by Nikki Wild
"Let's do this," Kara said, beaming. And off she went…
Chapter 16
Kara
I was trying not to kid myself. There had been a time, years and years before, when I'd known my way around the kitchen. I didn't know whether that would come back to me, though.
Regardless, I jumped in. I figured that anyone that could make Dane worry as much as his mother did needed to be faced head on. If she was a dragon that needed slaying, I could throw barbs with the best of them. The fashion industry had given me a quick wit and a cutting style of constructive criticism that I used to whittle down even the most snobbish of models.
But when I went through the house and entered the kitchen, I wondered what I’d been so worried about. His mother was small. Tiny. She couldn't have been much more than five foot two, and if she weighed more than 110 pounds with her clothes soaking wet, I'd be surprised.
When she turned around though, she was one of those women that was hard to guess her age. She could've been anywhere between sixty and eighty, though the blue eyes that blazed from her face were clear and full of an intellect that I knew I should be wary of.
She confirmed that with her first statement. "So, is this the next one then? How long is this floozy going to last, Dane?" his mother said past me, as if I was either not in the room or too stupid to understand the words.
"I think I’m going to last just as long as I want to. I thank you for your concern," I said, sticking out my hand and basically making her take it. Her grip was strong and dry, her hand still powdered with flour. Still, she gave me an appraising gaze and I saw a twinkle in her eye that matched her son's.
"You're different," she said, her voice calculating.
I nodded. "Damn straight I am. I don't know what kind of girl you’re used to meeting, but they're nothing like me."
She almost smiled. I caught it, but an instant later only the ghost of it remained. She had such an iron will that she could clamp down on any emotion in a split second, and I would've missed it if I wasn't looking for it. "Truth is, that boy never brings any girl home," she told me. "I think he’s scared of what I might say. Doesn’t stop me from hearing the rumors though. Am I going to hear rumors about you?"
It was good question. I didn't know how to answer it, so I asked her one of my own. "What about you? Are all the rumors I've heard true?"
I didn't know if that would sting her or not, but she looked past me at Dane and gave him an exasperated glare. "Some of them, no doubt," she confessed at last, and this time the smile was too strong for even her to hold it back. "But only just."
I smiled back at her. I liked her already. No, it was stronger than that. I adored her. She was clearly a rock in a place of strong currents, and I knew if I needed anyone to lean on in my short time here that it was going to be her.
"May I?" I asked, respectfully gesturing at the counter. She'd been halfway through the pancakes' creation, and I was worried about them getting burned. Not that I should've. She deftly reached for the pan without even looking and spun them in the air with a flick of her wrist. They landed squarely in the middle.
"No, you may not," she said, her voice back to being stern. "You're a guest in my house, and no guest of mine is going to be cooking her own breakfast. You pull a chair over there at the table. Sit across from Dane so I don't have to watch any hanky-panky. And while you’re at it, why don’t you tell me about yourself."
That's just what I did. I expected my thirty-second intro to be one of those stupid icebreaker moments they made you do in conferences and workshops. Hi. I'm Kara. I'm from New York. I've got big dreams.
But it wasn't. I must've gone on for three or four minutes about myself, and before I knew it I was spilling the trials and tribulations of my life. Rough upbringing. Never had much, even at Christmas. All the rest. When I was finished, I caught Dane looking at me a bit differently, and my heart sunk.
Screw him, I thought to myself. Just because I dressed nice and had ambitions and goals didn't mean that my life had been easy. Who was he to judge?
His mother brought us plates heaped high with pancakes, and when she sat down beside me with a plate of her own and started tucking into it, Dane practically dropped his fork on the ground.
I looked over at him to see what was wrong, but he was covering for himself well. He cast me a glance that said, just go with it, so I did.
Breakfast was amazing. It tasted the way you imagine food might have tasted like back in the 1950s, before they filled everything with corn syrup and preservatives. The strawberries that she'd cut and put on top were farm fresh, and the maple syrup was real maple. You weren’t going to find an asterix on the back of whatever jug it had been poured from to explain a laundry list of chemicals and fillers.
I ate with gusto. We all did. Before I knew it, Dane was telling me a little of the history Silver Creek. He talked about the way that the roads back behind the farm had been used to smuggle liquor during prohibition.
His mother rolled his eyes at him. "It's true," she said, when I looked over at her. "But Dane and his Daddy both had this romantic view of that I just can't abide. Every time he gets into that car and roars off for the speedway, my heart's in my throat. You ever had that feeling, Kara? That the last thing you're going to see of one of the men you love is their taillights?"
I swallowed hard and didn't know how to answer. She was talking about more than just Dane, I knew that for a fact. His father...
"I'm sorry," I said to them both. I didn't want to drum up any dark feelings, but I didn't know what else to say. I didn't like conversations that felt like minefields, so I just cut a piece of pancake filled my mouth with it.
"Don't be," Dane said. I could tell he was trying to protect me. I appreciated it, but I wasn't sure I needed it. I wasn't hurting like these two were.
His mother was watching me again, and I kept my eyes on my plate and pushed around the last of my pancakes until they'd sopped up all the syrup. "Dane?" she asked at last.
"Yes?"
She breathed deeply, and let it out slow before saying, "Tell me you didn't pick this one up off the side of the road. Tell me she's not involved in all that biker nonsense."
It was like a dagger, the sudden flash of pain that went through me. Like something sharp and jagged had slid between my ribs and twisted around all of a sudden. I should've known when I'd seen the bright light behind those blazing blue eyes that she was nobody’s fool. She knew. I don't know if Dane thought he was hiding anything from her, but he wasn't.
"I’m afraid I can't tell you that," he said slowly.
She nodded. That got me to wondering what else she knew. How much of the world did she understand with nothing but a casual glance?
And what did she think of me?
"I was afraid of that," she said. “Explains why you didn’t just drop her off at the next town over. And you're in deep, whether you want to admit it to her or not. It's going to come to blood. Those Reaper boys aren't going to like you running off, and I know you won't back down. Most of them can be talked out of violence, but not Reed. They ride with him because they’ve fallen on hard times, just like everybody else.”
“I know.”
“I want you to assure me of one thing. You hear?"
"I'll try."
She set her fork down on the napkin beside the plate. I watched as little droplets of syrup made their way down the tines. "Promise me that I'm not going to have to put another one of my men in the ground out back. A mother can't live with that. My heart won’t take it."
Dane didn't answer. The silence was deafening, and all I could hear was the bang of my heart in my ears and the rushing of blood through my veins. When I looked up, it was those two who were staring at their plates.
Somehow, I'd walked into something that I wasn't ready for. And now I didn't know how to walk out.
Chapter 17
"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, as soon as breakfast was finished and he and I had left the house
.
"I tried to…"
I shook my head angrily. "Well, you did a pretty shit job of it. And what exactly was I supposed to be afraid of? She's a lovely woman. Maybe be a bit harsh on the outside, but I imagine you have to be out here."
Dane shrugged at me. "I didn't think she'd like you. No offense," he said, holding up his hand when he saw me about to whirl on him. "It's not about you. She doesn't like anybody. And she sat down to eat with us! She hasn't done that since… well, since dad was at the table."
I shut my mouth and bit down on whatever sharp thing I'd been about to say. There was clearly more going on here than I knew, but I was tired of these secrets. "Tell me," I said. "Tell me what happened. Tell me everything."
"All right. But not out here. We'll go into town and grab a drink."
"I thought you said it wasn't safe for me there."
Dane shrugged. "That was before. Things are a bit different now."
"Why? Because we slept together?"
Dane made a face. "Well, we did," he said. "The sleeping part, at least… I’m hoping to settle the score a bit next chance we get."
I let that slide even as I imagined exactly how I might help him settle the score... There were obviously the same feelings on both sides. I was doing my best not to let that get me tangled up, but it was beginning to feel like I was losing the battle.
"Listen," Dane said, taking my hand. "I promise I'll tell you everything. The whole story, but it's just too raw here. Come with me. I already had a look at your car this morning and I need some parts for it. The only way to get them is to go into town, so you can tag along and get some answers, or you can stay here. Whatever you choose is fine."
I could tell by the look on his face that the threat of me having to stay here on my own with his big bad mother for company was supposed to be a threat. I almost laughed at him for it. Still, the promise of understanding Dane a little bit better was too enthralling for me to say no.
"Let's go," I said. "As long as you tell me everything."
He nodded. We got back into the tow truck once we were in the garage, and he pulled it out. I hadn't noticed when I'd first woken up, but he'd already taken the Bentley off the back. It was up on blocks in the center of the room. The tire that had been shot was sitting off to the side and from here I could see that the axle was twisted. Mangled, really. I believed him when he said he could fix it, but it was certainly going to take some doing.
I sat in silence but whatever frustration I'd felt this morning quickly dissipated. Soon enough, we were companionably sitting next to each other. As he worked the clutch, I even let my hand trail down his forearm to lock fingers with his.
That wasn’t something I’d normally do, but hell, this whole trip had went so far off the rails that I didn’t care. It was nice to have somebody to touch. Who cares if this is just a fling, I told myself. I was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. I’d find some sexy way to return last night’s favor, he'd fix the car, and I'd go to Orlando. Maybe I’d even keep in touch…
Of course, thinking about leaving this place behind only brought all of my other obligations rushing to the forefront of my mind.
"My bag! Where is it?"
"What, your luggage? It's back on the bed where you left it. But don't worry about it. You don't need to change your clothes now, or anything."
"It’s not that," I said. "I need my purse."
"It was right beside your luggage."
My phone was in there. I didn't even know if it was charged, but it was my only way of getting back in touch with the outside world. I’d already been out of contact for far too long.
"How long are drinks going to take?"
Dane shrugged. "Half an hour? I'll have you back soon, if that's what you're worried about. You're safe with me…"
I didn't want to argue about that. I believed him. I decided that it was fate that I'd left the phone behind. What good would a call or an email or text message do, anyway? The worst had already happened. Even if I ignored Dane’s fears of bikers watching the roads out of town, I was stuck.
"Okay," I told him. “But when we get back I have a few things to sort out.”
Once we got back to town, we turned left off the main road and came to a large, steely gray industrial complex. There was a long line of Harleys parked across the street in front of a nondescript warehouse, and seeing them had memories of the crash last night flooding through me.
Was this the plan? Was he expecting me to walk in on some confrontation right now?
Clearly not. "That’s pretty much the only watering hole in town," he said, pointing down the street to a bar on the corner.
"Okay," I said, a little shaky after seeing those motorcycles.
I was pretty sure that I'd be safe with him. After all, it was one thing to shoot out a girl's tire when she was all alone on the interstate in the middle of the night. It was quite another to do something like that in broad daylight, right? Besides, as we got closer I could tell by the parking lot of the bar that the place was busy, even though it was still early. Nobody would try something here. Not with all these witnesses…
Still, some of my confidence fell away when I noticed that he was careful to put the tow truck in the back, well out of sight of the warehouse across the way. I looked over at him, and he flashed me that winning smile. "You can never be too safe, right?"
"Right."
He opened his door, and before I could climb out of my side he was already around to it, helping me out. I felt like a princess, and that only increased when Dane and I walked into the bar like we owned the place. His arm was around my waist, and the guys inside reacted to us as if we were visiting royalty. Just about everybody set their drink down to shake his hand or say a kind word to him on the way past, even though he nodded and shrugged it off. I didn't know exactly what we were in for, but this seemed like friendly territory.
The bartender had a couple of beers waiting for us by the time we got to the bar. Dane gave him a thumbs up, grabbing them both in one hand and leading me to a table in the corner with the other. It was as good a place as any for a deep and meaningful, since we were well away from the rest of the crowd. Once we were sitting down, they were respectful of the distance. It was one thing to shake his hand on the way in, but it was quite another to come over and interrupt us.
Who was the guy I was with, really? And why did people treat him like this?
I suppose I was about to find out…
Chapter 18
Dane
I promised to tell her, so I did. In a way, it was easy. After all, as hard as it was to admit it to myself, she'd be gone soon. Whatever hurt this conversation caused, it would heal.
And it couldn't be as bad as living through it the first time…
And besides, there was something about Kara that made her easy to talk to. I could tell right away that she wasn't going to judge me. Her warm, inviting eyes accepted exactly what I had to say. She didn't often interrupt or ask pointless questions, and she nodded and put her hand on mine through the rough parts.
That was enough to get me through it.
"Three or four years ago," I started, my voice rough. I took a swig of beer and started again. "That was when we found out. My brother… he got into drugs. He was in deep by the time we worked it out. Every part of his life was riddled with bad influences and bad decisions. My parents sold land to pay for rehab. They sold equipment too. If it wasn’t nailed down, it was sold to the highest bidder at fire-sale price. Jimmy was stealing from them too. They knew it, but what can you do, you know? When it’s your kid…”
Kara nodded.
“They did their best to help him kick it. We all did. The hook was just in too deep."
I drank some more beer and glanced away, but it wasn't until I looked back into her eyes that I had the strength to keep going. "All this chop shop bullshit I’m involved in? That all started because I was trying to pay off his debt to Reed. That’s the guy that had the pistol pointed
at you last night. Reed was Jimmy's dealer, but things went a little deeper than that. One night Reed came and told me that Jimmy’s debt belonged to all of us. The whole family. He wasn’t going to get shit out of Jimmy, but he knew we’d protect him. Reed knew we’d make him whole. He didn’t make a threat, but sometimes a man doesn’t have to. I knew what was coming if I didn’t play along. ”
“What do you mean?” Kara asked quietly.
“He wanted payment in money or blood, and I’ve seen enough in my life to know what Reed is capable of. I thought I could control the situation. I told him I’d take care of the debt, but he wasn’t going to be pushing any more of his shit onto Jimmy. I’d put some money together for him and he’d take that club of his back out on the road. I’d get my brother back… We shook hands. Around here that’s supposed to mean something.”
I shook my head and couldn't help but laugh when I said the words out loud. "Sounds so stupid, now. Jimmy didn't stop using. Sure, Reed stopped selling to him but it only took him a few weeks to find another dealer one county over. I found him slumped against the garage with the fucking needle still in his arm. Nothing was the same after the funeral. My dad fell apart. Started drinking. Anything to make the pain go away, I guess. Momma watched it happen, but there wasn't anything even she could do to turn that train around."
I drained the beer, and smiled thankfully at her when she pushed her half-empty bottle over to me. Some stories just need more lubrication than others.
"We'd always been a racing family. Way back when, I know he dreamed of a dynasty. Dad was good, but he could never turn pro. That's what he wanted for Jimmy and me. My dad and I were going to partner up right before his drinking started. Dad was a genius with a wrench, and me and Jimmy were the guys behind the wheel.”
She put her hand on mine, and I felt her give me a reassuring squeeze.