Page 50 of Desert King

With my arms snug, around him, we fly. Past the mountains and desert sky. The stars come down, smiling at us. I sigh, breathing in deeply. There’s no dust in the air tonight. It’s just perfect. Finally, he turns back toward town, parking in the lot by the bridge. His shoulders shake and he’s breathing hard. “Tarak?”

He gets off the bike, holds his sides, doubling over in pain. I hop off, placing a hand on his arm. “It’s her truck. Mandy’s,” he rasps.

“What? No? It can’t be?”

“Let me guess,” he grits out. “That’s the truck Edge gave you.”

“Oh my god! He wouldn’t…”

“He did. And I’m going to kill him for it. This is a message, Amber. A message for me. One I can’t ignore.”

“How? I thought her truck was totaled?”

“Me too.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I just need to ride again. And clear my head. I’m so pissed off right now I won’t be good company. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Edge.” He walks over, pulls me to him, placing a hard kiss against my lips. “I’ll call you later.”

I nod, watching him ride off. I can’t even go near the truck. I feel sick. Used. I’m living a dead girl’s life. Stepped right into her shoes and I don’t want to wear them anymore.

I wander around town, find an outdoor beer and wine bar and order a cold long-neck Bud Light. But I don’t want to be around people. One of the benefits post COVID is outdoor beer gardens and the right to walk in public with a cold one in hand. I take my beer and walk, finding a small hill past the garden. Night’s fallen. Blanketing me in the darkness. The Earth is warm as I plop my ass down. From beneath the hill, notes of the music float up from a street band. Lifting the beer to my lips, I take a long swig. I’m lost in thoughts, transfixing my gaze to the distance.

“Pass it over.” My eyes narrow as Regan sits next to me. Shrugging, I hand her the bottle. “What he did wasn’t that bad.”

“You heard?”

“Tarak, texted.”

“Are you kidding? He gave me a dead girl’s car.”

“She doesn’t need it anymore.”

A chill runs down my spine. “It was cruel.”

“I don’t see it that way.”

“Really?” I hold my hand out for the beer. She passes it back.

“It was completely crushed. Now it’s fully restored. I bet he did it all himself. Edge fixes things. So, does Tarak.”

“They both loved her.”

“Immensely. But she chose my brother. Who are you going to choose?” Her dark eyes pin me down.

“Who says I have?” I play dumb.

“I wish that were true. He only sees you,” she mutters.

“No one sees me.”

“They do now.”

“That’s the problem. I shouldn’t have had to change for that to have happened.”

“He always saw you. Why is it always somebody else and not me?”

“Edge?” I ask.

She nods. I pass her back the beer. “That would start a war.”

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