Permanent Lines

by Ashley Wilcox

  “So how do you know any of this?” I asked with an eyebrow raised.

  “His cousin, Joey,” she was quick to answer. “He was in the same boat as Antonio. He wasn’t involved in much of it, but was kinda forced in when Marty died. It was like all hands on deck in the family. Antonio was all about it; Joey, not so much.”

  “The power,” Miles concluded.

  She agreed. “Yeah, but Joey hated it. He wanted nothing to do with it, that’s why he never went on any business meetings with them. So we talked—we both were like the outsiders.”

  “What is his job?” Miles asked.

  “He’s a dealer,” she answered, “but he wants out.” She paused, her eyes all of a sudden lighting up. “He could help us!” she exclaimed like it was the best idea in the world. “He totally would!”

  Immediately Miles was shaking his head. “No. Absolutely not. We don’t talk to anyone involved. Too risky.”

  “But he’s our in.” I stepped up, liking the idea.

  “No. We don’t know his loyalty. Bringing someone from the inside here could be detrimental … for us all. If our location and involvement got back to Antonio and his guys …”

  Amelia was shaking her head. “No! No, he would never,” she said, full of energy and confidence. “He would do anything to get out.”

  “I need to do a little research on him first, okay?” Miles acquiesced. “Then we’ll go from there. I don’t like the idea, but I do agree that having support and the assistance of someone on the inside could be an immense advantage.”

  We all nodded in unison. It was a legitimate concern. Before jumping in and contacting someone on the inside—family, no less—we should get the 411 and make sure he was legit and against the ring, wanting out like Amelia said. But the excitement of getting closer was also there and humming through my veins full force. I pulled Amelia into my side again, kissing her head. It was progress. The ducks were lining up. I couldn’t wait to see this fucker fall.

  Just after two in the morning, my cell started buzzing. I stared at it. I knew I wasn’t supposed to answer it. It could ruin our cover, but it was Micah. Micah was my best friend for fucking ever. He had no clue what was going on.

  Giving in, I answered. “Hey dude,” I whispered, not wanting to wake Amelia.

  “Where are you? Where’s Amelia?”

  Immediately, I knew something was wrong. He was panting, his voice shaky. My stomach dropped as I pulled back the blankets and crept out of the bedroom, waiting until I got into the living room to respond.

  “What’s wrong, man?” I asked, trying to hold back my panic.

  “Are you okay? Amelia?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, we’re good. What the hell is wrong, Micah?” I was getting antsy; I hated how he was delaying.

  “It’s Ken.”

  My eyes shut. Fuck! Ken was Amelia’s father.

  “Don’t even say it.”

  “What the hell is going on, Merrick?” I hated that he didn’t know anything. He was genuinely lost and confused as hell. “My dad just called and said that they think it was an intruder. There was a break in, but it looked suspicious. Nothing was taken and no one can get a hold of Amelia.”

  I sat down on the couch, crouched over, my head in my free hand. Amelia was going to be devastated, especially because I highly doubted that her dad knew anything. We hadn’t discussed who knew her situation, but I knew Ken. He was a huge sponsor in motocross and a nice ass guy, and he loved his daughter—he’d do anything for her. When Amelia took interest in racing, he did everything in his power, making her comfortable with it and molding her one of the best racers I had ever seen, like his little protégé, but in a good way. There was no way he could know about Antonio and not do anything about it. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  “Merrick?” Micah questioned my silence, making sure I was still on the line.

  “Yeah bro, I’m here.”

  “Tell me what the fuck is going on,” he demanded.

  “I can’t talk about it on this line. I’ll call you in the morning. Promise. It’s a clusterfuck of crazy, dude.”

  “I’m fuckin’ worried, bro.”

  “Just answer when I call; it won’t be this number.”

  “All right. Be safe, man.”

  “Will do.”

  I sat there for a minute after hanging up. How the fuck was I going to tell Amelia? She was already feeling like shit for bringing me into this situation. Now her dad was dead and there wasn’t a fucking doubt who did it. He was throwing his power in Amelia’s face, showing her what he was capable of. Fuck him! Fuck him all to hell!

  I crawled back into bed, facing Amelia, watching her sleep. It was a time I’d learned to cherish. She looked so peaceful when she slept—no worries, no heartaches, no blame. I took my thumb and lightly grazed her cheek, pushing back the few hairs that were hanging in her face. I just couldn’t understand it … why? Why did she have to be involved in such shit? I knew she had an edge. She wasn’t like most girls; she was real, but she wasn’t bad news. She wouldn’t get involved in bad shit willingly. I believed her on that. This … this life she was involved in wasn’t something she got into on purpose— she wouldn’t … she was too good for it, above those sons o’ bitches.

  I exhaled. I hated it. I couldn’t wait for it all to be over, to be able to live a normal life, just her and me. I just couldn’t wait. To be able to wake up together and walk the streets without a care in the world, not worrying about who saw us or what would be waiting around the corner. It would happen. Dammit, I would have that life with Amelia. I didn’t care what it would take to get there. One day that life would be ours … mark my words.

  I made sure to be up before Amelia and took the time to call Micah to fill him in on our shit show and ask for a favor. I knew the news she was about to get was going to tear her to shreds. I couldn’t just tell her, I needed a plan. As much as I hated relying on Miles for everything I needed to ask him another favor, too. I needed to make things as painless for Amelia as possible; it wouldn’t bring back her father, but it would be something that would help her cope.

  I waited until just after seven to call Miles. He’s always to the office early, so I knew he’d be awake.

  “Miles Blackwell,” he answered, making me shake my head. I didn’t get his greeting—who the fuck else would be calling him from this secret phone? Did he not have caller ID at work?

  “Miles, it’s Merrick,” I told him for shits and giggles.

  “Yes, good morning. Is everything okay?”

  “Not exactly.” The somber tone was back in my voice. “They tracked down Amelia’s dad.”

  I heard him exhale, not pleased. “I was afraid they’d start hunting down loved ones.”

  “Micah said that the house was torn apart, but nothing was taken. He was found by the front door; bullet to the head.”

  “Killed two birds with one stone.”

  “Huh?”

  “Killed him immediately to search the interior for Amelia, but also as a threat,” he paused, “for the both of you.”

  I took a deep breath. I was fully aware of that fact, but hearing it poured alcohol on the open wound … it stung even more than before. “Yeah.”

  “How is Amelia taking it? I imagine not well.”

  “I haven’t told her yet.”

  “The sooner the better, Merrick.”

  “Well, that’s kind of why I was calling you …”

  “Mmm hmm?”

  “The walls are already closing being here, so I wanted to get her out doing something she loves, maybe let her get her anger and sadness out.”

  “Merrick, you know it’s too dangerous. You can’t be seen.”

  “Where I want to take her, we won’t—no one knows about this place but Micah and I. I just need help getting out of here.”

  There was silence for a minute then a sigh of giving in. “I own the garage below the building you’re staying. I keep the cars there that we don’t use often. There’s a bla
ck Tahoe with dark tinted windows. No one can see in, so you can borrow it for the day as long as you don’t go anywhere else.”

  I exhaled, relieved. “Thanks so much, Miles. She’s really going to need this.”

  “Understand the danger you’re both in,” he reminded me. “Nowhere else!”

  “Trust me, I know. Even making this decision took a lot of contemplation, but I know that this place is safe—I wouldn’t take her there if it wasn’t.”

  “I believe you, but I’m going to highly recommend you’re not away long, especially with the series of events that have occurred. We need to get working on our plan of action.”

  “I completely agree.” The sooner the better for me. I was ready the minute I found out about this fucker.

  “I received some positive information regarding Antonio’s cousin, Joseph. He seems to be of very little use to the ring. Amelia could be right about him.”

  Elation was started to build inside me. “You think we could use him?”

  “I think so. We need to discuss a flawless plan of getting in touch, though. I’m sure he’s just as tracked as Amelia was. I think we should meet tonight to compile information.”

  “Name the time. We’ll be here.”

  “I think seven this evening would be suitable.”

  “Sounds good, and Miles … thanks again for today—I really appreciate it.”

  “Send Amelia our condolences.”

  “I will, thanks.”

  After getting the plans straight for the day, I joined Amelia back in bed. I wanted to be there when she woke up. I normally slept later than she did, so my not being in bed would be her first sign that something wasn’t right. I didn’t want to tell her straight out of bed.

  At just after eight, her eyes started to flutter open. I watched as she rubbed her eyes and stretched her hands above her head. Waking up like this would never get old.

  “Morning, baby,” I whispered before kissing her forehead.

  A groggy smile appeared on her face before she replied, “Morning.”

  My stomach was already turning seeing her wake up so peacefully. My plan was to make the day sound exciting, a secret getaway with just the two of us … until we got there. But I didn’t know if I could do it. I didn’t know if I could make everything look like hearts and flowers when it was anything but. I was torn.

  “What’s going on?” She smirked. “I can see the wheels turning.”

  “I wanna show you something today.”

  She squinted at me in wonder. “I’m pretty sure we’d already checked out this place top to bottom.”

  “Not here,” I scoffed, grinning as she sat up on her elbow, intrigued. “I pulled some strings. Go get ready.”

  She didn’t move though, just stared, expressionless, at me. I could tell she was trying to see through me, to understand what was going on. I felt bad keeping the truth from her, but I didn’t want to tell her here.

  I managed to scrounge up a grin and a little enthusiasm. “Go!” I gently pushed her to her back, making her giggle. “Go get dressed!”

  She climbed out of bed, still laughing. “Fine! I’m going. I’m going.”

  As soon as she disappeared into the bathroom, I fell onto my back and took a deep breath. This was going to be harder than I thought. Telling the woman I love that her ex-boyfriend murdered her father because of her was ranking as the worst thing I would ever have to do.

  I rubbed my face before getting out of bed to get ready myself. It was going to be a shitty day, there was no sugar coating it, but I was pretty sure the next few days were going to be just as shitty, so I might as well get up and face them as they come. The sooner I did, the sooner it would be over.

  After having another one of Mrs. Doubtfire’s over the top breakfasts, we made our way down to the garage. There weren’t just a few cars down there, there were at least a dozen, ranging from average (the Tahoe) to over the top ones like the three Mercedes Benzes that were just hanging out, untouched.

  “Jesus …” Amelia said quietly, appraising the array of vehicles in front of us.

  “Ridiculous, right?”

  “Just a touch,” she agreed, shaking her head.

  “I guess when you can …”

  “I guess.” The funny thing was that Amelia did come from wealth—not anything close to what Miles was swimming in, but Ken, her dad, was a big deal in the motocross world. He definitely wasn’t hurting, and neither did Amelia growing up, but this kind of wealth was filthy.

  The Tahoe was closest to the door and like Miles had said, unlocked with the keys in it. I did a quick surveillance, just in case, but there was no fucking around with this whip. It was decked out with the darkest windows ever. No one would be able to see in.

  I could see the fear and apprehension on Amelia’s face. She was stiff, her gaze lost out the windshield. As much as the idea of getting out of the building was exhilarating, it was frightening as all hell too. I knew we were safe, there was no way in hell I’d do anything that could get Amelia hurt, but it was still a little unsettling. Though, in this case, totally worth it.

  I rested my hand on her thigh and rubbed it gently with my thumb. “I love you, you know. I would never do anything that would get you hurt.”

  She nodded her head, peering at me with a forced grin. She wasn’t convinced yet and I understood. Hopefully, by the end of the day, it would make sense.

  It took us a while to get to where we were going. It would have been much quicker to take the train out of the city, but obviously, that wasn’t an option. We were both acting cautious the whole time, checking our mirrors every few minutes. It became habit after awhile, and of course completely unnecessary. No one was following us or could see inside. The long drive down a deserted road confirmed our seclusion.

  “Are you taking me somewhere to kill me?” she joked when I turned off into an abandoned field and down an old dirt path.

  I laughed. “Not yet.” I looked over at her and smiled. “I’m not nearly done with you yet.”

  Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at me a second more before looking straight ahead again. It was moments like those that made my insides weak and reminded me for the zillionth time why I loved her so much. She was fucking beautiful and did crazy ass things to my heart when she looked at me that way.

  As soon as the trees cleared and my surprise came into sight, her face lit up and looked exactly how I hoped it would be.

  “Whose is this?!”

  “Micah and I built it when we were kids. His father wouldn’t let us practice our stunts on the one at their house, so we made this one … it was like our fort, just in a dirt track form.”

  “How frickin’ cool!” she squealed as I put the car in park. “Is that—” She squinted her eyes to get a better look. “Oh my God! That’s my bike!” She opened the door and hopped out, walking over to the bikes that I had Micah bring here this morning.

  She threw her right leg over the seat and sat down on top. “I haven’t ridden since …” she looked up at me, “since our race.”

  I sat down on my bike, put my helmet over my head, and revved the engine on.

  “Then let’s go!” I shouted over the noise before taking off.

  It only took two seconds before I heard her bike roar to life and noticed her on my tail. She was a fucking killer racer. Aside from the white, pink, and black painted on the side of her bike, you’d never know it was a chick neck and neck with you—I certainly didn’t at first.

  We weaved in and out of each other, taking jumps like you would never do in an official race. It’d been a while since I freestyled and it felt fucking good. After a few jumps, I pulled to the side to see what she had. I crossed my arms over my chest and watched with more emotion than I expected. She was a natural and completely out of her fucking mind like I was. She was doing whips and can-cans like a fucking rock star. I was a sap-ass boyfriend, watching my girl go.

  It wasn’t until probably a good thirty minutes later that she finally
noticed she was going on her own. It felt good, knowing that she was so zoned out and so in her element that she didn’t even notice. A proud rush seeped throughout my body; I had accomplished exactly what I wanted to by coming here today.

  “Why’d you punk out on me?” she joked when we were side by side.

  “I like watching you,” I admitted.

  She smiled. “This was awesome, babe. Thanks!”

  I couldn’t smile back. My mind was racing with the real reason why we were here.

  “What?” she asked, picking up on my unease.

  “I gotta tell you something.”

  My heart was already hurting and beating a mile a minute. I didn’t want to tell her. I didn’t want the rush to leave her body. She looked so happy, so free. I hated that I had to fucking ruin it.

  I rubbed my face and took a deep breath. She was waiting, already looking scared. She knew something was up.

  “Some bad shit happened last night,” I started.

  Her tongue pressed against her top teeth, bracing herself. “Just tell me, please.”

  I swallowed hard. “Your dad was found dead early this morning at his house.”

  Immediately, she started to shake her head repeatedly. “No … no …”

  I pulled her hard into my body. Her hands were in fists against my chest as she tried to push away.

  “No! No! You’re lying!”

  “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry,” I whispered into her hair as my hand slowly smoothed it down, trying to comfort her in any way I could.

  With every second that passed, her cries grew louder. Every once in a while her breath would hitch, making her gasp for air. I hated how she was feeling. I hated that I was the one that had to tell her.

  I kissed the top of her head over and over while she cried in my arms. I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything. Nothing could make this situation any better, anyway; she just needed to get it out.

  But then she stopped, stepping back, sniffling and wiping underneath her eyes with her fingers. It was like a switch went off inside of her … I was confused.