Freefall (Santa Cruz Skydivers Book 1) (25 page)

Lili’s screams grew louder and began to reach a fevered pitch. Fuck, these tablets had better kick in soon, or this was going to be one hell of a long night.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Levi

As I walked toward the exit of the underground parking lot, my Harley keys jingled nosily in my hand, giving off a slight echo in the empty concrete chasm. Phil’s place wasn’t all that bad. It had everything I needed and was close to the beach. My only concern was the lack of lock up security for my bikes. Myself, I could take care of.

My bikes, at the moment, were the only things that kept my mind preoccupied. I was starting to lose hope on ever reconciling my relationship with Andi. On my ride today, I’d reached a decision. I had decided to give her one more day. If she didn’t reply to my texts tonight, I would just walk away. I wasn’t a quitter, but I couldn’t make her forgive me anymore than I could go back to last weekend and never go to that stupid lunch meeting with my father.

As I reached the heavy exit door, I failed to notice a six-foot-three, two hundred pound cop waiting for me. He took me by surprise, stepping out in front of me from behind a concrete pillar, blocking my exit. But then again, I’m sure that was his intention.

“Fuck! Tony.” My heart pounded from the shock, and I didn’t surprise easily. Also, it wasn’t like he was my favorite person.

He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and slammed me hard up against the concrete wall.

“Stay away from her, you asshole,” he sneered in my face. “If it wasn’t for the fact I’m on duty right now, I’d smash up that pretty boy face of yours even more.”

He slammed me again just to bring his point home, my head ricocheting against the wall, blinding me in pain. A painful moan escaped my lips, but I didn’t fight back. I wouldn’t. He let me go and I slid down the wall, defeated and worthless. I dropped my head in my hands and rubbed the new lump with my fingertips.

“Andi is too good for you,” he said.

“You’re right, she is,” I agreed, looking up at him meeting his accusing glare. “I don’t deserve her. Tell her I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt her. I had no idea my father would publish that story. Tell her I...”

“I’m not telling her shit.” He stood over me commandingly, his hands on his hips. I was just waiting for him to put the boot into me. If I were in his position, I would have. Fuck, if I were him, I would have beaten me senseless by now. “You need to disappear from her life. I’m going to tell you two things, so listen up, because I don’t like to repeat myself. One, stop contacting her, and two, forget she ever existed.” He checked the two points off his hand. “I’m fully aware of your criminal history and your street fighting arrests in LA. And now, so is Andi. If I hear of you even trying to contact my sister, or going within one hundred yards of her apartment or workplace, I’ll have your probation revoked. You’re unstable, and your violent history proves it.”

“That’s in my past. I was in a dark place back then. I’d never do anything to hurt Andi.”

“But that’s just the point, douchebag. You have. You have no idea what you’re done to her. You know nothing about her or our family history.” His words hit me harder than he ever could. I tried to stand, but he pushed me back down. “Stay down, asshole, or I’ll cuff you and haul your ass into the station.”

“I’m sorry, officer,” I apologized with just a touch of sarcasm. Best I watch my p’s and q’s. “I’m just concerned. Is she okay?”

His top lip lifted, baring his teeth, reminding me of pit bull ready to attack. “She is no longer your concern. Just stay away. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” I replied. A plan was already forming in my head of me going to her apartment as soon as he left. Andi was hurting. I’d misjudged the whole situation. I needed to get to her, and I wouldn’t let him or anyone else stop me.

“I’ll be watching you, asshole. Consider this your only warning,” Tony said with finality, and walked out of the parking garage, leaving me on the floor.

I knew he would be true to his word. He’d find an excuse to take me in and I’d be arrested. My parole would be revoked and I’d go to jail. Derek had made it more than clear there would be no more protection from him. I didn’t want it anyway. Screw him. I just had to be smarter than Tony. He couldn’t watch me forever. I’d go to Andi’s early. He wouldn’t expect me to go at dawn.

****

As much as I tried to, I couldn’t sleep. The night dragged on. I tossed and turned and contemplated going to Andi’s earlier, but I had to stick to my plan. I gave up sleep around three a.m. and sat on the balcony, watching the way the moonlight played on the water. The gentle sound of the waves washing on the shore soothed me, clearing my mind of all thoughts except Andi.

Eventually, the sun’s early morning golden rays appeared on the horizon and I made my move. Dressed and ready to roll hours ago, I wheeled my Ducati silently out from the parking lot. It was quieter and faster than my Harley, which therefore, was perfect for my stealth mission. I didn’t want to take the chance getting caught.

The roads were mostly empty at five a.m. as I gunned my way toward Andi’s, my breath catching as I passed a patrol car. I backed off the throttle, watching it in my mirrors, waiting for it to turn back and follow me. Lady Luck was on my side, though, and it kept rolling on, so I pulled the throttle down hard again, letting the speed guide me into the tight corners, eager to get to my destination. Excited and nervous about the prospect of seeing Andi for the first time in a week, my heart was thumping hard. Even jumping at fifteen thousand feet didn’t get my adrenaline racing like this.

I had a lot to explain to Andi. I should have been more open with her from the very beginning. As I reached Andi’s street, I backed off the speed and eased up out front of her apartment. After I killed the engine, I sat on my bike and looked up at the apartment. There was just one obstacle I needed to overcome. How was I going to get inside? I wasn’t exactly equipped to climb a brick building like a Lycra-clad superhero. Time for Plan B—I’d just have to wait.

Taking off my helmet, I placed it on the bike seat and went and sat on the top step directly outside her front door. Sooner or later, that door would open and I’d be ready for her. I passed the time imagining how our reunion would go. Of course she would be pissed at me, but after I explained everything, she would forgive me and we’d have wild make-up sex. Her on top, me behind, slow, hard, fast. It all ended the same. Her screaming my name.

It was almost six by the time I heard a lock click from inside and the door handle turned. Jumping to my feet, I stood facing the door, ready to wedge my foot in the opening in case she tried to slam it on me. But it wasn’t Andi that greeted me, it was Scott.

“Levi? What are you doing here?” His voice came out in a whisper.

“I’m here to see Andi, and I’m not going to let you stop me.” Determination was unmistakable in my voice as I took a step to get past him and enter the apartment, but he grabbed me by the arm before I could get any further.

I knew he would be no match for me. However, violence was in my past. It wasn’t who I was anymore. I forced myself to keep calm and pulled my arm from his grasp.

“I don’t think it’s a great idea going in there,” he advised like he was my best bud. “Tony came over last night and told her everything. We all know about your criminal history. She was hurting pretty bad already after the story and photo with Taylor. But this? This has destroyed her.”

“Seems like Tony was a busy boy last night. He paid me a visit, too.” I took a deep breath, calming myself. “Look, Scott, I’m not here to hurt her any more than I already have. I’ve come to talk with her, explain some things. And if she doesn’t want to be with me after that, then I’ll walk away.”

Scott stared me down. If it came to fists, I knew I’d have no choice but to fight back. Andi was too important to me. Although my fighter’s instinct told me it wouldn’t come to that. He was weakening, it was written all over his face.

His body language changed. “Just take it easy, okay? She’s a little fragile at the moment.”

“Thanks, bro,” I said, smiling for the first time in days, and slapped my hand on top of his shoulder. “I’ll make it better, you’ll see.”

He chin tipped me as he stepped around me and walked down the stairs, leaving the door open for me to enter. I’d heard from other staff within the paper I knew personally that after Derek sacked him, he’d gone onto working freelance for Nat Geo. Where one door closed, another always opened. But this one in front of me, it was still open, so I stepped inside.

I walked quietly through the apartment, careful not to wake Lili. Andi’s door was closed, but thankfully not locked. I cracked the door open just enough to see inside. She was still asleep, dressed in an old t-shirt and pajama bottoms, lying face down. Her arm and head hung loose over the side of her bed and the blankets were bunched down near her feet. Looked like she’d had a shitful night’s sleep, too. Her pillows were lying on the floor. And next to them, an empty bottle of vodka.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath as I entered her room and softly closed the door behind me. 

Walking over to her, I softly kicked away the bottle with a flick of my boot and picked up her pillows, determined to make her more comfortable. She was going to have a raging hangover when she woke. Then what I saw next made my heart stop and lodge in my throat. Hidden underneath her pillows was not one, but two empty orange medication canisters. I couldn’t think straight. I froze as photographic memories of my mother’s body lying lifeless in her bed flashed through my mind. My hand shook as I snatched up the canisters and read the white labels. Fuck it. Valium and sleeping tablets that weren’t even hers. Topped off with vodka, this was a cocktail recipe for eternal sleep.

“No! Andi,” I cried out as shit got real, and dropped everything so I could flip her onto her back. I had no idea how many tablets she had taken, or how much alcohol she had drunk. All I knew was this was the combination that killed my mother.

Her body was just warm to touch, but her full lips were blue and she stunk of booze as I put my head down to her chest to listen for a heartbeat. I held my breath, waiting for the familiar thump, but only heard mine. With my hand now shaking uncontrollably, I felt for her carotid pulse and put my ear to her mouth, hoping to hear and feel her breath. I willed myself to calm down so my hand would stop shaking enough to feel her blood pumping through her veins. I waited—again there was nothing. CPR was my only choice.

She’s still warm, that’s good,
I thought, trying to reassure myself she would be okay.

I picked her up from the bed. Her body was rag doll limp in my arms. I placed her on the floor on her side first, checking for airway obstructions, and then rolled her back over and began chest compressions.
One, two, three
...

“
Lili!
” I bellowed as loud as I could, my voice shaking with fear.
Ten, eleven, twelve
... “
Lili!
”

I kept pumping Andi’s chest with the heel of my hand, elbows locked, one hand over the other, fingers linked. Three quarters deep compression.

...
twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty. Blow...wait…blow...wait... One, two, three...

Lili burst loudly into the room. “What the fuck are you...” she started yelling, but froze, color draining from her face, her eyes bugging out at the sight of me performing CPR on her best friend. She screamed. “
What have you done?
”

“Call 911! She’s overdosed on meds and vodka!”

Thirty
...
Blow…wait…blow…wait... One, two, three...

“Tell them she’s unresponsive,” I told her. “And tell them to hurry.”

Lili nodded and ran from the room. I only stopped the compressions after two minutes to check if she was breathing on her own. She wasn’t. I continued. Two breaths, thirty compressions, five cycles, two minutes. Check and continue. I was clinical. I didn’t stop. I couldn’t let emotion come into this. My only focus was to make Andi breathe.

Sirens wailed, softly in the distance at first, echoing through the still sleeping surrounding suburban streets, then louder until they were outside screaming. And then ceased altogether. Nothing but silence except for the counting in my head. Yelling and door slamming ensued. Yet I continued my duty …
sixteen, seventeen...
until a firm hand grabbed my shoulder.

“You’ve done a great job, pal, but we’ll take over now,” said a kind but commanding voice, and he shoved me to the side, his hands taking the place of mine on her chest.

Sitting back on my haunches, I stared at Andi’s lifeless body in disbelief. This wasn’t happening. This was all a bad dream and I would wake up any minute. If only I could make my limbs move and hit myself, anything to wake up from this nightmare.

The paramedic stopped his compressions and cut open Andi’s shirt while another prepared the defib. My ears were buzzing with white noise and the edges of my vision went hazy. Everything began to blur. Someone knelt in front of me and spoke. I heard nothing except ringing in my ears, but found myself nodding alone to whatever the fuck they were saying. They helped me stand, leading me to the door by my elbow. Before we left the room, I took a final look at Andi lying on the floor, her unresponsive body arching as the defib machine shocked her heart.

The image of Andi’s lifeless body continued to flash before my eyes as I followed the paramedic to the living room. Unable to see through the fog in my head, I didn’t notice the large fist I walked into, but it certainly snapped me out of the funk I had slipped into. My head snapped back with a crack and I felt my recently healed eye wound reopen as warm fluid ran down my face.