Page 46

AJ

I woke up to a text from Billy.

Billy Crystal

Yo, if it ain’t the Last Samurai. Do I look like an errand boy?

I rubbed my face, squinting at the screen through half-lidded eyes as I sat up. Should have known he might give some pushback, but I also knew Billy just liked to give some shit to people too.

AJ

Nah, man. But if you do this one thing for me, I’ll owe you.

Billy Crystal

You sure will. I’ll add it to your tab. You really still hung up on this chick, huh?

AJ

Yeah. So, are you gonna check on her or not?

Billy Crystal

Lucky you, I wanted to get my new whip painted anyway. I’ll let you know.

Good. It’s toward the evening there, so he’ll have to go soon before they close.

I got up and yanked on some joggers and a shirt, yawning as I snagged a breakfast burrito from the fridge and tore into it before I went down into the shop.

There wasn’t much to do today, just loading a few cars onto a cargo plane later, which was due to fly out overnight

I walked over to two of the four cars that were supposed to be loaded. A neon-orange Subaru WRX and a light-gray Toyota Altezza. They both looked ready, so I would get those on a trailer and take them over first. I glanced around the shop. The other two cars were still in the mechanic bays.

I walked over to Ken.

“Hey, these two gonna be ready to head over today?” I asked as I stopped next to the dolly he was lifting tires onto.

“Yes. This evening,” Ken said as he continued to work.

I nodded and went back over to the other cars, grabbing the keys before I got to work.

Three hours later, I was returning from the airport when my phone went off in my pocket.

My adrenaline spiked when I saw it was a call from Billy Crystal.

My stomach dropped. We didn’t do calls. Something serious must have happened.

I answered it.

“Hey,” I said.

“Yo, what’s up, man? Got some info for you,” Billy’s smooth Southern voice replied.

“Lay it on me. Is she okay?” I asked, my hand tightening around the steering wheel as I waited in anticipation.

“I guess. Damn, girl’s been through some shit though,” Billy said.

“Out with it, Billy. I need to know,” I growled.

“All right. Damn, man. Chill. You need to get laid or something. You gettin’ all bitchy on me,” Billy said.

I kept my mouth shut. If I were standing next to him, I’d probably deck him for saying some shit like that.

“Your girl got mixed up in some nasty shit. She’s with this guy who’s in a motorcycle club from up north—the BLVD Riders of Morro Bay.

Guess there was some sort of turf war between them and the Wayward Suns MC.

She got caught up in the middle. Said she was abducted and held hostage or some shit.

But she’s fine now, just a little jumpy,” Billy said.

My mind was racing.

She’s with a biker, mixed up in a motorcycle club that’s dangerous enough for her to get abducted? Did they hurt her? How the fuck did her parents let her get with someone more dangerous than me?

“Fuck!” I snapped as I punched the steering wheel.

I sat there, breathing hard, fist shaking, jaw clenched tight.

“Easy, man. I’m just the messenger. She’s pretty shaken up about it. I don’t know. I got the feeling there was more to the story, but she didn’t get into it, and I didn’t care to ask,” Billy said.

“Yeah. Thanks for checking in on her. I’ll take it from here,” I said as I realized what I was going to do.

“For sure, man. See ya,” Billy said as he hung up the phone.

I lowered my cell and rested it on my thigh as I thought about everything he’d told me.

“Dammit, Rosalie. You were supposed to be with a guy who was safe. Not get mixed up with a fucking biker gang,” I muttered.

Billy’s voice kept echoing in my head, every word he’d said dragging my emotions all over the damn place.

I had half a mind to call her fucking dad and give him a piece of my mind. How could he have paid me off to get the hell away from Rosalie, but then let her be with someone in a worse situation? She would have been better off with me! At least I’d made an effort to keep her safe.

The Wayward Suns—the biker gang that had abducted her—were known for their brutality.

If Rosalie was acting like nothing had happened, if they had really taken her, then she was playing it down.

They weren’t known for being gentle with women that they actually got with, let alone a rival biker’s girl.

Even worse, she was still with the bastard who had gotten her mixed up in all that bullshit.

I pulled up her profile again, staring at that smug bastard’s arm around her shoulders in one of the last photos she’d posted, her smile forced and small. My grip tightened. He was still on her social, and his initial was in her bio.

Next time something happened, she might not walk away from it.

I can’t let that happen. I have to get home. Need to make sure she’s safe.

I don’t know what my plan really was, but I’d figure that out when I was on my way back to LA.

All I needed to know right now was that I was going home.

I slammed the truck door harder than I’d meant to and walked back into the shop, pounding up the stairs to my room.

I grabbed my duffel bag out of the closet and stuffed everything I wanted to bring inside.

Clothes, some food for the road. I opened my hidden stash, grabbed my brass knuckles, and slipped them inside on the top as well.

I reached back in for my remaining cash and felt my hands brush a few small bills.

Shit, I didn’t realize I’d gotten so low. This isn’t enough for a fucking plane ticket. Maybe I could sell my car? Fuck, as soon as they saw it, they would figure it was stolen.

I walked down to the shop. Maybe Takumi could advance me some cash. He was over in a corner of the shop, going through some documents next to his old-ass computer.

He glanced up at me as I approached.

“No,” he said before looking back down.

“Damn, you don’t even know what I was coming over here for,” I said, annoyed that he hadn’t even given me a chance to speak.

“You want money,” he said.

“How the fuck did you know that?” I said, surprised he’d actually nailed it.

“You have a gambling problem. No money from me early to go gambling,” he said, waving me away.

“I wasn’t gonna blow it at pachinko,” I said, my jaw clenched as my frustration built.

“Why do you need money then?” he asked, still going through the papers in front of him.

Shit, I can’t tell him it’s for a flight. Fuck, I’ll ask someone else. Maybe Syd can help.

I also couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Sydney. She deserved that at the very least.

“Forget it,” I snapped, turning.

I shoved the door open and stalked across the parking lot to my car.

It was slow-going. Traffic was at its peak in the city during the afternoon. Of course, it would be the day I just needed to get somewhere fast that I’d be stuck in fucking gridlock.

But it gave me one thing. Time to think. I knew Sydney and her family were hard-pressed on money too. I couldn’t ask her to lend me some money for flights either.

My chest ached as I thought about Rosalie.

I pictured her being roughly handled and thrown in a room in a strange place, men crowding around her, threatening her to get to the guy she was dating.

It was like all my past nightmares were flooding back, but I wasn’t near her to make sure they couldn’t get to her too.

How the hell am I gonna get home to you, baby girl?

I didn’t want to have to rob anyone and didn’t have time to set up a fight for cash. Maybe I could just show up at the airport and ask for a free ride.

Then it hit me. The cargo plane.

I’d been hiding from people my whole life. From my ma, to guys trying to steal my shit on the streets, to the cops chasing me down for car boosting.

Stowing away on a plane wasn’t that much of a jump from those things.

But how the hell am I going to drive the truck away after I deliver the cars and hide in the plane?

I tapped my thumb on the wheel, the steady drumming sounds the only thing keeping me from losing my shit, sitting here.

What if I could ask for help from Ken? He’d been a part of my little side cash business for a while now.

What were the chances he’d help smuggle me onto the plane in exchange for my car?

“Couldn’t hurt to ask,” I muttered as traffic crawled along.

It took two hours to get to Sydney’s place. When I pulled into the driveway, I saw the dojo’s lights on and the doors open.

She must be working out right now, I thought as I got out of my car and walked over to the dojo. I kicked my shoes off at the entrance before walking into the main sparring room.

Sydney was throwing kicks and punches in rapid succession at Touma, who had gloves on, blocking each one.

She looked good. Against most guys, Sydney would definitely put them on their ass.

I cleared my throat, and she stopped mid-punch and looked toward me. Her eyes widened with a smile as she saw me.

“I didn’t expect to see you today. Did you want to get your butt kicked again so soon?” Sydney said, a sexy smirk on her face as Touma glanced over at us from behind her.

I chuckled and shook my head. “You know I’d pin your ass under me again if we did.”

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms in front of her chest. “Sure, big guy. So, what do you need then, if you’re not here to work out?”

I jerked my head toward the door. I didn’t need anyone else overhearing what I had to say.

“Can we talk somewhere else?” I said, keeping my voice low.

She nodded and passed by me, walking over to her shoes. She slipped them on, and I did the same with my Air Force 1s. We walked side by side down the path into the gardens behind the dojo.

It was a nice day today, sunny and warm, but inside, it felt like a storm was building.

“You look so serious. Is there something wrong?” she asked as we came to a stop under the shade of some trees.

I did a sweep around the area before my gaze landed on Sydney. She was wearing a dark green outfit today. It really brought out her eyes.