Page 112 of Kings Fear No One
“On your bike?”
“Who else’s?” I answer, grinning back at her. “Damn sure ain’t letting you ride on Ozzie’s. You’re my old lady.”
She blushes—her brown complexion makes it hard to tell, but I know the look. I can read it on her. Her skin’s warming up, more golden and radiant if possible.
We head out with dinner still waiting in the kitchen. We’ll only be gone an hour, and I argue it’ll be better before a heavy meal.
Teysha’s face lights up in surprise when she sees what’s sitting on the backseat of my Super Glide. “You got me a helmet?”
“One fitted for you,” I answer with a nod. “It won’t be so heavy for your neck.”
Teysha’s a lot more comfortable the second time on my bike. I check on her before we set off to her eager squeeze of my midsection.
I don’t take her far. Just a few miles outside of Pulsboro.
Our ride’s not about going far or fast. It’s about taking her out for some alone time between us. Something we get at the apartment, but she needs fresh air. She needs to get out more. Being cooped up in the apartment almost all day isn’t good for her.
I’ve started encouraging her to be more involved at the club. The other old ladies, Sydney and Korine in particular, have happily taken her under their wing.
But I still worry about her. She’s still not sleeping as well as she should. If I leave the room, she wakes in a panic.
Maybe if I weren’t so fucked up myself, I’d know how to help her. I could do something other than what I’m doing, fixating on destroying Abraham and the Chosen Saints.
It’s a situation of the blind leading the blind.
For a second time this evening, I force aside these destructive thoughts. These thoughts that have driven me to push Teysha away in the past. I divert my attention to the present.
As dusk hits, the sky explodes in hues of gold. The heat cools a couple degrees. Insects that go into hiding during daylight hours start coming alive again, buzzing and clicking their wings.
I pull off the road to a patch of land that hasn’t been claimed in years. Maybe decades.
Teysha’s glancing around with a curious knit of her brows as I grab her hand and lead her across the tall, uncut grass.
“What are we… beer?”
She comes to a halt even as I try to pull her along. She’s spotted the beer cans lined up on the top of a wooden fence. I let go of her hand and lift up the hem of my V-neck shirt. A sharp gasp leaves her as she takes a step back.
“Logan, why are you showing me your gun?”
“You know I carry.”
Her throat works in a slow swallow. “Yes… but… why are you…”
“I’m going to teach you how to shoot. You need to learn,” I explain, gesturing to the beer cans. “I want you to start carrying.”
“Me? Carry a gun?!”
“Plenty of women do. It’s for protection.”
“Against what?”
The expression that curls onto her face is so perplexed, it’s like she’s questioning my sanity. I step toward her and cup her by the elbows.
“You know what,” I say. “Against him. If anyone tries to take you and I’m not around.”
“I couldn’t ever shoot him… or anyone.”
I hate that I believe her. I can peer into her wide, expressive eyes and see she couldn’t bring herself to do something like that. It’s not in her nature.
