I grinned. “I won’t argue with that. How about we order a few then?”
“You get what you want. Just get me one. I told Peyton I’d be home and sober by midnight.”
“I guess that’s another reason to be grateful that I’m single. I’m not pussy-whipped.”
He smirked. “Man, when the pussy is worth showing up for sober, you won’t mind at all. I guarantee it.”
TWO HOURS LATER, I was still at the bar with him, drunk and doing exactly what I said I didn’t want to do—ramble on about Ava.
“I thought you didn’t want to talk about her,” he said with a smirk.
Ignoring his comment, I kept talking. “Do you know how much time and effort I spent creating the perfect dragon? And let me tell you, it was fucking perfect. You should have seen it. I never even collected the money on it either. I should call her up right now and tell her she owes me for the damn dragon tattoo.”
“You mentioned that earlier,” he said, smiling in amusement. “I suppose you’re going to tell me again how perfect her ass is, too, huh?”
“Yesss! Hottest fucking assss,” I slurred. “Just like those babes in the James Bond movies, where the hot chicks are always the devious ones.”
“So, you’re like James Bond and Ava’s your evil nemesis.”
“Exactly,” I replied. “Dammit, I should have at least gotten laid. James always nailed the enemy. What did I get? Lies and a couple of kisses…”
He laughed. “I think we need to get you home. Alice? You still interested in driving Hollywood to his place?”
“Of course,” she called out from the other end of the bar. “I’m off in fifteen minutes!”
“Nooo…” I whispered loudly. “She can’t drive me home. I’m in a bad place right now. I’ll probably… I’ll probably fuck her. I… I can’t do that to Ava.”
“Brother, you’re not with Ava. You’re through with her, right?” he reminded me, looking amused.
“I’m going to take an Uber,” I said proudly, grabbing my cell phone. “It’s safer. Could we roll my bike into the back room so nobody fucks with it?”
“Of course. Why don’t I just drive you home,” he said. “I’ve been nursing this beer for the last hour. I’m about as sober as you are drunk.”
“I’m not drunk. Just feeling good. And, thanks.” I put my phone away. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
He stood up. “We’re out of here. Alice, I’m taking Hollywood home.”
She gave us a pouty look.
“Sorry, darlin’,” I said, getting up off of the stool and stumbling slightly. “I need some fresh air and a bike ride should do the trick.”
“Just don’t fall off the back,” she said, looking amused. “And wreck that handsome face of yours.”
“Thanks, Alice. Don’t worry about me. I’m not even drunk,” I replied with a lopsided grin.
She laughed. “No. Not at all.”
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, we were heading toward my apartment. When we stopped for a red light, I asked Tarot if he could make a pit-stop.
“Where?”
“Ava’s motel. I want to talk to her.”
He groaned. “No way, you are too fucking hammered. And don’t start texting her and shit when you get home. Wait until you’re sober and your head is clear.”
“I’m not drunk!” I protested.
“Listen to me, I forbid you to contact her in this condition. It won’t help the situation. It never does.”
I sighed. “Fine. Can we at least stop at Taco Bell then?”
Tarot nodded. “Now that, I can do.”
We went through the drive-through and we both ordered a shitload of food.
“You want to eat at my place?” I asked, after we paid.
“No. I’ve gotta get home. Besides, some of that food is for Peyton.”
“Okay. Thanks for the ride, by the way.”
“No problem, brother.”
After Tarot dropped me off at home, I sat down at my kitchen table and began eating. After the second burrito I pulled out my phone and almost texted Ava, but stopped myself.
Tarot was right. I shouldn’t even be texting her. I would talk to her tomorrow, however. I needed Ava to look me in the eye and tell me the truth for once. I deserved that, at least.
Chapter 46
Ava
INSTEAD OF DRIVING, I took a plane home to be with Millie. When I finally arrived at the hospital to see her, I felt like a total wreck.
“Look who’s here,” Clara said when I walked into her hospital room. “It’s Ava, Mill.”
“Oh, honey,” Millie said as I approached her bed. “You didn’t have to rush back home. I’m fine.”
Thankfully, she just looked tired and pale. I’d imagined her to be in much worse condition, with tubes and wires attached everywhere.
“What happened?” I asked, taking her hand.
She explained that she’d had a mild heart attack and that they’d injected a clot-dissolving agent to restore blood flow in one of her arteries.
“So, you’re going to be okay?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
Millie smiled. “Yes. I’ll need to make a few lifestyle changes I’m sure, but I should be just fine.”
I sighed in relief.
“I wish you wouldn’t have raced back home so quickly. I hope you aren’t going to get into trouble with director or the movie producers,” Millie said.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said, sitting down next to her. “You’re more important to me than what was happening out there in Minnesota.”
I felt that more than ever. I’d been so busy trying to find out what the hell had happened to Andrew that I’d taken for granted the most important person in my life. Not that I knew she was going to end up in the hospital, but I’d neglected her in the last couple of days, just by not checking up on her. I felt guilty just thinking about it.
“What were you doing out in Minnesota?” Clara asked, looking intrigued.
Wasting time, I thought.
“You know… same-old-same-old. Working,” I lied.
“Do you ever get to do any acting? Or is it all just stunts?” Clara asked.
I pulled some stunts and acted my ass off, I wanted to say. “Not very often.”
“You live such and exciting life,” Clara said. “It must be so thrilling, being around celebrities and doing those action scenes.”
“She’s quite the daredevil,” Millie said, smiling at me proudly.
“I imagine. Did you do a lot of dangerous things out in Minnesota?” Clara asked, intrigued.
If they only knew…
Chapter 47
Jayce
I WOKE UP with one hell of a headache. After cursing myself out for drinking too much, I took some aspirin, heated up some of the leftover Taco Bell, and then found a ride back to the Wild River Saloon.
After retrieving my bike, I headed to the motel where Ava had been staying, unable to stay away any longer. When I arrived, I noticed her car was missing from the parking lot. Sharpy was back, however. He was by himself and sitting in an old, souped-up Chevelle. Noticing me, his face fell.
“Hey, Hollywood,” he said, after I parked next to his car and shut off my motor.
“Hey. What’s going on?”
“Just waiting for John,” he said, nodding toward the motel. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just driving by and figured I’d see what you were doing.”
He looked over toward the motel. “I figured since your girl was gone, it was probably something like that.”
“Gone?”
“Yeah.” He turned back to look at me, a surprised look on his face. “She checked out yesterday, from what I heard. She dog you, man?”
“No. I knew she left,” I lied, not wanting to look ignorant or weak. I changed the subject. “Anyway, aren’t you supposed to be staying out of this neighborhood?”
“Just waiting for John,” he muttered.
“I thought John
was supposed to leave the other night,” I replied.
“It changed. He’s leaving now, though. Seriously,” Sharpy replied and then pointed. “See? He’s got his shit.”
I looked over at the building and saw his buddy carrying a suitcase. My eyes moved to Ava’s empty motel room, anger burning a hole in my stomach.
So, that’s how it was going to be…
No goodbyes.
No apologies.
Just a “Fuck you I’m out of here,” apparently.
Feeling once again like a damn fool, I started my bike and drove to the clubhouse. Devon was there, as usual. When she noticed my dark mood, she asked me about it in that thoughtful, gentle way of hers.
“What’s crawled up your ass today?”
“Nothing,” I replied.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with Dragon Lady, does it?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Brass told me what was going on.” She gave me a sympathetic look. I’m sorry she played you like that. What a bitch.”
I shrugged. “Shit happens. I’m over it already.”
She gave me a knowing smile. “You ever need someone to talk to, a woman, I’m always here.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “Like I said, though, I’m good.”
She nodded. “You working today?”
Devon pretty much let me work whenever I wanted, which I appreciated.
“Yeah, I was thinking of taking some customers,” I replied, wanting to keep my mind on something else.
“Sounds good.”
Fortunately, we were busier than usual with walk-ins, and I ended up doing four tattoos, all relatively small, but enjoyable to work on. Especially, since they brought me what I needed—a distraction.
As I was finishing the last one, Brass and Tarot walked into the parlor.
“Come and find me when you have a minute,” Tarot said, as they walked by.
“Okay,” I replied.
“So, what’s up?” I asked him after my client left.
“Tank got back to me,” he replied. We were in his office, sitting across from each other. “He had some news about Andrew Bordellini. Apparently, he was affiliated with a club in Florida.”
He went on to tell me that Andrew had gone missing from the club a couple years back. The president swore that Andrew, who they called Pac Man, wouldn’t have ever deserted the club, so they knew something had been up.”
“Did they know about Blade being IDed as Andrew Bordellini?” I asked.
“They hadn’t even heard about Blade’s death,” he replied.
“Maybe because the real Andrew went by Pac Man?” I said.
“That’s probably part of it. Anyway, they thought it had been odd as fuck that Pac Man had disappeared in the first place. From what it sounds like, he’d been a faithful member up until that point.”
“Huh,” I said, scratching my chin.
He went on. “The good news is that Andrew’s old man is supposed to be living in Florida. I was thinking of taking a road trip down there next week to try and see if he’ll show me any pictures of the real Andrew Bordellini. You know, for curiosity’s sake. ”
“Good idea.”
He made a steeple with his fingers. “You want to join me?”
A road trip sounded good, especially to warm, sunny Florida. Plus, I had to admit, this entire mystery was intriguing. “Sure.”
“Good. Let’s plan on leaving a week from tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll be able to clear some of this shit up for Ava. Speaking of which, you didn’t drunk-text her last night did you? Or call?”
“No,” I said. “I’m sure she wouldn’t have responded anyway. She left town.”
He looked surprised. “You drove by her motel?”
“Yeah.”
Tarot leaned back in his chair. “Don’t feel too badly about it. I’m sure it has nothing to do with you.”
I didn’t doubt that. As far as I was concerned, Ava didn’t give two shits about me. It was obvious after the way she’d been treating me.
“I’ll call her and see if she can give me Andrew’s old man’s address or phone number. I imagine she might have it.”
“Sure,” I said without much feeling. As much as I wanted to know who Blade really was, I was beginning to get really tired of hearing about Andrew and Ava.
He reached for his phone and put his feet up on the desk. “Are you sure you don’t want to be the one to call Ava for the information?”
“I’d rather not,” I said, staring at him.
He nodded and made the call.
“Ava? Hey… this is Tarot. I have some news for you.”
He paused and then told her the same thing he’d explained to me.
“I was wondering if you could put me in touch with your brother’s old man? I’d like to see if he has some recent pictures of Andrew. Even if we can’t find out who this Blade character is, I’d like to see what your brother actually looked like.”
She answered him and Tarot frowned. “You’re kidding? When did he die?” He paused. “That’s too bad. Does he have any other family?”
He waited as she spoke and nodded. “Okay. I’d appreciate it. We’re leaving next Monday. No, we’re taking our bikes,” he answered.
They said a few more words to each other and then both hung up.
“She said she’s going to get a key for his old man’s place. She doesn’t think Dwayne had any up-to-date photos, but it’s worth a shot.”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to try and set up a meeting with Andrew’s old club president, too. They might be able to help us out, too. You never know.”
“Okay.”
Tarot studied my face. “Do you want to know if she asked about you?”
“Do you want to know if I care?” I snapped. From where I’d been sitting, there hadn’t been any mention of me.
He threw his head back and laughed. “Your response alone gives away how much you fucking care. No, she didn’t ask about you. But, I think she was too scared to. That’s what I got out of it.”
I shrugged. “Whatever.”
He looked at the clock in his office. “I’m supposed to meet Peyton and Ruby at her recital soon, so I’ve got to haul ass. I’ll let you know if I find out any more information. In the meantime, plan on meeting me at my house next Monday at nine a.m.”
I stood up. “Sounds good.”
Chapter 48
Ava
I’D WANTED TO ask Tarot about Jayce, but the words wouldn’t leave my lips. I figured if he’d wanted to stay in touch, he would have called me by now anyway. Obviously, he had nothing more to say.
With Jayce still on my mind, I called Dwayne’s Aunt Bea, who was happy to hear from me. I made arrangements to get the key for his place and promised to get started on getting it ready to sell.
“Thank you again,” she said, before we hung up. “It’s just too much work for me. If you’d like to hire cleaners, feel free. I’ll pay for it, of course.”
“I might take you up on the offer, depending on what needs to be done,” I replied.
“I would still prefer to split the proceeds on the sale with you,” she said.
“We can talk about it later.” I didn’t need the money and felt weird about taking it. If she wanted to pay me for my time, however, I was open to that.
“Okay.”
After our conversation, I took a drive to my mother’s trailer and began the task of cleaning and preparing it for donation. Fortunately, she didn’t have any liens on the place and the mortgage had been paid off in full years ago.
As I was boxing things up, I found another letter from Andrew in the nightstand next to her bed. Unlike the others, this one from him had a lot to say. It was dated back three years ago.
Dear Mother,
I’m enclosing more cash to help you with bills and things. Please don’t use it for drugs. I worked hard for the money and would be pissed as hell if I found out you did.
By the way,
I hope you were able to locate Ava. I feel like an asshole about what happened to her. I keep thinking that maybe I could have rescued her from the system and tried taking care of her myself. Too bad I’d been such an immature punk at the time. If you talk to her, let her know I want to get together. Tell her I love her and feel like shit about what happened. She was a great kid. I hope she can learn to forgive us both one day.
I’m enclosing my address and phone number, in case you want to get ahold of me. I have some good news, in fact. I think you’ll want to hear what it is.
Anyway, I’m renting from this guy, Blade. I met him at a bike rally after a couple of chicks got us mixed up. Apparently, they thought we looked alike and introduced us. We hit it off right away and now I’m staying at his townhome for dirt-cheap. Talk about luck. Anyway, call me. I worry about you.
Love always,
Andy
I re-read the letter and then called Tarot back. When he answered, I told him about it.
“What’s the address?” he asked.
I told him. My heart was pounding a mile a minute and my hands were shaking.
What if he was still alive?”
“It’s been a year since the incident with Blade. I wonder if the place is empty, or if someone else is living there?” he replied.
“I’m going out there,” I replied, excited. “I’ll let you know. Who knows, maybe Andrew is still alive?”
“For your sake, I hope he is,” Tarot said sadly.
I touched the necklace around my neck. The lucky one. “I’m not giving up hope.”
“I don’t blame you. In your position, I wouldn’t either.” He paused. “I wish I could meet you there. Dammit, I’m curious as all hell now. When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Okay. What’s your address? In case I fly out there. We can drive together.”
I hesitated.
“You still don’t trust me,” he stated.
“No offense, but it’s hard for me to trust anyone, if you want to know the truth.”
Destroying the Biker Page 17
