Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 64

Chase~

With a closed fist, I knocked on unit 210 three times.

Heavy footsteps approached the door from the other side. Derek pursed his lips when he saw me, the warmth in his eyes morphing into a glacial gaze.

Gazing at his body, I mentally smirked at the purple bruises on his torso. It looked as if he had just gotten out of the shower, sporting basketball shorts and a towel still hanging on his shoulder. "What the f**k are you doing here?" he folded his arms, daggered gaze narrowed at me.

"I brought beer," I raised the bottles I bought on the way here. Condensation dribbled down the green bottle, dropping on the floor.

He regarded me with slanted eyes, considering punching me in the face or moving aside to let me in.

It took me a lot of consideration before coming here. Talking to Sofia opened my mind to all the mistakes that led me here. Call it a fool's hope, but I hoped she had the same effect on her brother.

I got my answer when Derek stepped aside, tipping his head inside.

My guard was still up. Years of grudges don't just go away because you retold the story to someone important to you, but I believe in Sofia's light. If there was someone who could get through to Derek, it was her.

Derek's choice of temporary residence was a motel in the heart of the city. A room with a queen-size bed, a bathroom, a worn-out couch, and a wobbly table and chair. There was a sink on the side with a rusty stove and a wall cabinet. The fading wallpapers matched the curtains. It smelled old but not stinking. Typical Derek.

I placed my peace offering on the table. It rocked a bit as.I pulled out a chair and sank on it without waiting for an invitation. Twisting the beer cap, I handed one to Derek, who approached me cautiously.

"You saw me twist the cap, man," I murmured when he just stared at the beer.

Reluctantly, he reached for it and pinned me with an accusing gaze. I rolled my eyes and served myself with a beer. I need the liquid courage to get through this conversation.

"I talked to Sofia," I started, the beer's condensation leaving a wet circle on the table.

"She already knew what you did with Letty," Derek murmured, plonking down on the couch, draping the towel on the armrest.

"What was it exactly that I did to Letty, Derek?" I almost choked on the words.

We should have had this conversation ten years ago. It felt as if we'd gone back in time.

The last time we talked was in front of Letty's grave. Derek greeted me with a jab that broke my nose and slammed Letty's burner phone into my chest.

I should've told him what Letty was up to, that I was keeping her safe, but because of the promise I made to Letty, I didn't utter a f*****g word to him.

Carlota is right. Letty is dead, Derek and I are still alive. What good would living in the past do to us? I cared for Letty, and I wanted to honor her memory. But She wouldn't like seeing us breaking apart like this. It's the reason why we were in that car in the first place. "You know what you did." His jaw clenched and unclenched. "You two stabbed me in the back, sneaking around when I was away. Did you enjoy fucking your best friend's girlfriend?"

Guilt threatened to choke me. Not because we did what he thought we did, but because he carried that anger for ten years.

"Do you really think Letty could do that to you, Derek?" I asked him instead. "I'm not a fucking saint. My track record with fucking women deserves an Olympic gold medal, but for you to think Letty can do that to you was f****d up."

He considered it for a moment, set the bottle of beer on the table, and pulled a stick of cigarette from the pack, lighting it up.

Letty hated cigarettes. They used to fight over Derek's smell, so he quit smoking for her. With Letty gone, he's

back into that habit.

Since he kept silent, I proceeded with the reason I came here.

"Letty, I accidentally found her in one of the illegal races six months before her accident. I was bored. I just needed time to unwind, but I found her behind the wheels, racing with dangerous people. She was good. She kept winning and winning, crawling up the ranks, and made a name for herself."

Derek slumped back in his seat, blowing out smoke. It concealed his furrowed brows, confused by my truth and the one he gave himself.

"She saw me that night and asked me to keep it a secret. She said you didn't like her racing, but she wanted to do it. I thought I was doing the right thing. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. I kept her secret and went with her to every race to watch over her. She won, race after race, but accidents are inevitable."

"You remember when she said she'd go to New York to visit her aunt? She got into an accident and needed to rest so her bruises would fade. The next time she went to another race, I confronted her. There was more to her actions than what she was letting me in. I should've stopped her that day, but she told me why she was racing. She wants to meet Loco, the best racer in town."

"What the fuck?" Derek murmured.

Loco is not only a racer. He was the leader of a local gang in Boston. Some said he was connected to the mafia, but we were too young and had no reason to get involved with that shit. I might be f****d up in the head, but I knew not to get tangled with those kinds of people.

"My thoughts exactly. She had been investigating her father's death on her own, Derek. You should've seen her wall of murder. She was like a true investigator. She had been after Loco for years."

"Dad said Loco was involved in Arthur's death, but I never believed him. He also said to keep it away from Letty."

"She knew. She learned everything on her own, but Loco is not one you should be messing with. Eventually, he learned about Letty. The night of the accident was supposed to be our last race. She was racing against Loco. She had a plan in place. We just needed to lure him and shoot his wheels, and Letty said her friends would be there to grab Loco."

"But things got out of hand. Loco learned of Letty's plans. And we were the ones who got into an accident instead."

Thick silence stretched between us. "How are you alive, and she isn't?"

I chuckled. "I kept asking myself the same thing, Derek."

"The police said Letty was alone."

"Eros got me out," I murmured. "He and his sister Carlota were helping Letty, and when the accident happened, Letty told them to save me and get me out of there. I owe my life to her."