AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I storm from the room and retreat.
CHAPTER FOUR
KAI
Locking up Ash’s place, I strap the rest of my belongings down on the Scout and get on board. The stand gets kicked up, my sunglasses go on, and I pull out of the driveway. That’s it. She kept her promise to me and looked after everything I gave her. Including forty thousand dollars in cash. Life in Houston is done with zero need to look back.
Ten miles out of the city, hot sun on my back, and the first real breaths of freedom ease in and out of me. I don’t think about a whole lot else other than that thought of freedom for the next hundred or so miles. I just look at other vehicles and weave my way through loose traffic without a goddamn care in the world.
Kids bang on windows as I pass them by, and other Indian motorcycle riders nod their approval and greeting as we go by each other. I’m not surprised. My Scout’s a beauty. Custom built, copper trim, and as angry looking as she’s meant to be. In fact, she’s everything I need. Wrapped overnight kit in the storage. Big ass engine to keep me travelling.
I smile and rev, switching lanes and opening her up for a little more speed. It’s head down for the next twenty miles until I pull into a gas station for food, coffee and fuel. I end up sitting on the ground for a while and watching the world travel by, no hurry about anything, and no fucking orders to make me move quicker.
A couple of girls start heading back to their car, making sure to walk the long way to get a look at me. I keep eating my burger, trying to work out if I’m interested enough to make a move on them both. Been a long damn time since I’ve had some fun with a woman, and two could make that wait worthwhile.
The first one gets brave enough to come right on over, shifting her short skirt up a few more inches. Her finger goes to her mouth, coy glances and batting lashes going on.
She walks round Scout and gets back to me, long legs in my eyeline from down here.
“Nice,” she says. “You want my number?”
“Jenna. Jesus,” the other one says, coming closer. “Sorry, she’s got a thing for your kind.” I take another bite of my burger and frown. My fucking kind? “Jenna. We’re leaving.”
Seems like Jenna doesn’t feel like leaving at all, because she holds firm when the other one tries dragging her away. “Back off, Dana. You’re my sister, not my mother.”
Scrunching up the burger wrapper, I stand and look down at Jenna, tossing a weak smile her way. “Kid, you don’t wanna know what my kind likes doing to girls like you in the bedroom. Take your sister’s advice. Stay away from guys like me.” I throw my leg over Scout and start the engine. “We’re nothing but trouble and we definitely don’t want anything long term.”
I pull out before she gets a chance to answer, head down to get on with the last part of this journey. I’ll find a fuck when I get to my new place. Besides, picking up women in a gas station probably isn’t part of this new decent life I’m looking for. Gonna find myself a good woman eventually. One who’ll just be okay with taking it easy and enjoying life as it comes. That thought might be a long way off in my head, but it’s there in my future at some point.
The last of the road weaves me into downtown San Antonio. I find my way slowly through the manic traffic going wherever it’s trying to get to, and the eventual sight of the Viper’s Ink signage makes me ease into a parking spot nearby and cut the engine. I swing my leg to the ground and look around, taking in the sights. This part of town has changed a lot since the last time I was here ten years back, but I guess this Viper dude managed to hold onto his old shop through the areas rebuild.
A few minutes later, I push through the door into his place. A heavy-set guy looks up at me from his desk, ink all over his face and piercings anywhere he can get them.
“I’m here for Viper,” I say. Dude just sits there looking at me, no answer or interest in my statement. “I’m Kai Jenson.Here for the job?”
He gets up and walks out of the room, shouting Viper’s name at the top of his lungs a few seconds later. Two minutes go by and he’s back, still with no Viper in tow.
“Sit,” he grumbles. “He’s finishing up.”
A good hour goes by with me just sitting here, until finally a woman walks out through the reception area. She smiles at the dude behind the desk and turns to show him her leg. “That man is a goddamn God. Look at this shit,” she says. Dude looks over her whole thigh piece, nodding, and then watches as she opens the door to leave. “See ya, Blade.”
I snort a little. Can’t help it. Viper and Blade?
Sounds like a great start to my new decent life.
Another two minutes and another guy walks in from the back, stripping stained gloves off his hands. Tall, lean looking. He stares straight at the screen in front of Blade and checks his watch. “Get Richie to do Miss bitch. I’m out of here for a while. I’ll be back for six to deal with him.” He points at the screen. “If he turns up.”
Blade nods and lifts himself to go out through the door and into the back again, and this guy – Viper presumably – sits behind the desk and starts writing something down. I watch him, checking out the immaculate art all over his shoulders and arms. There’s even a heavily coloured cobra winding its way up his chest, crisscrossing itself around his throat and up onto the side of his face. The whole damn look looks hard as nails and ready to kill.
“So, new boy,” he says, sniffing. “You gonna be a pain in my ass?”
My head comes back up to look at his face. “No.”
Cool-blue eyes study me behind a half-hearted scowl. “Armed fucking robbery sounds like a pain in my ass.” He throws the pen on the desk and leans back in the chair. “And I’m too old for pains in my ass.” Doesn’t look that old to me. Forty-five at a push. “What’s your plan?”
“Plan?”
“Yeah. I do this shit year in and year out, trying to give guys a chance when they come out, and time and time again I get a cunt who’s just trying to get through his parole time before fucking up again. I’m not down with that this time.”
