Chapter 38
Rory
I zoom along the road from Grandma’s place to On the Rocks, glad that it’s later than I normally show up and maybe the bar will be less crowded, quieter, and we can have an actual conversation.
It’s a cold night and I’m glad I threw another layer under my leather jacket. Of course, I have my gloves and boots on, cutting the chill down further.
The moon is out, bright and full ahead of me, and the street is fairly empty. One of the big turns is coming up, and I reach for the brake on the right handlebar, only to find air instead, and my stomach drops.
I fumble, reaching out, thinking for sure the brake is there somewhere, but it’s not.
I break into a cold sweat and belatedly hit the pedal on the right foot peg, triggering the rear brake.
It’s there, thank god, but because of the delay I’m now taking the turn too quickly and just barely manage to stay upright.
The rear brake isn’t as powerful as the front brake, and I almost have too much momentum.
I slow, pulling over to the shoulder and easing to a stop. My knee jitters, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to hold the bike upright so I quickly engage the stand and hop off.
Yup, my knees are weak, I’m sweating under my clothes, and I feel like I can’t breathe.
That could have been bad—really bad. If I’d flown off the road at the curve, who knows how long it would have been until someone had found me. Morgan wasn’t expecting me, Grandma might assume I’d be gone all night.
I rip my helmet off and put my hands on my knees, taking big, gulping inhales of air.
Did that really just happen? Even though the adrenaline that’s coursing through me is sharp and unpleasant, I still straighten up, grab my phone from my jacket pocket, and turn on the light.
The brake handle can’t be gone. I’ve heard of this happening once before, but it was a mechanic’s error and I haven’t had anyone else touch my bike in ages. How would that have happened?
Maybe it’s because my flashlight is on, blinding me. Or maybe it’s that my bike is still on, the engine noise covering all other sounds up.
Either way, I don’t see the dark vehicle coming at me until it’s too late.