by Kylie Parker
“Who is her father? Is he a freaking serial killer that goes around cutting guys’ heads off for dating his daughter? And I’m supposed to be scared of him? Whatever. I’ll just wait until she pulls over. Then, I’m going to ask her. But what the hell am I going to do if she asks me? That’s going to be a tricky one. I’ll only come clean if she does.”
Adding to his frustration, Melissa soon began to overtake virtually every car that she came across. Traffic on the oncoming lane was heavy at that time. Of course, riding fast in a congested road was something that Bruce had done plenty of times in the past and he used to enjoy it, but by that moment, he could not even savor that simple thing that gave him his favorite rush. Less than half a mile down the road, approaching a right curve with poor visibility, Melissa pulled out and rolled on the accelerator, attempting to overtake a blue van. The high beams of an oncoming truck made her hesitate. She remained on the opposite lane, next to the van, unable to see the truck or calculate the distance between them. Just when she caught a glimpse of the massive vehicle, roughly twenty yards away from her, Melissa rolled on the accelerator once again. The fear froze the blood in Bruce’s veins. He could not open his mouth; even if he could, the noise would stifle his words. At the last moment, Melissa swerved right and returned to her lane, narrowly avoiding the honking truck. Bruce sighed in relief; she had cheated death.
Fifteen minutes later, they were outside the supermarket, back at the place where they had met that night. Melissa pulled over on the right side of the road, but he did not wait for her to fully stop. Instead, Bruce passed her and stopped his Harley a few feet in front of her. He turned it off, put it on the center stand and dismounted it, fuming with rage.
“Alright, who the fuck is he?!” He cried, starting towards her. “And what the hell were you thinking? Do you have a death wish or something?”
“I’m sorry!” She exclaimed. “I know this doesn’t make much sense, but…”
“Much sense?!” Bruce interrupted her. “First, I have to run from some…” He faltered. “Boogie man. Next thing I know, you’re riding like a goddamn maniac!”
Melissa leaned her elbows on the tank of her Harley. Putting her head in her hands, she closed her eyes and sighed.
“I lied to you, Bruce.” She spoke, her voice low and steady. “My name is Melissa Howard. My father is Frank Howard. Have you heard of him?” She inquired, opening her eyes, looking up at him. Bruce was stunned to stillness. He was about to tell her off even more for her recklessness, but her confession had shocked him so much that he could not force another word out of his throat. Finding himself in an impossible position, he rolled his eyes to the left and preferred to stare at the dark, empty supermarket.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’” Melissa continued. “Now, do you understand why I’ve been alone for so long?”
“How long?” Bruce wondered.
“Two years, give or take.” Her response was sharp. “It makes sense now, doesn’t it?”
“What?”
“Everything.” Melissa spoke in an emphatic tone. “Why I was alone in the bar, why I’m so interested in the only man brave enough to come near me and last, but definitely not least, why I don’t want him to see you with me. The last guy who did that was shot to death. Poor Shane…” Her voice broke. With the cold air singing around them, Melissa clenched her fists, squeezing her eyes shut. She even bit her lower lip, trying to hold back the tears. “He was a valet at my father’s casino. He found out about him. His goons took him to the desert and killed him. The bastards even showed me a picture of his dead body. I’ve never seen so much blood.”
Bruce put his hands on waist and watched, as Melissa break down in tears. Her story broke his heart, but he did not comment on it. Frank Howard was known for his brutality. A simple, quick murder like that had not come as a surprise to him. If anything, Bruce expected to hear something much more violent than someone getting shot to death. Nevertheless, the nerve-wracking sight of Melissa crying was too much for him to bear. He slowly walked up to her, gazing into her bloodshot red eyes.
“I’m so sorry.” She sniffled. “Go ahead. Leave. Here, let me make this easier for you.” Melissa went on and she raised her hands to cover her eyes, shaking and shivering. A bitter smile spread across Bruce’s pointy face. He put his hands on her wrists and gently pulled them away from her face.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He whispered, forcing her to abruptly open her eyes. “I’m not afraid of him. And that money he can’t find? Me and Matt took it.”
“You’re not?” Melissa said in a shocked whisper. “You and Matt took it? What are you talking about?”
“That’s right. We saw that accident, on our way over. It was Matt’s idea. I should have stopped him, but I didn’t. Anyway, I don’t know why he doesn’t want you to date.” Bruce claimed. “But, I like you. And, since we’re on the matter of confessions, I’d like to tell you a few things about me. Just don’t tell him we took his money.”
“I don’t care about his money. He’s got billions. I’m not telling him anything.” She put a little force in her voice. “I’m only allowed to date rich guys.“
“The MC I was member of is called ‘Blazing Sons’. But they have never been just a motorcycle club.” Bruce said with a sigh.
“Blazing Sons?” Melissa interjected.
“Yeah. Do you know them?”
“I’ve seen them ride around in the city.” She replied. “They have an agreement with my father.”
“What kind of agreement?” He squinted at her.
“It’s more like a truce.” Melissa explained. “A while back, my father caught one of them hustling the casino. His men broke both of his hands with a hammer. Then, the Sons found the guy who did it, beat the crap out of him and dumped him outside the casino with a note. It said: ‘War is bad for business. Do you really want one?’ My father met their president, Joe Sanders. They agreed to stay out of each other’s business. The sons are banned from his casino. He promised to keep out of Boulder City. It’s where they’re based.”
“I hope they can maintain that truce.” Bruce commented. “Anyway, ‘Blazing Sons’ started out as a motorcycle club. Riding with each other was fun. But that didn’t last long. Pretty soon, a couple of members were struggling with finances. One of them lost his job, the bank repossessed the other guy’s house. We had to come up with a way to help out each other. So, ‘Blazing Sons’ turned into a street gang. We used to steal pretty much everything. Banks were our favorite. We had it all: Money, women… But, it all changed, about four years ago. I killed a security guard during a bank robbery. He was about to shoot me. I just shot him first. Stealing is one thing, but killing a man? No. I didn’t want to do that again. Matt didn’t like it, either. That’s one of the reasons why we left.”
“Oh, my God.” Melissa whispered, staring at Bruce in disbelief.
“I’ve dealt with a few people like your father. That’s why I’m not afraid of him. There’s one more thing.” Bruce brought his index finger close to his face.
“What is it?”
“You’re right about bikers. We don’t stay in one place. We don’t connect. I mean, how can we? Connection takes time. None of us wanted to connect, anyway. I liked sleeping around with women. It was easy. I got what I wanted and left. But, after nine years of being of being a member, I missed being in a relationship.” Bruce confessed. “That’s another reason why I left.’”
“So, you were a thief?” Melissa asked.
“Among other things.” Bruce spoke in a firm voice. “But basically, yeah, that’s what we did most of the time.”
“Thanks for sharing it with me.” She said, her voice returning to its usual, sweet tone, as she dismounted her motorcycle. “Have you ever been arrested? Have you done time?”
“Just a couple of overnighters.” He muttered. “The FBI investigated us, back in 2013, but they couldn’t find anything.”
“Bruce, I appreciate that you want to stay.
I really do.” Her voice was firm with a hint of change in it. “But what am I going to do, if God forbid, my father finds out about you? I already got a man killed.”
“You didn’t kill him, Melissa.” Bruce tried to appease her. “And I can take care of myself.” He added, bending his head towards her.
“Go.” She urged with a soft whisper. “You should go, before you get yourself hurt.”
Bruce put his arms around her back and held her close, before pressing his forehead against hers. He ran his hands up her back, looking deep into her saddened eyes.
“Do you want me to?” He inquired, his voice soft and raspy.
“No.” Melissa whispered. Her answer put a blissful smile on his face. Desperate to feel the warmth of her mouth on his, Bruce angled his lips. Their tender kiss filled his heart with joy. Trapped in his tight embrace, she could not wrap her own arms around him. But, she didn’t have to. Bruce wanted to comfort her and make her feel safe. Her kiss was more than enough to make him happy. He laid one last kiss on her cheek, as he slid his fingers into her hair.
“Then I guess I’m staying.” Bruce smiled. “Thanks for the great night. You should go home.”
“I can’t go home now.” Melissa shook her head sideways, sighing. “I don’t want to go to bed alone.”
“I’ll tell you what. Go ditch that bike of yours and you can spend the night in my hotel.” He suggested.
“Why would I want to do that?” She squinted at him.
“Use your head, councilor. You’re the only chick in town who’s riding a Harley. Your dad’s friends know that, don’t they?” Bruce asked.
“Yeah, they do.” Melissa said with a nod.
“Then do as I say and let’s go to my hotel. Come on.” Bruce winked at her. She did not speak; instead, she grinned at him.
Bruce made sure to keep a distance from her, as they made their way back to Las Vegas. When they arrived at her neighborhood, he realized that she had lied to him about her place as well. It was nowhere near small. In fact, Melissa lived in a rather expensive neighborhood, one that resembled her aunt’s. Bruce did not follow her all the way to her house. He stopped at the far end of her neighborhood and waited for her. Melissa kept looking around her, as she returned to him with a change of clothes in a small, plastic bag, fearing that someone could see them together, even though it was quite late.
His heart fluttered, when she lay in bed on her right hand side, next to him. Still, that night did not end with one more, passionate encounter. Melissa could hardly keep her eyes open. She fell asleep in seconds. Despite his disappointment, Bruce would not complain. Relaxed and calm, she was a beautiful sight to see, the complete opposite of the terrified woman who was desperate to run from her own father. He pushed her hair away from her face, feeling his eyes getting heavier.
“You’ve been lying your ass off, darling. But I’ve not been honest with you, either. I’m glad that we had that talk tonight. I’m even gladder that you didn’t run when I said I was a thief. Most girls would run, but you staid. I don’t know if this turns into anything serious. That’s a long shot, anyway. But it’s starting out great, I’ll say that much.”
Chapter Seven
A soft, tender sensation on his lips woke Bruce up the next morning. A gentle caress on the side of his neck overwhelmed his senses. He opened his blurry eyes and looked to his left. There she was, smiling down at him, dressed up and ready to go.
“Good morning.” He croaked. “What time is it?”
“It’s too early for a tourist.” She joked. “Go back to sleep.”
“No. Why do you have to leave?” Bruce complained.
“I have to go to work.” Melissa laughed, as she leaned towards him again. “Have a nice day, Mr. Gang banger.” She said, her voice low and husky, kissing him on the cheek this time. Bruce reached for his cell phone on his nightstand on the left. He checked the time, as Melissa closed the door behind her: It was 6:47am. However, there was something else on the nightstand as well: A letter from her.
“Good morning,
Just so you know, I woke up at 6 o’clock today. It’s not that I didn’t need some more sleep. It’s just that I had to leave early. You never know who I might run into and I can’t take any chances. By the way, I’m sorry I crashed like that last night. I really wanted to stay up, but I was just too tired.
This morning felt different, in a good way. You should have seen the smile on my face, when I saw you lying next to me. It’s like I’m discovering a whole new world. Maybe I shouldn’t get carried away. Sooner or later, you are going to leave. But you know something? I want to take a chance with you, Bruce. I don’t care if you were a thief. Believe me, if I did, I would ditch you last night. I guess I’m not that kind of girl. What you did before we met is really none of my business. I really liked it that you told me all about you and that MC.
You can say anything you want about last night. Yeah, I did a few things right, but you did exactly what I wanted you to do. You took my breath away. I’d better stop thinking about it. I’m still in your room and I don’t know if I can keep my hands off you.
I’ll be waiting for you tonight. Same place, same time. Don’t stand me up.
Melissa”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to.” He said to himself. At that moment, his attention was drawn by loud voices, echoing in the corridor outside his room. They belonged to a man and a woman. Bruce quickly recognized Matt’s voice. Curious as to why they were fighting and so early in the morning as well, he hopped out of bed and went to his door. He caught a glimpse of Jenny, as she hurried past.
“Oh, shit!” Matt said, stopping in front of him. “Sorry man, did we wake you?”
“Nah.” Bruce waved his hand in front of his face. “Melissa did. It felt pretty good. Much better than your ugly voice. What happened? Why were you guys fighting?”
“I tried to…” Matt faltered. “Touch her, while she was asleep. She woke up. She said she was too tired, she wanted a little more sleep. I insisted. Then, she started screaming at me.”
“That crazy bitch!” Bruce teased him. “Hasn’t anybody told her that sleep’s overrated?”
“Don’t start with me, man.” Matt grumbled, stepping into Bruce’s room. “I just wanted to blow off some steam, ok?”
“Didn’t you blow any steam last night?” Bruce got curious.
“Yeah, four times.” Matt stated.
“Four?!” Bruce exclaimed. “You dog! And you still wanted more?”
“I could have gone all night, brother.” Matt said. “I needed to take my mind off things. We ran into Joe Sanders last night.”
“So?” Bruce shrugged his shoulders.
“He said he wanted to see us.” Matt said in a shaky voice.
“Will you stop being so scared?” Frustration was lingering in Bruce’s voice. “I mean, what the hell, man? Joe’s a friend. I was going to visit him, anyway.”
“This is not good.” Matt insisted. “He didn’t look so friendly. I think he knows about the money.”
“Alright, that’s impossible.” Bruce spoke his mind. “By the way, Melissa knows.”
“What?!” Matt opened his puffy eyes wide.
“Yeah.” Bruce nodded. “She lied to me about her last name. Her father is Frank Howard. She told me last night. I had to come clean, too.”
“What if she tells him?” Matt’s voice got high-pitched.
“She won’t.” Bruce assured.
“How can you be so sure?” Matt insisted.
“Because she doesn’t care! He’s making her life miserable!” Bruce cried, annoyed by his friend’s panicky reaction. “He doesn’t even allow her to date!”
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Bruce.” Matt said.
“What did Sanders say?” Bruce interjected a question. “Why do you think he knows?”
“It’s just the way he talked.” Matt mumbled. “We didn’t hug, like we used to do.”
“You think he knows because he
didn’t hug you?” Bruce was so upset that he was about to start yelling at him again. “MC members hug each other. We’re not. Remember?” He got sarcastic.
“It’s just a hunch!” Matt exclaimed. “He’ll be waiting for us at his workshop in Boulder at 10am.”
“Jesus Matt, how can you be so stupid?” Bruce wondered. “Do you really think he’d kill us in broad daylight? In his own clubhouse? What’s the matter with you? Look, forget about the business expansion, ok? Just throw away the goddamn money.”
“I can’t.” Matt murmured.
“Then stop acting crazy, will you?” Bruce requested, lowering his tone as he patted him on the back. “Keep calm. Let me do all the talking today.”
For a moment, Bruce was in a dilemma. Matt was sweating and way too tense. The mere mention of the stolen money would upset him so much that he would not have to admit that they had taken it. His body language would give him away, should Sanders bring up that matter. Matt could not be there when they discussed it.
“I can’t just leave you here, brother. Sanders could start asking questions. You’re coming with me. I just need to find something for you to do, while I’m talking to Joe.”
Chapter Eight
The two friends entered Boulder City, a few minutes before 10am on that hot, late-September morning. It barely resembled Las Vegas. There was little traffic on the road and the neighborhoods were much smaller than the ones in the big city. Bruce had heard about the relocation of the charter, but he had never had the chance to ask Joe Sanders why they had decided to move from Henderson.
The workshop that Matt had been referring to stood tall between a busy market place and a shopping mall. It was well-equipped to say the least. The hangar was massive and there were more than fifteen people working on six motorcycles, as Bruce and Matt arrived. The 42-year old, 6ft tall Joe Sanders emerged from a door in the middle of the hangar. He glanced at Bruce first and then glanced at his watch. A smile appeared on his face, as he returned his gaze to Bruce.