Broken Promises

Chapter Twenty-Four

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

For the rest of the weekend, we had to stay at the safe house just in case. But when there was no suspicious activity, it was okay to go home. Oliver and I were both excited to go back to see my parents and to see Adam, and the entire car ride I was growing impatient. Once we pulled into my driveway, my parents were already outside waiting. I jumped out of the car and ran up to them, and they both wrapped me in their embrace.

My mom kissed the top of my head, and my dad pulled Oliver into a hug when he reached us. "Where's Adam?" I asked, and my mother motioned for me to go inside.

He was in the living room talking to a few officers. When I entered the room, he looked up at me with a small smile and walked over to me. there were tears in his eyes, and it confused me. I couldn't remember the last time I had ever seen him cry. Unlike Oliver, he was good at hiding his emotions. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he just hugged me and didn't let go.

"Adam?" I asked, my voice muffled by his shirt. "What's going on? I thought this was all over. Why are you still acting like this?"

One of the policemen called my brother's name. He pulled away and looked at the officer who said his name, and he sighed. "I know you're not allowed to do this, but do you mind if I have one last day with my sister?"

The officer, whose badge said Williams, sighed. "You know it's not allowed." I was so confused, but nobody was paying me any attention. They continued with their conversation. "I'll give you until six o'clock."

"Thank you." The officers walked out of the house. Adam turned to look at me again, but he wasn't smiling. "We have a couple hours." By now, Oliver was in the room, and my brother looked up at his best friend. "I'm sorry for everything."

"What's going on, bro?"

He shook his head. "I'll explain when we get back. Come on Sierra. I want to take you somewhere."

He led me out of the house. Turning back to glance at Oliver, I gave him an apologetic smile before catching up with my brother. I got in the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt. We rode in silence to wherever he was taking me. Adam wouldn't say. Just that it was somewhere important.

We pulled up to what looked like a stable. Parking the car near the back, we got out and went inside the front building. An older gentleman wearing blue jeans, a plaid shirt, a cowboy hat and boots, as talking to a younger lady. When they were finished, he walked up to us, a smile overtaking his entire face.

"Howdy, y'all. I'm Scott. How can I help ya?"

He held his hand out, and both Adam and I took turns shaking his hand. "I want to take my sister horseback riding."

"Do you need a guide?"

Adam shook his head. "No. I've been here plenty of times to know the trail on my own."

I had never known my brother to ever go horseback riding. In fact, I could have sworn he hated horses. He wasn't the kind to go on a ride, but instead was the football player, video game player. That was what I knew Adam to be. Then again, it didn't surprise me anybody when it came to things he did. I never thought he'd do drugs or get me almost killed. But he did anyway.

Scott nodded and led us through the back room and out the backdoor. There was multiple stalls with plenty of horses to choose from. I walked up to a beautiful white one with black specks, and it neighed at me. Scott came to my side and ran his hand down the horse's mane.

He smiled at me. "This is Lala. She's five years old and one of the best horses to ride on. Do you want a saddle or do you want to go bareback?"

I grazed my fingers over her, and she nudged me with her nose. "I've never ridden a horse before, so I'm not sure."