Nine Minutes

by Beth Flynn

  When the hot water ran out, I reluctantly got out of the shower. I dried off and put my hair up in a towel. I wrapped another towel around me as I went into the bedroom.

  And I stopped short.

  Grizz was there. He was sitting on the bed. He was leaned up against the back of it, watching me, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. As a matter of fact, I was certain he wasn’t wearing anything. The white bed sheet was pulled up just enough, and barely covered his hips.

  I took in his physique. He was so big and muscular, and his chest and arms were covered in different tattoos. He had a smattering of light blonde hair across his chest. His skin was tanned. Light from the bedside lamp glinted off the gold hoop earring in his left ear. He had the same expression from the first time I met him: He didn’t smile. He didn’t frown. He just looked at me with those green eyes.

  “Kit, it’s time. Come here.”

  With a lump in my throat, I replied in barely a whisper, “No.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “It’s not why you think,” I quickly added, face flushing. “I just got my period and don’t have any tampons. I was going to go and find Moe, maybe see if she has anything.”

  Before he could answer I lifted one edge of the towel wrapped around me and showed him the light pink smear. I didn’t bleed heavily the first day of my period, but I still would need something.

  “Fuck!” Grizz yanked off the sheet and jumped up, stopping me. “You can’t go out looking for Moe in a towel.”

  I looked away as he stepped into his jeans and pulled them up. But not before I noticed what was under the sheet. I guess it was true, at least in Grizz’s case. Big man, big—well, you know. The little billy-club was actually smaller than him. I shivered.

  He quickly returned with a partial box of tampons, and I retreated to the bathroom. I subconsciously knew I would have my period around now. I’d finished up my birth control packet, so I knew it was coming. But in all the excitement of the last few days, it was the last thing on my mind.

  I came out of the bathroom dressed in my nightshirt. Thank God Grizz wasn’t waiting for me on the bed. Good—me having my period wasn’t appealing to him. Hopefully, that meant another week’s reprieve.

  I found him in the little living room. He was sitting in his recliner flipping through the few TV stations available.

  “You’re back early. How was your business?” I asked, perching on one arm of the sofa.

  He turned the TV off and looked at me. “Heard you had a bit of drama while I was gone.”

  “Yeah, about that. I want to tell you why Grunt—”

  “Doesn’t matter. I talked to Grunt. The guy had it coming.”

  I was relieved. I was still a little angry with Grunt because of how he handled the situation. It was a cruel thing to do. But Grizz seemed to think it was justified, so I dropped it.

  “I got to meet Blue’s wife,” I said instead, giving him a level look. “What a sweetheart. Thanks for asking him to take me home. I think I would have been better off if he’d locked me in the lion’s cage at the zoo.”

  Grizz started laughing then and suddenly I couldn’t help myself; I laughed with him. I plopped down on the couch, and after a few minutes he filled me in on Jan.

  Blue had met Jan about five years earlier. He had been involved with another woman at the time, but she was “crazy,” according to Grizz, and Blue broke it off. Poor Blue. What was it with him and women with emotional problems? He met Jan at a bar a few months later, and it was love at first sight. I could understand that. Blue wasn’t as attractive as she was, but I think she found the tough guy persona appealing.

  They had a very quick romance and married soon after. They bought a little house in an older section of Pembroke Pines. I knew where he was talking about. It was called Summer Wood. They were older and smaller homes, but it was a nice neighborhood that appealed to young families just starting out.

  It wasn’t long after they married that Blue noticed the change in her and immediately regretted the hasty decision to wed. She was quick to lose her temper. She would pick fights with him. She would dare him to lay a hand on her. She constantly provoked him until he would walk out. When he got home, she went into fits of hysterical crying and begged for forgiveness.

  Eventually, she started picking fights with the neighbors. It got even worse when she started threatening the neighbors with her husband’s status as second in command of a motorcycle gang.

  Word got back to Grizz, and he told Blue to take care of it. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. But it didn’t matter. She pulled an ace out of her sleeve just in time. She was pregnant.

  So Blue settled for moving her to a nicer part of Pembroke Pines. I wasn’t a real estate expert, but I was certain a telephone lineman’s salary wasn’t equal to the upscale home I visited. I guess that’s where his extracurricular activity with the gang came in, enabling him to afford it. She saw a doctor and was taking medications that seemed to help. The only time they had trouble with her was when she got pregnant again and stopped taking the medications. Blue practically had to monitor her 24/7, and Chicky, Willow and Moe spent a lot of time with her when Blue was working.

  “So she freaked out on you, huh? I wonder if she’s pregnant again and off her meds?” Grizz looked thoughtful.

  “I don’t know. She didn’t say anything and she didn’t look pregnant.” I told him everything she’d said to me and what I said to her in return.

  He chuckled. “You really said that to her?”

  “Yes, and I can’t say I’m proud of myself. You’ve obviously had a terrible influence on me.”

  He just laughed. “Well, if it’s anything like before, she’ll have a meltdown and start crying and wanting to see you to beg for your forgiveness.” He didn’t seem the least bit concerned with his status as leader of the gang or the threats made to me.

  Grizz and I spent the rest of the night watching TV and went to bed. I no longer slept on top of the covers, but I still slept with my back to him. He no longer slept on top of the covers either.

  But he also never slept in his jeans anymore. I knew he was nude, and prior to earlier that evening, I had never looked. I’d made it a point to pretend to be asleep if he got up before me. If I got up before him, I just made sure I wasn’t in the room when he woke up.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I woke up the next morning in a pool of sweat. Oh my goodness, it was hot.

  Grizz wasn’t next to me, so I got up and went looking for him. I peeked out the door and saw him in conversation with Chowder on the walkway a few units down. He heard me open the door and called out, “A/C unit is on the fritz.”

  So that explained the heat. This was June in South Florida, and it didn’t matter that it was nine o’clock in the morning. It was blazing. The humidity alone could suck the life out of a room.

  I went back to the bedroom and dressed in the coolest outfit I owned: a pair of cut-off jean shorts, the yellow bathing suit top from Jan and my sandals. I made a piece of toast and sat on the couch to eat it. I had finished and was rinsing out my orange juice glass when Grizz came back.

  “C’mon, let’s go,” he said, standing over me.

  “Where?”

  “Just c’mon, and grab your helmet and sunglasses.”

  We walked to one of several Harley-Davidsons parked in front of the motel. He took a dark blue bandana off the handlebar and wrapped it around his head, then straddled the huge bike and started it. He put his sunglasses on and looked at me. Staring at him, I had to admit he was a magnificent specimen. He was wearing the same thing he’d worn the first day I met him—blue jeans, biker boots and a T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off. His hair had gotten longer in the last month. I put on my helmet and sunglasses and jumped on the back.

  Grizz took me down to the beach. State Road 84 was a straight shot toward the ocean. We made a left on Federal Highway, then headed up to 17th Street Causeway. A right on the Causeway, and then we were going over a b
ig bridge that spanned the intracostal. On our right, all kinds of huge ships, cruise and military, were docked. The left harbored personal yachts.

  I loved this part of Fort Lauderdale. We followed the Causeway down toward the beach where it meets A1A. We slowly rode north on A1A, which parallels the Fort Lauderdale beach. It was summer and the beach was packed.

  I immediately realized we were noticed, especially by the girls. I have to admit I sat a little taller and wrapped my arms around Grizz a little tighter. I rested my chin on his shoulder. I was never the type of person who craved the spotlight. Before, I was always content to sit in the shadows and do my own thing. I think that’s because I was so completely satisfied with knowing myself. No soul-searching for me. I knew who I was and what I wanted out of my life.

  Until now.

  Being on the back of Grizz’s bike was a new experience for me. I’d now ridden once with Monster and twice with Blue. It was nothing like I felt with Grizz. My whole demeanor changed. I liked that I was envied. I liked how he gently squeezed my thigh just above my knee as we idled at a crosswalk. I liked how he lifted one of my hands to his mouth and softly kissed the inside of my wrist. And I especially liked that I could read the “I wish that was me look” on every female who walked by.

  It occurred to me that several days had passed without me thinking about going home. I remembered the first night Monster had brought me to the motel. He’d told me, “Time to meet your new family.” Maybe he was right. Maybe I was meant to be with Grizz.

  The realization stunned me.

  We finally turned left at Sunrise Boulevard, passed Birch State Park, over the intracoastal again and then south on Federal Highway. Grizz pulled up to a rundown tattoo parlor. We parked and got off the bike, and I hung my helmet on the handlebars. He told me to leave my sunglasses on until we got inside. Good thing I was allowed to take my glasses off when we got inside because it was so dark I couldn’t see that Grizz, who was walking in front of me, had stopped. I walked right into his back. He turned around and grabbed my arm to steady me.

  “You can take your glasses off now, Kit. Eddie? Where are you?”

  A small, tattooed man came out of the back room.

  “Grizz, my man,” Eddie said as he walked toward us. I could smell the alcohol on him before Grizz could reply.

  “Need an I.D.” Grizz gestured to me.

  “Sure, man. Stats?”

  Grizz told me to tell him my height, how much I weighed.

  Then Eddie asked, “How old?”

  I opened my mouth to answer when Grizz cut me off. “She just turned eighteen in March.”

  “You got it, Grizz. C’mon back here.”

  We followed him to a back room. Eddie had me stand up against an empty wall. He was getting ready to take my picture when Grizz stopped him.

  “No bangs.”

  Eddie went to a desk drawer and pulled out a headband. I secretly thanked God that he didn’t pull out scissors. I put on the band so my bangs were pulled back. A quick glance in the mirror showed me I looked a little less like myself. More like some other girl. An older girl. Different. The kind of girl who might like sitting on the back of Grizz’s motorcycle, his hand casually squeezing my thigh.

  Eddie took the picture and said, “Give me an hour.”

  As we walked out the door, Grizz grabbed a pink bandana off a pile by the cash register.

  “We’re going to lunch,” he told me when we got to the motorcycle. “When we get to the restaurant, I want your helmet off and replaced by the bandana as quickly as possible. Leave your sunglasses on, even in the restaurant. Got it?”

  I got it.

  We went to a little place called Southside Raw Bar. We sat outside on the docks that overlooked the water. I remember not being able to read his expression after I blessed myself and said a quiet prayer before eating. He’d watched me do this before and had never commented. I don’t remember what we ate. We chatted comfortably about a lot of different things, purposely leaving my abduction and anything to do with the motel out of the discussion.

  The conversation only turned personal in regards to our likes and dislikes. Standard stuff. Music, movies, books. It was lighthearted and casual conversation.

  Then it occurred to me. “Hey, we didn’t tell Eddie my new name.”

  “We don’t get to,” Grizz informed me. “Eddie has been in this business for years. He’s very organized and has his own list of pre-approved names.”

  “Really? Sounds like the people that name the hurricanes.”

  He smiled at me. My stomach fluttered. He really had a beautiful smile.

  “Yeah, I never thought about it, but I guess it kind of is like that.”

  “I’m really curious what name he’s going to give me.”

  “Don’t worry, Kit. Nothing could ever be as bad as your real name.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Grizz was wrong.

  “Priscilla Renee Celery?” I shouted. “You cannot be serious. There is no way in this world I am going to use the name Priscilla Celery.”

  I looked up at Grizz, who was smiling. What an awful last name—and going from a fruit to a vegetable? Forget it.

  “She’s right, Eddie, it’s pretty bad. Give her a new one.”

  Less than thirty minutes later I was the proud owner of a Florida driver’s license that identified me as eighteen-year-old Ann Marie Morgan. The physical address on my license was in Pembroke Pines. I wondered if it was Blue’s.

  I liked the name and told Grizz I thought Annie would make a cute nickname. He told me nobody would ever call me Annie. The driver’s license was just a formality in the event I needed it. More back-up ID would be mailed to the post office in Davie. A false birth certificate and Social Security card arrived within the week.

  I asked him if he had an ID, and he told me he was Rick O’Connell. Of course, I never once heard anyone refer to him as Rick, so I knew what he meant about me never having a different nickname. I was Kit.

  Chowder had fixed the A/C unit by the time we returned to the motel. I thought it was a little noisier than before, but it was cool inside and I couldn’t wait to take a shower. My shoulders were sunburned and the water stung, but I was oddly elated. I guess I was still a little high from the ride.

  The next two days passed uneventfully. I rarely went to the pit in the evenings. I honestly had no use for anyone in the gang, not to mention the dirty looks I got from the other women. There were always women coming and going. Other than Grunt and Moe, I’d still not warmed up to anyone. Besides, I didn’t want to see Willow. She still came around quite a bit, but thankfully, she stayed away from me.

  I caught myself starting to fantasize about my life with Grizz. I guess that afternoon on the bike had something to do with it. I still had my period and Grizz still had not tried anything in bed. That was okay. I knew I needed more time.

  One night, a small crowd had gathered at the pit. I was bored. I went out and found Grunt.

  “Do you mind if I go in your room and listen to some records?” I asked him.

  I had only seen Grunt a handful of times since the day we got my helmet. I got a few chess lessons from him and he was impressed with how quickly I took to the game. He was always coming and going. It was summer, so I wasn’t sure if he was taking classes. Grunt looked over at Grizz who gave a nod. I wanted to roll my eyes, but didn’t. Grunt jumped up and said, “Sure, c’mon.”

  “I didn’t mean to take you away from the pit,” I stammered as we walked away. “You don’t have to come with me if you trust me to be in your room.”

  “No problem. Bugs are eating me alive anyway. Let’s go.”

  I followed Grunt to his room and spent the next couple of hours listening to his albums and continuing with my chess lessons. While we talked and played chess, I perused his bookshelf and settled on two books to take back to number four with me.

  Grunt was the perfect gentleman, and I found myself a little disappointed that he didn’t flirt
with me. I didn’t flirt with him either, though. I don’t know if it was a growing loyalty to Grizz or my embarrassment of our night together, or a combination of both. I told myself I was glad he didn’t like me that way because it would certainly complicate things.

  It was starting to get late. I was actually surprised Grizz hadn’t come looking for me. I yawned and picked up my books.

  “Thanks for the books and for putting up with my record choices tonight.”

  “You can borrow any books you want any time. And remember, you picked records from my stash, so I liked listening to everything you picked out. Need me to walk you home?” he teased.

  “No, I think I can get there all by myself.” I answered. We both laughed, and I was still smiling as he closed the door behind me. I got to number four and went in.

  I almost dropped my books at the sight that greeted me. Grizz was laying back on the couch with his eyes closed.

  And Willow was crouched between his legs with her head bobbing frantically.

  Chapter Twenty

  Neither one had heard me open the door. I guess that’s because the A/C unit was much louder than before. To my right was a shelf unit that held the TV. I slammed my books down as hard as I could on it.

  Grizz opened his eyes, and Willow stopped and turned around to look at me. Grizz grabbed her by the hair and said, “Finish.”

  She gave me a toothless smile and went back to what she was doing.

  I turned around and ran out the front door, and before I even knew where I was heading, I was pounding on Grunt’s door. He opened it and I fell into him, wrapping my arms around his back. I wasn’t crying, but I was on the verge of tears. I didn’t know why.

  Why should I care what Grizz and Willow were doing? I certainly hadn’t done anything like that with him, and I had been telling myself for the last month I didn’t want to. So why this feeling of betrayal? No matter what I told myself, the truth was it stung.