Outlaw's Second Chance

by Bella Drake

  “So, did you send me this crazy lady, Cassie?” I asked out loud, laughing. “How do you like my outfit? If Danny and Jay could see me now. Hell, I bet I could just move back home and no one would recognize me in these fucking clothes.” I thought about how hot Lucy was. I’d been in some crazy situations in my life but this one was definitely for the books.

  I wanted to call Jay and tell him about what had just happened, but I couldn’t tell or even give him a hint to where I was. It was too soon. I needed to stay cool and stay off the radar. I missed my bike and wished I had it, especially up there. Nothing like a mountain road ride. I remembered Cassie’s mom and I used to take rides in the middle of the night in the summer. It would be eighty degrees out. We would take long rides through the mountains and fuck under the stars. Those were the days. Now she lives in some glass mansion with my daughter’s doctor. I never saw that coming, never.

  I wondered what had happened to Lucy. She seemed high maintenance but most chicks are… until you get them on the back of a Harley. Something happens like a transformation that brings out the primal in a woman. Nothing like a babe on the back of your bike.

  I reached the fork in the road and continued to my little sis’s cabin. I immediately went inside and chucked those preppy clothes and slipped on a pair of worn-in Levi’s and, ironically, a T-shirt from the MC that was after me. I grabbed a sixer from the fridge and resumed my nightly ritual. I walked out back and stoked the fire that was still burning. I sat and watched the huge bonfire burn across the lake that now looked like a lake of fire. I sat and chugged three beers in quick succession before realizing I almost fucking died. “Almost! Cassie, almost!” I shouted up into the sky. “One day baby we will be together again. All the pain and bullshit of this life will be over and we can be together.”

  Lucy’s bonfire across the lake burned late into the night. The deer head, the coo-coo clocks and who knows what else. Hey, maybe her ex is lying somewhere in the inferno. I wondered how long crazy Lucy would be here on the lake. As much as I love a good-looking woman, I was worried her drama would spill across the lake and grab a hold of me.

  Chapter 8

  Lucy

  My skin was on fire from the burn of the bonfire. I was so stupid! What was I thinking, using an entire gallon of gasoline? I can’t believe my stupidity almost killed that poor guy. He tried to come to my rescue and came really close to drowning. The last thing I thought I would be doing tonight was pulling some hunky, tattooed construction worker from the lake. I wish I wasn’t so damaged. He was really nice on the eyes and his body was fabulously ripped.

  What girl doesn’t love a handsome man with a bad boy edge and tattoos to boot? I read the tattoo on his chest. It was a heart with fire and in large script lettering, it read Cassie. Must be his girlfriend, I thought.

  He was right, my leg was killing me. Thank God I had some Vicodin left over from my wisdom teeth extractions. I popped one of those and then popped open another bottle of wine. I took a shower, washing the lake water off me and then put on some comfy jammies and curled up in the bay window overlooking the lake. I wasn’t able to sleep in the master bedroom where Jeremy and I made love many times. I just couldn’t, not now. I was close to dragging that mattress outside and throwing it on the fire that was still burning strong.

  I stared down at the fire. The charred skulls and horns jetted out from it. It looked like a scene of Hell depicted in an ancient book. Oh no! It looks like half of a teak patio chair was sitting a little too close to ground zero. Crap! I love those chairs.

  I looked across the lake and I could see Matt, that poor guy. He was sitting by his little fire, probably cursing me. He must’ve thought I was crazy and I didn’t blame him. He reminded me of the guys I dated when I was younger. He looked like he was no stranger to a Harley and I had always liked guys like that. The only problem was, I loved the finer things in life and even though guys like Matt were incredibly sexy, they tended to be broke construction workers who were usually in some kind of trouble.

  “I can’t believe I asked him to load the shotgun. I am so stupid.”

  I looked over at him. I could tell he had changed out of Jeremy’s khakis and white polo shirt I gave him. The fact that he had changed made me like him more. He probably couldn’t stand it and had to change his clothes. Men are so funny. They all seem to have their thing, their routine. Something in me changed when I saved Matt.

  I saved someone! I actually saved a life. It hadn’t really hit me until after he left. Sure, I pretty much caused it, but the fact was I saved another person’s life. A little voice in my head kept repeating over and over: He is alive because of you, he is alive because of you.

  Tonight was going to be the night, the grand finale. I was having second thoughts now and I needed to wait. My spirit had been destroyed by Jeremy and now was reignited when I saved Matt. Life and death are so fleeting and you never know. I was so sure I wanted to die. I was so sure that was the answer. After tonight I was no longer sure. Who was I to decide and was that winning? Would Jeremy and my first ex and my ex-best friend really be punished, or would they just look at me as a pathetic sad, sad story? I was a sad story, but I realized that killing myself would only make things worse and that I was worth more than revenge by suicide. I wouldn’t let them win. Like water off a duck’s back, I would forget the past and move on. I would no longer allow someone else to determine who I should be or how I should act. I would live for me. I would listen to rock music and I would say what I want and do what I want when I want. I would love for love’s sake and not for money or materialistic things. I would be an open book and wear my heart on my sleeve. I used to be like that and I loved who I was. I decided I would be that person again. The first thing I needed to do is apologize to that hero of a man who almost died trying to save me. I decided I would go over there tomorrow, not drunk, and apologize. I was pretty rude to him and maybe a little crazy. Well, very crazy.

  What must he be thinking? I didn’t even know this man and we had just been thrust together in the middle of this dark lake in a desperate moment of life and death. Now, he was sitting alone with his thoughts and me with mine. I wish I was nicer. He is, in fact, a hero. He might not have saved me from the fire but little does he know he saved me from myself which is way, way hotter. As I sipped my bottle of rosé, I watched Matt drink his beer late into the night. I couldn’t sleep as my leg hurt way too much. The Vicodin finally kicked in and with the help of my wine, I passed out.

  I woke to the smell of burnt hair and an incredible pain. My leg was throbbing. “Fuck, he was right!” The pain was constant and by now the entire front of my shin was blistering and bright red from the burn. I quickly found the pill bottle and popped another Vicodin into my mouth and chewed it to help it along. I didn’t have time for my stomach to do the work. I needed this pain gone now.

  I looked outside and the fire was still smoldering. It was like a war zone with charred bones and burnt coo-coo clocks. “God, what was I thinking?” I couldn’t see Matt but I heard his saw going. The events of last night played in my mind. Lucy, Have you lost your mind?

  I hadn’t lost it though, it just took a little detour to Crazyville for a while. Now I was back and thankful I didn’t burn down my beautiful cabin. I was also thankful I was actually alive…and suddenly really hungry. The only thing I had put in my body for the past few days were Ho-Ho’s, chocolate and wine. Don’t get me wrong, all great things, but one cannot live on chocolate and wine alone. Thank God I had sense enough to buy at least some eggs and bread. I scrambled some eggs, made toast and sat outside at the teak patio set that now only had three and one-half chairs.

  “There he is.” I saw Matt walking down by his fire pit. He seemed to be looking for something. He walked down to the end of the dock and bent over and picked up what I think was a hammer. As he stood he looked over and saw me. “Oh shit.” I smiled and waved as if last night never happened and I was just the neighbor saying good morning. With hesitation he
waved back, turned and went work. “Crap, he thinks I’m fucking looney.”

  I reeked of burnt animal hair. I finished my breakfast and headed straight for the shower. Matt’s wet pants were still on the floor from when he changed into Jeremy’s khakis. I picked them up and held them out in front of me. They were covered in stains and worn with holes of a man that worked. I decided I would wash his pants and return them later with my apology. Maybe he would see I wasn’t that crazy.

  Chapter 9

  Matt

  My chest burned and my throat was raw from coughing all night. My lungs were trying to get the last bit of lake water out. After almost drowning last night, I had a vivid dream of my daughter Cassie. She was floating above me and I was drowning. I reached my arm up and begged her to grab my hand but she just looked down at me and smiled. Fucking weird.

  Speaking of weird, I wondered what that crazy chick was up to. Man, she was out there. I’ve seen some crazy chicks in my time but she took the cake. I remember Jay's old lady, Rhonda, got so pissed at him for cheating on her she stole his bike at one of our campouts and tried to drive it into the fire. Lucky for her, she didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle and ended up wiping out into a tent and breaking her arm. I remember her laying on the ground with an obviously broken arm and Jay running straight past her to his bike, picking it up to see the damage. When he saw the damage to his tank, he charged back with the intent to beat her up. Four guys had to hold him back while a couple of other ladies put Rhonda into a car and took her to the hospital. Who knows what he would have done. I don’t know who was crazier, Jay or his old lady.

  Man, I guess I better call that crazy dude, I thought. I grabbed a cup of coffee and dialed his number.

  “Hey man,” I said when he answered.

  “Well, it’s about time dude.”

  “Yeah sorry, I just wanted to hang low for a while.”

  “I get that, but you know this ain’t going away right?”

  “Oh I know, trust me. So, what’s going on?” I asked.

  “I’m getting heat pretty hard from the club about finding you. I almost got in a fight with Brian last night.”

  “Really?!”

  “Yeah, we had an all-member meeting.”

  “About me?!”

  “Yeah dude, you’re pretty famous.”

  “Oh great.”

  “Brian insisted that I turn in my cell phone so they could see if I was in touch with you.”

  “Oh shit, really?!”

  “Well, after I refused and after he opened his fucking mouth, things got heated.”

  “Damn, I’m surprised you didn’t kick the shit out of him,” I said.

  “Oh I wanted to, but the rest of the club wouldn’t let it happen.”

  “So, what is happening?”

  “There’s an order out on you.”

  “What?!”

  “Yup, I hope you’re under a rock on the other side of the planet because the radar is out to all the clubs in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.”

  “Damn.”

  “Yeah, Razor is talking it up pretty big to everyone about how you asked him if he would front you a bag of dope to sell and when he said no, you got pissed.”

  “What?! I didn’t fucking do that.”

  “I know, I know but no one else knows you like I do. For all they know, you are a fucking opportunistic tweaker that stole thousands from the club. You’re burnt, dude.”

  “Fucking piece of shit.”

  “Yeah, Razor won’t even talk to me because he knows I know he’s up to something. I’ve known that guy for way too long. But in all reality at this point, I can’t do shit to help you. Sure, I can say you would never do drugs or steal money, but it’s just words. The fact of the matter is you ran, so whatever Razor says must be the truth. What did you do with the gun?”

  “It’s gone.”

  “Good. Let’s hope it stays gone.”

  “Well unless someone wants to search the entire Rogue River, it’s gone.”

  “Good job.”

  “Hey, did they find my bike?”

  “Oh yeah, it’s gone.”

  “What?! Gone?”

  “C’mon, what’d you expect?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Who got it?”

  “Who do you think?”

  “Razor?”

  “Well, you did steal all his dope and money,” Jay chuckled.

  “That’s really funny.”

  “It kinda is.”

  “Only you, Jay, would think any of this is funny.”

  “Life is funny, kid. If you can’t laugh, it ain’t worth a shit. Anyway, I know you can’t tell me where you are but I hope it’s way, way off the beaten trail.”

  “Yeah, I think I’m pretty good,” I said, looking around at the woods.

  “Well keep on keepin’ on dude, and stay hidden.”

  “Will do Jay, thanks.”

  “You got it, man. Check you later.”

  Those fucking murdering assholes Razor and Brian, I thought. I racked my brain, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. This was never going away and even though I had this cabin for the summer, I would need to leave after and – disappear.

  I didn’t want to turn into the last guy Greg hired to fix his place drinking beer and not working, so I did my best to put the whole nightmare behind me and sink myself into work. I couldn’t find my hammer to save my life, then I remembered I had it down on the dock the day before when I saw Lucy, that crazy bitch, making her taxidermy bonfire. I went down to look for it and found it on the dock where I had dropped it the day before. I looked over to the giant cabin and there she was sitting and eating breakfast outside. I froze when I saw she was watching me. She smiled and waved. What the fuck? I thought. I waved back and then, as quick as I could, I turned and went back to work.

  I was thankful I had this place but I didn’t expect it would come with a “woman scorned” crazy-ass neighbor. Things could be worse though. I could be sitting at a biker trial right now. With my fate in the hands of guys like Razor and Brian, I would take crazy Lucy any day.

  I was making pretty good progress on the cabin. I had replaced most of the siding on the front and I was working around the back. The day turned hot and from what I could tell, wasn’t letting up anytime soon. I sat on the front porch and sipped some ice water.

  Damn, it must be a hundred degrees out here, I thought, looking up and cursing the sun. I poured some water on my shirt that I had already taken off and draped it over my head. I leaned back and soon found myself drifting off.

  Then I heard it. The sound of a car coming up the dirt road. The road from the fork to this cabin was full of ruts and wasn’t the easiest to navigate. I could hear someone’s tires spinning then grabbing the ruts. I jumped up, thinking how crazy it would be if it was someone from the club. I was a little paranoid at this point, so I wasn’t taking any chances. I ran inside and grabbed my gun and peeked out the window that faced the front drive.

  After a few minutes, I could see a fancy Range Rover coming up the driveway and stopping in front of the cabin. Who the fuck is this? The windows were tinted and I couldn’t see the driver. After a few minutes, the door opened and a woman got out. It was Lucy.

  “Oh fuck, what does she want?” I put the gun down, but I stayed put. She was holding what looked like my jeans and a sixer of beer.

  “Hello!” I heard her call out.

  I didn’t move.

  “Hello?” She said again.

  I didn’t move. I didn’t want anything to do with this broad. I mean, she was fine looking but I had no time for crazy. She waited a couple of minutes and I could see on her face she realized I was probably hiding from her. She walked over and sat the pants and the beer on the front porch and went back to her fancy Range Rover and drove away.

  After she left, I went outside and picked up the care package. I could smell a scent coming from my freshly washed jeans. I sniffed them. Damn, my jeans smelled goo
d. I noticed there was a note sticking out of the six-pack of Coronas she left. “What’s this?” I asked myself, plucking it from the bottles. I set down the jeans and beers and unfolded the note from Crazy Lucy and read it.

  Dear Matt,

  This is Lucy from across the lake. I am sure at this point you think I am crazy and rightly so. Last night was my rock bottom and I’m sorry you got involved and almost died trying to save me. I was out of my head with anger and spite over my ex and I was on a mission of self-destruction.

  Today I woke up with ultimate regret for my actions and for endangering you. I realize now that I want to be better, not just good but great. I used to be great and I was happy and well, I want to feel that way again. I know you probably don’t give a shit about any of this but for some reason, I felt compelled to at least explain my actions or at least why I was acting like a lunatic.

  I want to thank you for saving me. I know you don’t think you saved me, but you did. I took the liberty of washing your jeans and please enjoy the beers by your little fire. Maybe one day we might share one… who knows.

  Take care, Your neighbor Lucy, aka the crazy fire-starter across the lake.

  I was pleased when I read her note. She wasn’t crazy. Well, not in a bad way. She was just a pissed off lady. That was a huge relief and one less thing I had to worry about. You never know she could have off’d herself and somehow, I would be involved and be in the news or something fucking crazy like that. Fuck, stranger things have happened. I put the beers in the fridge and despite the growing heat, I went back to work. I managed to get a lot done and by the end of the day all I could think about was those Coronas chilling in the fridge. It wasn’t long before I was at my little fire beside the lake. It was still hot so I made a small fire, just big enough for some light and to cook a hotdog or two. I cracked a Corona and with a full belly, I was in Chill Ville, at least in my mind. My body was sweating from the summer heat. God, it was eight o’clock and about ninety degrees, at least.