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“Fuck this.” I give him my back and storm toward Kipley’s Tahoe.
“Levi, where’re you going?” Kip calls from behind me.
“I’m not waiting. I’m going to Clara’s.”
“Levi, wait—” He grabs for my shoulder, but I throw his hand off me, whipping around. I can no longer hide the horror in my eyes when I stare at my best friend, fearing the worst has happened to his little sister and it’s all my fault.
“I can’t wait. I need to do something. She came after me…I should have known she would. She would have never allowed me to leave the bar like that. And I know that! If I would have just waited, we could have talked it out. I could have at least taken her home. Sent her back—”
“Jesus man, stop!” Kipley wraps his hands around my shoulders and shakes me. “This is not your fault. This is that little psycho fucker’s fault. And we don’t even know that’s what happened. Have faith, man.”
I want to have faith. I want to bask in the idea that she’s safe somewhere being the Hannah we all know, reckless and annoying. That she’ll pop out wherever, her hair in disarray, her face flushed with understanding that she’s in trouble.
“Kip—”
“I get it. She’s my sister. I love her too. Let’s go. I’m driving.” I stare at Kip for a quick second, then nod, slamming back on my heel as we both race to his car.
“Where you boys going?” Jim calls from a few feet away, pulling his phone from his ear.
“Clara Hill’s. If they won’t do something, we’re going to,” I say. Jim takes in my words. Strong with devotion. I hold his gaze long enough for him to understand. I would do anything for his daughter. He nods once, and I take that as his approval.
The forty-five-minute drive is quiet. There’s nothing to say that will eliminate the miles between us and Hannah or make the drive go by faster. God, please be there and be safe. The silence only encourages my mind to stir up more memories.
“Hey, Levi?”
Hannah calls my name. I’m half asleep with her naked and snuggled up next to me. She rests on my chest while I play with her wild hair. “Yeah, babe?”
“When we were kids…well, when I was a kid I guess, since you were always an adult to me, did you ever…ever…notice me?”
Her body stiffens. I give her credit for her bold question. I’m sure she feels the gentle rumbling of my chest. “Never mind, stupid question. I was terribly—”
“Remember your junior year? You wanted to go to the dance so bad, but you weren’t asked?” Her body deflates against mine. A deep breath fans over my chest. “Okay, not what I thought you would bring up. Don’t remind me what a loser—”
“I was home visiting from law school and Kip and I had made plans to head down south to catch that NFL game. Tickets cost me a fortune. I had to get two credit cards to pay for them.”
“But I thought you guys didn’t end up going to the game. It was rained out or something?”
I pull my fingers through her hair, loving the way her chestnut locks fall against her bare back in waves. “It wasn’t.”
Hannah lifts her head, her eyes finding mine. “I don’t understand…”
“I may not be a Matthews, but I always felt at home there. When I got back, I came straight to your house. It was my sanctuary too. I never said it, but I got homesick a lot when I was away at law school. I missed family poker night and your mom’s meatloaf. Missed the chaos of your home and…well, other things.” She keeps eye contact with me the whole time I babble, but there’s that twinkle, wanting me to get to the point. “Anywho…when I walked down the hallway to surprise Kip, I passed your bedroom. The door was slightly open, and I heard you crying. I didn’t want to impose, but it still didn’t stop me from standing by your door longer than appropriate listening to you cry and wishing beyond anything I could make it better.”
She grunts, her head falling back onto my chest. “God, how embarrassing. I think I cried so much, my eyes looked like two bee stings. And you and Kipley were forced to endure my presence all night and hang out with me since you guys didn’t go to the game.”
I lock my fingers back into her hair, brushing it away and teasing the lining of her neck. “Our team won twenty-seven to seven that night.”
That grabs her attention. Her head arches up at me. “What do you…I thought…”
“Kipley told me why you were so upset. You deserved to go to that dance as much as any girl in your school. And for some reason, seeing you so upset did something to me. I hated it. I almost went and beat up every single loser in your school for not thinking to ask you.”
