His Promise

by Wilder, Brook

  Hailey pulled her knees to her chest and placed her hands on either side of her face. She buried her face into her knees. No, not again. I can’t get caught this time.

  The rider took sharp turns around corners, Hailey’s back was tossed against the door as he sailed through yellow lights and intersections. Within ten minutes, the car came to a stop outside of the club. Meish rolled down his window and stuck his head out. He turned his head from left to right then turned to the driver, “Go! I’ll get her inside, get the door unlocked.”

  The rider jumped out of the front seat, he ran around the front of the car. As he passed the nose of the car, Hailey wished that she’d been in the driver’s seat so that she could ram the car into his kneecaps.

  Then I’d turn around and finish off Meish. Hailey imagined the satisfying crunch that his bones would make as the wheels of the car backed over him again and again. Hailey grimaced as Meish tugged her arm and dragged her out of the backseat. Meish hurried inside and signaled to the rider.

  “Shut the door!”

  The doors shut behind them and Hailey’s eyes flew around the room. The work day had been long over for Clyde, and most of the riders had opted to do their partying outside of the club for the night. Hailey raised her eyes and felt her heart sink into her stomach upon seeing the nasty grin that was spreading across Meish’s thin lips.

  Meish grinned and said, “You had it a little too good last time, bitch. If Rocco doesn’t come looking for you, I’d hate to see what happens to you.” He snapped his hand around her arm and tugged her towards a narrow hallway. The bulbs flickered and popped as they moved throughout it, and Meish stopped just outside of the door.

  Hailey’s eyes widened, her mind replayed the day that Rocco had led her to this door and stuffed her inside. She turned her head towards Meish and said, “W-What are you going to do to me?” She wished that her body was cooperating with her, and that she could convincingly wear a mask of fearlessness.

  Meish yanked the door open, and all but threw her inside. Hailey collided with a hard, steel pole, and whipped her head around. Her chest heaved and she said, “What are you doing? Where are you going?!”

  Her questions were tossed against the door as Meish slammed it shut. Hailey’s eyes whipped around the room, and a dark feeling began to work it’s way through her chest and into her belly. Her hand flew to her stomach as her eyes landed on the narrow window that she remembered seeing before when Rocco tossed her in her.

  Hailey walked over to the other side of the room and pressed her back against the wall. She slid down the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her eyes rested on the door in front of her, she could barely make out the sound of footsteps on the opposite side of the door. She angrily swiped at the tears on her cheek. “I’m not going to fucking stay in here, not this time.” She dug her fingernails into the sides of her arms and her body swayed from side to side.

  Hailey lowered her eyes to the floor, loose nails and a thin layer of filth laid on the floor. Not this time.

  Chapter 25

  The sun burst through the windows of the motorcycle club. Clyde narrowed his eyes and pulled the door open, his sneakers scraped against the floor as he moved inside. The door shut behind him with a bang and he trudged over to his desk.

  Clyde heaved a sigh as he set his things down onto his desk and placed his hands on the surface in front of him. He leaned forward to get a look at Meish’s door, but there weren’t any shapes moving behind the glass. The muscles in Clyde’s neck and shoulders relaxed as he fell back into his chair. It had been one hell of a week. Meish had never been this unfurled in front of the crew, and Clyde suspected that he’d rather be dead than let any of his staff see him like this. The search for Rocco was getting to him, and Meish was beginning to trudge into the club in a foul mood each morning, each one was more fearful than the last. Clyde sat back against his chair and raised his eyes towards the ceiling.

  This is the only down time that I’ll get all day, I bet. Meish had been riding him all week, and Clyde suspected that he was doing it more so because he knew that if Rocco ever came back, he’d find a way to get in touch with Clyde. Clyde had don all he could to play his role well, however. He never mentioned Rocco to anyone outside of saying how big of a piece of shit he was for abandoning the club, for abandoning his family. If he chewed on his lip and balled his fingers into a tight fist, the other riders accepted this convincing performance.

  Clyde spent more time worrying about Rocco and if he’ll make it out of this whole ordeal alive than he did on anything else. Every night, he’d go home to his apartment and shoot the shit with his roommate, but Rocco was at the forefront of every conversation, even if his name never came up. Clyde figured that if Rocco had any brains, he’d get as far away from Chicago as possible, somewhere that Meish wouldn’t think to look like Mexico or Puerto Rico.

  Clyde yelped and sat upright in his chair. The desk chair bounced forward and a loud screech from the bolts below rang throughout the room. Clyde whipped his head towards the source of his distraction and whispered, “What the fuck.”

  The loud, dull sound rang throughout the lobby again. Clyde pushed his chair back and jumped to his feet. He reflexively patted his waistband for the feel of cold steel against his skin and remembered that he’d forgotten to grab his gun this morning.

  Clyde walked around the desk, and down the narrow hallway that waited just past the club kitchen. The sound grew louder, and more violent with each thump. Clyde’s feet slowly moved down the hallway, and he held his hands out in front of him defensively.

  “..fucked up!”

  What the hell? Clyde moved forward and said, “Hello?!”

  “Clyde? Clyde, is that you?!” The voice was desperate, like a man that had run into a lake when he was on the verge of dying of thirst. Clyde approached the door and his hand hovered above the doorknob. He tilted his head towards the door and said, “What the fuck—who’s in here?”

  “ Clyde . It’s Hailey, please open the door, I’ve been locked in here all night!”

  Clyde’s eyes widened and he flicked the lock in the middle of the doorknob. He pushed the door open and gasped as his eyes fell on Hailey.

  It’s like seeing a ghost.

  Stringy bits of her hair hung in front of her face, and she smiled with relief. “Clyde,” she breathed. Hailey straightened her knees and stood at her full height. She sniffled and said, “Meish took me from Rocco’s apartment last night.”

  Clyde quickly looked over his shoulder and when he didn’t see any riders or Meish ambling through the door, he turned around and met eyes with Hailey. He extended his arms to her and said, “Come here.”

  Hailey stepped into Clyde’s arms and rested her head against his chest. A sob wracked her small frame and shoulders trembled. “Clyde, I thought that I was done for.”

  Clyde winced, he knew that he couldn’t promise to keep Meish away from her. He pulled away and wrapped his hands around her wrists. He tugged her into the kitchen and said, “I’m going to get some food in you, and then I have to put you back.”

  The hopeful glint that had been in Hailey’s eyes dimmed, and she said, “Couldn’t you just let me go? I could run out the front door right now.” Her eyes flickered to the doorway and Clyde shook his head. He reached into the freezer and pulled out two frozen meals. Clyde ripped the plastic off of one of them and said, “Meish will know it was me. He’s already been up my ass this week because he thinks that I’m in touch with Rocco.” Clyde opened the microwave door and set the meal inside. Hailey watched as the bright yellow light within the machine came to life and she turned her head towards Clyde. “Are you in touch with Rocco?”

  Clyde bit down on his lower lip and watched the frozen meat and peppers swirl around in the microwave. He sighed and said, “No, I can get in touch with Rocco, though. I think he knows that, but I haven’t told him.”

  Hailey lowered her eyes and frowned. “Which means you can’t help me without ris
king your own life.”

  Clyde nodded and the microwave beeped, he pulled the meal out of the microwave and handed it to Hailey. He rooted around in the drawers for a fork and said, “Here, eat this before Meish gets here. I need to get the fork and trash out of there before Meish gets here.”

  Hailey nodded, and followed Clyde into the hallway beside the kitchen. He unlocked the spare room and noted the grimace that flashed across Hailey’s face as he held the door open for her. Hailey groaned and stepped inside, she walked in and slid against a wall with her food tucked into her arms.

  “I’ll be in to check on you later.”

  Hailey’s wide eyed gaze stopped him just as he was about to swing the door shut. “Can you help me? If you can find a way to get me out of here without putting yourself in danger, can you help me?”

  Clyde frowned and said, “Hailey, I don’t think-”

  “Please.” She rested her hand on top of her belly and said, “I can’t go through this again. Not now.”

  Rocco would make a mess of things with a baby on the way. Clyde turned his eyes up towards the ceiling and said, “I’ll see what I can do. I’m not promising a thing.”

  Hailey pulled her lips into a small smile and said, “Thank you.” She gestured at the microwave meal in between her hands. “For everything.”

  Clyde nodded and replied, “No problem.” He shut the door and turned around. Clyde took slow, heavy steps back to his desk and collapsed into his chair. His eyes flickered to the door of Meish’s office.

  What does he have planned for her?

  ***

  Rocco slid into one of the narrow parking spots outside of a diner. He smiled to himself. It’s like it's the perfect size for a bike. Maybe I’ll make a new life in this state. He chuckled and slid off of his bike.

  A young couple walked inside of the building, the woman linked hands with her boyfriend. The boyfriend lowered his eyes towards her and grinned. He stopped just in front of the door, and held the door open. His eyes moved over from the sweet smile that rested on his girlfriend’s lips and to Rocco’s gaze. His eyes lingered on Rocco’s for a moment, before he snorted and followed his girlfriend inside.

  Rocco shook his head. If he only knew about the kind of trouble that I’ve already gotten myself into because of a girl. Now, if I could just figure out where she is, I’d be much better off. Rocco moved inside and the hostess greeted him. She showed him to a booth in the back nad Rocco slipped into his seat. He set his hands on top of the table and scanned the menu for the most carb loaded, fattiest entree that he could find.

  Rocco ran his finger down the menu and his index finger hovered above the triple stacked pancake entree. He opened his mouth to call his waitress over and his back pocket began to vibrate. Rocco sighed and lifted his butt off of the ripped and stained seat of the booth. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and read the name that flashed across the screen in big, urgent looking letters.

  “Clyde, you idiot. Meish is going to kill you,” Rocco steered his thoughts away from Meish slamming his fist into the face of his closest friend. He dragged his finger across the screen and held the phone to his ear. “Clyde, what’s going on?”

  Rocco watched the waitress come into view and peer towards his table, before turning around and diving into another section. Clyde’s panicked voice came through the speaker, “Rocco, where are you?”

  “At a diner just off the highway. Why?”

  “You’ve got to get back to the club.”

  “You know that I can’t come back to the club,” Rocco offered a gracious smile towards his waitress as she set a glass of water and a black cup of coffee onto the table.

  Clyde’s voice went up an octave as he said, “Hailey is here.”

  The menu slipped out of Rocco’s hands and he said, “What?”

  “Apparently, she came back here looking for you. She got into your place last night, and Meish came in looking for you.”

  Rocco’s stomach churned and the photo of the triple stacked pancakes on the menu seemed like the least appealing thing at the moment. He swung his legs out of the booth and said, “What did he do to her?” He braced himself against the edge of the table. His heart rattled against his ribcage.

  “I don’t think he’s done too much yet. He’s confident that you’re going to come back for her—look, I managed to make some time to call you and tell you what’s going on, but you’ve gotta get back here. If I help Hailey out of here-”

  “Meish will have you killed.” Rocco lifted his gaze and noted the concerned expression on his waitress’s face. She turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen.

  “I can probably book a flight for you, if you can drive to the nearest airport. Text me the info, and we’ll go back to get your bike later.”

  “Alright.” Rocco ended the call and jumped to his feet. He tossed a few crumpled bills onto the tabletop and weaved through the tables around him. Rocco stepped outside, the sun blanketed his skin. He reached up dragged the back of his palm across his forehead. I didn’t think that I’d get another chance. Rocco pulled his keys out of his back pocket and hurried over to his bike.

  ***

  Hailey’s stomach roared with another hunger pang, and she pulled her legs to her chest. She rolled over on her side. Hailey raised her eyes towards the door and sighed. I probably won’t be able to eat again until Clyde can sneak in here. Hailey pulled herself into a sitting position and turned her head towards the small window that hung over head. Darkness had set in a couple of hours before, and if the low rumble of laughter and music that came from underneath the door told her anything, it told her that the riders wouldn’t be making themselves disappear for awhile.

  The sound of footsteps approaching brought Hailey to her feet. Her knees trembled and she braced herself for a whirlwind of Meish. She tried to sleep the night before but Meish’s smile was the only thing that she saw when she shut her eyes. If she drifted off for a moment, she could feel the nasty chill that went through her body when Meish dragged his finger underneath her chin.

  The door swung open and Clyde stood in the doorway. He dragged a hand through his hair and said, “How are you doing?”

  “I could use some more food. It’d also be nice to be let out of her.”

  Clyde nodded and said, “I think that I can get you out of here. We’ve got a few riders in the lounge rooms on the other side of the club. They’ve been drinking themselves into a stupor, so they may not notice when you escape.”

  Hailey frowned and said, “But Clyde, what about you?”

  Clyde shook his head, “I’ll be fine. Rocco is going to see to it that you get out of here.”

  Hailey gasped and repeated, “Rocco? I thought that no one knew where he was-”

  “I talked to him, his flight should have landed an hour ago. He’s going to make sure that you get out of here.” Clyde smiled and said, “I’m sorry that I can’t move faster.”

  Hailey shook her head, “Now that I know Rocco is coming for me, it’ll be fine.”

  Clyde nodded and turned around. He stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind him. Hailey finally let go of the breath that she’d been holding and rested her hand against the pole that she’d run into when Meish first tossed her inside. Rocco is coming for me. This is it. We’re going to escape.

  Chapter 26

  Rocco all but pushed everyone out of the way as he sprinted out of his gate. He sprinted past small clusters of people, and ripped his shoes off of his feet as he approached airport security. He hurried through the checkpoint and slipped his feet back into his shoes. Rocco reached into his back pocket and dragged his finger across the screen. He fell into a steady stride as he held the phone to his ear.

  The phone rang three or four times before Clyde answered, “Have you made it?”

  “Just got off of the plane. How soon can you be here?”

  “I’m sending a car for you. I use this guy every so often, and he’ll be sure to be somewhere in a p
inch.”

  Rocco ran his tongue over his lips and said, “How is she?”

  “About the same, a little pale. I’ve been sneaking food to her when I can but she hasn’t exactly had an easy time since she’s been back. Meish has stayed out of there.”

  Rocco sighed and said, “Okay. Make sure that everything is clear. I’ll be there soon.”

  Clyde said his goodbyes and gave Rocco a basic description of the car that he’d be looking for. Rocco moved outside and stood off to the side, away from throng of people that were hurrying into the airport. He narrowed his eyes, and impatiently scanned the curved road in front of him for the sedan that Clyde mentioned over the phone.

  He watched as three more groups of families headed into the airport. An SUV drove out of the airport driveway, and a navy sedan pulled up behind it. The window rolled down to reveal a balding man that was approaching forty. A smile emerged from behind his salt and pepper beard, and he said, “Are you Mr. Garrett?”