“Yes, you skipped town for years.” I grab my coffee and bump his shoulder with the side of the cup. “Is that what I’m supposed to do?”
“No, that’s what I don’t want to happen. Skip that part. From experience, I can tell you, it’s miserable. Talk to her. Maybe you can work shit out.”
“Even if we do work shit out, what am I supposed to tell my family? They hate her.”
“Your family is understanding and forgiving.”
“And you’re usually not, so what gives? Why are you all of a sudden Team Chloe?”
“Let me make this clear; I’m always Team Motherfucking Kyle. Always. As for that, I see this is tearing you apart. You liked her, or still like her, but won’t listen to her side of the story. No matter what, you owe her that.” He inhales a deep breath. “When everything came to the surface with why Lauren did what she did, a heavy weight was lifted off our shoulders. It was the push we needed to move on and be happy. Be grateful Chloe isn’t making you wait years.” He blows out a breath. “I’m not telling you to get back with her. All I’m saying is, clear the air. You’re pissed, I get it, but all of this is because of your father.”
“I hate when you’re right,” I grumble. “Maybe—” I’m interrupted by the dispatcher’s voice on the police radio, informing us of a car accident report.
“On it,” Gage replies to her. “We’re only minutes away from the scene. Call the medics just in case.”
He flips the lights, and the car sirens blare through the dark streets and pouring rain. It becomes difficult to see once we hit the unlit back road.
“There,” I say, pointing to the view of bright headlights.
He swerves over to the side of the road, and we both jump out as soon as the car is in park. An old sedan is crashed into a tree, the lights shining bright, and smoke is coming from the hood. We sprint through the field to the car, hostile rain showering down on us.
I’m there first, and I shine my flashlight into the driver’s side to find a woman. She’s motionless, her forehead resting on the steering wheel. A bottle of opened vodka and drug paraphernalia is in the passenger seat. I hold the light while Gage manages to open the door.
He rushes to take her pulse. “Still alive.”
A rush of relief hits me. “Thank God.” I move my attention to the backseat. “There’s a passenger.”
I’m soaked, blinking away the drops hitting me, and the door creaks when I open it. I flash my light on the backseat, and fear twists through my stomach. A chill colder than the icy rain pelting my face runs through my veins. My heart sinks into my stomach while an intense pain hits me.
“No!” I scream with a shaky voice while crawling to the body slumped against the backseat. She’s half off the seat, and her cheek is resting against the floor. “No!”
“Motherfucker!” Gage yells behind me, and I hold a breath before checking her pulse. “Kyle, talk to me!”
I cradle the body in my arms, my chin trembling, and I look back to see EMTs running our way with a gurney.
“Here!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “Here now! Help me!”
I crawl out and carefully help them pull the limp body from the car.
The EMT looks at me with dread and confirms what I already know. “DOA.”
I step in front of them, and my breathing is ragged as I attempt to do CPR.
Gage comes to my side, grabs my elbow, and stops me. “Brother, don’t.”
“No!” I yell, my hands going back to her chest. “Let me try! I can fix this!”
“I’m sorry,” the EMT says. “Even with CPR, which will do more damage to her body, there’s nothing we can do to save her. There’s severe blunt force trauma to the head, and she’s lost too much blood.”
She looks at me with wide eyes filled with sadness. “Trust me, if there was anything I could do, I’d be fighting for it right now.”
I scrub my hand over my face and scream before looking at the EMTs helping the driver onto another gurney.
“You stupid bitch!” I yell, advancing toward her.
All my morals dissipate in this moment, and it’s scary to say there’s no doubt in my mind that I could walk away from this scene without giving the driver a second look.
Gage throws his arm out to stop me while the EMTs look at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Kyle, calm down!” He tilts his head toward the EMTs moving the passenger up the hill. “Help them get her into the ambulance!”
I nod, turn around, and run up the hill. Even though putting her in the ambulance won’t stop the outcome of tonight, she deserves to be out of the rain, deserves a lot more than this. I don’t slide into the warmth of the car after I help them. They shut the door in my face, the sirens wailing through the unlit road.
Gage helps the medics with the driver when the second ambulance leaves shortly after the first. We silently stand there, soaked, staring at the scene, wishing we could’ve changed it, that we could’ve driven faster, run faster, saved her.
“You need to go, Kyle,” Gage finally says. “The investigators are on their way to the hospital, and I’ll meet them there to tell them everything. If they need any additional information, they’ll call you.”
“No,” I grit out. “I want to be there.”
“You’re too pissed to go there, and the investigators will immediately make you go home out of conflict of interest. Monroe is on his way here, and we’re driving to the hospital. You have somewhere else to be.”
I get into the car, drive home, and sprint to a porch that isn’t mine.
The door swings open.
“Kyle?”
Twenty-Six
Chloe
I blink a few times as if I’m imagining Kyle standing in front of me. Water drips from every inch of him, and my stomach knots at the sight of his trembling hands. Anguish covers his face like a blanket while he stares at me with fear-stricken eyes.
What the …
This is unexpected.
“Chloe. Can I come in?”
His question snaps me to my senses. “Of course,” I answer, moving aside to allow him room to step into the entryway. “You must be freezing.” I shut the door behind us. “Let me grab you a towel.” I’m stopped when he reaches out and closes his cold hand around mine.
“I don’t need a towel.” He squeezes my hand, and water falls along my bare toes when I look into his damp-lashed eyes. “We need to talk.”
This isn’t a courtesy visit.
“What’s going on, Kyle?” I question.
Do I want to know?
Instead of answering me, he lightly touches my shoulder with his free hand and brushes away a strand of loose hair fallen from my ponytail. “Let’s sit down.”
Dread falls upon me as he leads me to the couch, and I sit on the edge of the cushion. “Please tell me what’s going on,” I stammer out. “You’re scaring me.”
He retreats a step and casts me a terrified glance. “There was an accident.”
The tone of his voice heightens my panic. This accident will affect me. I don’t speak. I wait for him to continue. I wait for him to break me down more than what I already am.
He drops to his knees only inches away and clears his throat. He blinks away tears before using his arm to wipe them away again.
He stares up at me with a pale face, and his voice cracks as he prepares to deliver bad news. “Your sister …” He pauses, as if searching for the right words. “She hit a tree while driving.”
I jerk my head back. “What? Is she going to be okay?”
His jaw clenches. “She’s on her way to the hospital right now.”
A burst of relief hits me. “Thank God.” That relief suddenly filters into dread. “Gloria … Gloria is with her tonight. Is she at the hospital with her? Is everything all right?” I pull away from him and jump up in search of my purse. “I need to go get her.”
Kyle stands. “Chloe …” He says my name in caution, as if I were about to walk off a cliff.
; My heart caves into my chest as dread sets in. “I have to go to the hospital. I need to get Gloria.”
“Chloe …” His voice deepens as he erases the gap between us.
I push his chest and hold my finger up in front of him. “Don’t.” I walk away from him, and my voice trembles. “Don’t you dare fucking say it!”
He grabs my shoulders, turns me around, and drags me into his chest. “Gloria was in the car with her.”
“Don’t you say it,” I whisper, stifling a scream. “Don’t you dare fucking say it!”
His hold on me tightens, and his lips brush against my hair. “I’m so sorry, Chloe.”
“No! No!” I yell, flares of anger shooting through me as he grasps me. I struggle to break free. “Let me leave, Kyle!” My arms fly in every direction, and I’m certain they’ve made contact with him a few times, but he doesn’t flinch, just keeps a secure hold on me.
“You’re not driving in this condition,” he says.
My body shakes. “I need to go to her!”
He pulls in a thick breath. “There’s nowhere to go for her.”
Kyle doesn’t have to tell me. I already know.
“Whoa, whoa,” Trey interrupts while stepping into the room, yawning. “What’s going on in here?” He shoots Kyle a hard glare before puffing out his chest.
Kyle loosens his hold on me and makes sure I’m not a runner before releasing me completely. “Hey, buddy. Why don’t you go to your room for a minute?” he tells Trey.
I rub my face, my eyes, my arms. My hands need to be busy or else I’ll throw something across the room.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Trey replies with a clenched jaw when he notices the condition I’m in. “Why are you here?”
I gulp and press my hand into Kyle’s stomach, stopping him from telling Trey. I need to do it. I have to do it. Kyle only nods, and I make my way to Trey.
“There was an accident with your mom and Gloria,” I whisper. “A car accident.”
Trey tenses but stays quiet.
“Gloria …”
Concern flickers across his face. He helped raise Gloria and was more of a father to her than her own. He was the one who made sure she went to school, had every meal, and did her homework.
“What happened to her?” Trey grits out with knotted fists.
“I’m sorry, honey, but Gloria …” I glance over at Kyle for confirmation, just in case I’m wrong, and he gives me a solemn nod. I shake my head before giving him a look of desperation. I need him to say it, to make the final call, because those words can’t leave my mouth. I’m too weak.
Kyle gives me another nod and steps to my side. “Gloria passed away tonight, Trey.” His tone isn’t one of a policeman breaking the news to an unsuspecting family. He’s heartbroken. He feels for Trey. For us. For Gloria.
Trey’s face twists in pain as he registers Kyle’s statement, and his hands start shaking. “What? How? No, this can’t be true. I saw her earlier today. She was fine. We went on a walk, and she told me about the new book she checked out from the library! She was fine!” His eyes change from a hardened state to a fearful one. “You’re wrong, man. You’re wrong!” Trey says with tears streaming down his face.
I rush forward to hug him. He shrugs away and pulls his phone from his pocket but is unable to hold it with his shaking hands. It falls to the floor, the thud ringing out through the grave silence, and he reaches down and picks it up in haste.
“I’m calling Mom,” he explains, punching his fingers against the screen. “She’ll tell you everything is okay. They’re probably eating ice cream while Gloria talks about her dolls.”
“Trey,” Kyle says softly.
“No!” he screams. “I’m calling her! You’ve made a mistake!”
He holds the phone to his ear as tears slide down his face. “Pick up, Mom. Please. Just pick up the phone.” His shouts grow louder. “Pick up!”
I know it goes to voice mail when he blurts out, “Goddamn it.”
He starts to dial again, but Kyle takes the phone from him.
Surprisingly, Trey doesn’t fight him for it back. Instead, he sinks down on the couch, his face stricken with tears. I rush over, wrapping my arms around him, capturing his loud sobs in my shoulder.
“I’m so sorry,” I say over and over again while brushing my hand over his hair. “I’m so sorry, Trey.”
His face is red when he pulls away. “Mom?”
“She’s in the hospital right now. I’m not sure what’s going on, but she’s alive,” I answer.
“I want to kill her,” Trey blurts out. “I don’t care what anyone says! She deserves to die for taking my sister away from me!” It’s sad that Trey knows his mother well enough to know she played a part in Gloria’s death—a destructive part.
I stroke Trey’s back while he attempts to contain his hurt. When he starts to calm down, I inhale a deep breath and look at Kyle. I forgot he was there while I consoled Trey.
I calm my voice, and it turns flat. “I need you to drive me to the hospital, please. I need someone to scream at, and that somebody is Claudia.”
Tears threaten his eyes as he stares at me. “I can’t do that, Chloe. Even if I could, you wouldn’t be able to see her since it’s an ongoing investigation,” he says, his voice almost cracking mid-sentence.
I ask, “When did it happen?” at the same time Trey asks, “How?”
He comes closer. “We’re not entirely sure yet. Claudia was driving. Gloria was in the backseat, unbuckled, and there was no car seat either. The details are limited, and normally, we aren’t supposed to notify anyone until all the details are confirmed, but I couldn’t do that to you.”
I nod—a silent thank-you. He nods back—a silent you’re welcome.
“This is all my fault,” Trey mutters. “It’s all my fault for refusing to go with Mom tonight for her visitation. If I had been there, I could’ve stopped it from happening. I could’ve protected my baby sister.”
I wrap my arm around Trey’s shoulder and drag him into me again. “Trey, listen to me. This is in no way your fault.”
It’s my fault.
I allowed her to go with Claudia against my better judgment. Claudia was doing better after I gave her the cash. She dumped Roger. She threw no tantrums, no asking for money and no threatening to take the kids. She was sober and excited to spend time with Gloria when I dropped her off at the trailer. She never mentioned them leaving.
Kyle kneels down in front of Trey. He’s fighting back his own pain. He didn’t know Gloria for long, but the expression on his face shows he cared for her.
“We don’t know if it’s anyone’s fault yet,” he replies in a soothing voice. “It could’ve been weather or vehicle-related.”
It was Claudia.
It’s always fucking Claudia.
Even if the accident wasn’t her fault, losing Gloria was. Claudia didn’t have her in a car seat. She didn’t protect her.
“Was she drunk? High?” I question.
“We won’t know anything until the toxicology reports come back,” Kyle answers.
“Don’t bullshit me,” I snap.
He sighs, terrified to tell me. “There was an opened alcohol bottle and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.” His voice softens. “I know there’s nothing I can say or do for you”—his attention moves to Trey—“but I’m here. If you need anything, I’m right here.”
No. He’s not hitting me with this nightmare and then ending the conversation like this. I will not be given the I’m sorry for your loss; I’m here bullshit. I want my goddamn niece back in her goddamn bed with her goddamn dolls. I want goddamn answers.
I jump up from my seat. “Watch Trey.” I sprint across the room and snag my keys. “I’m going to the hospital.”
I make it outside, nearly to my car, when Kyle stops me. I fight him again, soaking wet this time, as he drags me back inside, slides my keys into his pocket, and locks the door.
“Chloe, you can’t do that rig
ht now. As soon as the doctors give us the go-ahead, we can question her. Until then, it’s better for us to sit here and wait.”
“Sit here and wait?” I scream. “Claudia is not getting out of this, Kyle. She does not get to heal or rest. She doesn’t even deserve another ounce of breath for what she did! You know who deserves that?” I seethe. “The little girl she neglected! That I neglected. That’s who deserves it. Not you.” I push him back again. “Not me.” My finger shoves into my chest. “She was only four fucking years old!”
Kyle lets me take my anger out on him and waits until I’m finished before speaking. “As soon as I can, I’ll take you to her. I swear it. I’ll let you say whatever you need to without anyone stopping you, okay?”
“Where do we go from here?” I whisper.
“You grieve and let me handle the rest.” He tilts his head toward Trey. “You two take care of each other.”
He moves from me to Trey and pulls him into a hug. “I’ll be home all night. Come over. Call. Anything you need, I’m here.”
“Will you … will you hang out here longer?” Trey asks, peering up at him.
“Of course,” Kyle answers. He says it with no question, no hesitation, no asking for permission.
The rest of the night, I’m numb. Angry. Like I’m not even present or alive. I walk through my house, emotionless, consoling Trey. I take phone calls, give police information, and answer as many questions as I can, but mentally, I’m checked out, not with it. I feel nothing, and along with feeling nothing, I can’t process my loss.
I go to bed with tears in my eyes.
When Kyle comes into my bedroom later, I don’t stop him.
When he holds me as I fight myself to sleep, I don’t stop him.
When I do fall asleep and wake up in the middle of the night, jerking from a nightmare, and he tightens his hold on me, I don’t stop him.
He does it again and again.
His arms never leave my body. His voice in my ear is soothing.
And that confirms more than I already know.
This man I love has a heart of gold and deserves someone less messed up, less deceitful than me.
Just Neighbors Page 21
