by Bella Drake
“Looks like fun,” the twenty-something blond and perky checker at Gelson's said, smiling at me. I just gave her a pointed look and swiped my card to pay. I loaded my bounty from the market into my car and after that, I searched my console navigator for the cabin’s address.
I pressed the gas and peeled out of the parking lot, stuffing an entire Ho-Ho into my mouth. My navigator chirped that I would reach my destination in one hour and forty-five minutes. I was on my way.
“Mmm, that’s fucking good.”
Chapter 5
Matt
When I rolled into Portland it was too late to bother my sister. I found a motel and decided to crash for the night. I parked my van and using cash, got a room. Yeah, I was paranoid. I knew the MC didn’t have the capability to track my credit card, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I found a liquor store and got a bottle of Jack and went to my room. I cracked the bottle and took a swig. Oh yeah, I needed that, I thought.
I turned my phone back on and it lit up like a fucking Christmas tree. A missed call from Danny, then Jay, then Danny again. I knew I had to call them, but I needed to wait until I knew they wouldn’t be with other club members. Maybe tomorrow. Both would be working and there was no way that Jay would miss work, even for club business. He was a contractor and I knew the job he was working on was taking up all his time. I would call him in the morning when I knew he would be at his job site.
I grabbed my army duffle bag and unzipped it, finding Cassie’s photo. “Hey girl,” I said, looking at it. I set the photo on the bedside table and took another swig of Jack and set it down. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. My body was buzzing with adrenaline from what had happened and the bottle of Jack was the only thing ensuring I would get the sleep I desperately needed. I jumped as my phone rang. I switched it off again. I turned on the TV and ironically, Easy Rider was on. I laughed. What were the odds? As a kid, I was obsessed with that movie. When my mom was alive she told me I would grow up to be just like them.
“Well Mom, I made it,” I said, holding my bottle of Jack up in the air as if in cheers to “Good Ol’ Mom.”
Thinking about her made me think of my dad. I missed my dad. He was a good dude. He always took care of us the best he knew how. Mom was absent in both body and mind. She managed to bounce in and out of our lives just long enough to cause shit and then leave again. I fucking hated her and loved her at the same time. She had been on one of those booze cruises and managed to fall right off the boat in the middle of the fucking ocean. It was on all the news channels for a week. Some reporter even tried to get me to answer some stupid questions but I gave them my one answer – my middle finger. Dad died hitting the pavement just like I had always planned on going out. He never felt a thing. I guess he was hauling ass on his Harley and came around a turn he had always driven. Well, it was dark and knowing Pop, he had a few in him. He ended up smacking head-on into a steamroller. The city was doing some road work and had closed off that lane. Dad never saw it coming. I guess the bike was still standing there straight up, half-crushed in that giant steel front roller. That hit me pretty hard. I miss the old guy for sure.
I also thought about my sister and the times we had, both good and bad. It would be nice to see her even under the circumstances. No one in the club knew I had a sister, except for Danny and Jay, so she was safe. The last time I saw her she was shacked up with some guy, a teacher I think he said he was. I hoped she was doing good and would be happy to see me.
The movie was coming to the end. The fucking hicks just shot Peter Fonda as he crashed that beautiful chopper of his.
“Well, if you're gonna go it might as well be on your bike,” I said. “I wish I had my bike, my poor bike. Fuuuuuck!!!”
I drifted off to sleep.
***
I was startled awake by the sound of gunfire. Luckily, it was only an episode of Law & Order. My head was pounding, but I was glad I slept. I looked over at the half-empty bottle of Jack, grabbed it and took a swig. I wasn’t a big drinker but I was in need of some “hair of the dog.” It didn’t go down smoothly, though. In fact, It shot right back up into my mouth. I swallowed again. I looked at my watch. It was eight a.m. and I knew Jay would just be arriving at his job site. I took another swig and called my friend.
“Fuck! Dude, where the fuck are you?” Jay said, almost shouting.
“I didn’t want to call until I knew you were alone,” I said.
“What?! What are you talking about? You know you have the entire club looking for you.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
“What the fuck happened? Razor said you stole a bag of dope and five grand cash from his bike. Is that true?”
“What the fuck do you think?”
“Fuck dude, I don’t fucking know. You were acting weird and then you left.”
“I told you I was sick, and I was.”
“I got the fucking bottom feeders from the Klamath Falls chapter up my ass for information. They're looking for you. You need to start talking and fucking right now.”
Jay was my friend, but the time had come where things were now out of his hands. Even the pull he had with the club would not save me from Razor's lies. It was my word against a VP in the club. I told Jay the entire story. When I was finished he was silent.
“Dude! Are you there?” I asked.
“Yeah, yeah. I, uh, I’m still here.”
“Well, what the fuck do I do now?”
“Fuck man, I don’t know. You messed with the wrong dudes.”
“I didn’t mess with anyone. Those two fucktards brought me along to their little ambush killing to blackmail me for some fucking reason.”
“Fuck.”
“What?”
“I might know why they might have done it.”
“What?! Why?!”
“You remember the club's fortieth anniversary run, right when you started prospecting?”
“Yeah, how could I forget? They had me running ragged, especially that asshole Brian.”
“Well, I overheard Danny trying to talk you up to the Klamath crew.”
“What?!”
“Yeah, well they were talking shit and saying you would never make it, especially on that piece of shit you ride. Danny was drunk as usual and he was trying to tell them what a cool cat you were. He might have told them that you had saved ten grand to buy your dream bike.”
“What the fuck? Why would he fucking do that?”
“Look, man. He didn’t think they would fucking kill some guy and blackmail you to get your money.”
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
“Dude, fucking settle down.”
“Oh okay, I'll just settle down. I only have an entire fucking outlaw motorcycle club out to fucking kill me.”
“We can figure this out.”
“What’s there to figure out? I’m done, dude. I’m fucking dead if I come back.”
“Come back. Where are you?”
“I trust you man but I ain't saying nothing to nobody. I just called to tell you the fucking truth and now I’m gone. I’m a fucking ghost as far as you are concerned.”
“Matt, I don’t know what to say, bro.”
“Look, it ain't your fault man. I’m just freaking out here.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I feel somewhat responsible for bringing you into the club.”
“Well I’m not stoked on the club right now, but it still ain't your fault.”
“Hey, what did the dude look like, the one they shot?”
“He was fucking Mexican. I don’t know, kind of fat.”
“He didn’t ride a low-rider with an orange tank did he?”
“Come to think of it... yeah. He did! Why?”
“Fuck! Dude, wait! I know that guy.”
“You do?! Who is he?”
“Well if it’s the same guy that I’m thinking of, he used to be a member.”
“Of our club?”
“Yeah, he got kicked out for dealing drugs with the M
exican Mafia. He was representing the club and almost got us into a fucking war with those crazy fucks over a kilo of crank.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No, and that’s not the worst of it.”
“Oh great!”
“Well, I heard he was running for those fools. Selling dope for them.”
“For the Mexican Mafia?!”
“Yup.”
“So, if Razor wanted to, he could tell the Mexican Mafia that I killed the guy and then they would be after me too.”
“Well I wouldn’t go that far, but... I guess,” Jay said.
“Great, fucking great! That’s it, I’m a fucking dead man.”
“Dude, I’m gonna get you out of this. I promise.”
“Well I don’t know what the hell you could do besides kill Razor and Brian, but whatever dude. Look, I’m gone. Don’t call me unless they make you. I’m gonna chuck this phone. I’ll get a burner and then send word when I find the fucking hole I will be under.”
“Listen, man, whatever you need. Money, a gun?”
“Don’t bother. I got both. Yeah, that ten grand that was supposed to be for my bike is now my escape dough.”
“There will always be another bike man, just don’t lose hope.”
“Well I’m gone dude, I'll see ya.”
“Right on man, let me know your burner number ASAP so I can keep you updated,” he said.
“Will do. Later.”
“Later man.”
As soon as I hung up with Jay I called my sister Laura.
“Hello?!”
“Hey, sis!” I said in a fake happy voice.
“Matt!”
“Hey ya, how are you?”
“Wow! Well, I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m good. It's been... geez, I don't even know. I just know it’s been way too long.”
“Yeah, I feel bad not calling you,” she said.
“No, you did the right thing not getting involved with all that shit. I was in a dark place and I didn’t want to pull you down with me.”
“You were in a dark place, rightfully so. But, you're doing okay now?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good... and hey, I’m in Portland.”
“You are?!”
“Yeah, I’m driving up to Seattle to look at a motorcycle I want to buy and, well, I thought I'd stop by and see my little sis.”
“Matt that’s great. I would love to see you.”
“Are you still with that same guy?”
“Yes. His name is Greg.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right.”
“He’s asked me to marry him.”
“No shit? That's awesome sis.”
“It is. Matt, I really think he’s the one.”
“Wow, I’m so happy for you.”
“It’s so weird that you called, Matt. I have been thinking about you lately.”
“You have?”
“Yes. Greg was talking about his granddad's fishing cabin. To be honest, it's more of a man shack if you ask me. Anyway, he wants to have someone restore it so we can spend time there after I get pregnant.”
“No shit, pregnant?”
“Well I'm not yet, but yeah we're trying.”
“Laura, that's great. Just great. So, this cabin... I mean shack...”
“Greg asked me if you still were a contractor. I said yes, and he suggested I call you to see if you wanted the job. We’d rather work with you instead of someone we don’t know. But, I couldn’t reach you and just assumed you were probably busy. Are you?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, I just finished a big job that set me up for a while. That’s why I’m heading to Seattle to look at a couple of bikes.”
“Really. You think you might be able to take on this job?”
“Are you guys serious? Do you want this done now?”
“Well, yeah. Summer just started and we want it finished before winter. You would be able to stay there while you work.”
“Seriously?!”
“Totally. Though the cabin is rough, it's right on a lake and it's absolutely beautiful.”
“Wow, it sounds too good to be true.”
“It's yours if you want it.”
“I do want it."
“Really?”
“Hell yeah! It’s exactly what I need right now.”
“Oh great! Greg is going to be so happy. The last contractor he hired just hung out and drank beer all day.”
“Well I can't promise I won't drink beer, but I will be working at the same time,” I said, chuckling.
“Oh, I know your work ethic and so does Greg. Listen, why don’t you come by the house tonight and we can go over the details?”
“Sounds good.”
“Great. See you tonight then.”
“Can't wait, sis.”
We said our goodbyes and I smiled as I hit end call. I picked up the photo of Cassie. “I knew I could count on you, girl,” I said, looking at my daughter's photo. I thought about my sister having a baby and remembered how great she was with Cassie. She was devastated when my baby girl passed. It was about time this family had some good news for once. We were due for sure.
After talking with my sister, I was feeling pretty good considering my situation. I packed my shit and checked out of the fleabag motel I was in. I bought myself a burner phone and chucked my old phone in the trash. I spent the day fucking about around Portland. Man this place had grown since I was here last. I walked past a bar and was pulled right back into my nightmare. There were a couple of guys from the Death Jackals MC at the bar and, yep, I recognized one of them. They didn’t see me and probably wouldn’t know me from Adam even if they did. No one notices prospects. They barely even look at you when they're barking orders at you. I just remembered this dude from the forty year anniversary party. He looked just like Colonel Sanders and drank like a fish. I served him at least eight Jack-and-Cokes. Man, that guy could drink. I kept walking with my head down.
I pulled up to my sister's. I had been there once before when my ex and I brought Cassie for a visit. It was a nice place and in a pretty upscale neighborhood. Being a contractor, I had a special place in my heart for craftsman homes. This was a nice one. It had four large dormers and great pillars. Her car wasn’t parked in the driveway and I was early so I sat in the van listening to some Led Zeppelin – my favorite band.
I heard a car pull up. I looked to my left side and saw my sister waving at me to roll down my window.
“What are you doing?” she shouted.
“Hey, I was early and didn’t see your car.”
“Well come on in silly.” She parked her car and got out.
I walked over to her and gave her a big hug.
After a few heartfelt moments, she took a step back and looked me over. “It's good to see you. Look at that beard.”
“Oh yeah, I kind of let it go.”
“I'll say. You look like Dad.”
“Thanks.”
“God, you boys and your motorcycles.”
“Boys will be boys,” I said, laughing.
“Yeah, tell me about it. Greg is going to be late. He’s right in the middle of finals and is swamped.”
“Great, we can catch up.”
“Sounds good. Here, help me with these groceries.”
“Sure.”
“You want a beer?”
“Does a bear...?”
“I know, shit in the woods,” she said, cutting me off.
“No, does a bear like honey?” I said, laughing.
“Oh God, whatever.”
We sat on the front porch sipping suds and catching up.
“So, how have you been? I mean, you look good, but how have you really been?”
“Oh, you mean like in my brain?”
“Uh yeah, that,” she said, laughing.
“I’m good actually, really good.”
“You still running around with those friends in that bike club?”
Her question hit me l
ike a punch to the gut. “Ah, well... some of the time, but now it's just not my thing so much.”
“Not your thing? Are you kidding me? I swore the next time I saw you, you would be wearing one of those stupid club jackets trying to look like a bad ass.”
“I thought that too, but I just didn’t get along with a few of those guys and well... that’s it.”
“That’s it huh?” she asked curiously. “So, what's really going on big brother? You can tell me.”
I looked down at my little sis. She had those kind eyes that were disarming.
“C’mon,” she continued. “I know you aren’t driving all the way to Seattle to look at some motorcycle.”
I sat quietly for a while, deciding how much I should tell her. I had to tell her something, I just didn’t want to scare her is all. “You remember when we were kids and we were at the quarry and those guys from Wolf Creek were harassing you?”
“Do I ever? They were going to rape me.”
“Yeah, they were some bad dudes.”
“I remember you saving me. You and that baseball bat.”
“Yeah, I put two of them in the hospital and the other one still walks with a limp.”
“Well, they deserved it.”
“I know, I know. Well, remember when they came to town looking for me?”
“Of course. They swore they were going to kill you.”
“Yeah, they did swear that.”
“Wait, is someone after you Matt? Is that why you’re here?”
I didn’t say anything and I didn’t have to.
“Are these guys bad?” she asked softly.
“Pretty bad.”
“Oh brother, what have you gotten yourself into? Well, at least you’ll be safe at the cabin.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“No problem. You saved me once, now I can save you. At least for the summer.”
