Page 2 of Blade

He knew that I felt “less than,” and I didn’t even understand why. My parents are great and continue to support me in most of my decisions. Yet, Guard’s right: I felt like I wasn’t quite enough. Guard was wise and read me right down to my soul. “You’re measuring yourself by physical accomplishments. You’re more than a great mechanic, and I think you need to be around men who have been at the same crossroads before you. I’ll only ask once, and if you feel this is for you, then you come into my office and tell me so. If not, no harm done. I’m inviting you to join the Pride.”

Guard told me to think on this overnight, but I already knew my answer. Of course, I agreed. Since the day I decided to prospect, the men have shared their stories, and I discovered I’m not the only one with demons to conquer. That’s the beauty of the Pride: we’re never alone. A brother will always be there to lean on.

Focused on the road, I see ahead of me a car pulled over to the side. As I get closer, a woman opens the trunk and rifles through it. It’s late, and a woman shouldn’t be stuck out in the middle of the road on her own. Then again, I might scare the shit out of her if I stop too close.

I allow some space between us when I stop my motorcycle and take off my helmet. She hasn’t even heard me pull up.

“Ma’am!” I call out to her. Nothing. Yet she’s swearing under her breath, tugging on what looks to be a spare tire, trying to get it out of the trunk. I climb off my bike and approach her slowly. “Yo, miss, do you need a hand with that?” Still nothing. Then I notice she has her EarPods in. I tap her shoulder, and she lets out a screech.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” she pants. She clutches her chest, takes the earbuds out, and pushes her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. She’s fucking adorable with her heart-shaped face and perfect bow lips.

I chuckle. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Actually, I called out to you several times.” I look down at her tire to see the flat. “I can help you with that, if you like.”

“You’re not some psycho mass murderer, are you?” she asks, squinting and reaching for the tire iron.

I lift my hands. “I just want to help. You can keep holding the tire iron if it makes you feel better while I get the spare on for you.” I can’t help but smile at her stern expression, furrowed brow, and the way she clutches the rod tightly in her hand. I can disarm her in seconds, but there’s no need to tell her that.

She bites her lower lip and steps to the side. “I think it’s stuck,” she says, pointing to the partially uncovered tire. The rest of her trunk is packed with boxes, cameras, and equipment. I can see that she’s attempting to move things out of the way to get to the spare.

“My name’s Blade, by the way,” I tell her. I lift one of the bigger boxes out of the car and set it on the gravel.

“I’m Emryn,” she replies quietly.

I turn my head to look at her. “Nice to meet ya, Emryn.” Lo and behold, I get my first smile out of Emryn. Christ! She’s a beauty. She looks like an angel, if you ignore the tire iron in her hand, which she’s already dropped to her side. I turn on my phone flashlight and take a look at her spare. The tire is bald and won’t get her very far. It’s ridiculous to even waste time putting it on. “Babe, you can’t use this tire. It’s bald. You’re going to end up in a ditch.”

Emryn peers around me, and I show her the extent of the problem. “That’s just great,” she huffs. “I can’t leave my stuff out here. This equipment is my bread and butter.”

I lean my ass on the edge of the open trunk. “What do you do?”

“I’m a photographer. It’s taken me years to afford the best cameras,” she answers, taking out her phone. “You wouldn’t happen to know a reputable tow truck driver, would you?”

“I’m a mechanic in town. I can get it towed to the shop and put a new tire on it tomorrow. Give me a sec and I’ll get our tow truck driver over here to pick it up.”

“That’s great! I’d appreciate it.” This earns me another smile. I make the call, and Clutch picks up.

“Yo, bro, this better be good,” Clutch says sleepily.

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We have a lady in distress.”

“Huh?” Obviously, he’s still in a haze.

I give him our location. “Emryn needs her car towed to the shop. I’ll fix it tomorrow,” I tell him.

“Right. On my way.” He’s groggy and grumpy, but I know my Pride brother will be here soon.

“He’s on his way,” I say, looking at Emryn.

“Do you think he can drop me off at my place? I’m not far from the shop. Just two blocks over.” Then she quickly says, “Oh, never mind, I can just walk it.”

The thought of Emryn walking in the middle of the night down the dark street causes a pang in my gut. “No way, babe. I’ll take you home.” I trust Clutch with my life, but there’s no chance I’m going to let him take Emryn home. Emryn shivers. It’s late October, and all she has on over her shirt is a thin blue cardigan. “Get in the car and stay warm. It won’t take long for Clutch to get here.”

While we wait, I put the box back into her trunk and shut it, then walk back to my bike. I always keep an extra sweater in my tail bag. I bring it over to her.

“It’ll keep you warm,” I tell her.

“You’re being very sweet,” she says.

“That’s me! I’m sweet,” I tease.

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