“What’s going on?” I ask.

“Ummm…” he mumbles, and before he can answer, I see a few familiar faces in the small crowd that’s starting to gather. Natalie’s face turns back toward where I’m standing.

From this distance, I can tell she’s crying. Her eyes are puffy and her face is contorted in anguish. “Oh my God…”

Stepping forward, I don’t think as I cross the small street toward the beach. She makes her way toward me and begins to jog as we get closer to each other. Throwing her arms around me as we meet, she cries, “It’s terrible! Oh my God, Sierra. It’s so terrible.”

“What the hell happened?”

As she pulls away, she wipes more tears from her face. Peering back at the crowd, I see her boyfriend walk toward us with a stern, tight expression on his face as if he’s resisting the urge to show emotion.

“Fucking Tyler died last night,” she says, her voice strangled and high-pitched.

The blood drains from my face as I stare at her, the words not quite registering as I look back toward the police tape. “What? How?”

“He got a bad batch. Someone killed him.” Grant walks up behind Natalie and answers my question with a leveled tone, and he’s not aiming it at me. His eyes are trained on someone behind my back. I turn around and see Logan still standing in the spot where I left him on the boardwalk. He’s watching us with a guarded look on his face, eyes squinting and hands in his pockets.

“I don’t understand…” I say, looking back toward Grant.

“Someone sold me drugs that were laced with something. And it killed him.”

My mind is reeling as I stare at the two people in front of me. I didn’t know Tyler did drugs, outside of the pot I could smell on him, but I guess spring breakers go all out when they have the opportunity. And to me, this sounds like a tragic mistake on Tyler’s part, but the way Grant is glaring at Logan, I can tell they have other ideas about his death.

“I’m so sorry…” I touch Natalie’s arm and turn to walk back to Logan when Grant’s hand grips my arm, and his face gets only inches from mine. Out of instinct, I try to pull away, but he only squeezes tighter.

“Don’t fuck around with that guy. He’s nothing but a junkie. There’s only one thing he wants from you, and if you give it to him, you’ll regret it.” My eyes go wide as he serves me a threat, disguised as a warning.

And just like I expected, Logan’s voice is loud and thundering just behind me, his hand on my back. “You better fucking let her go.”

Grant pulls away, his hand still on my arm like he’s trying to drag me away with him. “Or what?”

“You wanna find out?”

“Stop it,” I exhale, trying to wrench myself free from his powerful grip.