Ryder

by Hope Stone

  Twelve

  Paige

  As I pulled my car out of the parking space that I knew would be gone by the time I got back, I was a combination of angry, worried, and sad. I was angry because Bailey had just taken off without even thinking to leave me a note. I had no idea where she was, but knew she couldn’t get far on foot. La Playa was a big town inside an even bigger city.

  I was worried about her on two levels. One, I was worried about what could happen to her in a town like this. A rich white girl walking around in last night’s party clothes is an invitation for trouble. But on a deeper level, I was worried about her acting out like this. Sneaking out, getting drunk at a college party, and then not even thinking to tell me where she went this morning—that wasn’t like Bailey.

  The reason I was sad was that I saw so much of myself in her. We had the same judgmental parents who were as emotionally unavailable as they were critical. Unlike me, though, Bailey had an older sister who actually cared and was someone who would literally come to her rescue at one in the morning. Which led me back to being angry again.

  Driving around on a Sunday morning, I tried to think of where she would go. Where would I have gone?

  For one thing, she was likely to be hungover. I doubted she’d go to Tiny’s and have a sit-down breakfast all by herself. It was more likely to be somewhere that she could go and grab something to eat or drink and get back to my apartment before I woke up. Which led to one place near here—the Southgate Martinez market.

  Sure enough, just as I pulled into the parking lot, Bailey came walking out of the store, eating a burrito that was wrapped in tin foil. She had a horchata drink and a white plastic bag draped over her arm.

  I pulled the Honda up and rolled down the passenger window. “Bailey!”

  Her face lit up and she even had the nerve to smile. “Oh, hi Paige. Thanks for coming to get me.” She pulled open the car door and got in the passenger side.

  “‘Hi, Paige?’ That’s what you have to say to me?” I was mad and not doing a very good job of containing it.

  “Should I have said hola?” She took a big sip of her drink, grinning.

  I sat there for a moment, contemplating my response. If I blew up at her now, there would be no chance of her listening to me about the bigger stuff I needed to say. So I just took a deep breath and exhaled and smiled back. “Yes. ‘Hola, Paige’ would have been more appropriate around here.”

  “How did you know where I was?”

  “I just thought about where I would go for hangover food and realized this was the closest place.” I pulled the car out into traffic and asked, “Since when do you drink horchata?”

  “Oh, I met this girl at the market. She was wearing the same Twenty One Pilots shirt as me. I don’t see a lot of those in Verde Hills.”

  “Speaking of which, did you leave anything at my place or can we go straight there before Mom and Dad get back?”

  “No, we’re good.”

  I turned the car in the direction of the freeway and listened to her talk before getting into the serious stuff. She reminded me of myself so much at sixteen. Half of her was innocent and naïve and the other half was rebellious and ready to take on the world.

  As she talked about the girl she met and how they exchanged phone numbers and how Bailey realized that La Playa is a lot cooler than she thought it was going to be, I realized that I had my moment to interject.

  “I’m glad you called me last night and came to spend the night. I think we should try and spend more time together.”

  “Seriously?” Bailey looked at me with surprise. “That would be so cool. I am so sick of the shit at school, Paige. Everyone is so fake. It’s all about whose dad knows which celebrity and what kind of car you drive. It has nothing to do with the real world.”

  As we drove by the homeless people and their tents set up along the sidewalk, I had to admit I knew exactly what she meant. It was the exact same reason I’d started working at the free clinic. We led such a sheltered life in Verde Hills and I wanted to get out and see what the world was all about.

  “You’re right about that, Bailey. But the thing is, sneaking out and getting drunk at parties isn’t the real world either.” She shot me a look and I said, “Look, I get it. Living with Mom is enough to drive anyone to drink. Just look at Dad. I’m just trying to help you avoid making my mistakes. There are plenty of ways for you to fuck up on your own. You don’t have to steal mine.”

  She grinned and then I did, too. Bailey was a good kid, and she did the right thing by calling me to come get her last night. As concerned as I was about her, I knew that underneath it all, she had a good head on her shoulders.

  As was typical for LA, we got stuck in traffic on the way up to Verde Hills. By the time we got there, it was past the time Mom and Dad should have been back. The mood in the car was tense as we turned on to our street. I was feeling more like I was the one who snuck out instead of the adult that I was.

  “Shit. They’re home.” Bailey’s voice sounded panicked. “What are we going to do?”

  “I tell you what. I’ll help you out this time and create a diversion, but you owe me a favor, okay?”

  “What kind of favor?”

  “I don’t know yet. But when I need it, you have to do what I ask, no questions asked.”

  She looked back and forth between Dad’s Audi and me. “Okay. Fine. What’s the plan?”

  “Paige? What are you doing here?” Mom looked surprised as I let myself in the kitchen door.

  I didn’t blame her for being surprised. I lived 25 miles away and wasn’t famous for just “dropping by.”

  “Oh, I was in the neighborhood and figured I’d stop by and say hi.” I went over to kiss her on the cheek as she was taking some French bread out of her fabric Farmer’s Market bag.

  “Oh! Well. That’s…unexpected. I’m sure your dad and sister will be thrilled to see you.”

  As if on cue, Bailey came in from the back sliding glass door. “Oh hi, Paige! What are you doing here?”

  Mom turned to look and was momentarily confused as to why Bailey was in the backyard, but then Bailey came and gave her a hug and said, “Is there a family meeting I didn’t know about?”

  Mom wrinkled her nose and said, “Have you been working in the garden or something? You smell like old fertilizer.”

  I had to stifle a laugh. What she really smelled like was stale beer.

  “Who smells like old fertilizer?” Dad said as he came downstairs. “Oh, hi, Paige. What are you doing here?”

  Bailey and I gave each other a side glance and I winked at her. Mission accomplished.

  Thirteen

  Ryder

  I’d decided to stop off at the Blue Dog for a cup of coffee and one of their sandwiches for lunch before work. To say the Blue Dog was famous for food would be like saying that Kim Kardashian was famous for boxing. The sandwich was nothing more than a couple of pieces of white bread with some cold cuts they probably bought across the street at Southgate Martinez. Or maybe even brought from home.

  But, I was avoiding Tiny’s because I didn’t want to run into Paige. I was thinking about her more often than I wanted to already, and that was not good. I needed to stay sharp and not distracted. This stuff with Padre was really concerning, and I wondered if I was the only one who noticed the changes in him. He was never a warm, fuzzy guy, but there was a hardness now that I hadn’t seen before.

  A gust of fresh air blew through the place as the door opened. I could recognize the tall, thin frame of Hawk from the shadow he cast into the room. He was one of those “skinny muscle” guys and was built like a martial artist. Long, lean, and fast. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body and he wore his thinning hair back in a long ponytail.

  Padre gave him the nickname “Hawk” because he watched over everything and was able to get intel like no one else. He also got the nickname because his nose was big and curved, like a beak.

  He saw me as he bellied up to the bar. �
��Whiskey, neat,” he said to the bartender. Nodding in my direction, he said, “Ryder.”

  I grabbed my coffee cup, leaving the sandwich on the table I’d been sitting at, and went up to sit next to him. I was glad that the place was pretty empty because I wanted to pick his brain.

  “Hey Hawk. How’s it going?”

  “Pretty good. The old lady went to Pachanga with her sister for a coupla days so I’m batching it.” He raised his glass and said, “Liquid lunch.”

  “So, Hawk. Have you noticed anything going on with Padre?”

  His eyes narrowed a bit and I could tell that he knew something. “Whaddya mean?”

  “Well, for starters, he’s missed a couple times at church.”

  “So? Lotsa guys do that.”

  “True, but he’s the president. But also, he’s just been acting…I dunno, weird. Working odd hours. Seems distant.”

  Hawk didn’t say anything and took a sip of his drink, and set it down. There was a minute or so of silence as he was contemplating his response. Then, he sighed and said, “Yeah. I noticed.”

  Relief washed over me. I didn’t want to say anything about him accusing me of stealing if I didn’t have to. I was just glad to know that I wasn’t the only one who saw changes in Padre. “What do you think is going on?”

  “Honestly, it reminds me of my dad before he got diagnosed with Alzheimers. The personality change was our first clue. He was acting kinda paranoid and suspicious.”

  That would make a lot of sense. My heart sank at the thought. What if Padre was having cognitive issues and this wasn’t just some phase?

  “Oh!” Hawk said, “I almost forgot. The guy I know over in Las Balas says that Scorpion is almost ready for his initiation. I figured I should let you know, since he’s seeing Lily and all.”

  Shit. That was the last thing I needed right now. I shook my head and said, “Thanks, man. Not what I want to hear, but I’m glad you told me.”

  Hawk looked me in the eye and his small brown eyes carried a warning. “You need to do something about this, Ryder. I’d hate to see anything bad happen to Lily.”

  He was right. It was time to take matters into my own hands.

  I finished my lunch and went to the shop for a few hours, but I was distracted. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Hawk had told me about Scorpion. I needed to find that little shit and knock some sense into him, if need be. He needed to step away from my sister immediately.

  “Chalupa,” I called to him under the body of a car.

  “Wassup, boss?”

  “I’m taking off for a bit. You got things around here?”

  “No prob. It’s all good.”

  That was the thing. We had a loyal group of guys here at Ortega. Even if there were missing parts (which there weren’t—I looked), no one would dare do that to Padre. We all knew what he was capable of. We were a team.

  The afternoon sun was right in my face as I aimed my bike to downtown La Playa. Traffic was shit this time of day, so I took side streets. It was the reverse of what I’d done a few days ago… the graffiti and homeless encampments made way to million-dollar homes and art studios. It always shocked me how diverse La Playa was.

  Las Balas used an old warehouse down by the pier to have their meetings and store their shit. La Playa had a huge port and where commercial boats and cruise ships would dock, and Las Balas took advantage of that to buy and sell shit illegally from the vessels before the Coast Guard got to them.

  I got to the parking lot just as the sun set, locked my bike, and walked over to the warehouse. I wasn’t expected, and I sure the hell wouldn’t be welcomed. Some guys would call me crazy for just showing up like this, but I wanted the element of surprise.

  I was taking a chance that Scorpion would even be there. As I walked up, I saw him outside guarding the door with another recruit, and they were both smoking cigarettes. That would explain why Lily smelled like a fucking ashtray sometimes.

  His face was pockmarked from acne and his blonde hair was swept back. He was not an attractive guy, not that I found guys attractive. I just couldn’t imagine what the fuck Lily saw in this loser.

  He must have sensed me because he looked up and then his body shot up in alarm. His hand went to his pocket, so I shouted, “Leave it, Scorpion. I just want to talk.”

  The other prospect ran off, ostensibly to alert the other guys, and so I knew I had about two minutes. Scorpion just stood there, frozen, looking from side to side.

  “I got nothin’ to say.” His jaw was set defiantly, but I could tell from the way he bit his lip and his eyes darted back and forth that he was nervous.

  “Good. Then listen.” I got about four inches from his face. “You need to leave my sister the fuck alone.”

  “The fuck I do. She can make up her own mind.”

  I felt rage coil in my belly. This piece of shit kid was about to get seriously injured. “No, she cannot. She is a sixteen-year-old girl. You want to go to prison?”

  At that, his body wilted and he looked at me. “Ryder. Give me a break man. I love her.”

  That surprised me. “You love her? What the fuck does that even mean?”

  “I do. I love her. She’s beautiful, and smart, and funny…”

  “And better than you in every goddamn way.” I couldn’t believe my ears. This guy actually thought he loved my sister?

  He looked down at his feet. “I know.”

  I sighed. “Look. If you love her—which I doubt you actually do—then leave her the hell alone. This is no life for her. You know that.”

  He laughed sardonically, revealing yellow crooked teeth. “You’re saying that?”

  I grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt. “My life and choices are none of your goddamn business. Let me put it another way. This is not a request, and I am not asking nicely. Leave my sister the hell alone or you will regret it every day for the rest of what’s left of your short life. Got it?”

  I could hear the rest of Las Balas coming, so I let him go and ran to my bike. Hopefully he got the message.

  As I roared back to North La Playa, my mind started to wander to the place it seemed to go most these days: Paige. I needed to do something about it, but I wasn’t sure what.

  Fourteen

  Paige

  “Paige. What are you doing?” Martha was standing in the kitchen like a drill sergeant, barking orders at everyone. “Take this order to table four.”

  Table four wasn’t my table, it was Rocky’s, but I wasn’t about to say that to Martha, so I grabbed the plates and headed over to deliver the food. Where was she? Rocky had just disappeared about an hour after I got to work.

  I was exhausted. My neighbors had another booming party last night and the smell of weed came through the air conditioning vent so strongly that I actually felt high. I smoked a little pot in college, but would prefer to be the one to choose it, not have it come through the vents. I just hoped this place didn’t drug test.

  “Excuse me, miss. This isn’t syrup. It’s soy sauce.”

  I looked at the glass container I’d put down next to the pancakes and sure enough, I’d grabbed the wrong thing. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be right back with your syrup.”

  Where was my head? Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the activity at the Blue Dog across the street. I found myself thinking about Ryder and wondering what he was up to. He hadn’t come into Tiny’s in a while and I was saving my money to move out, so I hadn’t gone into the bar.

  “Hello! Paige!” Martha was standing next to me, looking up and frowning. She was holding a bottle of syrup and I was still holding the soy sauce. “What is with you today?”

  “Sorry, Martha, I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well, and with Rocky disappearing I’ve been covering her tables too. I’ll do a better job of focusing.”

  “Who disappeared?” As if on cue, Rocky walked up behind me holding a couple of plates and setting them down at one of my tables. “If you need to go home, Paige, I can cover your tab
les.”

  I frowned. Part of what I was distracted from was covering for her for the last hour. “No, I’m good.”

  Martha stood looking back and forth between us. “Actually Paige, Rocky is right. Why don’t you take off? Tomorrow is your day off. Come back rested and ready to work.”

  Before I had a chance to argue, Martha walked off to the kitchen. Rocky leaned over and whispered, “Next time you call me out like that, I’ll get you fired. Martha listens to me.”

  She sashayed back into the kitchen, leaving me to wonder what the hell just happened.

  I was kind of in a daze as I left work. I wasn’t happy about being sent home, but on the other hand, I did need some time off. Maybe I’d call and see if I could reschedule that job interview. Working at Tiny’s wasn’t exactly my ultimate career ambition.

  I was running a little low on gas, which is why I went to the gas station that was in the same parking lot as the Blue Dog. They had the best prices, I told myself. But the whole time I was pumping gas, I was scanning the parking lot. I couldn’t admit it, but I was looking for his bike.

  “Are you done?” A teenage boy was standing next to me and I became aware that I was still holding the gas dispenser even though my tank was full. His car was behind mine, waiting for the pump.

  “What? Oh yeah. Sorry.” I put the pump back and screwed on the gas cap. Just as I was getting the receipt, I heard it. The distinctive rumble of Ryder’s bike.

  My body jolted with electricity. There he was. Just on the other side of the parking lot. I saw him dismount his bike and take off his helmet. His long legs were clad in faded blue jeans that hugged every muscle. His jacket was faded from exposure to the elements.