The Minutes We Have

chapter nineteen

Rylan only stayed for fifteen minutes. 

His appearance seemed disheveled, compared to the first time I had seen him. He might have gained a lead but he took the encounter Ezra and I had yesterday into serious consideration. He wrote down every detail. He asked for exact times, locations, and details. 

Ezra retold it from his perspective, and then I did the same. 

Rylan said little. 

I didn't have a good feeling about it, and I often glanced at Mikeal. He would only nod for me to keep going and answer everything. I had asked Rylan one time about the sheriff and the response was classified. For some reason, Rylan was acting differently. 

Though, who was I to say that? I only met the guy once. 

When Rylan was done taking our statements, he told us the information would remain anonymous and he would ensure that no strings could be followed back to us. He nodded to my oldest brother before he left, and I realized Mikeal might have made it this way. 

He was trying to protect us, just as he said. 

I didn't ponder on it anymore. Shortly after Rylan left, Bailey text me and told me he would pick me up in five minutes. In those five minutes, I realized that Roman and Julian had decided they wanted to tag along and they invited their friends to come. 

Imagine my surprise when I walked out the front door and two cars pulled into the driveway. Bailey's white jeep wrangler had the top off, and Chase's car had the windows down with the sunroof open. The twins came out behind me, having changed into their swim trunks, and practically sprinted for Chase's car. 

"Hey, guys, no!" I tried to tell them. I guess Finley would stay with Mikeal and Ezra.

"It's a race!" Julian declared. 

The back door of Chase's car opened and Irene got out as the twins raced up. "Hey, can I ride with you?" She asked, "They're going to squish me in the backseat." 

"Sure," I shrugged. 

"Irene! Where are you going?" Roman hollered. 

"I'm not riding in the middle seat!" She told him and climbed into the back of Bailey's jeep, "Besides, this ride is much hotter!"

"Hey!" Chase whined. 

Irene saluted him with two fingers. 

Chase held his middle finger up and then he was reversing out of the driveway. His car disappeared down the streets with the other three boys hanging their arms out the windows. Bailey reversed and then when he put it in drive, I had the best idea. 

"Wait, wait, I want to sit on the roof," I exclaimed and slid off my sandals. I stood up in the passenger seat and then hopped onto the roof. My bare feet dangled and I swung them back and forth. I had always wanted to do this with a jeep wrangler.

"Oh, I'm joining you!" Irene said and she was already climbing over the console.

"Guys, I don't think this is legal," Bailey muttered.

"Who cares?" Irene said, "You only live once!"

Bailey didn't argue anymore, he started driving down the road. Irene and I giggled, holding our hands in the air, not caring that our hair was going to be so tangled. We went a few miles before Bailey slowed. 

"Can you drive?" Bailey asked me, pulling onto the side of the road.

"Yeah, of course, I can," I told him, "Why?"