Page 21 of Raven
He hinted I could work the money off with him and his boys, and that statement was the catalyst for me leaving Oregon and moving to Rapid City. In a way, my mother’s last fuck up led me to the man I realized I couldn’t live without.
As I drove across town to the money transfer location I’d been using for weeks, I thought of all the long talks Caleb, and I had over the last few days. We spent every evening until well after midnight talking about our dreams in life, our mistakesfrom the past, and the things we regretted. He had said telling the bad things first was a good way to get to know each other.
I wasn’t sure at first, but those little shared admissions were cathartic, helping me shed the layers of guilt and shame I didn’t realize I was carrying around.
After pulling up and walking into the store, I quickly handed the woman behind the counter the pre-filled slip and a handful of cash I’d picked up when we cashed our checks at lunch. She counted it and stepped to the side to enter the information into the computer. When she handed me the confirmation number and the same pre-filled slip, I tucked them into my pocket and started to walk out.
“See you next time,” she said, and I glanced back to give her a nod.
I was almost back to my truck when I heard someone calling my name. Unsure, I carefully turned around to see Willow standing with a smaller woman covered in amazing tattoos. Willow and the woman approached with a smile.
“I thought that was you,” Willow began and turned to the other lady. “Paige, this Raven’s ol’ lady Sydney.”
“It’s nice to put a face to the name,” Paige said as she extended her hand to shake mine. I looked at my still dirty hands and was reluctant to touch her when she chuckled and said, “Sorry, my hands are covered in dirt from a dig with my students yesterday.”
I noticed she had short nails like me and there was dirt pushed into her cuticles, much like the grease in mine. I shook her hand as Willow spoke.
“Paige is a geology professor at the mining college.”
I smiled, stating, “That sounds like a fun career.”
Paige shrugged and replied, “It pays the bills. I hear you’re an amazing mechanic. I’d love to be able to fix things without having to get Animal to help.”
“You’re Animal’s ol’ lady?” I asked, still trying to put the couples together.
“Yep. He’s my ol’ man,” he giggled then asked, “Are you coming to the clubhouse tonight? We’ve all been eager to get to know you.”
I nodded and replied, “We finish up around six then Caleb said we were driving out to the Sin Den for the evening.”
Paige slapped her hands and gave a little squeal. “I can’t wait. The only one not coming is Laura. She’s less than a month away from delivering and Phantom doesn’t want her around the smoke or loud music.”
Willow looked behind me and asked, “What are you doing on this side of town?”
“I had an errand to run, but I need to get back to the shop to finish for the day,” I replied, hoping they didn’t ask why I was specifically in front of a money transfer service.
“We won’t keep you, but we’ll see you tonight,” Willow answered, and I stepped around them and walked directly to my truck.
Waving from the sidewalk where they still stood, I returned the gesture and got into the truck, quickly cranking it and pulling away from the parking space. I needed to get back from the shop before Caleb got back from his delivery, and I just hoped the ladies didn’t tell him where they saw me.
The last thing I needed was for him to start asking questions about the debt before it was paid off. Something told me that Caleb wouldn’t like that I was dealing with someone like Rooster and his nasty friends. And the last thing I wanted was to him to think I needed him to save me.
I could save myself.
Returning to the shop, I saw Caleb’s truck and trailer weren’t in the lot and I exhaled the worry I was holding deep inside. After parking my truck, I walked back inside and put mycoveralls back on, getting back to work on Nitro’s bike. I didn’t realize how deep into my work I was until I felt a hand on my shoulder.
Shocked, I dropped the bolt in my hands as I spun around, shrieking as I grabbed my chest before I saw it was Caleb. He raised his hands and smiled as I leaned over, fighting the tremble that was building deep inside.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he began as I grabbed the dropped bolt and stood back straight. “Are you about finished for the day?”
I placed the bolt onto my workbench and glanced at the bike in front of me. I’d like to do some more tonight, but knew the day was winding down.
“I need about ten more minutes to get this new mount installed then I can wash up before we go. Is that okay?”
Caleb leaned over and kissed me softly before he answered, “That’s fine, beautiful. I’ve got to get the deposit ready to drop at the bank on the way to the clubhouse, so take your time. I’ll find you when I’m done.”
“Okay,” I responded and watched as he turned and walked away.
He paused at Joel, and I worried he was about to tell Caleb about me leaving. Not that I had to justify myself to anyone. I just didn’t want to get into everything with him today. Soon, but not today. Caleb clapped Joel on the shoulder and continued his walk to the front office. I shook my head, hating that I was keeping this truth about myself from him, but worried how he would react.
