High-Sided: An Armed & Dangerous Novel by L.P. Dover

the door behind me. I had to get out of there fast.
    I changed into a pair of jeans and fetched my black leather jacket out of my closet. My motorcycle and helmet were in my garage, but all I had to do was climb out my window to get to them.
    “Kassie!” Logan called out.
    The front door slammed shut and I sucked in a breath; it was time. Opening my window, I carefully slipped out.
    Logan knocked on my bedroom door and tried my handle. “Kassidy, please come out. I don’t want to do this.”
    As soon as I was out the window, I raced to my garage. Slamming my helmet on my head, I jumped on my bike and turned the key. The engine roared to life as I revved it and I sped out of the garage as fast as I could. Logan had no idea I could ride, but I wished I could see the look on his face when he saw me. All I knew was that I had to get away from him, and fast.
    Once out of the driveway, I took a left turn, clearly realizing the lapse in judgment. It was the road I’d avoided ever since Levi died on it. “Dammit,” I cried. My eyes watered and there was no way I could wipe the tears away with my helmet on. The sound of Logan’s bike drew close behind and I panicked. What was I going to do?
    He gained ground on me, clearly not stopping unless I did. More tears fell down my cheeks, especially when I arrived at the spot where Levi had been run off the road. I pulled over and shut off my bike, ripping off my jacket so I could breathe. Logan parked beside me, but I jumped off my bike and walked away from him to the dented guardrail. I took off my helmet and stared at the rubber markings on the metal. My fingers traced the tire marks and I broke down, falling to my knees. My heart felt as if it’d been ripped out of my chest.
    Logan’s hands closed over my shoulders, but I smacked them away. “Don’t touch me.”
    His touch left my body, but I could feel his warmth as he sat beside me. “I didn’t know you could ride.”
    “Levi and Sean taught me after you left. It helped get my mind off things.” I tried not to look down in the ravine where Levi was found, but I couldn’t help it. The amount of pain he must’ve felt had to be excruciating. I slammed my hand against the guardrail and sobbed.
    “I’m gonna miss him too, Kassidy. Levi was a good friend.”
    Angrily, I wiped my tears away and scoffed. “How would you know? You left eight years ago, and never looked back.” I glanced over at his legs, only everything was too blurry to see. “Even after you started walking again, none of us ever heard a single word from you.”
    He shook his head and started to touch my face, but held back. “That’s not true. In fact, Levi and I talked all the time. So did me and your father.”
    I stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “That’s not true. Levi would’ve told me.”
    “I told him not to. That includes your father as well.”
    I felt so lost; nothing made sense. “I don’t understand.”
    Resting on his knees, he looked at me and smiled, only it was the saddest expression I’d ever seen on his face. “I kept in touch with them to keep tabs on you. I needed to know you were okay.”
    “Why?” I growled, tears flowing down my cheeks. “You don’t love me, remember? You only said you did so you could fuck me. I still remember everything about that day, as if it happened yesterday.”
    He clasped my face in his hands and I tried to jerk away, but he held me in place. “It was a lie , Kassie. I never wanted to leave you. This is what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
    “Liar,” I cried. “Why would you hurt me like that?” Closing my eyes, my lips trembled as I sat there, helpless. I had no energy to fight him.
    “Open your eyes, Kassie,” he murmured. Reluctantly, I opened them and looked into his crystal blue gaze. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t let you give up college to play nurse to a cripple. I would have been a shackle, keeping you from living your life. I refused to do that to