Page 125 of Bred

That can’t be right.

Whatever kept him last night, I should have heard from him by now. He knew he was supposed to take me to my prom.

Last night I was convinced maybe he just got busy, but surely everything was okay. Now, I am much less sure.

Heart pounding, I move off the bed and go to my dresser, then rifle through for a pair of pants.

I don’t bother changing out of his T-shirt. I don’t care what I look like; I just have to find out what’s going on.

His brother will know where he is. They live together but he doesn’t like me, so I didn’t want to reach out to him.

I don’t have a choice now, though. I want answers, and I have to make sure nothing terrible happened to Lucas.

That way I won’t feel bad when I rip his head off for going silent on me like this.

I race downstairs and slip out the front door before anyone has a chance to notice I’ve come down. My tummy is rumbling. I am a bit hungry, but I’m too upset to eat.

The little beige and brown shack that Lucas and his brother West live in sits on a small, flat chunk of land. The grass needs mowing and the gravel driveway needs paving. It’s a project Lucas said he wanted to finish before I moved in with him.

Remembering when we talked about that, I’m tempted to feel happy again, but the feeling doesn’t last. Gravel crunches beneath my ballet flats as I walk up the driveway. I open the screen door and bang on the wooden entry door.

My heart stutters when the handle turns, and the door opens.

Even though it doesn’t make sense, I so desperately want to see Lucas standing on the other side of the door. In this moment, I don’t even care why he didn’t come to pick me up, why he didn’t call. I just want to see his face and know that he’s okay.

Disappointment pours through me when the wrong brother answers the door.

They have the same chiseled jawline, hard and sharp like they could cut glass with it. They have the same full lips, but where Lucas has light crystal blue eyes, West’s are a darker shade of blue. They’re both lean and muscular, but West is a little broader in the shoulders and a couple of inches taller. His chocolate brown hair is a little darker, too. Right now, it’s mussed like he has been running his fingers through it, or maybe he just got out of bed and some woman has been runningherfingers through it.

“What do you want?”

I swallow, tipping my chin up to meet his turbulent gaze. “Is Lucas here?”

“No.”

A frown flickers across my face. “What do you mean, no? Where is he?”

“I’m not his fucking babysitter.”

“He was supposed to take me to my prom last night, but he never showed up. He didn’t call, he didn’t text. I must’ve called him and texted him a million times. I still haven’t heard from him. If you haven’t either, something must be really wrong. He was supposed to work before he came to get me. Do you know what he was doing? You think something might’ve gone wrong?”

The possibilities are too horrible if I start thinking about this. My tummy begins to roil. I place a hand against my abdomen and will my body not to get sick. Not here. Not right now.

West’s unwelcoming gaze moves over my face, then takes a leisurely stroll down my body. He takes in Lucas’s T-shirt and my yoga pants. His gaze returns to my face, and he says, “Listen, you’re wasting your time with him. He’s never going to be who you want him to be.”

What is he talking about?

I want Lucas to be exactly who he is, I just want him to return my freaking phone calls whenever he blows me off with no warning.

“Your opinion has been noted. Now, where is my boyfriend?”

“If he wanted you to know, then you would.”

I scowl. “What do you mean?”

“Luke took a job last night. He had to transport some stuff across state lines. He knew he’d be gone for a few days, so if he didn’t tell you he was leaving, if he didn’t even let you know he wasn’t taking you to your stupid prom, then I’d say he’s ditching you and you should move on with your life.”

I stand rooted to the spot like a sturdy oak tree, but the faintest breeze could fell me. I shake my head. “No. No, that’s impossible. He wouldn’t do that. He loves me.”