Chapter 12: Always Red: Chapter 13

Patience has never been one of my best traits.

I stood by the window, my hands in my pocket, jiggling my car keys. I wanted to go home to Red. Preferably now.

I’d just arrived at Matthew’s place. Cameron and some of the team had helped me go back to the campus to find and destroy those damned posters. There weren’t any more. Thank God.

Justin needed to start praying and offer a couple sacrifices to save his neck if he tried hurting my Red again. I was sure I would do more than choke him if he did.

I glanced at my watch and noted that it was almost two hours since I’d left Red.

“I gotta go,” I said.

Levi tried to raise his chin from his chest to look at me. He was clearly drunk. He had stayed behind with a couple other guys at Matthew’s place to make sure there weren’t any of those damned posters online. After all was clear, he and the other guys had decided to make it their life mission to finish two bottles of scotch from Matthew’s father’s liquor cabinet. Empty beer bottles and boxes of pizza littered the floor.

The other guys had already left before I arrived. I found Levi slumped in one of the chairs. Matthew was sprawled on the couch, his eyes zoned in on the TV screen. He was watching The Avengers.

“Do me a favor, dude. Bring this sack of limp biscuit with you,” Matthew pleaded, throwing Levi a disgusted look.

I tamped down my impatience. I wanted to go straight to Kara’s place to pick up Red.

Before Red had slipped out of my car, some emotion had flashed in her eyes that I couldn’t decipher. It made me uneasy. I wanted to make sure everything was all right.

We’d just gotten back together. I didn’t want to lose her again. If I lost her again, I would… I didn’t know what I would do.

My eyes narrowed as I spotted a yellow truck pass by Matthew’s place. It looked like Justin’s truck.

“Does Justin know we were meeting at your place?” I asked.

“Hell no,” Matthew answered. “What makes you say that?”

I grunted as I watched the yellow truck disappear and forced myself to relax. “All right. Let’s go, Levi.”

“What? Did you say boner?” He hiccupped.

Matthew choked. “Yeah, dude. Something you wouldn’t know about.”

I shook my head as I hauled Levi up from the couch. He was hammered.

“If you throw up in my car, I’m going to leave you on the side of the road,” I warned.

“That sounds uh-mazing,” he slurred. “Why you carryin’ me? D’we get married or sumthin’?” He puckered his lips and swung his head dangerously close to mine.

I pushed him away, laughing. “Just stay away so nobody gets hurt. Got it?”

“Hurt me, master. Whip me. You know I like it.”

I heard Matthew’s roaring laughter before I closed the door and stepped outside.

“Get in the car, dude. Seriously, I need to pick up my girl.”

I opened the passenger door and shoved him inside, slamming the door closed. Just as I was putting on my seat belt, a police car slid into the spot behind me, red and blue lights flashing. I waited until both policemen had approached my side, then rolled down the window.

“Good afternoon, Officers.”

They both nodded. One officer looked like Popeye, while the other one looked as skinny as a pole. Popeye eyed Levi suspiciously.

“Is this your house?” Officer Pole inquired, his face friendly and open.

“No, sir. A friend’s.”

“What were you doing here?” Popeye asked. If Pole was the good cop, Popeye was definitely the bad cop. His eyes narrowed as he studied my face.

“Just visiting,” I replied.

“Hey, say what, you guys got some doughnuts on you?” Levi piped up.

I groaned.

“Seems like your friend is drunk.”

“I’m driving him home.”

“Are you?” There was a challenge in Popeye’s tone.

I gave him a nod.

“I need to see your license and registration.”

What the hell?

“What the fuck for?” Levi interrupted.

“Levi, shut up. Let me handle this.”

“I’d buy you ten thousand boxes of doughnuts if you guys leave us the fuck alone,” Levi slurred.

I gave him a warning glare, shaking my head slightly. When I was sure he’d gotten the message, I turned back to the officers.

“Sorry about that. Is there a reason for this?” I asked.

Pole answered, “We received a peace disturbance report about this residence.”

“And that someone is dealing drugs,” Popeye added.

I gritted my teeth. Justin.

Levi let out a loud snort. “I could use some dope right now.”

I closed my eyes tightly. Damned Levi.

Popeye stepped back, his eyes hard. “We need to search the car. Please step out of your vehicle, sir.”

I didn’t need this right now.

“I have the right to refuse,” I said.

“You do,” Popeye replied, smirking. “Sounds like you have something to hide.”

I took a deep breath. “Go ahead and search then,” I told him as I slid out of the car.

It took a while, but Levi managed to get out of the car. They asked us to step away from the vehicle and wait a few minutes. Levi slumped on the ground. I had a heavy feeling in my stomach as I watched them search my car.

I knew the moment they found something. And I knew in the pit of my stomach that it was bad.

It was really bad.

Officer Popeye walked up to me. “Want to explain what this is?”

He dangled a small bag filled with white powder in front of me.

Fuck.