“Working. You know that. Hey, Auntie Ang, meet my friend. This is Belle.”
The woman looked at me. She had blue eyes like mine.
“Oh my,” she whispered. “You are beautiful. So beautiful.” She looked at Slam. “I told you, stay out of trouble and find a beautiful woman to spend the rest of your life with.”
“Oh, I’m not…”
“Auntie Ang,” Slam said, cutting me off. “I just got out of prison again.”
The elderly woman looked at me. “Men, right?”
“I’m…”
Slam grabbed my hand. I flinched and wanted to rip my hand away. He gave a sideways glance that told me not to do anything stupid.
So I kept my mouth shut.
“Auntie Ang, how about a few slices?” Slam asked.
“You got it,” she said and snapped her fingers.
Slam tugged at my hand and mouthed come on.
I walked through the pizza place to the kitchen. It looked like a regular kitchen in a house. There was a small TV on the corner of the counter with the local news blaring. We then went through the back door and outside. There was a deck off to the right and two picnic tables down on a small yard. At the edge of the yard it dropped off down to the ocean. It was an amazing view.
“Figure we could kill some time here, babe,” Slam said. He jumped up and sat on the top of a picnic table and took out a cigarette. He lit up and took a drag like there was nothing wrong with the world.
I slowly crept to the edge of the yard. A nice breeze hit me in the face. The rushing of the water, crashing into the rocks, it was so soothing. When I was a baby my mother had some kind of sound machine thing and she would set it to the sound of the ocean for me.
I felt my throat tighten a little and my eyes flooded with tears.
I took a shaky breath and had to get control of myself. It had been a weird day so far and I didn’t need it to get out of hand.
I inched forward again, my toes going over the edge. The drop wasn’t all that far. The points of the rocks would be a problem… but I sort of wanted to touch the water. I knew this had to be a place on the coast my mother never got to.
In that exact moment I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I literally dangled my right foot over the edge.
I felt hands grab my waist and pull at me.
I let out a scream and thought I was going over the edge.
“What the hell are you doing, babe?”
I was spun around and I grabbed at Slam, my hands at his leather cut. My body pressed against his. I stared up at him, his eyes big, evil, yet concerned as he looked down at me.
He towered over me like no man ever.
“I… my…”
“Were you just trying to hurt yourself?” he asked.
I put my head forward for a moment and rested it against Slam’s steel like chest. I let out a long breath, trying to collect all my thoughts.
Then I moved my hands to Slam’s chest and pushed. I hurried to wiggle away from him.
“Don’t touch me,” I said.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he asked.
I made it two steps before Slam grabbed my arm and pulled at me. “What the fuck was that about?”
Anger rose up in me and I looked at Slam. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit. Nothing? Don’t lie to me, Belle.”
“What does it matter to you? We’re not friends. We’re nothing. Leave me alone.”
Slam let my arm go and I walked back to the picnic table. I tried to secretly wipe my eyes but there was no hiding it. Of course, right then, my fucking cell phone beeped. I took it out and saw it was Kyle, again. I threw the phone to the table and shook my head.
“Does it have something to do with your phone going crazy every ten minutes?” Slam asked.
I looked over my shoulder at him. “What?”
“You keep getting texts. Like crazy. What’s going on? Are you in trouble, babe?”
“Again, stop trying to be something to me,” I said. “I should have never gotten on the back of your motorcycle, Slam. I shouldn’t have come to your garage to apologize.”
Slam didn’t give up. He stepped toward me, his front inches from my back. Shit, the heat even with a little distance was intense.
“But you did come,” he said. “For whatever reason, you did. That’s why I offered you this ride, babe. Whatever you got going on, leave it on the road. That’s why I ride. You think we’re out there looking for trouble? Not a chance, Belle. We protect this town, this entire area.”
I swallowed hard. “I need to catch my breath. Is there a bathroom in there?”
“As soon as you walk in, go to the right. If Auntie Ang comes for you, just stand there and take it. She loves hugs and she’ll kiss your cheek fifty times. Just go with it.”
I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn’t. Right then I lost my breath. Just looking back at Slam did that to me.
Instead of saying anything else I walked away.
It wasn’t until halfway through freshening up did I realize I had made a huge mistake.
I left my cell on the picnic table… right where Slam could see it.
fifteen
(slam)
THEN