Chasing Sunsets (3 page)

The color left Sami’s face and she simply stared, like she couldn’t begin to believe the news. “That’s . . . awful.”

“You’re the only one who knows.” She reached out and gave Sami’s hand a brief squeeze. “You’re my best friend, Sami. I’ve been looking for a way to tell you.”

Sami hung her head for a long moment again. When she
turned to Mary Catherine, there were tears in her eyes. “There must be something they can do. Your parents know the best doctors, right?”

“They do. But this . . . well, you can’t fix an enlarged heart like mine. There are drugs that can slow the process. But that’s about it.”

“I can’t believe this.” Sami stared at the sky. A minute passed before she lowered her arms and faced Mary Catherine again. Tears fell down her cheeks. “We have to find another opinion.”

“I’ve done that.” She looked straight into Sami’s eyes. “Look, the reason I’m telling you is so you’ll pray. God can do anything—even with this.” Again, she worked to keep discouragement from her voice. “That’s why I care so much about living. Why I’m always talking about only living once. Because I don’t have as long as most people.”

Sami wiped her tears with her fingertips. “It’s not fair.”

“It is.” Mary Catherine sat up straighter. “God’s given me all these years of life and probably many more. I still have lots to do—like get that youth center up and running tonight. And maybe move to Africa for a year and work with orphans.”

“You always say that.”

“I’ll do it one of these days.” Mary Catherine found her smile again. “Of course, I’ll probably skydive another dozen times at least, and look.” She turned her face toward the ocean again. “I have mornings like this, with you.” She felt a familiar peace fill her soul. “God has been far more than fair with me.”

“Are you in pain? I mean . . . like, does it make your chest hurt?”

“Not at all.” She raised her hands and dropped them again. “I feel perfect.”

“Good.” Sami looked off, her expression marked with sorrow. “What about love?”

“What about it?” Mary Catherine felt her heart sink.

Sami stared at her. “You deserve love.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I won’t have time.” Mary Catherine felt tears sting her own eyes. “But I’m okay with that.”

Sami looked into her eyes again. “You were going to find someone real, remember? Someone like you, with faith like you and a love for life like you.” Sami shook her head. “That was supposed to be the miracle of your life.” She exhaled hard. “I can’t believe this.”

“Sami . . . it’s all right.” Mary Catherine put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “God’s going to give me a different kind of miracle.” She stood and reached out her hand. “Come on. Let’s go find those dolphins.”

Sami waited several seconds before she took Mary Catherine’s hand. “Really?” She shaded her eyes so she could see better. “Can you do this? Swimming in the ocean? Is that good for you?”

“It’s all good.” She slipped back into her wetsuit and ran a few steps ahead. “The more life in my days, the better. Then it doesn’t matter how many days I have. Just that I really lived them.”

“I hate this.” Sami climbed into her wetsuit and caught up to her. “You’re probably supposed to be home resting.”

“Never.” Mary Catherine grabbed her boogie board and ran through the surf. Her laughter mixed with the sound of the waves. “God wants me out here.”

Sami paddled alongside her. The moment they reached the calm area before the swells, they spotted the dolphins. Three of them, playing in the water a few yards away.

“See!” Mary Catherine’s joy was as genuine as the sun on the water. “I don’t want to miss this.”

For the first time in many minutes, Sami smiled again. “I don’t know anyone like you, MC.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Mary Catherine looked over her shoulder as the perfect wave came straight for them. “Here we go!”

And with that they both caught the wave and started to ride it in. The moment they did, Mary Catherine spotted two of the dolphins riding alongside them. “Look!” she shouted.

Sami turned her head and saw what was happening just before the dolphins kicked out of the wave and headed back out to sea. “Wow!”

“That never happens!”

“So beautiful.” Sami was laughing now, too.

Mary Catherine turned her attention to the shore as the ride continued. Tears filled her eyes and mixed with salt water and a happiness that knew no limits. The heaviness from earlier was gone. No matter how many years she had or where God would lead her from here, one thing would always be true.

As long as she drew breath, she would spend her days living.

2

D
WAYNE DAVIS WAS HER
life now.

Lexy watched him behind the wheel, his face twisted in an angry look. He was determined . . . this time he was really going to do it. Which was crazy, because a daytime robbery was the stupidest thing ever. They could both get caught and Lexy would wind up in prison just like her mama. How was she going to tell her grandma something like that?

Dwayne jerked the car into the parking lot of the Shell gas station. Lexy couldn’t breathe, couldn’t talk. What if the guy behind the counter had a gun? What if Dwayne got shot?

“I’m not sure if we should . . .” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Dwayne slammed the car into park and glared at her. He left the engine running. “Shut up.” He looked over his shoulder. “Stay low.”

She did as he asked. Her heart pounded against her thin
T-shirt. Dwayne was her man. She wasn’t ready to lose him. If the store guy had a gun then this could end bad. Really bad. Lexy closed her eyes. She was only sixteen. But they would throw her behind bars. She could already feel the cold metal handcuffs on her wrists.

If he could do it, if Dwayne could pull off the robbery, he’d be leader of the gang. Which would make her the girl everyone wanted to be. That girl. Gang leader’s girl. She opened her eyes. Her heart was beating so hard, the noise was all she could hear. Where was he? What was taking so long?

For a quick second she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her dad was black, mom was Hispanic. She had long, straight hair and light brown skin. Guys thought she was pretty. She’d been sleeping around for a year, but the last few months she’d belonged to Dwayne. Him alone.

He made her feel special. Like she was someone.

Lexy peered through the window. She couldn’t see the cash register, but she could hear yelling. Probably Dwayne. He was so angry today. Like he could shoot someone without thinking about it. He was actually scaring her.

Suddenly Dwayne burst through the door with a paper bag, probably full of money. He stopped, aimed his gun back toward the store, and fired. At the same time a bullet whizzed past Dwayne’s head, barely missing him. “Dwayne! Hurry!” she cried out.

Dwayne turned and ran for the car. He jumped in and sped out of the parking lot. He didn’t look at her or say anything. His eyes were like black steel.

Lexy felt like she was going to throw up. The wheels spun
as they turned left and peeled down the street. She tried to understand. “Where you going?” Her voice was loud and frantic. She hated this. Why couldn’t he talk to her? She could hardly breathe. “Dwayne, where?”

“I’m thinking.” He was breathing hard. He looked into the bag as he drove and let out a victory shout. “We did it, Lex . . . we got this thing. Gotta be a couple hundred dollars here.”

“Did you . . . did you kill him?”

Dwayne glared at her. “I missed, okay?” He kept one hand on the wheel and lunged at her like he might slap her. Instead he shoved the bag onto the floorboard.

Lexy didn’t dare ask where they were going again. Dwayne was eighteen—he would think of a plan.

Sirens sounded in the distance. Dwayne rattled off a bunch of cusswords. He leaned forward, like he was looking for a way out. The car’s steering wasn’t the greatest, so he took a turn on two wheels and sped halfway down the street before he pulled over.

Dwayne dropped down in the seat and pulled his baseball cap low over his eyes. “Don’t talk.”

Lexy wanted to yell at him that she wasn’t a baby. She could talk if she wanted to. But then Dwayne might tell her to get out and walk home. If she wanted to belong to him, she needed to do what he asked. She crossed her arms and kept her mouth closed. At his house, when they were in bed, he was the nicest guy in the world. One day he’d quit getting so angry. Maybe if he became leader of the gang. That would make him happy.

Dwayne’s phone rang. He was shaking, looking at the
money and then checking the rearview mirror. He took his phone from his pocket and answered it. “S’up.”

It was a guy’s voice on the other end. Lexy could hear that much. But she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Dwayne cussed at the guy and then lowered his voice. “You can’t keep changing the rules.”

Lexy felt sick again. Must’ve been someone from the committee, the guys who would decide the next leader of the gang. So far Dwayne was only supposed to hit up a convenience store in the middle of the day. Nothing more. But it was never that easy, not with the WestKnights.

Dwayne shook his head and then smacked his hand on the dashboard. He cussed under his breath this time. “Fine. Tonight.” He shook his head, angrier than before. “Later.”

Lexy knew better than to ask. Instead she looked straight ahead, her arms still pressed against her stomach.

He slammed his hand against the dashboard again. “Gotta kill three EastTown thugs or Marcus Dillinger. Tonight.”

“The baseball player?” Lexy stared at him. “You can’t kill him.”

Dwayne made a fist and then relaxed it. “Marcus is an easy kill.” Dwayne laughed, but the sound seemed dark. Almost evil.

Lexy’s heart raced faster than before. Dwayne couldn’t be for real. He couldn’t kill Marcus Dillinger. The guy was a hero. MVP of the Dodgers. The opening of his youth center was tonight. Killing Marcus? Lexy wanted to scream. Marcus was the hottest player on the Dodgers. From everything she’d
seen on TV he seemed like a great guy. Why would the committee want Marcus dead? None of it made sense.

Dwayne picked up his phone and made a quick call. The voice on the other end sounded like the same guy. “Yo. I made up my mind. I got Dillinger. Tonight.”

Dwayne took off his baseball cap and rubbed his head. He looked over his shoulder behind them. “Police missed us.”

This time
, Lexy wanted to say.

He tossed the bag of cash at her. “See what your man did for you, baby? This is only the beginning.” He peered at her as he pulled the car back onto the street. “Now put it down. You don’t touch my money unless I tell you.”

He drove down the street and turned right toward the freeway. With every mile he seemed to relax a little more. “Gonna be a bloody night, baby. Gonna make you proud.”

“You should get the EastTown guys. That’d be better.”

He glared at her again. “Maybe I’ll start with you.”

“I’m just saying you can’t kill a professional—”

“Shut up!” He cussed at her again. “You take orders from me. You got that?”

Lexy felt her anger rise up, but then it fell away. She was here by her own choice.

They drove ten miles south before Dwayne pulled off the freeway and headed north again, toward home. Toward the streets just a few miles from Dodger Stadium.

Lexy felt tears in her eyes. The feeling wasn’t something she was used to. Gang girls didn’t cry. Too much going on. Still, Lexy wished they could take a week off from stealing and killing and claiming territory. The whole thing was ex
hausting. And now Dwayne was going to kill the city’s favorite baseball player. She should’ve demanded he pull over so she could get out, demanded to be done with this life, but she couldn’t. It was the only life she knew. Besides, she had everything she’d ever wanted.

She was Dwayne Davis’s girl.

3

C
OACH OLLIE WAYNE WALKED
into the bathroom where his wife, Rhonda, was finishing up her eye shadow. Ollie came to her and kissed her neck. “You look beautiful. Prettiest coach’s wife ever.”

She cast him a teasing look. “Coach’s wife?”