Reputation's Memories (Book 2)

Ch.15 Don't Do Anything

Chapter 15

Two years ago

Luca was back on the cliff.

Heavy lightning struck the midnight sky, illuminating it momentarily like a flashback of a memory. The thunderstorm brought with it dangerous winds from the ocean that knocked Luca back, causing his feet to slip on the mud. He raised his head to shield his eyes as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. The water was ice cold, making him shiver. He bit down on his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering as he pushed his hair out of his face and wiped away the water.

The darkness consumed him. He could not make sense of where the cliff ended and the road began. Luca was too scared to move. He feared he might slip on the mud and fall off. The waves below were hungry. They would be merciless to anyone who dared to go near them.

Standing hundreds of feet above the rocks and waves, Luca thought of his mother. He wished she was there to pull him back and tell him which way home was. He couldn't remember how to get back. He had been on that cliff a million times but suddenly it was as if the rain washed away all his memories of the roads.

As Luca stood waiting for some kind of sign or lightning to guide him, the gleam of headlights appeared around the corner and headed right for the edge of the road.

"No," Luca said.

He knew who was in the car. He had lived through the nightmare enough times to have it memorized.

"Stella!" Luca raised his voice above the howling wind. He waved his arm to gain her attention as the car inched forward. "Stella!"

The rain seemed to match Luca's anxiety. The faster his heart raced, the quicker the water fell from the clouds. He stepped forward and placed his hands on the window of the driver's side and began to bang on the glass.

"Stella!" He yelled. "Stop!"

The car came to a stop. Luca began to immediately struggle with the locked door, "Stell-"

A bright flash of lightning lit up the sky. Luca looked up and felt his jaw drop. His hands grew numb, his heart stopped beating, and his brain blanked.

"Daisy..." he whispered, seeing the face behind the glass.

Daisy slowly turned her head and looked up at Luca. Her warm hazel eyes were lifeless. She stared at him with a deep frown on her face. Luca shuddered from the way her gaze went right through him as if she didn't even see him.

"Get out of the car!" Luca yelled, beating the glass. "Get out!"

Daisy turned back to the steering wheels and took in a deep breath.

"No!" Luca growled as his bloody knuckles continued to hammer against the glass. "No! Daisy! Get out!"

All too quick, Daisy pressed her feet on the gas and the car launched forward. Luca stumbled forward as lightning struck once more and he watched the car nose dive off the cliff.

"Daisy!" Luca ran forward and jumped.

He didn't think. He didn't hesitate. He didn't waste a single second.

The sound of the glass shattering against the water bolted Luca out of bed in a pool of cold sweat. He struggled to catch his breath. The memories of hazel eyes behind the glass making it impossible to inhale any air.

Luca grabbed his phone and scrolled through his contact list until he found the number he was looking for. He groaned as the pounding headache blurred his vision and caused him to pause for a few minutes before doing anything. He sat with the phone in his hand until he could breathe again.