by Kylie Parker
“Bruce…” She sniffled.
“Don’t say it.” He whispered.
“God, I wish I didn’t have to.” One more, deep, heavy sigh left her lip, as she slid her hands down his face. Melissa stroked either side of his neck, before stopping them on his shoulders. She gently pushed him back and looked up at him. Her puffy, reddened eyes tore him into a million pieces.
“Goodbye, baby.” Melissa whispered, as even more tears streamed down her cheeks. Bruce was too overwhelmed by emotion to even consider a reply. He just stared at her beautiful eyes, taking mental pictures of the woman that he would remember for the rest of his life. A cold sensation overflowed within him, as she loosened her grip on his shoulders. He dropped his arms, as if he had no more strength in his muscles to keep them up. Melissa eased her own arms down. She took one step back, squeezing her trembling lips, gazing into his teary eyes. Bruce could only watch, as she slowly turned around, deep down knowing that he would bear the scars of this moment for as long as he lived. The cold settled in his limbs and his heart, as she began to walk away from him.
“Always, my girl. I’ll always remember you and everything we had. It wasn’t much, but it was the best time of my life. Who knows? Maybe someday we’ll meet again…”
Chapter Thirteen
Unwilling to go back inside the restaurant, where he could possibly relive the same, painful moment, Bruce chose to get in his car and drive back to his hotel. Minutes later, Matt joined him. Melissa had informed him of his friend’s decision. He reluctantly agreed to leave Las Vegas, but he didn’t want to cut their vacation short. Instead of riding back to Boston, Matt insisted on going to Los Angeles, maintaining that the sandy beaches of Malibu would help his friend take his mind off things. After all, that was exactly why they had decided to go on vacation in the first place. Still emotionally charged by his breakup with Melissa, Bruce did not say “no” to him.
Predictably, the two friends’ departure from the gambling capital of the world was nothing like their arrival. They packed their bags in haste, in an attempt to leave Las Vegas as quickly as possible. At some moment, Matt went to the bathroom. Bruce spotted the stolen money in his open suitcase. His initial thought was to return it to Howard. He even came up with a simple plan: Take it to “Java Jimmy’s”, the bar where he had met Melissa and leave a note:
“Just tell your father you found it in the dumpster”
However, Bruce quickly rejected it. Her explanation would sound too suspicious and the last thing that he wanted was to put her in trouble. Howard could force his daughter to tell him who had stolen it and eventually tie him and Matt to the theft. More than that, his friend would most likely complain about losing the $200,000 and they would end up having a big fight over it. An argument with his best friend for money would only add to his misery. Therefore, Bruce preferred to leave the money in Matt’s suitcase. Before they left their hotel though, he asked Matt for a favor: To see “Java Jimmy’s” one last time. His friend patted him on the back and agreed.
A few yards before they reached it, Bruce turned his head to the right. Sunday night returned to his mind, as the neon sign of the bar came into sight. The memories flashed before his eyes: Melissa’s angry reaction, their short talk, his leave and finally the moment that he saw her on the street, riding her Harley. A bitter smile spread across his face. Bruce slowed down, but just when he was about to step on the brakes, he did not. Instead, he rolled on the accelerator and averted his gaze from the bar. His ears were filled with the loud, unique sound of his motorcycle, as he looked at the road ahead. Bruce had regretted his decision to go to “Java Jimmy’s”. His pain was too fresh and visiting it on the night of his breakup with Melissa would make him feel even worse.
“So long, Jimmy. Thanks for being my Melissa’s friend. My Melissa… I wish you were mine baby, but you’re not. And by the looks of it, you never will be. I wish I woke up with you every day, look into your eyes and kiss you good morning. God, I’m such a dreamer. You were a dream, Melissa. A wonderful dream that I’m still trying to wake up from. An illusion; an oasis in the middle of the burning desert. How can someone care about me so much in just a few days? That’s a stupid question, Bruce. You saw how good she was. Even on Sunday night, when you guys talked. Gorgeous, funny, smart… And ballsy. Hell, she did the most incredible thing after I left.
Yeah, that night was pretty weird. But, now that I think about it, every night with you was special, Melissa. Every moment we spent together was just out of this world. I’ve never had so much fun in my whole life. The talks, the laughs, the sex… The way you looked at me tonight… God, I’ll never forget that look. So sad, so full of pain. Your eyes were like blazing fire. Maybe someday you can tell me about mine. Look at me; I’m still dreaming that I’ll see you again. I don’t know about that, baby. I don’t even know if I ever hear your voice on the phone. All I know is that that you will always have a place in my heart.
I can’t help but wonder what would happen if I staid. What would you do if I helped Sanders rob those trucks? Who am I kidding? I’d lose you forever. You already have a father that you’re ashamed of. You wouldn’t want to be with an outlaw like me. I wouldn’t want to be with you, either. Not because I would steal or shoot people, but because I’d eventually get myself killed. That’s the fate of an outlaw. It’s either jail or death.
Thank you, Melissa. For trusting me, for making me feel loved, for looking out for me. Whatever it is that you’re feeling right now, know this: I’m not giving up on you. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I will come back for you someday…
Chapter Fourteen
Just outside the city limits, Bruce’s attention was drawn by a loud, banging noise, audible over the sound of his Harley. Curious about its origin, he looked behind him, over his left shoulder. A dark, pickup truck had crushed into a light pole. With the memory of the accident that he and Matt had witnessed on Sunday night still fresh in his mind, Bruce did not even consider stopping. After all, the truck’s four passengers soon got out of it and seemed to be fine.
Bruce and Matt had to ride for more than five hours in order to get to their seaside hotel in Malibu. They arrived there exhausted and in no mood to talk. After checking in, Matt went straight to bed while Bruce stepped out on the balcony, hoping that the sound of the waves, gently splashing on the sand would help him relax. Nevertheless, it was hopeless. The events of that night continued to swirl in his mind. Bruce kept asking himself whether he could do anything differently, but he always got the same, negative answer.
He did not regret sharing with Melissa everything. Yes, they had not known each other for that long, but she had earned his trust by telling him everything about her. Bruce had forgiven her little lies, believing that he had every reason to hide her identity from strangers like him. In his mind, Melissa’s only mistake was that she was Frank Howard’s daughter.
Hours later, feeling a little less stressed, Bruce discovered that he had forgotten to ask her a vital question: Would she follow him? At first, he thought that he had made a very bad mistake. However, when he thought twice, he understood that something like that would complicate things and possibly put her in harm’s way. There was no way that he could predict what her father would do, if she left her birthplace. Furthermore, Melissa had a life there, a well-paying job and friends that cared about her. He would not ask her to leave all that for him.
In the morning, Matt was stunned to find Bruce on the balcony, sat in the same chair like the night before, sleepless and looking more tired than ever. It was hot outside; Bruce was starting to sweat, but, even so, he would not leave the balcony.
“Jesus Christ, man!” Matt cried, joining him. “You’re still here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” Bruce murmured, gazing at the sea.
“Alright, look…” Matt lowered his tone, as he sat next to him. “I get it. You’re pissed that you had to leave Vegas like that, but…”
“Pissed?” Bruce interrupted him, turning
his head to the left to face him. “Really? You think I’m just…” He faltered. “Pissed?”
“Aren’t you?” Matt squinted at him.
“I’m more than pissed, brother.” Bruce confessed. “I want to go back there, kick Sanders and that psycho’s ass. I can’t believe they’re doing business together. Who would have thought that the “Blazing Sons” would work with that prick? Wait until I get my hands on Joe.”
“Joe is three hundred miles away, man.” Matt said. “You should focus on other things.”
“Like what?”
“Like having fun for a change.” Matt explained. “What can I do to help?”
“Thanks for your concern, Matt.” Bruce said with a sigh. “Unless you got Sanders and Howard locked up in your bedroom, not much.”
“Out of curiosity, what would you do to them if they were here?” Matt asked.
“First, I’d beat the living crap out of Sanders.” Bruce stated. “I wasn’t expecting that from him. Then, I’d beat Howard up so bad he’d wish he’d never been born.”
“I think they deserve more than just a beating.” Matt spoke his mind.
“What are you talking about?” Bruce got curious.
“Look, the way I see it…” Matt sucked in a deep breath. “They got to go.”
“Tell me you’re kidding!” Bruce’s voice rumbled like thunder.
“No man, I’m not.” Matt spoke in a calm tone.
“That’s got to be the stupidest idea you’ve ever had!” Bruce yelled, jumping from his seat. “Take out Sanders? And have his charter chasing us for the rest of our lives? What about Howard? What am I supposed to tell Melissa? That I did this for us?”
“Let me finish. We don’t have to shoot them, ok? They could have an accident or something.” Matt implied.
“Matt…” Bruce croaked, running his hand through his hair. “Shut up or I swear to God: I’m going to slap you.”
“I’m just saying that…”
“Don’t!” Bruce cried, glaring down at him, interrupting him once more. “Killing them is not an option.” He added, lowering his tone.
“Fine.” Matt groaned.
“I’m sorry, brother. But this is not the way to resolve this, you know?” Bruce made his voice sound sweeter.
“We’re dealing with animals here, Bruce.” Matt put a little force in his voice. “It’s us or them. You heard Howard; you know what he’ll do if we don’t show up tomorrow. And what Melissa said about him not going after people outside Nevada? I’m not buying it.”
“I don’t know about that. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But, she was right. We had to leave Vegas.” Bruce sighed.
“If anyone said to me that you’d be in love with someone so fast, I’d think he was crazy. But I saw it with my own two eyes. We shouldn’t have left.” Matt voiced his opinion.
“Do you have a death wish or something?” Bruce couldn’t hide his frustration.
“You got softer, brother. You don’t remember who you are, do you? I mean, what happened to the big, bad Bruce who just…” Matt faltered. “Didn’t give a shit about death?”
“He died two years ago.” Bruce mumbled.
“We need that guy back.” Matt would not let up.
“Damn it!” Bruce cried, kicking the small table in front of him. The noise did turn a few heads on the beach, as their room was on the second floor of the hotel. “For the last time, I’m not going to kill anyone. You got that?”
Averting his gaze from his friend, Matt rose from his seat as well. He turned his body to the left and looked down at the crowded beach. Among the dozens of young women in skimpy bikinis, he noticed a rather tall, well-built man, staring at their balcony. As soon as their eyes met, the man in question looked away from Matt.
“We got company.” He said, looking up at his friend over his right shoulder.
“What?” Bruce squinted at him.
“Nevermind. Let’s just go to the beach. I think we both could use a swim.” Matt suggested, unwilling to discuss it any further. In his mind, the man on the beach was just a little more curious than others.
“Alright.” Bruce said with a nod. “Just don’t talk about killing people again.”
Chapter Fifteen
Bruce and Matt’s hotel was located on Muscle Beach, one of the few beaches in the west coast that featured an outdoor gym, where people could work out for free. Of course, it attracted many show-offs and bimbos alike, but Matt had chosen it exactly for that. During their short walk to an umbrella, he kept staring at men, either showing off their muscles, oiling themselves up or just talking to girls around them. It was much louder than other beaches in the area, but he did not mind, hoping that the noise would distract Bruce.
Matt dove into the water in seconds, whereas his friend chose to lie down on a sun chair. As he emerged though, he saw the same man who he had spotted earlier, walking lazily along the beach. He was more than twenty yards away from their umbrella, but, even so, Matt got out of the water in a hurry, worried about his friend and himself. It would be extremely unlikely for anyone to attack them on a crowded beach like that, but he did not want to take any chances.
“Nine o’clock.” He said, with a blue towel in his hands, wiping the water from his body. “He’s the company I told you about on the balcony.”
“Shit.” Bruce hummed. “Our hotel is eight hundred feet away. What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t have a clue, brother.” Matt shrugged his shoulders.
Bruce fixed his gaze on the stranger, who, by that time, was less than thirty feet away from them and to the left, looking ahead. He slowly rose from his sun chair, clenching his fists. The events of the night before had taken such a heavy toll on him that Bruce would take out his frustration on anybody. He would not hesitate to start a fight, not even in a public place. All of a sudden, the man in question abruptly turned his head to the right and faced him. He acted like he had just seen a ghost. Literally, he stood rooted to the spot and watched, as Bruce approached him at a steady pace. The stranger then flipped around and started running in the opposite direction. If Bruce wanted to find out what he was up to, he had no choice but to follow him.
“Stop! Stop!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, as the tall man jumped over a young, redheaded woman lying on the beach. Their chase turned quite a few heads, as they crossed the beach. Bruce snarled and quickened his pace. In a matter of seconds, he was closer to him. The stranger looked at him, over his left shoulder. Realizing that his pursuer was very close to him, he opened his eyes wide and attempted to speed up his pace. Before he could do that though, Bruce leaped onto him, grabbing him by the shoulders. The unfortunate man landed flat and hard on his chest, at the foot of a sun chair. His blond, short hair was covered in sand.
“Who the hell are you!? What do you want!?” Bruce snarled, as he flipped him over.
“He’s with me.” A fruity, female voice drew his attention. He slowly looked up and to the left. A beautiful, young blonde was lying on a sun chair. Strangely enough, she looked and sounded very calm. She even smiled down at Bruce.
“And you are?” He inquired.
“Julia Heath, private investigator.” Her response was sharp. “The guy you knocked out is Jeffrey Randolph, my business partner. I’m Melissa’s cousin. She sent me to keep an eye on you.”
“Her cousin?!” Bruce exclaimed, unable to hide his surprise.
“Yeah. Melissa is really worried about you.” Julia spoke in a firm tone. “She told me all about you two.”
“How did you find me?” He asked, as he rose to his feet.
“Well, Jenny found your itinerary in your friend’s jacket.” She said with a toothy smile. “Come. We have a lot to discuss.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Bruce grumbled. “You should tell her that.” Too angry to speak with her anymore, he turned around.
“Don’t walk away from me!” Julia spoke in a commanding tone, jumping from the sun chair. “I promised her to
help you!”
“That’s not my problem, is it?” He scoffed, looking down at her over his right shoulder.
“Just another macho biker.” She laughed. “It’s strange. Melissa doesn’t like those. What did she see in you?”
“I’m not just another macho biker, lady!” Upset by her words, Bruce turned around and faced her. “You should ask her, not me.”
“Oh, I did.” Julia said with a nod. “I know you’re not. I was just trying to get your attention. Apparently, it worked.”
“Oh, man.” Bruce gave an exasperated gasp, amusing her.
“Don’t worry.” She chuckled. “The four of us are going to have a lot of fun. Me and Jeffrey will be something like…” She faltered. “Your official chaperons.”
“I’ll be damned. A female bodyguard.” He hummed.
“Look, Melissa is very dear to me.” Julia confessed. “We grew up together. She’ll get mad at me if something happens to you. I know; this is not your problem. But look at it this way: You’ll have two people protecting you during your stay.”
“How did she know I was coming here? How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” Bruce inquired. Julia turned her body to the left and leaned towards her umbrella. She picked up a large, purple bag, pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to him. It was a scanned document of a short letter. He recognized her handwriting immediately. It read:
“Bruce, please do what my cousin Julia says. I trust her. I hope I can come to L.A. soon, but I can’t promise anything.
Love,
Melissa”
“Her father’s goons saw you leaving Vegas last night. She overheard him talking on the phone. They tried to follow you, but they crashed.” Julia added, reminding him of the accident that he had ignored the night before.
