LENORA

 

I took Garnet’s advice and helped myself to a beer. I thought the alcohol would ease my nerves.

I was wrong.

Now all I had was a belly full of beer swirling around in my stomach to go along with the anxiety I was feeling.

I propped my elbows up on the bar and rested my head in my hands. My fingers massaged my forehead as I looked down at my phone.

Come on.

I was just about to give up when my phone suddenly vibrated.

“It’s over. I don’t know if I’ll make it to you. But if I don’t… I love you.”

I swallowed as I read the message.

I didn’t want to think the worst. But if there was still a chance, I had to take it.

I hopped off of my seat and walked over to Garnet. He was talking to some of the other Reapers when I interrupted him. He looked at me and raised his eyebrows.

“It’s time,” I said.

I didn’t have to say anything else. He gave me a nod.

He walked with me and a couple of the other Reapers as we made our way through the back of the club. Their bikes were in the back alley waiting for us.

Garnet revved his engine and I hopped on the bike to ride right behind him.

“Don’t worry,” he said to me. “If he’s waiting for you, I’ll get you to him.”

I didn’t know Garnet for very long but I knew him well enough to trust him. I squeezed my arms around him as we left the back alley of the clubhouse and headed toward our destination.

The wide open road was right in front of us. The traffic was nonexistent. Nobody would’ve guessed what was happening tonight with how peaceful of a night it was.

But just when I was starting to feel good about everything, the sound of police sirens right behind us forced Garnet to slow down.

“Shit…”

He muttered as he pulled next to the curb. The two Reapers with us did the same.

I hopped off the bike and saw Lieberman hopping out of the squad car and marching right toward us.

“You need some help, Lieberman?” Garnet said.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” she said.

“I was taking Lenora here out for a ride with a couple of my friends. That’s not illegal now, is it?”

She took a step toward Garnet, that icy glare in her eyes like it always was.

“Don’t waste my time,” she said. “Tell me right now where you’re headed or I’ll lock you all up for good.”

“Lock us up? On what charge?”

“Interfering with a government investigation. Miss Gibson belongs in protective custody. If you keep interfering, I have the authority to detain all of you.”

Garnet looked at the other two club members then at me. I stared back at him, wondering what he was gonna do now.

I couldn’t go with Lieberman. Not when there was a chance Charles was out there waiting for me.

“What’s it going to be?” Lieberman barked. “Hand over Miss Gibson or face federal charges—”

“All right,” Garnet said as he put his hands up. “You can take the girl.”

“W-what?” I stuttered. “You can’t be serious.”

“Come on,” Lieberman said to me. “We’ll take you somewhere safe. You won’t have anything to worry about.”

I couldn’t imagine that someone like Garnet would fold so easily. I stared at him in disbelief.

But then something strange happened. He looked back at me with the most subtle smile on his lips. It was only there for a second but long enough for me to notice.

“Let’s go, Miss Gibson,” Lieberman said.

“…Okay,” I said. “I’ll go with you.”

Lieberman turned around and started walking back to her patrol car. I looked at Garnet and the smirk on his lips was back. He gave me a wink and nodded softly.

What’s going on?

I started walking with Lieberman.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll take you somewhere safe. Once all of this blows over, you won’t have anything to worry about. I promise.”

Just as I was about to get into the patrol car, another one came riding up to us, sirens wailing and lights flashing. I watched as the old man slowly got out of the driver’s seat.

“Sheriff Sutton,” Lieberman said. “What are you doing here?”

“I know something’s happening. I’m here to help.”

“Thanks,” she said. “But I’ve got it all under control.”

“Do you? You’ve got the girl but you know that these club members are still up to something.”

Lieberman turned toward Garnet. He stood there along with Ghost and Needle. The three of them were just sitting on their rides, apparently waiting for something.

“All right,” Lieberman sighed. “What do you suggest?”

“I’ll take the girl back to the station,” Sutton said. “I’ll have my best people watch over her. That’ll give you a chance to escort these men back to their clubhouse. They won’t be able to cause any trouble there.”

Lieberman stared down her nose at me. I didn’t know what to think because I was as much in the dark as everybody else was.

“Okay,” Lieberman said. “Take her back to the station. I’ll keep an eye on the Reapers.”

“Come along, young lady,” Sutton said to me. “You’ll be safe with me.”

Garnet and the other Reapers continued to just sit there and watch. I couldn’t reach into my pocket and check my phone because Lieberman was right there in front of me.

All I could do was go along with the old sheriff.

“Don’t worry,” Lieberman said. “This is all for the best.”

I didn’t pay any attention to her as I got into the backseat of Sheriff Sutton’s patrol cruiser.

I turned around just long enough to see everybody watching me as I left. They eventually all disappeared in the distance.

I sighed a deep breath and looked down at the floor.

“Long night?” Sutton asked.

“Something like that, sure…”

“That’s how it is in Ivory. Most of the time it’s calm and peaceful. But then there are those nights when it’s more than you can handle. I’ve seen plenty of those days in my life. Some days are good. Some days are bad.”

I looked out the window and watched as the city zoomed by me.

“More days are bad than good,” I said. “I can’t think of any good days actually.”

“You’re alive. You’re healthy. You’re still young. You’ve had plenty of good days in Ivory. Tell me something, Lenora. What’s the best day you’ve ever had in Ivory?”

“The best day I’ve ever had? There aren’t very many good ones to choose from.”

“Well, what’s a good day then? You can think of one, can’t you?”

I turned back to the ground and closed my eyes. I didn’t know why but Sutton’s question was distracting enough for me to forget about all the shit I’d just gone through.

I knew what the answer was.

“Him,” I said. “It was the day I met him.”

“Him?”

“Charles.”

“What was that like?”

“I was at Finn’s. I wasn’t in a good mood because some guy was giving me a hard time but Charles… He managed to put a smile on my face.”

“It’s hard to imagine a guy like him putting a smile on someone’s face. He was always in a bad mood from what I could tell.”

“He just seems that way,” I said with a laugh. “Once you get to know him, you realize that he’s a good man. His heart is in the right place. He’s the only man…”

I sighed as I thought about Charles, knowing that I would probably never see him again.

“…He’s the only man who ever cared about me. He’s the only man who ever really cared about me.”

“I see… Then I guess that must be the best day you’ve ever had in Ivory.”

“I guess so.”

“Make sure you remember it when you’re gone.”

“…What?”

I raised my head up and looked at my surroundings. I was so distracted by Sutton’s question that I didn’t realize we’d left the city behind completely.

“Wait a second… Where are we…”

Sutton turned around for just a second and smirked at me.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion, trying to make sure that we were headed in the right direction.

“You missed the police station,” I said.

“I know. We’re not heading to the station.”

“But…”

My words trailed off as we sped to the outskirts of the city. Sutton kept driving until we found a remote spot off the beaten road.

“We’re here,” he said. “Go on now.”

I hesitated for a moment.

“Go ahead. Someone’s waiting for you.”

I slowly got out of the car. As soon as I did, I saw the figure in the distance. He was sitting on his bike. I took a few steps toward him. With each step, my heart skipped a beat.

“Ch-Charles? Charles?”

I rushed up closer and saw that it was him. He got off his bike and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned in close to him, letting him hold me tight in his embrace.

“It’s really you,” I whispered.

“It’s really me…”

I pulled away from him just long enough to look up into his eyes. It was so dark but there was just enough moonlight to see his face. Underneath his beard, I could barely make out that smile of his.

“But… how…”

I turned around and saw Sheriff Sutton slowly making his way toward me.

“Why would you help me?” I asked.

“I’ve known you since you were a teenager. You’ve been in and out of jail more times than a girl should. After all the things you went through with your family, it’s probably for the best that you left Ivory for good. That is what you want to do, isn’t it?”

I looked up at Charles and smiled.

“Yeah,” I said to Sutton. “I’m sure of it.”

“You got everything under control?” Charles asked.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll just let Lieberman know that Lenora went running off. I’m an old man. I could never keep up with her.”

“Lieberman won’t be too happy,” I said. “Blade is dead. And the man responsible for it will be long gone.”

“Lieberman might not be too happy. Hell, I’m not too happy that you took matters into your own hands. But Ivory won’t miss another wanna-be drug dealer.”

Charles walked up to Sutton and shook his hand.

“I appreciate everything,” Charles said with a nod.

“You treat her well. She’s an Ivory original.”

“You don’t have to worry about her. I can promise you that.”

I walked up to Sutton and squeezed my arms around him.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

I looked into the old man’s eyes and saw them glaze over. But before his emotions got the best of him, he cleared his throat and shook his head.

“Run along now,” he said. “If you wait any longer, you’re going to give Lieberman a chance to catch up with you.”

I nodded to him then moved over to Charles’s bike. He got on his ride and I took my place right behind him. I squeezed my arms around his stomach.

“This is it,” he said. “If you wanna come back to Ivory, it won’t be for a long time.”

“I’ve had enough of Ivory to last me a lifetime. I’m ready to see what else is out there.”

“Then let’s ride.”

Charles revved his engine and sped off down the road.

I didn’t know where we were headed. I didn’t know what was waiting for us. It didn’t matter though as long as I was with him. My life in Ivory was over.