Chapter 1
Possible Verses Probable
Alina looked out over her classroom. All the students had their heads bent dutifully over their papers, clearly absorbed in taking today’s pop quiz. All of them with the exception of one. Jaden was slouched back in his chair, flipping his number two pencil back and forth on his jean clad knee. His gaze was clearly riveted on something out the window. Standing slightly, Alina leaned over her desk to get a look at what he found so captivating.
Holy crap, two boys were alone in the yard and engaged in an all-out brawl. One was punching the other squarely in the jaw repeatedly. She jerked to attention, realizing she would never make it across the courtyard in time to be helpful. Pulling out her cell phone, she called the principal.
As she quietly reported the boys, Jaden’s expression brightened. He made a little fist pump in the air, as the smaller boy began kicking the larger one in the ribs. What in God’s name was wrong with that child? She watched as several staff members pulled the children apart. The smaller one was incensed and struggled against the adults to get back to the larger one, whom she was now coming to think of as the victim. A tiny smile played across Jaden’s lips, and he shifted his attention back to the classroom.
The adults outside, hauled the boys back into the building. Alina was startled when bell rang, ending class. Each student walked by, laying their quiz face down on the corner of her desk. As Jaden ambled past, she spoke quietly.
“Jaden, would you please wait a moment. I’d like to speak to you.”
“Sure, teach. What’s up?”
Glancing up at her brightest student, she wasn’t sure quite what to make of him. The ten-year-old looked like a mini-version of the man who picked him up from school every day. His faded jeans were old and ripped and he wore a white t-shirt under his black leather vest. His tiny black leather vest and steel toed boots would be cute if not for what it represented. His bright green eyes and shaggy brown hair heralded the handsomeness that was sure to follow him as he grew into manhood. He looked so much like his larger twin that it made her heart ache. Yet, he was so smart and polite. She found herself desperately wanting more for him than the life of an outlaw.
She slid out the quiz he had just taken and quickly looked it over, before writing A+ on the top. Handing him the back quiz she couldn’t help but ask. “Was that quiz even a challenge for you?”
“Not really. I’m sure you’ll do better next time.”
She had to smile because there wasn’t an ounce of guile in his words. He honestly thought he had done well because her quiz was too easy. She glanced at her watch.
“When is your ride coming?”
“Any minute.”
“I’ll get right to the point then. I noticed you watching the fight taking place outside. You didn’t seem particularly upset that human beings were harming each other.”
He shook his head. “No mam, sometimes things like that happen.”
“From now on, do you think that it might be possible for you to report incidents of aggression? Just so no one gets hurt.”
“Umm…possible yes.”
“Good. Then we understand each other.”
The look on his face told her, he didn’t think they had anything close to an understanding. She watched as he shuffled out of the room. Her best friend poked her head into the room as she gathering up her personal effects.
“Alina, were you the one who reported that fight?”
“Afraid so. They were pretty brutal with each other to be so young.”
“Kids these days are getting more aggressive in general. Probably all the violence on television and in video games.”
“Seems like their parents would throw the breaks on hitting others. It’s no way to get your point across.”
“Don’t make the mistake of assuming that parents are actually parenting.”
Alina laughed. “So young and yet so jaded. How’d than happen to such a small town girl?”
“You just blew into town. I’ve been here since I was a kid. Just because Pine Heights is located in the ass end of the universe doesn’t mean we don’t see our share of problems.”
Alina held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not stereotyping.”
“You so were, but I forgive you. Want to grab something to eat on the way home?”
“Beats cooking and then having to clean the dishes. Are any of the restaurants in town serving remotely healthy food?”
“Well, we don’t have raw food eateries or juice bars but Roxanne’s has a buffet. You’ll have to hunt to find something healthy on it.” Dianne leaned on the door facing, tapping her fingernails on her chin. “I think I once saw a spinach leaf used as garnish on there somewhere.”
“You’re hilarious. Let’s get out of here. I have a metric ton of papers to grade when we get home.”
They both headed out of the building in time to hear the throaty roar of a motorcycle as it pulled up to the curb. The women stop short watching Jaden approach the intimidating man. The big brute handed the kid a helmet as he scanned the area suspiciously. He looked slightly perturbed. The sea green eyes and shaggy brown hair were simply a more masculine version of Jaden’s. Huge hands gripped the handlebars, squeezing every now and then, in a nonverbal cue that he was anxious to get on the road again.
Alina couldn’t help but stare at him. Strangely attractive tattoos crawled up both arms and peaked out around the neckline of his black t-shirt. She saw his muscles flex. Her eyes jumped to his face, only to find him staring right back at her. It was enough to make her take a half step backwards.
His eyes raked over her slight form, taking in everything, from her long blonde hair, to the swell of her breasts, waste line and hips under her buttoned up pants suit. His eyes landed right on the place where her thighs met, making her bud tingle. Though his behavior was typical of what she had come to expect from his ilk, her own response left her confused, embarrassed and her feeling like she needed some sort of armor to protect her from his gaze.
She shifted her legs together as her eyes narrowed on him. It was a purely defensive response and she couldn’t have controlled it if she’d wanted to. He jerked his gaze back to her face, just as her hand moved up to adjust her glasses.
Clearly he took the gesture to mean she was checking him out because he growled at her. “Like the sled or the rider?” He barked out the words in a clipped and irritated tone, as he continued to stare her down. It was considerate of him to leave off the word bitch, though it was clearly stamped on the end of his sentence.
Jaden leaned forward and whispered something in the man’s ear. His chin jerked in understanding as his eyes slid from her. Good thing Jaden intervened. If she’d been forced to reply to his question, the answer would have been both.
Once the handsome stranger turned his attention elsewhere, Alina felt all but forgotten by him. Being cast so easily aside in his thoughts made her feel something. What that something was, she couldn’t say. As she stood watching him ride away, she saw a huge skull emblem on the back of his leather vest. Half the face was transposed with a stylized playing card…a king of spades. In scripted lettering at the bottom it read Dirty Kingsmen MC. Just seeing the image sent a shiver down her spine.
Her friend’s voice held a note of warning. “Don’t even look at that sexy bastard, Alina. I’m serious. They’re a dangerous bunch.”
Alina laughed breathlessly. “I’m not quite that desperate, my friend. Maybe, when I see my first gray hair, I’ll consider hooking up with an outlaw, but I’m not quite there yet.”
“Oh keep on laughing. It’s all fun and games till someone gets knifed in the eye.”
“Don’t you mean poked in the eye?”
“You mean like the three stooges? Trust me, those guys don’t poke people in the eye. They might poke women in the…”
“Dianne Dabroski, don’t even go there. I mean it.”
“Just a subtle warning from your friendly small town girl.”
“If that’s subtle, I’d like to see blatant. Let’s get a move on. Does Roxane’s sell mixed drinks?”
“Nope. We’ve got a sports bar though.”
“I’ll follow you. Falling into a supersize mudslide will wash that sexy bastard right out of my mind.”
“You better hope so. That’s one rough ride, I’d doubt you’d survive.”
“No truer words were ever spoken, my friend.”
Both women chuckled as they headed out.