Sal (The Ride Series) (2 page)

“Kat, it’s not even that I want you to date,” she’d said when we’d talked about it for the thousandth time the previous week. “I just want you to go out. Have some
fun
. Remember fun?”

I’d rolled my eyes in response. “Vaguely.”

I’d always been a bit of a wild child. I liked to burn the candle at both ends so to speak; go out late, dance, drink entirely too much at times, socialize. All that.

But I’d been somewhat of a hermit since becoming involuntarily single. I’d already mellowed my ways a bit when I’d started dating Sal. He was more of a few beers at home; throw in a movie type of guy. And I found I wanted to spend the majority of my time with him anyway. The late night parties and bars didn’t hold the same allure when I could be snuggling with my man.

“Hey, Kat,” Wes said with a grin, sitting casually at the bar as I prepared to close things down.

“Wes,” I said as I smiled back at my friend, Connie’s fiancé and one of Cole’s right-hand men. Like all the guys, Wes was intimidating until you got to know him. He was solidly built and carried himself in a way that demanded respect.

“See you next time, Kat,” Mike stated as he patted the bar and gathered his coat.

“See ya, Mike,” I replied. “Hey guys, time to call it a night,” I said firmly, turning to the two guys at the end of the bar who’d been tying one on for the past few hours. They grumbled in response, but rose unsteadily to head home.

“You comin’ to the club for the barbeque?” Wes asked conversationally as I locked the doors.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so.” I still avoided the club to some extent. It reminded me so much of Sal.

“Hot date?” he asked, teasing me.

“Actually yes,” I replied hesitantly.

Wes and Sal were close and I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about me dating. Then again, it was Sal who had left me. Was I supposed to wait around forever?

Wes’ brows quirked in surprise and then narrowed. “Really? Who is he?”

“Oh, no,” I said as I shook my head and let out a short laugh. “I don’t need you going all big brother badass on him. All you need to know is Scarlet set it up, so he must be a good guy,” I told him as we made our way out into the warm evening air.

His tall frame towered over me as we walked to my car. “You doin’ okay?” he asked quietly. Wes could be scary when he needed to be, but he had the biggest heart of any guy I’d ever known.

“Fine.” I tried to smile along with the lie. The truth was I was doing a hell of a lot better than I had been, but “fine” was a bit of a stretch. “Not total shit” would be closer to the truth.

“How’s the wedding planning going?” I asked to change the subject. He’d proposed to Connie a few months back. I was thrilled. They were great together.

He narrowed his eyes at my subject change, but sighed knowing me well enough to let it go. “Pretty good. I’m staying mostly out of the way,” he chuckled.

“Smart man.” I laughed and opened my car door, hearing its groan of protest.

“That car is on its last legs,” he grumbled. “It’s gonna break down on you,” he warned.

“Well, good thing you or one of the other guys follows me home every night,” I quipped.

“Be even better if you let one of us back under the hood,” he replied, clearly irritated with me. I’d repeatedly turned down his offer to look at it again. He, Cole and Hank had each already fixed it at least once. They had better things to do than piece together my beloved jalopy,
again
.

“Thanks for coming by, Wes,” I said by way of an answer.

He looked to the sky for a moment in search of patience before turning back to me. “Anytime. You know that,” he nodded, watching as I got in my car.

I heard the rumble of his bike start up and had to admit, his headlight shining in my rearview mirror as I drove home was a comfort, especially with the eerie feeling I’d had lately of being followed. I couldn’t place why I felt that way. Call it a sixth sense of sorts. I hadn’t told any of the guys about it, fearing they’d flip out. Plus I didn’t have anything concrete to tell them. For now, I was just trying to be vigilant.

I drove down the quiet streets toward what was still my relatively new home. I really missed living with Scarlet. We’d been roommates for close to a decade before she’d moved in with Cole. I liked my place, but living alone had definitely taken some getting used to, especially because it had fallen directly on the heels of Sal leaving. Those first few weeks had been brutal, though I never shared with Scarlet just how much. She’d struggled with a lot of guilt over moving in with Cole and I didn’t want to make her feel worse. She needed to move on with her life–we couldn’t be roommates forever. Cole was an amazing man who loved the shit out of her. I still couldn’t believe they were going to be parents.

I let myself into my building, which was far more secure than the place I’d shared with Scarlet. This was one of Cole’s requirements that I allowed him to press upon me. All of the Knights were hard to detract when they had their minds set on something.

I took the elevator to the third floor and let myself into my loft. It was a nice sized space with hardwood floors and high ceilings. My bed sat up on a platform to the far right, leaving room for a large living room space. The galley-style kitchen was simple but featured brand new appliances. I always ate at the bar, so I had no need for a dining table.

I put my purse down and moved toward the bathroom. I had a huge tub, my favorite part of my place. I loved taking baths and planned to do just that to decompress before bed.

My phone rang as I sunk into the warm, soapy water.

I smiled as I answered. “Can’t sleep?” I asked Scarlet knowingly. She had been uncomfortable these past few weeks. She still looked beautiful though, and had only gained weight in her belly, the lucky bitch.

“No,” she groused.

“Anytime now,” I replied soothingly. I couldn’t wait to meet my new little niece.

“That’s what Cole keeps saying, too,” she said with a sigh. “I guess this little one is just getting a head start on keeping me up all night.”

“She’s a party animal like her Auntie Kat.”

She laughed quietly at my quip. “You should come by tomorrow. I could use a distraction,” she said as I heard Cole’s deep voice murmur in the background. “I’m fine, babe,” I heard her tell him quietly. “I’ll be there soon,” she added in the soft voice she only used with him.

No doubt Cole wanted her back in bed. He’d been incredibly caring if not a bit overbearing since she got pregnant.

“Sure, sounds good,” I agreed, more than willing to distract her in any way I could.

Scarlet and I both had difficult pasts that we didn’t like to talk about much. She’d lost both her mother and father, while mine were still living (as far as I knew of anyway) but just as lost to me. She’d always claimed I had it rougher. At least her parents had filled the role while they were alive. She’d been loved and cared for.

My parents, on the other hand, had been something else entirely.

I’d gladly left Oregon in the dust as soon as I could. Aboard a Greyhound bus, I left the gray skies and rain in search of the sun. As it turned out, I loved the dry heat of the desert and was perfectly content to call Nevada home.

The little town of Hawthorne, about a half hour outside of Reno, was just what the doctor ordered. It was small enough to be quaint, but not so small that everyone knew my business. It also happened to be run by a certain group of bossy bikers, one of who had been my first love.

Quite possibly the great love of my life.

I hung up with Scar, sinking deeper into the warm water in an attempt to search for a sense of peace. At best, I could wash away the day and hope tomorrow would be the day when I’d feel ready to move on.

Chapter 2

T
he next morning, I arrived at Scar and Cole’s place after I’d stopped off to get her favorite cupcakes at a nearby bakery. Cole opened the door smiling warmly at me. If I didn’t feel like he was a brother at this point, I’d have to swoon every time I saw him. He was gorgeous with bright blue eyes and blond hair that always looked like he’d just run his fingers through it. He was tall and built with an air of menace to him that he could call up at a moment’s notice. I was glad it hadn’t ever been directed at me.

“Hey Kat,” he greeted.

“Hey, how’s my girl?” I asked, walking into their adobe style home.

“Uncomfortable,” he replied. “Anytime now though.” He grinned, his eyes full of delight at the thought.

“Yeah.” I smiled, sharing in his excitement. I leaned down to pat their giant bullmastiff, Chief, affectionately. The dog looked like a beast but was a real sweetheart.

“Kat, is that you?” I heard Scarlet’s voice call.

“Yep! Coming,” I replied, walking back to their bedroom where she was lying on the bed reading a magazine.

I flopped down next to her and grinned. “How’s my niece doing?”

“Active as ever,” she complained before breaking into a smile, her green eyes shining. “As uncomfortable as it is I’ll miss feeling her move,” she sighed wistfully.

I nodded as I placed my hand on her belly.

“I had to take my ring off,” she informed me as she held up her swollen fingers. She and Cole had gotten engaged right around the time she’d gotten pregnant, but they’d decided to hold off on getting married until after the baby was born.

“Oh well, it’s not like Cole would ever allow anyone to think you’re not spoken for,” I smirked.

“Damn right,” his deep voice affirmed as he appeared in the doorway. He turned soft eyes to Scarlet. “I’m going out for a little bit. Do you need anything, baby?”

“No, I’m okay,” she replied, turning soft eyes to her man. If I didn’t love them both to death, they would be seriously nauseating sometimes.

“Okay, take care of my girls,” he instructed me.

“Aye, aye.” I saluted as he walked away chuckling.

“How’s work?” she asked as we both perused the magazines she had stacked up beside her.

“Fine,” I responded with a shrug.

“Any plans tonight?” she asked with a lifted brow.

I narrowed my eyes at her. I knew exactly what she was insinuating. “I already told you I’d go out with him,” I replied, referring to Gavin.

She grinned. “Who knows, maybe sparks will fly,” she encouraged.

It was seriously doubtful, but I nodded dutifully.

Of course she saw right through me.

“I don’t think he’s coming back, sweetie,” she said softly, and I knew it pained her to say it. We didn’t talk about Sal often, but even now after six months, I still winced at the mention of him.

“I know,” I agreed, feeling slightly sick. “I’m doing my best to move on,” I assured her, knowing how she worried about me.

“Are you still going to the shop?” she asked quietly but directly.

I swallowed audibly before answering. “Sometimes,” I admitted. What I didn’t share was that I’d been there this morning. It was odd, I knew, to find comfort in a garage filled with cars and bikes in various states of disrepair, but I couldn’t seem to break the habit.

“Kat,” she muttered in soft admonishment.

“I know, I know. I’m trying to move on. I swear,” I assured her.

“That’s all you can do.” She gave me a quick squeeze of the hand and let the subject drop.

We spent the rest of our afternoon painting our toenails; I had to paint Scar’s because she couldn’t reach, watching movies and gabbing as we always did.

******

I felt the familiar prickle at the back of my neck when I headed back to my place. I was on the two-lane access road I often took rather than the highway to get back to my place from Scar’s. I glanced in my rearview mirror expecting to see nothing unusual as always, but instead saw a huge grey truck bearing down on me.

“What the hell?” I demanded aloud hoping it was just some jackass wanting to pass. I slowed down considerably hoping the truck would go around. Instead, it came that much closer to my tail, flashing its lights and gunning its engine.

I shrieked in fear wishing like hell I’d taken the much more trafficked highway. There wasn’t another car in sight.

I looked immediately to my purse, wanting my phone and groaned at finding it far out of reach on the passenger side floor.

The truck continued to rev its motor while coming frightfully close to my bumper. I sped up as much as my poor four-cylinder could handle, feeling the steering wheel shake under my sweating palms. No way in hell was I pulling over for this bastard. I just had to make it a bit farther before I could get on the highway.

“Fuck it,” I muttered, making a desperate grab for my purse strap. I managed to hook it with my pinkie and haul it into my lap, immediately feeling around for my phone.

Why the hell did I always have to have such a massive purse?

It felt like an eternity later before I had my phone to my ear.

“Kat?” Cole’s deep voice asked clearly confused why I’d be calling him after leaving their house.

I saw the highway ramp up ahead and sighed with relief. Just as I was about to speak the truck swerved into the left lane and sped off at a frightening pace onto the highway and out of sight.

What in the hell had that been about?

“Uh,” I began lamely.

“Kat?” he prompted as I heard Scarlet call out in the background.

What could I really tell him? Some random guy was showing some road rage, please come get me?

“Nothing, Cole, everything’s cool. Tell Scarlet I’ll call her later,” I replied, trying to sound much more collected than I felt. The last thing he needed was to worry more about me.

“You sure?” he asked skeptically.

“Sure,” I replied firmly. “Talk to you later,” I said hurriedly while still glancing out my rear window.

“Okay,” his deep voice rumbled in reply still sounding confused.

I hung up, throwing my phone back into my bottomless pit of a purse and pointed my car for home.

Chapter 3

I
seriously debated cancelling on Gavin. I couldn’t really think of a worse night to have a first date. I was a bit of a mess after being nearly run off the road. But then again, I might as well get it over with. I poured myself a whiskey neat and got dressed.