Chapter 5

JOSHUA

Another warm day in Snow Falls had me stuck underneath the hood of Mrs. Cooper’s car. Not that I minded one way or the other. The sweat and the grease just reminded me I was making an honest living.

The only thing that was bothering me was a slight buzz in my head.

“Damn beer…” I sighed to myself.

It’d been too long since I had that much to drink. I couldn’t help myself though. Seeing Sean after so long brought back feelings I knew I had but kept tucked away inside of me. I just didn’t imagine that the first night back I’d let them all out.

I whistled to myself, a smile on my lips, as the vivid memories of what I did to him last night continued to play back in my mind. The thought of seeing him again seemed to make the day go by even faster. I didn’t have a care in the world.

I was so distracted by thoughts of Sean that I didn’t notice the engine thundering behind me until it caught the corner of my eye. I straightened myself up and wiped the grease from my hands.

Him again…

The man sat on his bike, his eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. His thick mustache was long and his beard was the same. Funny that he spent that much on his facial hair when the rest of his outfit was dusty from the road. Leather vest. Denim with stains like he’d taken a tumble on the asphalt. The guy was intimidating enough just from the way he dressed but he was big enough to be imposing without moving a muscle.

He got up from his bike and took his helmet off, shaking out his long, dirty locks.

“How you doing, Josh?”

“Roland,” I said. “I’m doing just fine. I take you need something.”

“That’s right.”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled a piece of paper out.

“I need some modifications done,” he said.

“Modifications?”

“Check these out.”

I looked at the piece of paper and examined it. They were blueprints and specs for a chopper, all right. Just from a quick glance I knew how much trouble they were.

“This is different from what you usually want,” I said. “Normally you’re just looking for a tune-up. This though…”

“It’s different. I know. But this is what I need.”

I sighed and shook my head.

“I can’t do it,” I said.

“Why not?”

“Because these modifications aren’t street legal. Cops pull you over, you’re going to jail. You’ll get caught.”

“If it’s illegal, do you think the person riding the damn thing is trying to get pulled over?”

“Nobody tries to get pulled over. The cops see a suspicious bike, they pull ’em over.”

“I don’t see why you’re so worried about it. Some guy gets pulled over with some mods, he gets in trouble.”

“Yeah, and then they trace it back to me and I get in trouble.”

“Only if they snitch.”

Even from behind a pair of shades, I could tell Roland was glaring at me. The guy had the kind of demeanor you could feel just from being next to him. With all of the tattoos on his sleeves and along his neck, it was easy to tell he wouldn’t hesitate to break the law.

“It’s too much of a risk,” I said.

“Are you kiddin’ me, Josh? You telling me you can’t do this?”

“I can do it. It’s just—”

“I’ll give you whatever you want. Any rate you want.”

Money. It’s always money…

If there was one constant in the West Bay for all of the things that happened in this neighborhood, it was always the money. All of the gangs who robbed business and jacked cars. All of the punks who were looking for someone to mug. All of the dealers who were pushing their weight. Everybody was trying to get ahead because there was no such thing as an honest day’s work.

And Roland knew how rough my situation was. I was living in the West Bay. That was reason enough to know I had a price.

“Look,” he said. “There are more mechanics in the West Bay than I can count. The police can’t trace it back it to you. You really think SFPD is gonna raid every garage? Too much time. Too much money. Too much effort. Not with all of the shit going on around here.”

He’s got a point. Damn…

As much as I didn’t wanna admit it, Roland was saying everything he could to convince me to take the job.

“I’ll do it,” I said.

“All right. Name your price.”

“Triple.”

“That’s it?”

“I’m charging you only triple because I want assurances this doesn’t get traced back to me. There might be too many garages in the West Bay to count but I’m still taking a risk.”

He took a step back with his hands in the air. The kind of sinister smirk on his lips was something you would expect from a man like him.

“Triple,” he said. “That’s why I like you, Josh. You’re the best in the West Bay for a reason. When do you want me to bring the bike over?”

“Any time in the morning or the afternoon. I’m not working nights.”

“I’ll do just that.”

Just as Roland was getting back on his bike, Sean rolled up right next to him. I quickly stuffed Roland’s papers into my back pocket.

The two bikers eyeballed one another from behind their shades.

“What are you looking at?” Roland muttered.

Sean scoffed Roland’s dismissive tone. He didn’t move.

“Whatever…” Roland grumbled.

He got onto his bike and revved his engine loud enough for the entire city to hear. But he eventually pulled out and zoomed down the street, his exhaust whistling through the air.

“Who’s that?” Sean said as he got up from his seat.

“Him? His name is Roland.”

“Seems like a real piece of work.”

“He’s a real something, all right. That’s how you’re supposed to act when you’re a Demon.”

“A Demon?”

I wiped my hands with my towel while Sean took a seat over at the side of the garage.

“The Demons are a newer group,” I said. “Motorcycle club. They’re more like a gang. They’re gaining a lot of notoriety in these parts.”

“How’s that?”

“You hear how loud his exhaust was? It’s a trademark. You hear that squeal and you know the Demons are around. Roland’s one of them.”

“What’s he doing here?”

“What else? He’s looking to get some work done. I know I should refuse him but he pays well.”

“You do what you have to do,” Sean said with a smile. “There’s no shame in some honest work. You’re the best at what you do. You should be proud that someone is seeking you out, even if it’s someone like Roland.”

“I guess…”

Sean had a way of embarrassing me even when he was complimenting me. I looked away from him so he couldn’t see how red my cheeks were undoubtedly getting. The memories of what happened last night were still fresh in my mind, so it was even harder to stop thinking about how much I admired him.

No need to make it awkward.

“Enough about him though,” I said. “What’s this all about?”

“You know I’m still looking into the accidents.”

“Those three accidents where those people died. I can’t forget something like that. Do you have any leads?”

“I’ve been to a couple of other garages. They’re clueless. Either that or they’re hiding something. It’s only been a day though and I haven’t talked to the other Chargers. Got a meeting later today.”

I took a seat next to him and sighed a deep breath.

“Tired?” he asked.

“I guess I am. I’ve been so focused today that I haven’t had time to worry about it though.”

“That makes sense. You had a lot to drink last night.”

“Hey! I didn’t drink that much. If you ask me, I think I did a pretty good job of staying sober.”

“I don’t know… You were slurring words a little bit by the end of the night.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “No, I wasn’t!”

As the grin grew wider on his face, I realized how much he was teasing me. I rolled my eyes and laughed, punching him on his muscled arm.

“I wasn’t drunk,” I said. “I was… I was just a little loose, that’s all.”

“So you remember everything then?”

“Yes, I remember everything.”

“Even our time in the alley?”

I closed my eyes but I could still see that grin of his tattooed on his face.

“That accident you’re trying to figure out,” I said, changing the subject. “Do you have any other information on it?”

“Not really,” he said as he shook his head. “Just that the bodies were found completely clean in the toxicology report. No drugs, no alcohol. Strange that someone would crash when they weren’t even drunk.”

“Maybe they fell asleep while they were riding. That can happen.”

“Anything is possible. We won’t know for sure unless we figure it out. If you ask me, I think it has something to do with how souped-up the ride was.”

How souped-up the ride was… Modifications… Of course… How can I be so stupid?

The piece of paper I had was burning a hole in my pocket. With someone like Roland, I wouldn’t put it past him being responsible for something like this. But even then, just asking for a mod didn’t make him responsible.

“Joshua?”

“Yeah?” I said.

“You all right?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“You’re staring off into the distance like you just saw a ghost. Something on your mind?”

I stared back at Sean and worked a smile onto my face.

“It’s nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “I was just trying to figure out what the deal with these accidents is. They’re strange. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Especially with me being a mechanic and all…”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about. The Chargers will figure out what the hell is going on.”

The way Sean looked at me was enough to give me confidence like nothing else. Despite the tattoos and the muscles and his general demeanor, I felt safe being around him. It was a comfortable feeling I didn’t have around anybody else.

“I didn’t come to bother you about the accident though,” he said. “There was something else.”

“Oh?”

“I figured I’d ask you out to dinner. Drinks at Brickstone are nice but the atmosphere gets a little rowdy for catching up.”

“Dinner. Dinner sounds nice.”

“I’ll be around the garage at seven. How does that sound?”

“Seven. That’s about the time I get off. That… That sounds good.”

He leaned forward and suddenly kissed me on the cheek.

What was that?

I was so surprised my face immediately flushed with heat. I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling.

“I’ll see you at seven,” he said with a grin.

I was too distracted to say anything or even move. I just sat there while he got back on his bike. I took a moment to gather myself before getting up and watching him ride into the distance.

“Tonight…”

I sighed then got back to work. The day couldn’t be over soon enough.