfall, pushing the engine to its limit. We hit the top, look out over the world, and scream at the sky, letting it all out. Then we kiss, make out, and laugh like nothing else exists. The world stops turning just for us.
Every day with Dogger is an adventure. He always comes up with something new and exciting. Sometimes we’re out until dark, and I sneak back in through the garden, past my parents, without them noticing.
But today isn’t over. We’re heading toward Springfield, planning to swing by the Thompsons’ club for a barbecue. A few of Dogger’s buddies usually hang out there on weekends. But right in the middle of my little bliss bubble… something starts feeling off.
Instead of taking the state road, Dogger turns by the warehouse. He’s heading toward my house.
I tap his shoulder. He doesn’t respond. A minute later, we pull up at our usual drop-off spot, far enough from my parents’ place that they won’t hear the engine. That’s when irritation starts to simmer in my chest.
As soon as the engine cuts, I swing off the bike and yank off my helmet.
"What’s going on, Dogger? We were supposed to hit the state road. Springfield, remember?"
Dogger takes off his helmet too and turns to gaze at me.
"This is your stop, kiddo. Plans changed."
"What? What about the Thompsons’ BBQ? I thought we were going," I say, totally thrown.
He leans forward, then gets off the bike. His face looks… different. Sad, maybe. Or angry? Or just determined. Something’s shifted, and I don’t know why.
"What is it?" I lower my voice, because I can tell he’s about to say something serious. There’s a twitch at the corner of his mouth, his tell. I know Dogger’s face better than anyone’s.
"This is where we say goodbye."
It doesn’t register.
"What the hell are you talking about? The BBQ, remember?"
He goes quiet, those deep dark eyes locked on mine. He looks like he’s fighting with himself. Then he pulls out his phone as if to check the time, but I know he’s reading a text. I grit my teeth.
"What the fuck is going on, Dogger? Just spit it out."
His eyes lift from the screen, and whatever he saw seems to harden his resolve. His jaw tightens, and then, like a punch to the chest, he says it.
"This is it, Sun. You and me. We’re done. It was great. Thanks for everything. But this is where our paths split."
I stare at him like he’s a ghost. His lips move, but those words don’t even make sense. He wouldn’t say that. Not after two years together, two years of love, passion, being everything to each other. We were each other’s worlds. Is it some kind of joke?
"What the hell are you saying, Dogger? We’re great together. Everything’s been fine!"
His sun-kissed face looks distant, like he’s already gone.
"Yes. Still, this is where we part ways," he repeats, weirdly calm.
"If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll find out myself. You can’t hide this. Is there someone else? Tell me, you fucker!"
He gazes down at his phone again, and something in me snaps. Why does he keep staring at it like it matters more than me? I smack it out of his hand and the cell hits the ground.
Dogger lunges for it, but I’m faster. I snatch up the phone and glance at the screen.
"They’re here. They’re looking for you. Run or rot. Your choice."
A chill shoots through me. My whole body trembles. I don’t even feel it when Dogger yanks the phone back. There’s fury and heartbreak blazing in his eyes.
"Calm down, Sun!" he growls.
"That’s a message from Tom. What the hell did you do, Dogger?"
He looks away, jaw clenched tight. He’s eighteen, just turned last month, but his face is already sharp and manly. Angular jaw, strong nose. The type I like. He appears older than he is, but right now? He seems like just a scared kid.
"It’s the damn Hansons. Me and Johnny ran into Pitt Hanson last Thursday outside Roger’s bar."
"So? We’re supposed to stay away from those psychos. You didn’t do something stupid, did you?"
Dogger’s jaw tightens even more.
"Well… things escalated. We started fighting. Didn’t seem serious at first. But then he pulled a knife.
Johnny lost it when Pitt swung at him…" He swallows hard, clearly embarrassed.
"They started grappling, shoving. Pitt jumped Johnny with the blade, and I…
I hit him with a bat. Hard. He dropped like a rock. "
"But he started it! What, now they want revenge?"
"No. You don’t get it. Pitt’s dead. He died last night at the hospital. Brain bleed or something."
Silence slams down.
My heart’s pounding so loud, like it’s trying to break out of my chest. The ground feels like it’s tilting under me.
"Holy shit. What a mess. So what now?"
Dogger rolls his eyes and lets out a bitter breath.
"What now? Now it’s not your problem, Sun. I’m out."
"What do you mean, not my problem?" I grab his jacket, my fingers curling in the black leather, breathing in that familiar mix of wind, asphalt, and dry grass.
"We’ll run away together," I whisper. "We’ll hide. They won’t find us."
But Dogger just laughs, cold and bitter. He grips my wrists and gently but firmly pushes me away.
"What are you talking about? You’re sixteen. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. I’m not dragging you down with me. This is my mess, and I have to deal with it alone."
I don’t believe him. Because we’re inseparable. In-se-pa-ra-ble.
Semper fi , goddammit.
"You’re insane. I’m not leaving you, Dogger. Never!"
I try to grab him again, but he steps back. I stumble slightly, and still… none of this feels real. The whole world sways like the ground has turned to jelly.
"You’ve completely lost it. You don’t even get what you’re signing up for.
This isn’t the kind of life I ever wanted for you.
Besides, you’re still a kid. You can’t leave the country without your parents’ permission.
So we’re done, Sun. I messed up, big time.
And now I have to get the hell out of here.
Jamal knows some people. He’s helping me… "
He already has a plan? It’s already decided? So this whole fucking awesome day was his goodbye? I squeeze my eyes shut, but it’s no use. Tears start leaking out anyway. I have to say something. Do something. Stop this.
"Please, Dogger! We can figure this out! My uncle Van, he’s ex-police. Used to be the chief. He’s retired now, but he still has connections. We can help you! You’ll get a lighter sentence, this is your first offense."
Dogger shakes his head. I see it all over his face, that hard determination. He’s made up his mind. He steps back. I’m not changing it.
Slower this time, I follow him. I press my hands to his chest.
I have to try. One more time.
"I’m begging you. Please don’t do this. Don’t run. We can face this. We can beat it. It was self-defense. He attacked you guys!"
Dogger whispers, "Sun… there were two of us and only one of him. That’s gonna be tough to argue in court."
Silence drops between us. My breath is shaky, thoughts spinning in all directions. I’m trying to find something. An answer, a shot, a miracle. I refuse to just give up.
Dogger stares at me like he’s reading every sentence starting inside my mind.
Then he leans in. His lips brush mine, soft, fleeting, electric. And then he pulls back and climbs onto his bike like it’s nothing.
I’m frozen, still not processing what just happened. It doesn’t feel real, some nightmare I’ll wake up from tomorrow. Or next week. It can’t really be goodbye. Not forever.
"So that’s it?" I whisper, stunned. "We’re never gonna see each other again?" My voice breaks. "No. I don’t accept that. Please, take me with you!"
A sob tears from my chest.
I see it, the pain on his face, raw and sharp, like it’s cutting him open. He looks away.
"I hope you have a fucking amazing life, Sun. That’s what I wish for you. Because you’re amazing. And… I love you. Always, kiddo."
Another, even louder, sob rips out of me so violently it hurts. I drop to my knees in the dirt.
"Dogger… why? Why, why, why?"
"Because I’m a goddamn idiot, Sun. I fucked everything up, and I have to pay. That’s how life works. Consequences."
For some reason, he raises his head and glances up at the sky. There’s a falcon over us, sailing the wind gusts. I blankly trace its flight.
It seems so carefree and light, the opposite of how I feel now.
Then Dogger’s eyes shift toward me again and his jaw tightens. His whole face hardens.
"You’re free now. Just… promise me you won’t do anything stupid, okay? Don’t go making the kind of mistakes I did. Don’t get yourself wrapped up in any more shit."
Then he starts the engine, and the roar of his bike rips through me like a tornado of thorns and grief.
And as he rides off, all I can do is cry. Loud. Hysterical. Wild.
My fingers dig into the sandy road. It feels like I’ve lost everything, something’s being ripped out of me and taken away with him. Like my heart is being dragged behind that motorbike.