job.”
“ Uhuh…”
“ So I know about you Nicole. I know this isn’t really you. You’re not some party chick for bikers to use up and toss away. You’re one of us Nicole.”
I wiped my nose with the sleeve of my shirt. “Us?”
“ Yeah. Intelligent. Law abiding. Someone who doesn’t throw their whole goddamn life away joyriding on motorcycles — or their owners. You’re a college student, Nicole. You’re not a middle-school-dropout like their usual skanks. You’re not cut out for that life. You’re better than that.”
I sniffed again as his words ran through my mind. Sitting in the chilly air-conditioned room I suddenly felt lonely. He squeezed the top of my hand.
“ Come on, we should get you back to your college. I’m sure you’ve never been picked up like this before, you must be shocked, right?”
I nodded. “A little.” His sudden change in demeanor had me reeling. Before he’d come back I’d been furious with him — furious and terrified of him calling my father, that is. Now? I didn’t know what to think.
“ I’ll call you a cab. Here.” He pushed a business card across the table. It was his. “If you need help, if those bikers try and make you do anything you don’t want to do, you give me a call, okay?”
Make me do something I don ’t want to do? Like what? I nodded as I took it and slid it into my jeans.
He left the room again and this time I felt more at ease. When he retu rned it was to announce that the cab had just pulled up. I pushed back the chair, wiped my eyes and headed outside. I hope they’ve all gone.
CHAPTER TWO
Jase
She better not have said anything. She wouldn’t have, right? She doesn’t know anything anyway. Jase paced back and forth outside the sheriff’s office. He’d been questioned and released in no time. Everyone had. There was nothing to link them to the crime, and as much as they loved to harass the MC the sheriff’s office had better things to do today. Apparently they wanted to ‘solve’ the crime, or find someone to blame, before the Feds arrived.
A taxi pulled up behind Jase ’s parked motorcycle and idled outside. A rare site in Farmington, there was only one taxi firm and he doubted they even had a dozen cars. Most of their work was driving old people around for the local government because they were cheaper than using ambulances. There were no old people in the sheriff’s office.
Jase took aim at a rock, and with a powerful boot sent it hurtling down the d usty road. It’s a strange feeling when intense stress and worry is competing with boredom for attention. Why the hell is it taking so long?
Everyone else was back down the clubhouse now. With the wake over it was back to business, and there was a lot of sh it to sort out with their first shipment of the Koreans’ product imminent. This shit better move easily or we’re screwed.
We do a lot of debt collection around the trailer parks. I bet we could …
Just as Jase was formulating an idea to move more product the door swung open and a familiar and welcome face appeared. He ran over. “Hey! Are you okay?”
She didn ’t look okay. She’d been crying. “I’m fine. I’m going back to my dorm.”
“ Alright, hop on.” He patted the back seat of the motorcycle.
She shook her head. “They called me a taxi.” She made toward the back door of the beat-up old car.
What the hell? Jase grabbed her arm. “Fine. Take a taxi. But, should I be worried?”
He stared into her eyes and was relieved when a look of confusion crossed it. Thank God. “What? No. Just… leave me alone for a while, okay?”
“ Why? What’s the matter?” What the fuck is going on? I don’t like this.
“ Nothing. It’s just. Y’know. It’s been fast, too fast. I need to think. I’ve got finals coming up soon.” She gently pulled her arm away from his grip and it slid between his fingers.
“ What?”
“ Final exams. I’m a student, remember?”
Exams. Shit, it ’s been a
“ Uhuh…”
“ So I know about you Nicole. I know this isn’t really you. You’re not some party chick for bikers to use up and toss away. You’re one of us Nicole.”
I wiped my nose with the sleeve of my shirt. “Us?”
“ Yeah. Intelligent. Law abiding. Someone who doesn’t throw their whole goddamn life away joyriding on motorcycles — or their owners. You’re a college student, Nicole. You’re not a middle-school-dropout like their usual skanks. You’re not cut out for that life. You’re better than that.”
I sniffed again as his words ran through my mind. Sitting in the chilly air-conditioned room I suddenly felt lonely. He squeezed the top of my hand.
“ Come on, we should get you back to your college. I’m sure you’ve never been picked up like this before, you must be shocked, right?”
I nodded. “A little.” His sudden change in demeanor had me reeling. Before he’d come back I’d been furious with him — furious and terrified of him calling my father, that is. Now? I didn’t know what to think.
“ I’ll call you a cab. Here.” He pushed a business card across the table. It was his. “If you need help, if those bikers try and make you do anything you don’t want to do, you give me a call, okay?”
Make me do something I don ’t want to do? Like what? I nodded as I took it and slid it into my jeans.
He left the room again and this time I felt more at ease. When he retu rned it was to announce that the cab had just pulled up. I pushed back the chair, wiped my eyes and headed outside. I hope they’ve all gone.
CHAPTER TWO
Jase
She better not have said anything. She wouldn’t have, right? She doesn’t know anything anyway. Jase paced back and forth outside the sheriff’s office. He’d been questioned and released in no time. Everyone had. There was nothing to link them to the crime, and as much as they loved to harass the MC the sheriff’s office had better things to do today. Apparently they wanted to ‘solve’ the crime, or find someone to blame, before the Feds arrived.
A taxi pulled up behind Jase ’s parked motorcycle and idled outside. A rare site in Farmington, there was only one taxi firm and he doubted they even had a dozen cars. Most of their work was driving old people around for the local government because they were cheaper than using ambulances. There were no old people in the sheriff’s office.
Jase took aim at a rock, and with a powerful boot sent it hurtling down the d usty road. It’s a strange feeling when intense stress and worry is competing with boredom for attention. Why the hell is it taking so long?
Everyone else was back down the clubhouse now. With the wake over it was back to business, and there was a lot of sh it to sort out with their first shipment of the Koreans’ product imminent. This shit better move easily or we’re screwed.
We do a lot of debt collection around the trailer parks. I bet we could …
Just as Jase was formulating an idea to move more product the door swung open and a familiar and welcome face appeared. He ran over. “Hey! Are you okay?”
She didn ’t look okay. She’d been crying. “I’m fine. I’m going back to my dorm.”
“ Alright, hop on.” He patted the back seat of the motorcycle.
She shook her head. “They called me a taxi.” She made toward the back door of the beat-up old car.
What the hell? Jase grabbed her arm. “Fine. Take a taxi. But, should I be worried?”
He stared into her eyes and was relieved when a look of confusion crossed it. Thank God. “What? No. Just… leave me alone for a while, okay?”
“ Why? What’s the matter?” What the fuck is going on? I don’t like this.
“ Nothing. It’s just. Y’know. It’s been fast, too fast. I need to think. I’ve got finals coming up soon.” She gently pulled her arm away from his grip and it slid between his fingers.
“ What?”
“ Final exams. I’m a student, remember?”
Exams. Shit, it ’s been a
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