Rebel Rider, page 25
“Shoulda asked for more,” he mutters to himself, smiling cruelly.
He tucks the money away and seems to relax a little. He’s still holding the gun, but it’s not trained on me anymore, and I feel a lot more comfortable all of a sudden.
“All right. You came through, just as I asked. You’ll find that I can be quite reasonable, when people do exactly as I ask,” he says, like someone who’s used to giving orders, and having them carried out to the letter.
“You go back home, forget this happened, and everything will be just fine. One of my boys will be by, at the end of every week, for our protection money. You pay up, there’s no trouble. Hell, you get anyone else sniffin’ around, trying to take my business away from me, you call me. I’ll make sure they don’t bother you again.”
He talks as if he’s doing me a favor, like being part of his crumbling criminal empire is a good thing.
He talks like the second I’m out of here, I’m not going to call every cop and federal bureau I can think of.
I grit my teeth, wanting nothing more than to be anywhere but in this room with him.
“Gonna need you to nod, or say something, so I know we got ourselves a deal,” he continues, his teeth bared.
I rise to my feet, and nod at him.
“I heard you. Like I said, I don’t want any trouble. If it keeps trouble away from my shop, in any form, I’ll pay, weekly. On time, in cash.”
See you in jail, dipshit.
Mike strides towards me. He’s a few paces away, and the smell of stale sweat and alcohol wash over me. I try and hold back a grimace as he bears down on me. His eyes are bloodshot, and he smells like he hasn’t washed in a few days.
“Good. I’m so glad you understand. And keep that bitch of yours on a leash,” he growls. “I don’t want her giving my boys any grief.”
Anger burns hot in the pit of my stomach at his words. I stare up at him, my expression cold. His pig like eyes meet mine, and he glares at me. His eyes narrowed as he studies me.
“Got somethin’ to say, boy?” He adds, eyebrows furrowing.
I clench my teeth. I don’t want to just walk away without putting up a fight, but I can’t help but tell myself it isn't worth the trouble. Still, his words echo in my ears, and the way he’s treated Hailey doesn’t sit right.
He scratches the days old stubble on his chin with the barrel of his revolver in thought. Then, suddenly, he smiles. A wide, disgusting grin spreading across his face.
“Hey. Here’s a thought,” he says lewdly. “An hour with that feisty whore of yours, and I’ll give you two thousand bucks back. What do you say? Gotta be worth that, ain’t she?”
And just like that, Mike crosses my line.
Cold fury explodes through me. My hands clench into fists involuntarily. For a moment, I remain composed, my mind blank, and focused on moving one leg after the other to get the hell out of this shit hole.
His words echo in my ears as he pulls the wad of cash from his pocket, and thumbs through a few hundreds.
“Come on,” he continues in his disgusting drawl. “It’s a fair trade. I’ll be... gentle. Sorta. And anyway, you can’t keep a piece of ass like that all to yourself.”
He glances down at the wad of cash again, his revolver held in a loose, casual grip in his right hand as he studies the notes.
A red mist descends over my vision, and, all of a sudden, everything becomes crystal clear, and time seems to slow. I feel the adrenaline and power surge through my very being, like I’m seconds away from the starting bell of a race. I feel invincible. I feel ready to fight.
For a moment Mike glances at me, and as he does, I notice every fine detail of his movements, the slight widening of his bloodshot eyes, the curious grin that spreads on his mouth. He senses something, for a moment, but then goes back to counting the bills in his grubby hands.
The chrome of his revolver glints again, catching my eye. I notice his loose grip on it.
Now's the time. Walk away, or finish this for good. Two choices.
I choose the latter.
With a surge of movement, I lunge into Mike, bringing my right arm up and stiffening my palm as I slide my hand behind the grip of his revolver. My finger slip through his sweaty palm, and he loses hold of the gun, cursing as I push it away from him.
With a flick of my wrist I send the heavy pistol clattering to floor, where it slides over to the other side of the room. Mike throws the wad of cash to one side and brings his arms up into a guard and pushes me away from him with one powerful movement of his barrel chest.
I step back from him, standing between him and his gun. I study his every movement, to see if he has a backup weapon, a knife or perhaps another gun. But he’s focused on me, his arms raised, his face set. I figure in an instant that he’s no longer armed, and this is it. One on one.
And I like my odds.
He steps forward, his fist a blur as he throws a powerful jab at my nose. But I duck aside, far more agile than him, and land a hit on his jaw, making him groan.
Mike staggers back, momentarily stunned. He shakes his head, loosening his jaw. He rolls his shoulders and advances again, undeterred.
He steps forward suddenly, and throws a series of punches, aimed at my torso, seeking to find a way through my guard. But I’m faster. I’m stronger. I’m more focused.
I’m Aiden fucking Rush, and I don’t know how to lose.
His last punch is low and wide, and I don’t have to block it. His massive fist swings harmlessly past my ribcage, throwing him off balance for a moment. His right temple is exposed, and I bring my fist up, over and down, using my hips to accentuate the power of the blow.
I put all of my weight into the punch, and Mike almost drops to the floor, half stunned. He staggers back and wipes the drool from his mouth with the back of his left hand. He waves at me, as if signaling to give him a moment. As if this is some sort of organized fight.
You fucked with me. You didn’t play fair. And so I ain’t, neither.
With his guard down, he’s an easy target. I step in towards him and grab the back of his head and bring his face down to meet my rising knee. Mike’s nose hits my knee with an audible crunch, and he grunts at the impact.
I feel him flinch, and he falls back to sit on his ass. I figure he’s beat, but he’s still not quite out for the count. I throw one final haymaker at his cheekbone, and my fist cracks solid against his head. The blow jars up through my arm, and my knuckles bounce from his already bruised face.
He slumps back, unconscious, falling to the floor in a heap. He’s still breathing, deep and regular, and seems like he’s just sleeping off a hangover as he lies there comatose.
I glance around as I snap back to reality. The fight’s over in a matter of a few seconds, but to me, it seems like hours have passed. I shake myself, breathing, knowing I need to act.
I call 911 on Mike’s phone, and stoop to pick up my envelope of cash as the line rings for a moment.
“Nine-one-one. What’s your emergency?” A calm voice asks, and I can hear the tapping of a keyboard in the background.
“I’ve got Mike Powell. A wanted, dangerous criminal. He’s disarmed, and I need someone to come here and arrest him.” I glare down at his unconscious form.
“Oh, and he’s probably going to need an ambulance, too,” I spit.
I give the location of the abandoned bike shop and hang up before I get any more questions. I don’t need to be involved in this any further. And I figure that with the amount of shit Mike is in already, it’s not like they need any witnesses to help put his ass away for a long, long time.
I wipe the gun of my fingerprints, I grab Hailey’s phone out of Mike’s pocket, and then I’m gone.
As I jog over to where I’ve left my bike, sirens sound, faint in the near distance. I smile grimly to myself, picturing Mike as he’s taken, or rather carried on a stretcher, off by the police to meet his fate.
Hailey is perched on my bike, and my heart lifts at the sight of her. The wind has her hair blowing wild to the side, and she’s got her arms folded across her chest with this fierce and yet somehow gorgeous scowl on her face.
I know why she thinks she’s mad at me. And I have to stop myself from grinning at how damn wrong she is.
“Hailey—”
“Save it, Aiden,” she mutters, glaring at me. “Look, you got me away from that disgusting pig, and I’m grateful for that. But that was your shit to begin with. So let’s call us even and we get out of here, and then I can get out of your hair,” she spits sarcastically, glaring at me with hurt in her eyes.
Fuck, there’s so much to tell her. But the cops are going to be here soon, and we need to move. I slide my leg over my bike and gun the ignition, turning to her.
“Hop on.”
Her scowl deepens, her lips pursing tight as she glares daggers at me, before she nods testily. She sidles onto the seat behind me, and despite her mood, places her arms around my waist, and my pulse roars at the feel of her touch.
I start the engine, and it roars loudly, echoing in the alley, and I speed forward, taking us through to the block on the other side of the narrow passageway. I drive back almost as if on autopilot, and before long we’re back outside of my… our bike shop.
I pull up and set the foot rest. Hailey climbs off of the Harley, and stands there, as if unsure of her next move.
The sound of sirens echo in the distance, and Hailey’s eyebrows raise as she studies me.
“Did you…?”
I nod in response.
“Mike won’t be bothering us anymore. I was gonna leave it but…” I shake my head grimly. “He went too far—crossed my line.”
She arches an eyebrow curiously.
“He said something he shouldn’t have said. Not about you. I lost my cool.”
She nods tersely, but I watch her bite her lip to stop from smiling.
“Good,” she says, and looks around, avoiding my gaze.
I can see her eyes glistening with emotion, and she wipes at an eye with her finger.
“Aiden. When were you going to tell me? You can’t just…” Her voice cracks. “You can’t just throw me away like—”
“Hailey.”
My heart surges as I step towards her. She shakes her head, tears running down her cheeks as she goes to push me away, but I stop her, holding her wrists and shaking my head.
“No, Aiden!”
“Hailey!” My voice booms out, thick with emotion as her eyes snap to mine, and our gazes lock. I let go of one of her wrists and jam my hand into my pocket, pulling out the crumpled card. The envelope is half ripped, and it almost feels like a pathetic gesture. But my hand is steady as I pass her the card.
“Read this,” I say, my voice steady, my heart pounding. “Just read it, please. And then if you want to walk or run or whatever away from me, I won’t stop you.”
She frowns as she studies the envelope. After a moment she snatches it from me and tears it open.
“It’s not my damn birthday, Aiden,” Hailey quips, sounding irritated. “Anyway, I…” Her voice trails off as she reads the words I’d hastily wrote.
I smile at her softly, as realization spreads across her features. She glances up at me furtively, then back at the card.
“You… Are you serious? You want me to…” She stammers.
I step forward and take her shoulders in my hands. She’s trembling, and I pull her into me, my arm sliding around the small of her back.
“Look, I’m sorry it had to happen like this. I was going to bring this to you as soon as I could, but Mike… well, you weren’t here. Hailey, I…”
Our eyes meet. She’s looking up at me, a bemused expression on her beautiful features. I wipe a tear from her cheek with a thumb, and she sobs at the gesture.
“Hailey. I love you,” I continue. “I want you to be with me. Wherever I go, whatever I do. I need you by my side.”
I swallow, my hand softly cupping her jaw as my eyes hold hers.
“I ran from this once, and I regretted it for years. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
Her eyes search mine as they widen, and she seems to melt a little as she presses her body into me. My arm tightens around her waist, and my pulse quickens as she wraps her arms around me.
“I love you too, Aiden,” she whispers. “But Aiden, I... I’m not qualified to be a tour manager. I thought you’d want me here—I mean, the shop—”
“The shop will be fine,” I murmur, tucking a strand of hair behind her eyes. “Buck is old, fat, and knows a shitload about bikes and modifications. Sitting on his ass at that counter in there talking parts with bike nerds is going to be his dream job.”
She chokes a laugh, brushing the last of her tears away.
“And you’ll be great on the tour, baby. It’s easy. Trust me, if you can run the shop, you can manage me on tour. Plus, there’s the obvious upside of…” I wink, and she grins.
“Of us traveling the country together?”
“Bingo,” I chuckle, our eyes dancing.
She smiles, but then she pulls back for a second, holding my waist with her hands. I can see the wheels turning behind her eyes, and I know she’s still trying to work out the details. Same as always.
“Well, what about my dad? And this is my home, Aiden. I’ve barely ever left town. I—”
“I’ve got the best full-time care money can buy lined up for your dad. They can be live-in, if he wants—”
Hailey snorts, and I laugh.
“Yeah, I figured he’d have a thing or two to say about that. But they’ll be close. I rented that house down the street from your dad’s. And I’ve got an account lined up to pay for Luke to take as many trips out here as he wants. And of course, we can swing through Bernwood any damn time you want.”
She looks at me incredulously, her gorgeous eyes brimming with tears. Though this time, they’re happy ones.
“Since when do you think this far ahead?”
I grin. “Since I wanted to impress you and convince you to come on the tour with me.”
She giggles, and her hands pull me back into her as she leans up to kiss my lips.
“Wait, speaking of Luke…” She arches a brow at me. “Have you, uh, have you told him about us?”
“Fuck no,” I snort out as she giggles again. “No, Jesus. I wasn’t about to have that throw-down with him until I knew you were for keeps.”
She smiles, her eyes shining.
“I suppose telling him you’re dating his little sister would be one way to get him to come visit.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, visit with the gift of a tire iron for my head.”
She rolls her eyes as she smiles, and I chuckle again.
“No, I’ll talk to Luke. He’ll see that I’m not just trying to corrupt or defile you or whatever.”
She bites her lip mischievously, smiling up at my coyly. “Well…”
“Well?”
“Well, I mean, you are trying to defile me a little bit, right? I mean, a girl has needs—”
She erupts into giggles as I scoop her up and spin her around. And those giggles turn to soft moans as my lips find hers and kiss her deeply.
“Come with me,” I whisper into her mouth. “I was good before, but with you by my side, there’ll be no stopping me. No stopping us. Come with me, Hailey. Come with me forever.”
She doesn’t respond for a torturous moment, and my heart beats fast in my chest as she studies me. Then, suddenly, she smiles.
“Always,” she whispers back, and when my arms tighten around her and our lips come together again, I know everything’s going to be okay. I took the path I shouldn’t have those years before. But now, six years later, I’ve found my way.
With her.
Epilogue
Hailey
Life as Aiden’s tour manager is tough, busy and stressful, but I love life on the road now that we’re on tour. I didn’t realize how much work being a tour manager entailed, but I’ve managed to take the step up from the work in the shop, and things are all running smoothly after a few initial teething problems.
Buck, his old manager, was a huge help in the beginning—always available to take my frantic phone calls and talk me down from the edge. Always with advice, or to simply tell me what to do, and what not to do. I barely needed his help any more, but we still talk frequently.
It’s fun to hear about the Aiden I missed for six years from him.
The shop is thriving under his management, and Buck has proved to be a perfect pick by Aiden, who had always seemed so assured, with a cool confidence, that everything would work out just fine.
We’re looking at opening a second shop, possibly moving into the next state over, with Buck as overall manager, reporting to Aiden as owner, and appointing his own assistant managers to run each shop. Aiden mainly leaves the decision making to Buck, so he can focus on winning races. Which, by the way, he can’t seem to stop doing.
I’ve taken to the “road” lifestyle like a duck to water, travelling from city to city in our own luxury RV. When we have time, which isn’t all that often, we explore the area we’re in to see the sights and visit places I would never have been able to if I was still living in Bernwood.
The money is insane. And with that plus what Aiden’s pulling from his renewed sponsorships and that ludicrous signing bonus, my dad is set. The house is paid off, and shocking all of us, he’s even taken a shine to Cole, the caretaker guy Aiden hired to look after him.
We also were able to afford the latest meds and treatments for him, and he’s looking and feeling better than he has in years. He’s able to leave the house and take a walk to his favorite watering hole. And apparently, he and Cole have a grand ole’ time watching the Lions’ games on the NFL network down there.
Luke visits a lot, too, which is great. He even brings Cara sometimes too, which is great for my dad.
Oh, and he and Aiden finally talked. Aiden sat down with him face-to-face and told him everything. And after a full thirty seconds of grim silence, all Luke had to say was “fucking took you long enough,” before he grinned and gave Aiden a hug and told him he was proud of him.
