Karen collected her files and left the bar. The sun beamed down on her and she couldn't believe what had just happened. She seemed closer than ever to catching this killer but she also had a date tonight.
Things were looking up for Karen Taylor.
Chapter Eleven
“What are you doing up there?” Karen's mom called from downstairs.
Karen didn't want her mother prying into her personal life and asking a million question. Telling her about the date was off the table.
“Just working, Mom,” she answered back.
“Well I'm making your favorite dinner: macaroni and cheese!”
Karen shook her head. Her mother still couldn't believe that her daughter was all grown up now. She hadn't liked macaroni and cheese since she was thirteen.
“I actually have to go out for work. Sorry, Mom.” Karen could hear the disappointment in the returning silence. “I promise I'll be able to eat dinner with you tomorrow.”
Karen returned to the long mirror on the wall. She didn't bring any “date” clothes with her and she resorted to some of the old things in her closet. The purple dress with puffy sleeves that she wore to homecoming was out of the question. She pulled out a tiny black dress with spaghetti straps that she wore at her graduation party. It was the only thing resembling sexy in her entire wardrobe. It was more than she could say about her current wardrobe back in D.C.
She squeezed into the tight dress, holding in her breath as she pulled it up over her breasts. “Damn, too short.”
The dress barely covered her crotch. You could almost see the bottom of her black panties peeking out. That would be a great message to send to Trevor, she thought to herself.
“Well that's it. I'm out of options.” She tore the dress off and threw into the pile of others that didn't work. There was nowhere she could go to buy something nice in Jimstown. This just wasn't the place. But with the college now, she imagined a mall wouldn't be so far behind.
Karen resigned to the fact that she would have to wear a white t-shirt and her black FBI pants. It was the only thing that worked. At least the t-shirt was tight and showed off her ample chest. She thought about asking her mom for heels since they wore the same size but thought against it. “Better to steal them,” she said, rubbing her hands deviously.
Karen listened at the top of the stairs until she heard her mother make a noise in the kitchen. She crept down the hallway and into the master bedroom. It was still exactly how she remembered it. Big bed with four posts. Large dark blue drapes covering long windows. She sneaked into the bathroom that led to the master closet.
The small space smelled of cigarette smoke and mothballs. She rummaged through the shoes on the ground and found a black pair of heels that could work. Karen felt sixteen again, rummaging through her mother's closet, looking for an outfit that would make her look more mature.
She let out a deep sigh when she made it back to her room without being caught. She tried on the black heels and they classed up the outfit. Now she didn't feel so embarrassed.
–
Karen noticed the watch on her hand while she brushed her hair. It was thirty minutes to 7:00. “Shit.”
She was used to getting ready in the morning in record time. Applying makeup while driving had become a necessary skill. And it would pay off in spades tonight.
Karen swept the contents of the bathroom counter into her purse along with the heels. She didn't want her mom to notice them on her way out.
“I'll be back later tonight, Mom.”
“Be safe, Karen,” she yelled.
Karen ran out barefoot to the rental car and jumped in the front seat. Walking with heels was difficult enough but so was driving with them on. She drove as fast as she could while safely putting on makeup.
As the sun set, Karen was surprised at the amount of cars on the road. Businesses she passed by were still open. When she was younger, it was common for every place to close by five so people could get home to their families. That meant there was no nightlife save for the one bar that stayed open until 10:00 pm. But now with the college, Jimstown was growing. There was a need for a business to stay open after dark.
Karen followed the Google map directions until she found Thomson's in a brand new shopping center. Thomson's looked like an old style pub straight from Europe. A two-story brick building stood alone with two chimney stacks and golden lanterns hanging above its many windows. It was a stark contrast to the dilapidated shithole the Eight of Spades was.
From the outside, Thomson's looked like a nice place. Karen almost believed she was in the wrong place.
Until Trevor Scott pulled up on his motorcycle.
Chapter Twelve
Karen had never been into motorcycles before. Too loud and unsafe. She always saw overweight men who could barely drive them speeding past her into an early grave.
But seeing Trevor drive up on one, made her rethink everything.
Trevor Scott unsnapped his bucket helmet and set it down on the seat. He flipped the kickstand as he got off, the bike tilting to the side. He tore off his sunglasses and his eyes met Karen's. Her heart stopped in her chest. She tried to gulp down a breath of air.
“You look stunning,” Trevor said, his view wandering up and down Karen's body.
Karen blushed and wanted to return the compliment. But Trevor looked exactly the same. He didn't even change out of the white t-shirt and jeans he wore earlier. Karen didn't care because he looked damn good it in it.
“You look good too,” she replied.
Trevor scratched his closely shaved head. “Shall we go in?”
Karen nodded. She took a step forward and her weak ankles betrayed her. Karen lost her balance and began to fall over.
Trevor was there in a flash, his hand grabbing her arm and preventing Karen from face-planting into the concrete. “You okay?” he asked, grasping her hand and stabilizing her.
Karen didn't even realize she had put her other hand on Trevor's chest to break her fall. His pecs were rock hard and she didn't want to take her hand away. “I'm fine. Thank you,” she replied, taking her hand off his chest and brushing her jeans off like she had gotten them dirty for some reason.
Karen felt like a dumb little girl. A nice attractive man came along and she melted into a puddle of adolescence.
Trevor led Karen into the bustling pub. A long wooden bar dominated the right side crowded with customers. Round tables filled the rest of the floor and there wasn't one open seat.
“Did you get a reservation?”
Trevor let out a chuckle. “They don't take reservations here.”
“If the waits too long, we can go somewhere else.”
Trevor folded his arms. “Don't worry, we'll be fine.”
A tiny blonde girl that looked barely nineteen approached them. “Trevor Scott! It's so good to see you.”
They hugged and Trevor kissed her on the cheek. “Good to see you too, Lily.”
A sudden jolt of jealousy filled Karen. What kind of name was Lily anyways? She didn't know why she felt this way. Karen didn't care about this biker. It didn't matter if he had a history with this girl or not. He probably had a history with every girl in this room.
Trevor and Karen followed the girl to a set of stairs blocked off with a velvet rope. She unhooked the chain and cleared the way. “Take any table you like,” she said with a smile that tried too hard.
The upstairs was filled with tables but they were all empty. Large exposed wooden beams ran overhead.
“Where would you like to sit?” Trevor asked.
Karen didn't understand what was happening but she went with the flow. “This table should be nice. The window will give a view of the nice parking lot and mountains in the distance.”
A waiter with large red muttonchops on each side of his face came upstairs and handed the both of them a menu. “Would you like to hear the specials?” he asked in a thick Scottish accent.
Trevor glanced at the menu and closed it. “I t
hink we're ready to order.”
Karen cocked an eyebrow. “We are?”
“We'll take two pints and haggis for both of us.”
Karen's jaw dropped to the table. She couldn't believe he ordered for her. It was like some cliché movie where the man assumed what his date wanted.
“Haggis?” she asked. Karen had heard the word before but didn't know what type of food it was.
“Type of Scottish food. If I explain what's in it, you might not want to try it.”
Karen's mouth turned upside down. “Sounds like I'm already going to love it. Are you Scottish or something?”
“If I took you to an Asian place, would you think that I was Chinese?”
Karen scoffed. “Of course not. It's just I figured...”
Trevor interrupted. “I'm actually Scottish on my mom's side.”
Karen slapped the table and the silverware shook. “I knew it!”
The waiter returned with two tall glasses of beer. Karen wasn't much of a drinker. Especially beer. But she wasn't about to let this biker think that she couldn't hold her own. She declined a drink when they met earlier that day but now she was on date.
Karen lifted up the glass to Trevor and tipped it back into her mouth. The liquid was cold and not as bad as the beer she had had before. But it was still beer.
Trevor understood what she was trying to do and joined her in downing the beer.
Karen swallowed mouthful after mouthful but the glass seemed to be never-ending. Her stomach expanded, her lungs burned for air, but she was determined to go on.
Trevor looked like he did this every day after waking up in the morning. His dark eyes beamed into Karen as he drank.
Karen had trouble taking in anymore. Beer was escaping out of the corner of her mouth and dripping from her chin. The level of liquid had risen in her stomach and reached her throat. But the glass was still half full.
If Karen drank anymore, she'd be puking all over the place for sure. It wasn't worth it. She slammed the glass down and gasped for air. But a loud burp escaped her lips instead. She immediately covered her mouth but it was too late.
Trevor finished his drink with ease and gently placed it on the table. “You almost made it.”
Karen wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I don't usually shotgun beers.”
“You could get better with a little practice.”
The waiter arrived with two plates and set them down on the table. “Enjoy,” he announced before returning downstairs. Karen couldn't discern what was on her plate. It looked like a mashed pound of meat. Something a butcher would hand you across the counter.
“So what's in this?” she asked, poking at the blob of food with her fork.
“Just try it first,” Trevor replied, taking the first bite.
Karen waited for his reaction before trying it. Trevor smiled and took another bite. Since he didn't projectile vomit or choke to death from poison, Karen thought it was safe to try.
The first bite was tough to get through. The meat was soft but chewy. The flavor was something foreign to her. It wasn't like any type of animal she'd had before. She took a swig of her beer to wash it down.
“What do you think?” Trevor asked.
Karen didn't know what to say. She couldn't imagine eating a whole plate of this stuff. And yet, that's what was before her. She didn't want to be rude.
“It's not bad,” she replied. Karen took another bite and feigned joy. “Are you going to tell me what's in this now?
“A bunch of sheep stuff. I don't know exactly but it tastes fucking good.”
Karen imagined all the weird organs of a sheep put in a food processor and served before her. She felt a little queasy. Then faint. She had barely eaten any of it but just the sight of it was enough.
“Are you all right?” Trevor asked.
Karen turned a shade of green. “I think I'm going to be sick.”
Trevor jumped to action, knocking chairs over, grabbing a bucket from the corner of the room.
But he was too late.
Chapter Thirteen
“I'm so sorry,” Karen repeated over and over again through the bathroom door.
“It's not a problem,” Trevor replied, grinning from ear to ear.
Karen opened the door and wiped her mouth with a paper towel. “I've ruined our date.”
“Are you okay now?” Trevor couldn't stop smiling.
Karen nodded. “You think this is funny, don't you?”
Trevor bit his lip to keep from laughing. But he couldn't hold it in. Trevor fell to his knees crying from laughter.
Karen was offended at first. She was completely embarrassed by what happened and all Trevor could do was laugh at her.
“You have to admit, it's pretty funny,” he said in between breaths.
“No it's not!”
But Trevor was right. Never had a date gone so badly before. A chuckle emerged from Karen's mouth that started the train. Full-on laughter escaped and she couldn't stop. They both collapsed next to the bathroom, holding their mouths to keep the noise down.
Trevor and Karen left the restaurant a lot earlier than intended. The night had barely begun but Karen didn't know how it could continue after what just happened.
“I guess this is goodnight then,” Karen said.
“What are you talking about? You think that just because you threw up all over the restaurant that means we have to end the night?”
Karen put her hands on her hips. “Well of course.”
“You might be used to guys that run away at the first sign of crazy but I embrace it.”
Karen shoved Trevor playfully. “I'm not crazy.”
Trevor ignored her and began walking to his motorcycle. “You ever ridden one before?”
Karen knew what he wanted to do next before he even asked it. “No way in hell. I was just sick.”
“But you feel fine now.” Trevor handed her an extra bike helmet.
“You planned this from the beginning, didn't you? There's no way you drive around with a spare helmet all the time.”
Trevor didn't let his expression change. He didn't give anything away. “You never know when you might pass a girl in distress on the road.”
Karen knew there was a half-truth in there. “I know I'm going to regret this later,” she said, taking the bike helmet.
Trevor mounted his bike and started the engine. The Harley roared to life. Karen took a step back, the loud noise scaring Karen more than she thought it would.
Trevor slipped on a pair of black Ray-Bans and motioned for Karen to join her.
She knew this was a fight-or-flight moment. The thought of running away sounded like a good idea. No a great idea. Especially after how embarrassing dinner was. Karen couldn't understand why Trevor still wanted to hang around.
Maybe he really was different than most men?
Karen took the seat behind Trevor. The machine beneath vibrated. Her hands slipped under Trevor's arms and hugged him tight. His abs were flat and tough. She could get used to such a thing.
“Ready?” Trevor asked, revving the engine.
“Hell no,” Karen yelled.
Trevor rolled out of the parking lot and could feel Karen's fear in the way her nails dug into his stomach.
The wind whipped through Karen's hair. She held on as tight as she could to Trevor. The bike picked up speed on the main street before he turned right on to a side road. “Where are we going?” she screamed.
Trevor turned his head back. “Nowhere in particular.”
The single headlight illuminated their way. Karen enjoyed the night air as they cruised through the darkness. They didn't speak to one another, There was no need. Trevor could sense the excitement oozing off of Karen.
Karen realized they were about to pass her old high school. The one-story building was just how she remembered. She assumed they would've expanded by now but the school was exactly the same. Even the signboard still said: “Go Tigers!”. It's like they weren't able to come u
p with anything else to say in the last decade.
Trevor came to a straightaway and revved the engine before speeding up. Karen could feel the bike gaining speed. Her heart pounded faster. Her hair flapped in her face. She cursed herself for not putting her hair in a ponytail before they left.
The scenery flew by them. Karen had no idea how fast they were going to but she knew it was way over the speed limit. Normally she'd be freaking out, screaming for Trevor to slow down. But she felt completely safe. Holding onto him made her feel safer than she had felt in years.
Biker's Heir Series Box Set Page 65