Loren's POV
My bike hit the gravel louder than he intended.
It skidded slightly before steadying, the tires crunching into the loose dirt as he cut the engine. The sudden silence felt unnatural, like something had been pulled away too quickly.
Dust drifted past him in slow, lazy spirals, catching in the fading light.
A low whistle sounded from somewhere behind me.
“Took you long enough.”
I didn’t turn immediately. I swing my leg off the bike first, letting my boots hit the ground before straightening.
Then I looked.
Zeke stood a few feet away, leaning against a line of parked bikes like he had been there long enough before I arrived. Arms crossed. Expression unreadable. Watching.
He always watched like that.
Like he was already three steps ahead of whatever you were about to
