Page 44 of Hell on an Angel
A few hours in, she saw smoke coming from under the bike and felt the engine rev. They coasted to the side of the road, and when Cree shut the bike down, she turned off the podcast. Flipping up the face shield, she listened to him swearing. “Kennedy, hop off but be careful,” he told her.
Checking for a break in the traffic, she climbed off as quickly as she could. Her hip protested after being on the bike for hours. She hadn’t even gotten off at gas stations. She knew the drill and moved as far from the road as she could get. Cree lay on the roadside, looking at the bike, then he pulled out a piece of long, thick, black rubber. “Belt’s busted.”
Shoving off the ground, Cree pulled out his phone and checked their exact location. He saw they were an hour from an independent shop. Calling the shop, he prayed they could lend a hand or at least get them off the road. If the belt didn’t cause any other damage, he had a spare and could work on it himself.
When the raspy voice of an older man answered, Cree didn’t waste time. “Yeah, do you guys work on Harleys?”
“Most of them, but we’re backed-up for weeks.”
“I’m on the side of the road travelling to Montreal. If you can get me off the road, and if you have a spot where I can work on my sled, I’ll pay your normal bill-out on the work.” It was a shot in the dark.
“If you can do the work, we have a spare lift in the back you can use. Where are you?”
Cree dropped a pin to the guy and waited to see how far away they were. “I can have someone to you in thirty minutes.”
“Sounds good. It’s me and my ol’ lady.”
“The truck will be there ASAP.”
“Name’s Cree.”
“Cree. I’m the owner, Gene. Truck’s heading your way.”
“Thanks, Gene.” Shoving his phone away, he turned to look at Kennedy. “Half an hour.”
The closer they got to Montreal, the more shit they’d encountered. Cree was starting to think the universe didn’t want them to reach their destination. Opening one of the saddle bags, he pulled out his bike hammock and Pendleton blanket. Unrolling the hammock, he spread it out on the small patch of grass on the roadside then placed the blanket on top of it.
“You might as well have a seat. The hammock will insulate the blanket so you won’t get wet,” he told Kennedy, who had been silent since he pulled to the side of the road. When she sat down, Cree sat on the bike, annoyed with his bad luck. Glancing up, he checked on Kennedy. She had pulled the blanket around herself. “Sorry about this, katawasisiw.”
She wasn’t upset with him, just the situation. “You didn’t break the belt.”
No, he didn’t. Still, he felt he’d let her down. Tomorrow was her birthday and the only thing she wanted was to be with her brother. Now, there was no chance in hell he’d have her there. “Still, I’m sorry about not getting you to Montreal for your birthday.”
Kennedy stood, bringing the blanket with her. Walking over to where Cree sat on the bike, she moved close enough for him to kiss her. “It’s not like I don’t have another one next year.”
“How’d I get so lucky to have such an understanding ol’ lady?” He gave her a wink.
“I have no idea.” She started to make a joke about being hunted by thugs when a pickup truck pulled up. Cree stood, moving her behind him.
“Cree?” the driver asked, climbing out of the truck.
“That’s me.”
“Gene sent me.”
“Thanks for coming.”
“No problem. Let’s get you loaded up and off the road. Your woman can get in the truck where it’s warm.”
Kennedy picked up the hammock and rolled it up as she walked to the truck. Climbing into the backseat, she relished the warmth coming from the heater. “What a fucking shitshow this has turned out to be,” she said to know one. Pulling out her phone, she sent a message to her brother.
Kennedy: We were on our way to Sault Ste. Marie when we broke a belt. Definitely not making it there by tomorrow.
Player: Are you guys on the side of the road?
Kennedy: Yes but a truck to get us just arrived.
Player: Send me your location when you get off the road. I’ll come get you. That way Cree won’t have to worry about coming into Montreal if he doesn’t have to.
