High-Sided: An Armed & Dangerous Novel (7 page)

We loaded everything into my car and headed toward the church. “I can’t believe my dad is having tryouts next week. It’s too soon.”

Sean shook his head. “Just because Levi’s gone, doesn’t mean time stops, Kass. We still have a business to run.”

I knew that, but it hurt to know we would fill Levi’s spot on the team. “What if nobody wants to tryout? We’re starting to get a bad reputation. Everyone who works for us either gets in an accident, framed, or killed.”

“The police are working on the case as we speak. They’ll find the ones responsible.”

“And if they don’t, it’ll never stop. My dad still hasn’t told me what he’s hiding.” He wanted to protect me, but keeping me in the dark could be just as dangerous. I was planning a visit with Ethan, to demand he tell me what was going on. “Has your mother said anything about it?” I asked.

He shook his head. “She’s as pissed as you are. She doesn’t know anything either.”

My mother had never talked about Dad much after they divorced, and it made me wonder if they’d separated because of his secrets. I thought I knew my dad well, but had started to believe otherwise.

We got to the church early. Levi’s parents asked if I would stand up with them and meet the guests, since I was Levi’s best friend. What I wanted to do was hide in a corner and cry, but I had to stay strong. Although, every time someone came by bawling their eyes out, I could feel my resolve slipping away.

My father stood in the back, talking to Angela and Donnie Baker, while some of Donnie’s racers conversed with Sean. Out of all the racing teams, they were the nicest, for the most part. They were always going to be our competition, and with that, tensions would rise during race time, but in the end they were good people—unlike the Hendrix team.

The only thing I knew about Brad Hendrix was that he was an arrogant douche. That must be the personality trait he looked for in all of his riders. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was the one behind all of my father’s problems. Jealousy could make people do evil things.

A set of arms wrapped around my neck and I snapped to attention. I didn’t realize I had spaced out. “Kassidy, I am so sorry,” Janie cried. I hugged her back, but my throat was too tight to speak. She pulled away and wiped her tears away with a tissue. “I tried calling you numerous times the past two days.”

I nodded. “I know. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t. Today’s the first time I’ve been out of my house.”

Taking my arm, she glanced nervously at Levi’s parents, then back to me. “Do you mind if we go somewhere and talk?”

Levi’s mom, Maria, overheard her and nodded for me to go. Her brown eyes were the same as Levi’s and it hurt to look in them, but it was his father he resembled more than anything. “Go, sweetheart,” Maria said. “You’ve done enough.”

“I’ll be back in a few.”

Janie led me to what looked to be a bible study room, and shut the door behind us.

“Something’s wrong. I can hear it in your voice,” I told her.

She looked down at her hands and sighed. “The cops released Mark and Jacob this morning.”

“What?” I gasped, eyes wide.

Her head lifted and she nodded. “They weren’t the ones who ran Levi off the road. That’s why I tried to get in touch with you. I wanted to tell you what I knew.”

The room spun, so I sat down in one of the classroom chairs. “If they didn’t do it, then who did?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured sadly. “But I was with Mark and Jacob the whole night of the fight. After we rode through the gap, we went back to my brother’s house and grilled out. They never left my sight.”

A knock sounded on the door and Sean stuck his head in. “Kass, you okay?”

I waved him in. “No, but there’s nothing that can be done about it.” He nodded at Janie and walked in. “Did you know Mark and Jacob were released?”

His jaw clenched. “Just found out. That’s why I came to find you.”

“Who told you?” Janie asked.

He glanced at her, then turned a wary look my way. “They just arrived with Brad Hendrix. I wanted to warn you before you walked back into the church and saw them.”

My blood boiled like fire in my veins. I marched to the door so fast, even Sean couldn’t catch me when I slipped past him, ignoring his pleas for me to stop.

The second I stormed into the church, it didn’t take long to spot them. They stood at the end of the receiving line, waiting to meet Levi’s parents. But I didn’t want them anywhere near them. Brad Hendrix had on an expensive suit with a high dollar watch to go along with his perfectly coifed, dirty blond hair. We all knew he was from a wealthy family, but he made sure to show it. No matter how much money his racing team had, they still weren’t the best; they never would be.

Mark noticed me first and nudged Jacob in the side. He turned to look at me, and tensed as I charged forward.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I roared. Gasps erupted all around us.

Brad stepped to the side and held up his hands. “We’re here to pay our respects, Ms. Bennett.”

I glared at him. “I wasn’t talking to you.” He didn’t like being dismissed, but I’d lost my ability to play nice. Jacob and Mark looked uncomfortable, and that was what I wanted. “You need to leave,” I warned them. “We all know you sorry pieces of shit hate us, including Levi. This place is for his friends and family.”

My whole body shook and I was on the verge of tears. Sean whispered something in Levi’s father’s ear. He stormed over with the same look on his face that Levi got when he was mad. “Kassidy’s right. This place is for Levi’s friends and family.”

Brad puffed up and placed his hands on Mark and Jacob’s shoulders. “Let’s go, boys.”

Jacob turned out of his hold to face me, eyes wild. He grabbed my arms and I gasped. “I’m not a killer, goddammit. I would never hurt someone like that. You have to believe me.”

Sean was about to push him off, but I beat him to it, punching Jacob in his lower jaw. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and I didn’t even feel the pain, even though I’d heard something crack in my hand. “I don’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth,” I hissed. “Now get out of here, before I make sure you never get a ride out of anyone ever again.”

Brad grabbed his arm and pulled him from the church. Everyone in the room stared at me, making me want to hide.

My father wrapped his arms around me and I cried against his chest. “I’m proud of you, peanut. It makes me feel good to see you standing up for those you love.”

“You need to tell me the truth,” I whispered. “You can’t keep me in the dark any longer.”

He sighed. “I know. I’ll tell you everything soon, I promise. But let’s make today for Levi.” It was another excuse, but I’d let it slide. His time was running out.

The service went by fast, and all I did was stare at Levi’s picture on top of his casket. I wanted to see him one last time, but his parents thought it best to close it. They wanted everyone to remember Levi the way he was before the accident. When he’d wrecked, his body was thrown over the guardrail and down the mountain. It wasn’t far from his house. I drove the long way around to his house this morning so I didn’t have to see where he was killed.

Sean was one of the pallbearers, including our other riders: Trey, Daniel, and Miller. Before they picked up the casket to carry Levi outside, we all picked a rose out of the arrangement on top. Maria held onto my hand as we followed them out of the church to the cemetery. The sky was downcast and gray, the exact way I felt inside.

“Do you mind speaking about Levi? You two were so close. No one knew him as well as you,” she cried.

We sat down under the tent and the preacher stood up by Levi’s casket to give a final eulogy. “I don’t know if I can,” I whispered.

She squeezed my hand. “Please, Kassidy. Harold and I need to hear about him.”

My throat closed up and I nodded. “Okay.” I couldn’t tell her no.

Once the preacher was done, he glanced down at Maria and she patted my hand. “It’s time, sweetheart.”

Holding the single red rose in my hand, I walked up to Levi’s casket and placed it on top. I rested my hand over it and closed my eyes, envisioning him smiling in my mind.
Goodbye, Levi. I’m gonna miss you.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and peered out at everyone. There were no smiles, only silent cries and weary faces. My chest grew tight, so I rubbed the area over my heart, hoping the pain would ease. Clearing my throat, I swallowed hard. “For those who might not know me, I’m Kassidy Bennett. Levi was my best friend. His mother asked me to come up and speak on his behalf, and I realized there are no words that can describe how amazing he was. All of you knew him, so you know what I’m talking about.”

Several people nodded and gave small, encouraging smiles. “Levi and I had been friends for most of our lives. Even though he hated it, I would always ask him to join me for my tea parties when we were kids. Wanting to make me happy, he did it. But in return, I had to play paintball with him. He sure loved shooting me with those things. It hurt like hell too.” I massaged an imaginary wound on my arm and heard some chuckles from the crowd.

“As we got older, things changed, but our friendship remained steady. I remember his first girlfriend and how nervous he was to take her on a date. We knew each other’s fears and helped one another through them. He was always my protector, and it kills me that I couldn’t be there to protect him at the end.” Tears fell down my cheeks and I closed my eyes as everything closed in around me. I couldn’t look at the crowd anymore, so I turned to the casket and placed my hands on top.

“Levi was there for me when my mom died, and I keep waiting for him to show up and tell me everything will be okay. Only it won’t be, because he’s the one who’s gone now. We shared a passion for motorcycles and it was always his dream to be one of the best racers in the world. I never got to tell him he already was.” My throat tightened up to the point it hurt. No more words would pass from my lips. I wiped away my tears and hurried back to my seat.

When I sat down, I turned to look back at my dad for some support, only to feel my heart rip open even more. Standing beside him, staring straight at me, was the one man I thought I’d never see again. After eight years, he’d finally come back.

I
didn’t know what to expect when I saw her for the first time again, but the last thing I wanted to see was the pain in her eyes. It reminded me of the way she looked at me all those years ago. Levi had kept me updated on her and I knew she hated me, but she was never good at hiding her feelings.