by Tess Oliver
I put my arms around her. “Why didn’t you call the police?”
A sad muffled laugh followed. “Nothing would happen to Jigsaw. The MC would make sure of it.”
In the distance, I heard the rumble of a motorcycle. “We need to get out of here. Can I take you to your mom’s?”
She nodded.
“Let’s go.” I took her hand and led her to my bike. The motorcycle I’d heard in the distance neared. Jigsaw rolled into the parking lot. I looked past him and saw that some of the club members had come out of the bar. They were walking toward us like an angry posse of leather and chains. I was fucked.
Lilly gasped. “He’s going to kill me.”
I pushed her behind me. Jigsaw stopped his bike and nearly threw it down in his hurry to reach us. His face and nose were still distorted from the fight.
I stepped toward him. “You come near her again, you fucking low life, and I will make that face of yours even uglier. Just like I did the other night. Only this time I won’t stop.”
Several of the club members came up next to Jigsaw. I didn’t recognize any of them as the guys from the fight. One with a patch that said vice president and a skeleton hand tattooed on the side of his bald head peered at me over a bushy moustache and beard.
Lilly leaned her head to look past me. “I’m leaving, Jigsaw. It’s over so let us get out of here.”
The VP with the beard stared at Lilly for a second. He turned to Jigsaw. “Did you do that?”
Jigsaw squirmed at the question. “She was smart mouthing me, and she fucked this guy.”
The beard fluttered as the guy sighed loudly. “You’re an idiot, Jigsaw.” The man turned to me. I was sure he was going to signal his buddies to jump me. Instead, he lifted his meaty hand and pointed at my motorcycle. “You and the girl get on the bike and ride out of here. Now.”
I didn’t need a second invitation. I climbed on and fired the bike up. Lilly climbed on behind me. She gripped me tightly. The VP said something to his buddies, and they jogged back to their bikes. I wasn’t waiting around to see what the hell they were up to.
I pulled my bike onto the main road through town. Before I reached the end of the shops, Lilly suddenly tightened her hold on me. “Kellan, they’re following.”
“Shit. Thought that was too easy.”
Four motorcycles rode up and positioned themselves, two on each side of us. The riders all stared straight ahead. I figured they were just waiting to get me to a remote location to kill me without witnesses.
“I’m so sorry, Kellan,” Lilly cried from behind. “Just let me off. I’ll go back to Jigsaw. They’ll leave you alone then.”
“Not leaving you behind, Lil. Just hold on. When we get to the highway, I’m going to grab the throttle. I won’t be able to lose them, but it’ll make them have to work at catching us.”
We reached the place in town where the ‘leaving Browning’ sign had been nailed to a tree. The two lane highway stretched out ahead of us. “Here we go,” I said over my shoulder.
Lilly leaned against me and held tightly. I grabbed the throttle. The cold wind chipped at my skin as the motorcycle flew forward. I glanced in my mirror. The other motorcycles had slowed and turned back around. They’d just been escorting us out of Browning. It was their way of showing me the door and letting me know not to come back.
I slowed down. “They’re gone, Lil.”
She relaxed behind me. “Thank you, Kellan. Thank you for getting me out of there.”
Lilly’s house was just down the street from my childhood home. My mom had moved in with her sister, and our house was being rented. It looked even shabbier than I remembered. Lilly’s house wasn’t much better. Across the street was a line of stores and a pool hall that most of the older men in town liked to hang out in on Saturday night. The evening hours hadn’t even begun yet, but there were already plenty of cars out front.
“I haven’t been home in three months,” Lilly said. The sadness in her tone was hard to hear. She’d always been one of those lost souls, always looking for the right people to love and trust. “My mom will throw a fit when she sees my face.”
I stopped my bike. “Will you be all right?”
Lilly climbed off. “Yeah, as long as Jigsaw leaves me alone, I’ll be fine. Thanks, Kellan.” Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t know who else to call. I’m such a fool.”
“I’m glad you called. And you’re not a fool. Just don’t pick guys like that anymore.”
She leaned over and threw her arms around me. She straightened. “I heard you were back with Rylan.”
I smiled. “Yeah.”
“Some girls have all the luck.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Well, I better go brace myself for my mom’s three hour lecture on picking the wrong man. Bye.”
“See ya around, Lil.”
Chapter 28
Rylan
I stared into my cup. The whipped cream had long turned to milk in my coffee. The super sweet smell was actually turning my stomach sour. It turned out a fancy cup of java wasn’t going to help me out of my funk. I cared deeply for my parents, but they’d really stretched my affection for them today. Knowing that they’d rather see me unhappy in New York with a man I didn’t love than at home with the man I loved made me question their values. It was still all about money and status for them, and it seemed they would take those priorities with them to the grave.
“Oh, I didn’t tell you this bit of gossip. Actually, I don’t even know if it can be classified as gossip because no one cheated or two-timed on someone else, but it’s interesting nonetheless.” Becky waved her hand in an attempt to stop her own tangent. It was something she did often, and I always found it humorous. She leaned closer as if the other patrons in the coffee shop had any interest in our conversation. “Scott told me that Jason paid off his enormous gambling debt. And just in time too. Scott knows the bookie Jason was involved with, and he’s not a nice guy, if you catch my meaning.”
“Yep, I catch it. Where did all the money come from? His dad, maybe?”
Becky sat back with a shrug. “Not according to Scott. He said Jason’s dad would never part with that kind of cash. He doesn’t even know about Jason’s gambling problem.”
“Maybe Jason finally found a rich girl who could stand to be around him longer than three minutes.”
“Three minutes? That would be long in my book.”
“I’ve been lucky enough not to run into him since I’ve been back.”
Becky plucked off another piece of blueberry muffin. “How come you aren’t with Kellan today?”
“I was earlier. We had plans but then something came up. He’s going to text me when he gets done.”
“So I’m just filler?” She winked. “That’s all right. I’m waiting for Scott to finish up with office work. He’s taking me to dinner in the city. It’s so rare when he takes a night off from The Hole.”
“That sounds nice.” My phone buzzed with a message. “That’s probably Kellan now.” I picked up the phone. The message was from an unfamiliar phone number.
“Just took this picture five minutes ago.” I slid my thumb over the picture to open it. It took me a second to decipher what I was looking at. I held the phone closer and then dropped it as if it had caught fire on my palm.
Becky looked up from her muffin. Her eyes rounded. “Oh my god, what is it, Ry? You look like someone just socked you in the stomach.”
I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I glanced at the phone on the table. Becky grabbed it and turned it over. Her brows fused together as she squinted at the fuzzy picture. “Shit. Is that Lilly hugging Kellan? No way. I mean I know Lilly was always sniffing around Kellan whenever she came to The Hole.” She stopped when she apparently noticed that her words weren’t helping. “Ther
e has to be some kind of explanation, Ry.”
I took a deep, stuttering breath hoping it would clear the sudden fog from my head. It didn’t help. “There is an explanation, Becky.” My throat was so dry it hurt to talk. “I’m an idiot.”
My phone rang. I stared at it again as if flames were shooting out of it. Sometimes I hated phones and texts and everything about technology. I picked it up, not completely sure if I’d be able to speak if I heard Kellan on the other end. But then, he was busy with Lilly, so he wouldn’t have time to call.
It was the same unfamiliar number. I was about to find out who my private eye was. “Hello.”
“Hey, Rylan, just thought you’d be interested in that picture.”
“Who is this?”
“Well, if that isn’t a slap in the face. It’s Jason, Jason Meade. I was playing pool and—”
“How did you get my number?”
His laugh was ugly and harsh. “That’s your main concern? How I got your number? It seems that Kelly boy is fucking with you again.” Another laugh and he hung up.
Becky had not taken a new breath in her angst to hear what the call was about.
I stared at the phone. “That was Jason. He’s the one who took the picture.”
Becky twisted her mouth in thought. “Well, it makes sense. He always hated Kellan, and he always loved you.”
“I don’t even know how he got my number.”
There was a flicker in Becky’s eyes as if something had clicked, something had gelled.
“What is it?”
She started to say something and then shook it off. “Nothing. I was just thinking about how Jason might have gotten your number. But I really have no explanation.”
“Becky, if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to go home now.” My phone buzzed. The sound of it nearly made me throw up. My hand shook as I looked at it. It was a text from Kellan. “I’m done with what I had to do. Should I pick you up?”
I didn’t answer. The ache in my eyes melted to tears. I was numb from my head to my toes. “Please, Becky, just take me home.”
Chapter 29
Kellan
I plopped down on the couch. It had been a long afternoon. For a few tense minutes I wasn’t sure Lilly and I weren’t going to leave Browning in one piece. But she was back home, and I knew her parents. They were decent, and I was sure they’d take care of her. I’d called and texted Rylan, but she’d never answered. I figured she got busy doing something else, so I decided to wait at home.
I ripped open a bag of chips and popped open a beer. I’d only just started up a video game when Dawson and Tommy pulled up. Tommy was the first inside. He stared at me as if he was waiting for me to change colors or sprout horns.
“What the hell you looking at, Huck?”
He didn’t answer but looked back as Dawson stepped inside. “I don’t think he saw it yet.”
“Saw what? What’s going on?”
Just then my phone received a text. I pulled it out of my pocket expecting it to be Rylan. It was Meade. “What the fuck does he want? Did we leave a locker door open or something?”
Tommy stepped toward me and held up his hand. “Wait.”
“Too late.” I rubbed my thumb over the picture. It was a picture of Lilly hugging me. Nothing was coming together for me. Dawson and Tommy waited in dead silence for my reaction. “Shit, it’s like that asshole is my shadow. Creepy of him to take a picture without me knowing it. And why the hell are you two looking like you just wet your pants? Lilly was in trouble. Jigsaw beat her, so I went and picked her up. All was cool. The Grunge Devils escorted us out of town. They looked pissed at Jigsaw for giving Lilly a black eye.”
They still hadn’t said anything. Another text came through. It was Meade again. “This is a nice cozy shot of you and Lilly. I’ll bet Rylan thought the same thing when I sent it to her.”
“Guess he sent it to everyone,” Dawson said.
I put down the phone. My pulse was pounding in my ears. My fingers curled into steel balls. “This time I’m going to fucking kill him. I’m going to take that fat meat head of his and pound it into the cement so hard his tiny brain will splatter.” I got up from the couch.
Dawson stepped in front of me. Tommy blocked the door.
“Get out of my way, Dawz.”
“Nope. You’ll have to go through both of us. Then you’ll be hurting too much to pound Meade’s fat head. Just call Rylan and tell her what happened. She’ll understand.”
“Rylan. Fuck, this is why she’s not answering my calls. She’s already decided I cheated on her.” I slipped past Dawson. “Yep, I’m going to kill him.”
Tommy braced a hand against the edge of the door as if he was just casually hanging out. “Can’t let you through this door, bro. You’ll cool off. Rylan will cool off. Then everything will be . . . cool. And you won’t spend thirty years in prison for the murder of a guy who is definitely not worth thirty years. So walk your ass back to the couch, and I’ll get the beers.”
Taking a decent breath or swallow was hard with teeth clamped shut. I lifted my arm and threw my fist into the door right next to Tommy’s head. He barely flinched.
“Sorry, Huck, just needed to hit something if I’m not going to get a chance at Meade. Just step out of my way. I’ve got to go see Rylan. I’ve got to talk to her and tell her what happened.”
Dawson laughed. “So you’re just going to march up to the front door? I’m sure old man Graham probably has his old hunting rifle primed and ready for just such an occasion. Try and call her again. Leave a message.”
“Nope. I need to see her. I know if I can talk to her face to face she’ll understand.”
I reached for the door. “C’mon, Huck, give me a break. Get out of the way.”
He lifted a finger and pointed at me. “You’re not going to go search out Meade, are you? Otherwise, I’m going to buy you a big jar of lubricant for your jail time. I hear that helps.”
Dawson had a good laugh.
“Glad you two are amused. My whole fucking life just fell apart, and all I did was help a friend. I’ve got to find Rylan. I won’t go after Meade . . . At least not today.”
Chapter 30
Rylan
An ounce of luck had followed me into the house and I managed to get inside and up to my bedroom without running into one parent. I dropped onto my bed. Kellan’s scent still lingered on my comforter. My throat tightened as I thought back to the unbelievable morning we’d had together. I pulled the comforter over my body and head, giving myself a nice, downy cocoon against the rest of the world.
I could hear my parents’ voices at the other end of the hallway, readying for their dinner out. Apparently, ruining their daughter’s life in a traitorous move of siding with the devious ex-fiancé hadn’t diminished their appetites for steak and lobster.
Just the thought of food made me press my hand to my mouth. I felt sick to my stomach, but it had nothing to do with whipped cream topped coffee. I’d forced myself to stop crying while in the car with Becky. I didn’t need to put on the same pathetic show I had the last time Kellan had done this to me, the last time he’d completely shattered my heart. I wanted to kick myself hard. I’d done this already. I’d gone through the horrific pain that came with loving Kellan only to find that he didn’t return the same love. Or at least not enough to keep him from Lilly’s arms. I still couldn’t believe it or understand it. Was I really that naive and delusional about his feelings for me? When we were together, the connection I felt always seemed to go both ways. But I’d been wrong.
I heard Dad’s voice booming down the hallway as they headed to the stairs. He mentioned something about me coming to my senses and inheritance and some other words. All of them melted into nothing in my head. My dad seemed to be under the twisted notion that mo
ney was more important than love. While my mom had a small list of undesirable traits, that perverse obsession with wealth and status had always been the one thing I’d never admired in my dad. Now, it seemed, I was also lower than wealth on his list of priorities. I was stuck with no place to go. Fuck Chase. This was all his fault. Never again would I change my life for a man, or any controlling parent either, for that matter.
I burrowed down farther in the blanket, thankful that my parents hadn’t realized I was back home. The front doorbell rang. Dad’s loud footsteps pounded the stairs and the floor in the entry. Since Chase and I weren’t going to fill their reservations for four, they must have quickly invited some friends for dinner. No sense in an ugly scene with their daughter getting in the way of a lovely Saturday night out.
I closed my eyes hoping I’d just drift off and away from the awful day. Dad’s voice grew louder and sharper. I pulled the cover down to hear what was going on. That’s when I heard it, the voice that always tugged at my heart, that always instantly sent a tremble through me. But today the tremble was like a soft ache.
“Lanie!” Kellan’s voice rang out from the front steps.
I tossed off the cover but hesitated. What could he possibly say to fix this? He’d told me he had something to do. And that something had been Lilly. The same person who’d I’d spent seven years believing that he’d left me for on grad night. Even though he’d insisted that was a lie, the picture had made me question everything he’d told me.
“I will call the police!” Dad barked.
I threw off the blanket. If nothing else, I needed to tell Kellan to leave before my dad had him arrested. I had no doubt that Dad relished the idea of the police dragging Kellan off in handcuffs.
I reached the stairs and took a deep, steadying breath. Facing him was something I hadn’t braced myself for. I tended to be a weak, starry eyed girl when I came face to face with Kellan.