“Hello, child,” she said to me, studying my face.
“Hello, ma’am,” I replied as Mike sat in the chair next to me.
“Would you please read my friend’s fortune?” he asked.
She turned to him, drinking him in slowly as she sized him up. At first she looked suspicious, but then she must have found what she was searching for, because she grinned hugely, her eyes almost disappearing into her face.
“You’re a very handsome man!” she said to him. I laughed, and when I looked over at Mike, I saw him beaming back at her. He could have charmed a snake with that smile.
“Why, thank you, ma’am. You are very beautiful yourself!” he replied sweetly. Like I said, a charmer.
“You can both call me Lady Sylvia,” she said. “I’d be honored to read your cards, child.”
She turned her attention to me, slowly shuffling the tarot cards in front of her. Lacey and I used to read our tarot all the time back home to pass the time. We’d squeal with laughter at the different outcomes we could get each time, and scream in fear if they seemed to hit too close to home.
“Pick three cards, child. One will represent your past, one will represent your present, and the final one will represent your future. I want you to focus on each one as you pull them. Pull the cards that speak to you, child. If you are quiet, and listen carefully, you will hear them. Don’t turn them over yet, just lay them on the table in front of you.”
“Okay, sure,” I said, as I began. Since I wasn’t at all keen on focusing on the past, I picked that one quickly, before taking a little more time with the other two. Once I had the three cards set out in front of us, we waited quietly as she turned over the first one.
I gasped when I saw it.
“Ah…the devil, but reversed.” She peered into my eyes, studying me silently. “This is a very interesting card, child.”
“You have a devil in your past.” She said it so simply, but it gave me chills. I immediately thought of Todd, and quickly glanced over at Mike who was looking at me curiously. I had only hinted of my past, but I knew eventually I would have to tell him everything.
I laughed nervously, trying to break the awkward silence.
“Um, okay…” I murmured as the old lady continued.
“This card represents someone very dangerous in your past life. An old ghost that is haunting you. Someone who only thought of himself, and was trapped by his own desires for accolades, awards and sexual fulfillment. Like the devil, he impersonates an angel, hides his evil behind the word of God. This represents a relationship with someone who only treated you as a possession. An object to be controlled and used. This person cared nothing about your own desires or goals, child, only what they could get from your existence. I’m very glad to see this card represented in your past and not your present, girl.”
I could feel Mike’s stare without turning to look at him. I wondered what he was thinking as Lady Sylvia turned over the next card.
“Ahh…your present. Death.”
“Death?!” I exclaimed.
“Oh, don’t worry, dear child. This is a good card, it really is. This tells us that the difficult time you have been enduring is finally coming to an end. It might not be quite over, but the end is near, rest assured. Major changes lie ahead, child. Be prepared, and don’t fight them. I have a feeling they will be changes for the better,” she said as she threw a flirtatious glance Mike’s way.
It was at this point that I began to feel sick. Sure, I wanted changes, but she had just said I wasn’t done with the hard times, and I so desperately wanted it to all be over. Once again, Todd’s face flooded my mind, and I shuddered.
“Ah, yes! Yes! Now, see I was right,” she said as she turned the last card over, revealing a bright orange sun. “The sun! This may just be the best card of all, child. Your future looks bright, darling. Happiness will enter your life soon. You will find happiness in your work and your relationships, and you will find happiness deep within. You will find motivation and energy, and the air around you will be filled with joy. You will bask in serenity and calmness, child.”
She saw the relief on my face, and laughed a loud, cackling laugh.
“Oh, don’t worry, child. Everyone has to go through a thunderstorm every now and then. But I am confident you will make it through, pretty one. Now, there’s just one more thing…” Her voice trailed off as she put the cards away and looked at me intently, her sharp blue eyes peering into mine deeply.
“What does the number twelve mean to you?” she asked.
“Um…nothing,” I replied, shaking my head.
“No? Are you sure?” She stared at me, contemplating my silence before she squinted her eyes and continued. “It will mean something quite significant to you in a very short time,” she said, not breaking my gaze.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I see the number twelve. I see fire. An explosion. I’m not sure exactly, but something about the number twelve will be very important to you.” She shook her head and her eyes squinted. “No, it’s not safe. It’s something dark, but I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Um…okay,” I said. My goodness! What the fuck was she talking about?
Mike’s laughter broke the spell.
“Well, that sounds awful!” he said with a laugh, reminding me that none of this was to be taken seriously. I shrugged off her ominous warning, and smiling politely, I stood up and thanked her.
“Well, thank you, ma’am. I appreciate your time,” I said, as Mike pulled a huge wad of cash from his wallet and handed a hundred dollar bill to her, twice what the sign said.
Lady Sylvia looked at us without smiling, nodded gravely, and tucked the money into her bra.
“Remember child, after the darkness comes the sun.”
“Yes, ma’am…thank you,” I muttered as I turned away.
Mike grabbed my hand and we walked away. We both waited until we were outside of earshot before we burst out laughing.
“Holy shit, Daisy. Sounds like you’ve got a juicy past.”
I hit him lightly in the arm.
“Oh, please. I’m sure it’s not any juicier than your own,” I said.
“Well, whatever it is,” he said, his expression turning serious. “I hope you know you can talk to me about it anytime, if you want.”
I gazed up into his kind eyes and smiled.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “I will.”
He leaned down, planting another quick kiss on my lips before we began walking back the way we came down the boardwalk.
“Let’s get that drink, shall we?”
“Yes, that sounds great!”
“I know a place not far from my house that I think you’ll love,” he said, as we walked back to his bike.
I banished all thoughts of the old woman’s premonitions from my mind, not wanting to invite anything dark into my life. Even still, as I found myself on the back of Mike’s bike again as we drove to the bar, a little seed of fear planted itself in the back of my consciousness, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t shake it.
When we pulled up to a tavern off Highway 101, I took a look around. It was rugged and a little run down, but as soon as I saw the beach behind it I fell in love instantly.
Once again leaving our helmets on the bike, we wandered in and found a booth to sit in. Mike went to the bar to order after asking what I wanted. When he returned, he did so with his most charming smile and two cold, bottled beers.
The tavern wasn’t too crowded, but there were a few dozen people there. Some playing pool, some sitting at the bar and a few couples scattered around in different booths having drinks and dinner.
“So, tell me more about Mineola,” he said, his smile relentlessly melting my insides.
“Oh, there’s not much to tell, really. Like I said, it’s a small town with a small town attitude. Not much happens. At least not much that anyone talks about,” I said.
“Yeah? I can see that. I’d i
magine a lot gets hidden behind closed doors in a town like that,” he said.
“You have no idea,” I said warily.
“So you were a teacher there, too?”
“Yes. I taught first grade. I loved it.”
“It must’ve been difficult to leave if you loved it so much,” he said.
“Well, yeah it was difficult to leave my students so abruptly.”
“Abruptly?”
Shit. I was giving away too much, too soon, I thought. But I knew I would tell him eventually, so it was probably best to just get it over with now. What did it really matter?
“Yes. I had to leave quickly,” I said, my voice dropping. “I was um…well, I was fleeing an unsafe situation.”
“I see. Are you safe now?” he asked.
His question caught me off guard. Was I? I thought I was, even with the possibility that Todd might find me, if he came looking for me, that is. It was also possible that he hated me so much at this point, that he would hopefully never want anything to do with me again. Unfortunately, I was expecting the former, and hoping for the latter.
“I think so, yes. At the moment, I am. I was in a relationship…with a cop. A Mormon cop, actually,” I paused, watching for his reaction.
He smiled, looking at me calmly across the table, not flinching or reacting at all.
“Are you a Mormon, too?” he asked.
I laughed. I hadn’t been to church once since I left, and I had absolutely no desire to go.
“Hell, no. I only went to church for the food.”
“So what happened?” he asked, laughing with me.
“Things went south pretty quickly after we met, and I stayed way too long, but one night - well - um…,” I stopped, the memories flooding in.
“What happened, Daisy?” his brown eyes darkened again, and I saw his grip tighten on his beer.
“Well, Todd has a temper. I was used to it. When he got angry, he would threaten to hit me, raise his fist to me, that sort of thing. But he never hit me, in all those years. Until the night before I left.”
“The fucker hit you? Doesn’t sound very Godly to me,” he said, traces of rage in his usual gentle voice.
I sighed. Out with it, Daisy.
“Yeah. He almost broke my nose. I waited until he left, and the next morning I got in my truck and drove away. I never looked back.”
“I see. That’s good that you left. How long ago was this?”
“Just a few months,” I replied quietly.
“And have you heard from this asshole since then?” he asked, the rage in his voice clearly escalating.
“No. I changed my number. Didn’t leave a note or anything, I just disappeared. I did call my school and tell them, and they were wonderful, but I didn’t tell them where I was going either. I’m sure by now they know, since the school here had to contact them for a reference. But ever since I left, things have been peaceful. No sign of Todd. At least not yet. He’s probably so angry with me for leaving that he doesn’t ever want to talk to me again.”
“I doubt that. Most men like that don’t take too kindly to being deserted.”
“No, I suppose they don’t.”
“Daisy, listen to me. There’s not much I hate more in this world than pricks that abuse women and children. In fact, you could say I have a particular disdain for them.”
“I see,” I said.
“I want you to know something, okay?”
“Sure, what?”
“I know we don’t know each other very well, hell you really don’t know me at all. But if anything happens - if he calls or shows up - I want you to call me, okay? I’ll be there to help you out in a heartbeat, and you can rest assured that if I ever run across this prick, he won’t be bothering you again.”
“Um…okay. Thanks, Mike. If it helps to ease your mind, I did buy a gun, and I’m taking self defense classes. I stay aware of my surroundings at all times. There’s not much more I can do. But I greatly appreciate your offer.”
I was touched. What a man. I was liking Mike more and more as the night wore on, and as I watched him quietly seething across from me, feeling protective towards me, a woman he hardly knew himself? Well, it simply turned me on like nobody’s business. Suddenly, the last thing I wanted to do was talk about or think about Todd. I wanted more of Mike. A whole lot more.
“But listen, the last thing I want to do is talk about Todd Hamilton. Let’s change the subject, okay?” I asked, hopefully. I hated that angry, worried look in his eyes, and I wanted my gentle, happy, sexy biker back.
“Sure, Daisy,” he said, his expression softening as I smiled back at him gratefully.
We were just finishing up our beers when he asked if I wanted to go for a walk on the beach.
“I would love that!” I said, boldly slipping my hand in his as we walked down the stairs behind the bar that led to the beach.
Stunning, bright blue, and powerful, the Pacific raged in front of us with a deafening roar and powerful winds, but all I was aware of was the warmth of Mike’s hand in mine.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MIKE
Daisy was like no woman I had ever met.
She was pure, she was sweet, and yet when I saw the haunted look in her eyes when Lady Sylvia was talking about her past, I saw that what she really was, was strong.
She had hinted at her dark past before, but I didn’t know what it was. When she finally spilled the story to me, I wasn’t surprised. But I was enraged. I immediately began fantasizing about smashing the asshole cop’s skull in and it took all my strength to hold in my rage.
The last thing I wanted to do was scare her away.
When her eyes filled with tears as she asked to change the subject, I wanted to hold her until she smiled again.
Just being in Daisy’s presence made my heart sing. Other than my love for Rosie, my heart had been dead for a long time. Daisy made me feel alive again.
And she was so fucking beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. She was like sunshine - so blonde, so pale, so full of light. Her bright blue eyes seemed to have captured all the light in the stars and when she looked at me, it was like a spotlight on my soul. It was as if I had no ability to be anything other than exactly who I was when I was with her. She saw me. She knew me. She understood me.
And by the way she kept rubbing her thumb on the inside of my palm as we walked along the beach, she wanted me. And my relentlessly throbbing cock definitely wanted her.
I hadn’t felt these all-consuming emotions since I had first met Rose. My heart was full, and yet my cock was raging at the same time.
I had fucked lots of women since Rose died. But it was always just a quick roll in the sheets, a quick act of release and nothing more. Nobody had gotten under my skin like this, because I didn’t let them. I always had my guard up.
And yet, for some reason, it was impossible for me to do that with Daisy. And I had no idea why, but I had absolutely no desire to fight it either.
I wanted it.
I wanted her in my life.
I wanted to love her. And I didn’t just want to fuck her.
I wanted to caress her, taste her and memorize every inch of her skin. I wanted to find the spots on her body that made her squirm and squeal with pleasure. I wanted to see the ecstasy on her face when she came around my cock buried deep inside her beautiful body.
I stopped walking and turned to her, looking down on her sweet face as she smiled up at me, so sweet, so open. Her plump pink lips tempted me and I kissed her softly, gently, quietly, as the waves threatened to wash over our feet. Her arms slipped around me, and I pulled her closer. Her lips opened, and I slipped my tongue into the warmth of her mouth. We melted into each other, forgetting our surroundings.
I was contemplating laying her down and making love to her right there in the sand when I heard the first scream.
We jumped apart and looked down the beach to where a couple was standing. Well, only one of them was standing. The man had just kn
ocked the woman to her knees, his hand raised in the air ready to strike a second blow.
“Stop!” I yelled loudly, as I sprinted down the beach towards them.
I was too late. His second blow landed squarely across the woman’s face, her head fling to the side violently, as she landed in the sand, a heap of twisted limbs and black curls.
My fist cracked into his jaw before he could raise his hand a third time, sending him flying backwards into the sand. He landed on his ass, holding his jaw and staring at me in stunned silence. His silence only lasted a quick second before he attempted to pull himself to his feet, all the while calling me every name in the book.
I towered over him and placed the tip of my boot on his chest, stabbing him with it and pushing firmly as he fell backwards again. I looked down at him, sizing him up. He was your typical frat boy type - all machismo and steroids - and I had no doubt I could take him if he stood back up.
But he didn’t. He took another look at me, and like many times before with other men, I knew the combination of my cut and the steely look in my eyes would make him think twice about attacking me.
I kept my boot on his chest as he lay there looking up at me helplessly, applying a little more pressure with every word as I spat my words at him.
“Don’t you EVER hit a woman, you fucker!”
“But she —,” he began before I stopped him, my thigh muscle flexing as I pressed down harder. I was practically standing on his chest now.
“She didn’t do a goddamned thing to deserve to be hit, you stupid fuck. You like being a bully, asshole? You think it’s fun to hit women? Maybe you need a fucking beat down yourself!”
My blood was boiling, and as I leaned down to punch him, I remembered Daisy. I looked over my shoulder and saw her. She was on her knees in the sand, holding the crying woman and comforting her as she looked at me in fear. When her frightened eyes met mine, I knew I couldn’t go on.
I stood back up, keeping my boot firmly planted and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
RAW: THE ULTIMATE MC COLLECTION Page 45