Page 57 of Property of Raider
Once again, the kid doesn’t shy away or back down, though being Satchel’s kid, I shouldn’t expect anything less.“With everything going on, we needed to make sure the boy was safe.I didn’t stay there and watch him like my gut told me I needed to.So, I made sure nothing could happen to him while he was there alone.”
Anastasia steps around me.“Thank you, Twitch.That means a lot.”
He turns a little red.“No problem.Not that at this point you’ve got any real issues considering who your boy plays ball with.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I say, “We’re going to have a conversation about what all this means later.”
He gives me a salute before walking away.I watch him go, shaking my head because I still haven’t figured that kid out, which is one of the few reasons he hasn’t been brought up for a vote to be patched.Anastasia wraps her arm around my waist, laying her head on my chest.For the first time in way too many years, I feel at peace and that maybe I’m exactly where I should be.
“Let’s get riding, Tasia.”I pat her on the ass, grab her helmet and place it on her head.
Her smile is wide and bright, stretching to her eyes that are shining bright.
Chapter nineteen
Anastasia
Raider gives me a rundown on the basics of how to ride.He climbs onto his bike, starting it with a roar and giving me chills.I stand there watching him, a need like I’ve never felt building deep in my core.Raider holds his hand out to help me onto the bike.I settle in behind him, shifting to find a comfortable position.He reaches back, catching me behind the knees, pulling me so that my front is flush against his back.
I place my hands on his shoulders until he revs the bike, shooting us forward.Squealing, I wrap my arms around his waist, holding on tight.I feel more than hear him chuckle under my hands.As we pull up to the gate, it slides open, letting us through without us having to come to a full stop.Raider nods at Satchel, who is manning the guard shack until Twitch is ready.We pull onto the road and shoot off in the opposite direction of town.In a flash, we’re pulling up to a fire hall.Remedy comes swaggering out with a small bag of supplies.
“Looking good, Anastasia.Badass biker chick looks good on you,” Remedy ribs me, causing Raider to growl.
“When he comes for you, that’s on you,” I laugh, shaking my head.
Remedy just smirks as he holds the bag out to Raider, who just throws a thumb in my direction.I panic at the thought of having to keep up with the bag and ride until Raider pops open one of the side compartments where he drops the stuff inside.They do some kind of handshake before we’re off again.For the first twenty minutes after that stop, I’m thinking about all the instructions he gave me about leaning, not fighting him and just riding.We pull up at a stop sign, and Raider looks back at me grinning.
“Relax, Tasia.Enjoy the ride.It’s meant to be freeing.Just hold on and flow with me,” he calls back to me.
“I’m trying, but I don’t know how to relax,” I call back to him.
Something I can’t identify flashes across his face before he gives me a quick nod.We pull away from the stop sign, starting the ride slowly and steadily.He reaches back, placing his hand on my calf, squeezing lightly before rubbing it.That simple gesture helps me to understand that this ride is more than just him and me on a bike, it’s about me laying my trust in the man to take care of us and have a good time.So, I relax for the first time since I can remember—fuck probably the day Shea was born.I let go of my control and lay it at another’s feet.
We ride for what seems like forever, taking turns this way and that way.We go in and out of the marsh, up and around the college, past the baseball fields and back toward Auntie Lynn’s house.We pull down the long driveway, and my chest grows tighter and tighter as we go.As we break the tree line, and the house comes into view, my vision swims.What was a large plantation home is now nothing but a blackened pile of ash.Raider pulls past the house slowly following the old service road that runs along the edge of the property to the pound.The breeze blows through the tall grass of the hayfields.We pull up to a small patch of grass that has been mowed and leads to the dock that sticks out over the water.
Raider kills the bike, holding a hand out to help slide off the bike.My legs are a little shaky from the ride.Raider slides off, grabbing the supplies Remedy gave us and my hand.We slowly make our way towards the dock.We walk all the way to the end and sit.Raider immediately pulls my leg into his lap and pulls my pant leg up to work on the injury.I look out over the water as comfortable silence falls over us.
“I haven’t been out here since the day I came here to wait for you, and you never showed,” I finally whisper out.
“That was the day after my first party at the club,” his words sound lost, but he doesn’t stop his work on my leg.
“Yeah, it was.The worst part is I didn’t knowwhy you didn’t show until my sister told me she was pregnant.”Honesty is the only way we’re going to heal the hurt that’s been caused.
His head snaps up, his eyes reminding me of the man I saw the night I first arrived.“You think I didn’t come to meet you because of Shea?”
“Not at the time.To be honest, I just thought you forgot.Then, my sister shows up telling me she’s pregnant, and it’s your baby.She told me when she told you about it, you told her to get rid of it or else.What else was I supposed to think?”I throw my hands up as frustration grows deep in my chest.
Why can he not understand this?
Raider places my leg gently on the deck before shooting to his feet and pacing, something I’ve noticed he does when he is trying to process through his thoughts.I sit there, the need to apologize and tell him it doesn’t matter on the tip of my tongue, but my need to know stops me.I need to know.
Why her?
Why did he tell me he was going to come for me and then never show?
Why wasn’t I enough?
“Why, Watson?Why couldn’t you have just picked me?”I finally whisper the question I’ve never spoken to anyone.
