“Olivia. Are you okay?”
I nod. “Yeah. I-I…”
Psycho still hasn’t stood up.
Saint comes around the bar, moving slowly toward me.
“I’m sorry he upset you.”
“How did you know?”
He moves closer, reaching out to steady me with his strong hands. “I was watching the security cameras.”
“Oh.” I let out a shaky breath. “Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“Is he- is he okay?”
Saint glances over his shoulder. “He’ll be fine. Are you okay?”
I nod again. My pulse is slowing and I don’t feel as scared as before.
He looks me over and says, “We’re not very busy. Why don’t you head on out.”
“Are you firing me?”
“No. But you’re upset. You should take the rest of the night off.”
I start to protest, but he holds up his hand. “Don’t argue. You’ll still get paid for tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He calls out, “Bash.”
Bash looks over, eyes widening. He crosses the room in large strides, stepping over Psycho.
“What happened?”
Saint ignores his question. “Can you give her a ride back to her place?”
“Sure thing.” He looks at me. “You ready?”
“Uh, sure?” I’m not sure why it comes out as a question.
“Come on.”
He leads me toward the hallway, away from where Psycho is on the floor, and takes me out the side door.
“My car is this way.”
“You have a car?”
He smiles. “Of course. Can’t ride the bike year-round. Gets too cold during the winter.”
We go to a large building with several garage doors. He punches a code into a keypad and one of the doors open.
I gasp when is see the beauty sitting in the spot. “Is that a ‘65 GTO?”
He stops right in his tracks. “You know cars? Olivia, I think we might be soulmates.”
I make a full circle around the black beauty, admiring the car. The way the light bounces off the glossy paint. The attention to details. The black leather seats.
“Bash, this car is amazing.”
He points over his shoulder. “Some of the guys are into refurbishing old cars. This was my first project and I couldn’t part with her when I was finished.”
“Her?” I grin. “Does she have a name?”
“Big Easy.”
“Wow. That’s… interesting.”
He laughs. “I like to keep things interesting.”
He opens my door and I slide onto the leather seat. When he gets in, he smiles.
“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” I say, patting the cushioned seat.
He starts the engine, and I gasp.
“Yeah, definitely dead.”
“I rebuilt the motor with original parts. She’s not as fast as some of the other cars I’ve built, but she gets the job done.”
The engine hums as we take off. I wish I had more time to look at the other cars in the shop, but I’m starting to feel tired. Must be an adrenaline crash.
As if sensing my thoughts, Bash asks, “What happened with Psycho?”
“He came up to the bar and told me to get him a beer. When I gave him the same brand he’d been drinking all night, he knocked it to the floor. And then he said he guessed he was going to have to train me.” I swallow. “I feel silly, but he really scared me.”
My voice quivers and I have to stop talking. Otherwise, I’m going to cry.
“Shit.”
“I’m not sure if I overreacted or if he was even serious, but I backed up to get away from him. The next thing I know, Saint was there and Psycho was on the floor.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Saint’s not a fan of Psy. There’s been beef there for years, from what I understand.” He snorts. “Probably all goes back to a chick or a bike.”
“Chick? I thought he was…” I pause, flushing. “Anyway, I just hope I didn’t overreact.”
“You didn’t. Psycho… well, he comes by his nickname honestly. He’s reckless and has a temper.”
“Well, I guess that makes me feel a bit better.”
“I’m just glad you weren’t hurt. He’s been known to throw bottles at people.”
“Why does he get away with behavior like that?”
Bash shrugs. “Loyal men are hard to come by.”
We turn down a road and I’m shocked to realize we’re already to the campus.
“How did you know where I live?”
“Saint texted me before we left the club.” He smiles. “You’re the first college girl I’ve ever taken home before.”
I notice he didn’t say whether he’s taken a college guy home before. It’s not my business, so I don’t ask. He pulls up in front of my dorm, coming to a stop.
“Looks pretty dead around here. Shouldn’t there be people having frat parties or something?”
“It’s dead because everyone is moving out since the semester is over.” I pause, feeling depressed. “I haven’t even started looking for a place to stay for the summer.”
He eyes me. “A place to stay? How long is your summer break?”
“Two and a half months.” I open the door. “I shouldn’t be complaining. I could be worse off.”
But it still sucks.
“Well, thanks for the ride, Bash. See you tomorrow.”
He nods and waits until I reach the door before taking off. When I get into my room, Lucy is gone. I notice she’s packed up most of her stuff and there’s a pile of empty boxes on my side of the room. I should start packing, but I just don’t have it in me, so I flop belly first onto my bed, putting my face in my pillow.
My thoughts go to Saint and the club. Maybe I’m crazy for working there. In two nights, I’ve had two separate things trigger me. Saint’s been there both times to help, but I can’t rely on him forever. Plus, it’s not good for me to feel so… out of control.
Sitting, I pull my phone out and send a text. The sense of relief I feel is amazing, so I know I’m doing the right thing.
Next on my list: find a place to stay for the summer.
8
Bash
I try not to make it obvious as I watch Olivia go inside, but she glances over her shoulder right before she gets to her door and gives me a shy smile. She’s not much younger than me, but right now I feel a million times older. She’s doing things people our age ought to do. I, on the other hand, am a posterchild for what not to do.
Join the military and then going AWOL after deciding I didn’t want to kill innocent people, which led to being locked up for two years and being dishonorably discharged? Check.
Join a motorcycle club because my family disowned me for the above reason? Check.
Miss out on dating sweet-as-hell college girls for both reasons above?
I look in my rearview mirror.
Double Check.
I get back to the club a little after midnight. Things are in full swing and it makes me glad that I didn’t go out on my bike. Otherwise I’d have to park in Bumfuck, Nowhere. When I enter the club, Razor’s at the door with a chick on each arm. They’re both topless and practically humping his leg. He grins when he sees me.