Chasing Nikki

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

    

    I paced the porch restlessly, my truck hidden in the dark recesses behind the house. 

    Where was she? 

    I looked at my watch for the billionth time, only to discover a minute had passed since the last time I'd checked.

    "Walker, get some control," I mumbled to myself as I sank into the swing with a chuckle. 

    Yes, it was obvious—I was very excited for tonight. Today had been perfect—winning the homecoming game with credit for three touchdowns, plus two assists. Afterward, I went to the dance and had a fabulous, albeit distracting, time with Nikki, holding her body close to my own as we swayed to the music. It only served to ignite the fire for what was coming later—now.

    I glanced at my watch again, wondering where she was. She was fifteen minutes late, but Tana lived clear out past the edge of town, so it would take her a little longer to drive here. I hoped she hadn't been caught sneaking away.

    What if she changed her mind? I suddenly thought, feeling anxious over the idea. 

    No way. She'd been all over me tonight with her flirtatious touches, smiles and winks. We were both anticipating this evening together—I was sure of it.

    I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket again, to see if she'd messaged, but there was nothing. I hesitated to text her, nervous it might alert someone else to what she was doing, so I held it in my hand instead, willing it to ring.

    The sound of a car coming down the road caused me to let a sigh of relief, and I hadn't realized how worried I'd been. I stood and moved around the corner of the house to wait, pausing in disbelief as the vehicle drove on by.

    It wasn't her.

    Where R U? I finally messaged. R U ok?

    I waited five more minutes before I jumped into my truck, pulling quietly out of the driveway. When I reached the highway, I turned in the direction of Tana's house, unable to help myself.

    If Nikki had changed her mind, that was fine, but I didn't think she would leave me hanging without telling me. It wasn't like her. She knew I would listen to whatever her concerns were.

    I had no idea what I was going to do when I got to Tana's house. I was fairly certain she'd probably fallen asleep while waiting to make her escape, but I wanted to make sure. I told myself if her car was parked safely in her driveway, then I would go back to Brett's, and we could discuss things in the morning.

    Panic seized me when I saw the flashing lights in my rear view mirror. I pulled over, but the cop whizzed on past me at a high rate of speed. I moved back onto the road and followed after him, not caring I was speeding too.

    The ambulance and fire truck were already there with their floodlights on, along with another officer parked next to the mangled mess of what used to be a red Volkswagen bug. I halted, frozen for a moment as my worst fears were realized—hoping I had fallen asleep and was having a terrible nightmare.

    I leaped out and ran toward the accident.

    "Hold it there, kid!" An officer stepped up to stop me.

    "That's my girlfriend's car!" I shouted, pushing away before he caught me by the arm again.

    "Hey. Listen to me," he said as he tried to detain me while I continued to struggle.