Page 4 of Trip (Riders of Retribution #3)

Trip

After I dropped Julia off at the diner, I spent the entire night thinking about her. She’s a ray of sunshine, that much is obvious. But something happened to her, something dark enough to dim her sparkle just a little bit.

She’s running from something. And whatever it is, I want to protect her from it. No… I need to protect her from it. I can be her safe place, but to do that, I need to what it is I’m saving her from.

Since I don’t have her last name or know the town she moved to Rio Lunas from, I can’t look her up.

I know that some people are good at finding information online with only a first name, but I’m not one of those guys.

The idea of having social media or using the web for anything but news or motorcycle research is foreign to me.

So, I decided that I’m going to ask around at the garage when I get to work.

We’re busy as hell, so I don’t get much of a chance to talk with the other guys. It isn’t until a two man job presents itself and I find myself alone with Ruger, another member of the Riders of Retribution, that I’m able to talk to anyone.

“Went to the diner last night,” I say, my hands busy with the engine we’re working on.

Ruger grunts in response. I’m not surprised; he tends to be sparing with his words when he’s working, and it’s not as though I’m known for being talkative. On a normal day, we both would have considered that exchange a perfectly satisfactory conversation. Not today, though.

“There’s a new girl working there. Name’s Julia.”

The side of Ruger’s mouth quirks and he says, “You got the hots for her or something?”

“Fuck you,” I say without any heat to it. “I was just wondering if you knew anything about her. She’s new to Rio Lunas, isn’t she?”

Ruger hums, squinting down at his work. After a moment he says, “I think Marigold knows of her. Do you know if she has siblings? I’m pretty sure she was telling me about two girls that just moved here that hang out at the library with their older sister sometime.”

“Yeah,” I say, grabbing the wrench I know that he’s going to ask for before he says anything. “Said she was taking care of her two sisters.”

“Ah, yeah, then I’m pretty sure we’re talking about the same person.”

I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. He’s too focused on the bolt he’s trying to loosen. After a few seconds, I say, “So, your girl tell you anything about her?”

“Not much,” he says. “Just that her parents passed away, and it seems like a real sore spot for the three of them.”

I grunt in response.

“Heard the older sister, Julia, she works damn near every day at the diner,” he says, looking away from his work with a grin that I know can’t be a good thing. “You know, if you’re so damn interested in her, we can go to the diner for lunch.”

“Oh fuck you,” I reply, resisting the urge to smack some sense into him. “Let’s get this done.”

Ruger smirks at me before turning back to his work. The subject is dropped for the rest of the morning. And, by the time that lunch rolls around, I take his suggestion to heart and head to the diner – without him.

As soon as I get inside, I see Julia buzzing around with a smile on her face. Before the host even greets me, I tell her I want to be in Julia’s section. Once I’m seated, Julia’s there to greet me in less than a minute.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she says, the smile she was wearing when I walked in seeming to morph into something more genuine as it reaches her eyes.

“I could say the same to you,” I reply.

“You want your burger with crispy fries and a water again?” she asks, impressing me with her memory. I wonder if she remembers everyone’s order like this or if I’m just special.

“With a little less spillage this time,” I say, smirking when her face starts to get bright pink. “I actually wanted to talk to you, though.”

“For sure,” she replies, glancing over her shoulder at the patrons that already have their food. “Let me get your order put back and check on everyone. I’ll be back in a flash.”

“Thanks, darling,” I say, noting the way her cheeks get even pinker at the sound of the pet name.

My eyes stay on her as she heads to the computer, then into the kitchen.

She reappears with my glass of water, holding onto it as she flits around the dining room to check on her other guests.

Finally, she comes back to my table, setting the cup on the table before she settles into the chair across from me.

“So, what’s up?” she asks, tilting her head curiously. “You miss me that much?”

Her flirty demeanor is intoxicating, and I almost want to throw away the questions that have been swirling in my head. I know better than to do that, though. If I give into her playful banter every time we meet, I’ll never get the answers I want – especially if the topic is a sore spot for her.

“Of course,” I reply, reaching over to cover her hand with mine. “I’ve missed you since I dropped you off to get your car.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” she replies, her voice soft.

“That’s not the only reason I stopped by,” I say, knowing the next words out of my mouth might make her shut down. “I actually wanted to talk more to you about why you moved to Rio Lunas.”

Her posture stiffens, and the warmth from her eyes cools a bit. She still wears that smile, clearly pushing through whatever darkness is in her mind, as she says, “I already told you. My sisters and I just couldn’t stand to be there any more.”

I hum, squeezing her hand as a comforting gesture. Then, I say, “I know, but there’s something more to it, isn’t there? Does it have something to do with why you’re the one in charge of your younger sisters?”

I realize that the way I’m phrasing this probably isn’t the best. My experience with people is limited, and I think that even if I had some sort of skill here, I still wouldn’t know how to handle this. I’m trying to figure out how her parents passed away and what she’s running from.

“I mean,” she says, taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “I guess there is more to it. I just…”

In an attempt to calm her down, I rub her thumb with mine. She turns her hand over, palm up. I cover it with my own hand, holding onto her tightly.

“Take your time,” I say, hoping my tone comes off as comforting.

Julia sighs, meeting my gaze with misty eyes and says, “It’s hard to talk about. I… I want to tell you, but–”

She cuts herself off, blinking hard to dispel the tears that are starting to form there. All at once, I realize that I’ve made a mistake bringing this up here. I need to get her out of here for this conversation.

“How about you just take the rest of the day off?” I say, reaching across the table to wipe away the singular tear that’s sliding down her cheek.

She shakes her head and murmurs, “No, no. I can’t. I need the money.”

“You don’t have to worry about the money,” I say. “I’ll give you whatever cash you’re missing. And you don’t need to worry about getting in trouble. You already know I’m part of the MC. I’ll talk to Rock, and everything will be fine.”

She gives me a watery giggle and says, “I can’t let you pay me to hang out with you. I’ll do it for free.”

“Yeah, but I can’t let you miss out on cash because I’m asking you to talk about something that’s going to upset you,” I tell her. Then, before she can interrupt me, I say, “I insist, Julia.”

Then, I give her a smile. It feels almost foreign on my face, but something about her just draws it out of me. I’m sure that if I spend more time with her, it’ll become a permanent fixture. At least where she’s concerned.

“Wait,” she says as I stand up. “Where are you going?”

“My place,” I say, inclining my head toward the door. “You coming?”

“You– your food,” she sputters as she gets to her feet. “And… and I still have tables.”

“I’m not that hungry,” I say with a shrug. “I only came here to talk to you anyway.”

“But, my tables…” she says weakly, and I already know she’s about to break.

I glance around the restaurant, spotting another server that’s rushing by us. As she passes, I catch her arm, bringing her to a stop. She looks up at me with big eyes, then glances at the patch on my jacket.

“You think you can take care of Julia’s tables? She’s leaving early today,” I say. Even though it’s phrased as a question, it’s a demand. As soon as she nods, I look at Julia and say, “Looks like you don’t have any tables to worry about anymore.”

Without looking at Julia again, I march back into the storage room to get the extra helmet.

I’m really going to have to get her one of her own if she’s going to be riding with me – and she is, I can tell she loves being on the bike.

When I get back to the front of the restaurant, she’s waiting for me.

Wordlessly, I pass her the helmet and lead her to my bike.

She doesn’t say anything else, but she doesn’t seem resigned.

Sure, there’s a look on her face that says she’s hesitant about the conversation we’re going to have, but that doesn’t stop me from noticing the way the corners of her lips tug upward.