Page 14 of Ripper
“Where are we headed?” she asked, grabbing her dome.
“There’s a motorcycle shop not too far from here. It’s a real hole-in-the-wall, but the place’s got a lot of history.”
“Is it Thrill Seeker?”
“Yeah, you’ve been?”
“No, but Uncle Axle gets his parts from there sometimes. Come to think of it, he’s usually there more than he is here some weeks,” she murmured with a chuckle.
“Then let’s go check it out. It's worth a look. That is, if you can beat me there.”
She squinted at me, slipping her dome on and starting up her engine. I watched as her curves hugged the seat of the bike, how perfect she looked on it, and I wished she was riding on the back of mine. I was so fucking distracted that I let her get a head start, and before I knew it, we were both barreling down the highway.
I felt the cool evening breeze on my knuckles, the headlights from the other cars lighting up the way, and I weaved through traffic with ease. I glanced behind me to see if I’d left Ronnie in the dust, but that’s when I heard her engine roar on my right side. She gripped her bike handles tight, speeding up to catch my slipstream right when she caught me off-guard, and I chuckled.Damn.The ride was exactly what I needed. She was exactly what I needed.
We arrived outside the small, single box building with its large picket sign and a banner with deals that looked like it’d been up for ages. Ronnie and I made it to the front lot at the exact same time. I was real impressed that she held up that well. There were moments I had to keep an eye on her, watching her swerve slightly or look like she was gonna lose control. It seemed to me like she hadn’t been on a bike very long, but still, she managed to come out on top.
“Look at you. Full of surprises, huh?”
“I guess you can say that,” she said with a wink.
“We’re definitely gonna have to do that again sometime.”
“Yeah, we sure will.”
“Come on, let me introduce you to ole Moira.”
I outstretched my hand for her to take it, and when I felt her fingers intertwine in mine, the warmth of her palm pressing up against my skin, I smiled. I led her in, holding the door open as the little bell rang overhead.
“We were just about to close up shop,” said a familiar voice.
I saw that bright red hair and pierced eyebrow peeking out from behind the counter. Moira smiled brightly when she saw that I wasn’t alone.
“Moira, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. This is Veronica.”
“Please, call me Ronnie,” she said, shaking Moira’s hand.
“You’ve got yourself a real looker here, Ripper.”
Ronnie blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear while she took in every inch of the place.
“I thought you’d want to see Hammerhead’s daughter for yourself,” I said.
“No way. Oh man, come on over here let me show you something,” she responded, putting her arm around Ronnie, leading her to the back room.
My cell phone started buzzing incessantly in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see Wrench’s name flash across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Where the hell are you, man? The meeting’s starting.”
“I don’t think I’m gonna be able to make this one, Wrench. I’m sorry. I’m a little caught up right now,” I said, hearing a soft giggle come from the back room.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, don’t worry.”
“Tank’s not gonna like this.”
