Page 38

Tank

The wind howled past me as we tore down the open road. My bike ate up the asphalt beneath me. Moose rode in front, his silhouette framed against the moonlit sky. The steady rumble of his engine was a familiar thunder in my ears. Riding at night always had a different kind of thrill—fewer cars, fewer eyes, just the engine’s hum and the steady throb of adrenaline in my veins.

Moose raised his hand and signaled a right turn. I followed without hesitation and leaned into the turn as we rolled into the parking lot of a rundown motel. The neon sign buzzed like it was on its last leg and cast an eerie glow over the cracked pavement. The place had seen better days as the paint on the walls peeled and a few windows were boarded up. It was the kind of joint that probably rented out rooms by the hour more often than by the night.

We pulled up in front of the main office and killed our engines. The sudden silence was almost jarring after the steady drone of the ride.

“Here?” I called to Moose as my voice cut through the quiet.

He nodded and kicked down his stand. “Here is about the only place we are going to be able to afford, man. Funds are running low.”

That fucking sucked.

Moose and I roamed.

Nomads.

We picked up work wherever we landed. Stayed until the job was done or until the itch set in to leave. Nine times out of ten, the restlessness came first.

“We’ll find some work,” I said, not really worried. Since I was seventeen, I’d been wandering. I went where I wanted and made things work however I had to.

Moose just nodded. “I’ll get us a room.”

He strode into the office, and I reached into my pocket to pull out my pack of cigarettes. I placed one between my lips. I lit up and took a slow drag. The taste of tobacco filled my lungs as I tipped my head back and exhaled a stream of smoke toward the sky.

The stars were scattered across the darkness, and the moon hung overhead.

My thoughts drifted back to Maddie.

She had been cute, with that hood pulled up over her head, framing her face so that all I could really see were her bright eyes and that pretty smile. I liked that. Liked the way she looked up at me. I’d have to swing by that gas station again.

The sound of the motel office door creaking open pulled me back to the present. Moose stepped out with a key dangling from his fingers.

“Got it for a week before we need to pay,” he called with a smirk playing at his lips. “Sweet-talked the chick behind the counter.”

I let out a chuckle and shook my head. “Nice.”

I swung my leg off my bike, unhooked the duffle bag strapped to my seat, and slung it over my shoulder. Moose grabbed his own bag and led the way toward our room.

“Lucky number seven,” I drawled as he slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open.

The room was nothing fancy, but hell, we’d stayed in worse. Two queen beds sat on either side of the space, a small table with two chairs tucked up against the wall near the door. Faded wallpaper curled at the edges, an old-as-hell TV perched on a rickety stand, and the bathroom door barely clung to its hinges. But it was clean. That was more than we could say for some of the places we’d crashed.

Moose tossed his bag on the table and headed straight for the bathroom.

I kicked off my boots, letting them thud against the floor, then dropped my duffle by the bed closest to the door. I rummaged through it, pulled out my phone charger, plugged it in, and yanked my shirt over my head, tossing it on top of my bag.

I pulled back the covers and collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. There were things I should be worried about and figure out, but that could all wait till morning. We had a place to sleep right now, and that was enough for me.