Lit Up by My Brother’s Best Friend (Lit Creek #1)

Chapter 2

HUNTER

“I gotta take this,” I call out to my buddy Nolan, a fellow firefighter, who’s already lined up for his next shot. We have the same shifts at the firehall, so we’re both taking advantage of our night off.

“You’ve got time. These will all be gone by the time you’re back.” He waves his hand over the pool table wiggling his fingers as if sprinkling some magical fairy dust over the balls. Fool.

“Right. Just like last time when I whooped your ass.”

“Whatever, man. You had a lucky night.”

“Sure. I just happen to have a lucky night every night we play.”

He throws up a middle finger. Yup. Saw that coming.

What I don’t see coming is the call I’m getting. Why is Sierra phoning me?

“What’s up?”

“Hey…um…Whachya doin’?” I can hear the singsong playfulness strained in her voice. Like she has something serious to ask me but doesn’t want to hit me with it right away.

“At Hoppy’s playing pool with Nolan. You?”

“Well…you see—”

“Spit it out, Sweets.”

I can hear her grumble at the nickname, but I don’t care. I need something to replace the names I want to call her. This one is the safest bet.

“Okay Hunter, but please don’t laugh at me.”

“I can’t make any promises.” Especially when laughter might be needed to relieve the tension already coursing through my body.

“I need your help, and I really don’t want anyone to find out about this.” A beat passes. “I’m stuck.”

She’s in trouble? My whole body tenses. A fist clenches at my side. “Where? I’m coming now.”

“On a fence.”

Okay. That was the last thing I expected her to say.

“Oh God, you’re laughing at me.”

“No. Just—um—clearing my throat. Which fence is it?” She gives me directions and I tell Nolan I have to go. He doesn’t seem to mind since there are a couple of girls leaning against the pool table, and he’s showing a third one how to hold the cue. Yup. He’s good.

“I’m on my way. But don’t hang up on me. Just stay on the line.”

“Why?” She huffs at me, like I’m the one to be annoyed at.

“If you’re actually hanging upside down you might pass out with all the blood rushing to your head.”

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine. Just get here,” she whines. If she’s already whining this isn’t good. Sierra, of all things, is not a whiner. She’s the most determined, independent, and optimistic woman I know.

“Shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes.”

“Don’t speed, Hunter. I’m not going anywhere.”

But I don’t listen to her. I speed the entire way. To distract her, I make her tell me how much she’s looking forward to the town’s annual baseball tournament this summer. We’re both optimistic that the Beavers will beat the Otters again, but the conversation falls flat given the circumstances.

I can’t even understand how she got herself into this situation, but I’ll figure that out soon enough.

I pull up to the parking lot she told me about, and I’m scanning the chainlink fence trying to spot her while keeping her on the line.

“Sweets, where abouts are you?”

“Hunter?” she asks my name like it’s a question. “I hate to say it, but I think you were right. I’m about to pass—”

The line goes silent.

“Sweets?” I call her name. No answer.

“Sierra. Damn it. Answer me.” Now I’m running along the fence and I finally see her hanging from the fence. It’s dark and hard to spot her. My entire body is hot with anger. She didn’t even make it over the fence. She’s still on the side where she started her climb. And, damn it, she should have tried harder to free herself. What the hell was she thinking?

Fuck. This girl is going to be the death of me. Where the hell is her boyfriend—I cut that thought off. He’s such a prick. I’m glad she called me.

I’m right in front of her now, lifting her head. “Sweets?” I pat her cheek. Nothing. I look up and see where her pants got caught in some wires sticking out. When I tear her jeans—because I really don’t care about salvaging anything other than her and my sanity at this point—I feel her body break free from the fence. She slides down and into my arms.

I sit on the ground, cradling her. In the fall, a slip of paper had fluttered to the ground. I squint to see what it is. A ticket for the concert? What the hell is she climbing the fence for if she bought a ticket? But I don’t worry about that line of thinking .

Pulling her head against my chest, I hold her for a second. Probably the only second I’ll ever get with her. The scent of cinnamon wafts through my nose and makes a beeline to my heart. This girl.

I want to hold her for longer, but I know I should wake her up. We’ve got to check to make sure she’s alright. She’s not heavy at all, yet her body weighs on me. Lifeless.

God, I know she’s not lifeless, but I can’t shake the image of some of the other limp bodies I’ve held over the years. One in particular was lifeless, and it was the worst day of my life. In fact, it was one of the worst days for our entire town. Lit Creek still hasn’t recovered from the loss.

After that fire, no one has been the same. It’s like there’s a cloud hanging over the whole town. Where the hell is the sunshine? We don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. The loss has been devastating. Especially for my family. She left behind five sons, a daughter, and a grieving husband. It’s been five years and we’re still lost without her.

It’s all my fault.

And I’ll never forgive myself for not being able to save her. My mom.