CHAPTER 25: Piper
I didn’t have time to feel scared for myself. It felt strangely like a roller-coaster ride, or maybe a helter-skelter, as we slid towards the drop-off. All I could think about was Theo and I losing each other, so quickly after we’d found each other. I wasn’t fair, we needed more time. The universe owed me that.
I heard a muffled bang and saw a great plume of black smoke rise out of the canyon. That was Theo’s bike then, exploding as it hit the ground, and, before long, we may be landing on it. I grabbed Theo’s hand as he held me tight, looking down at his sweet face as we went over. Never thought I’d go like this. I guess you never know.
The pit of my stomach opened up as we dropped but, an instant later, my feet hit solid ground. My body kept going and I nearly went head over heels before Theo grabbed me around the waist and held me to him. Trying to get my breathing back under control, I quickly took in my surroundings.
We’d gone over the edge, sure. Theo pushed me until my back was against the soft, orange dirt of the sheer face and I was standing on a thin precipice, no more than two feet wide, about six foot down from the edge of the drop off. Seriously? I thought, surely this only happens in bad movies. I guess the universe decided it did owe me, after all.
“Are you okay?” demanded Theo, urgently.
The tough denim of my jeans had kept the worst of the road rash from my legs and butt. I had some scratches on my arms and hands, and I was sure there were enough bruises to make sure I was going to be sore tomorrow, but I nodded yes. He hugged me.
“Now what?” I asked. And then we heard gunfire.
Theo tried to leap up and grab something to pull himself back to the road, but there was nothing to get hold of. I tried pushing him as he jumped, but that made no difference. We heard automatic fire, several meaty reports from a big gun and then, apart from the distant crackling from Theo’s burning bike, way below us, the valley went eerily quiet.
We looked at each other for a moment, then heard footsteps approaching. Someone was dragging a leg slowly behind them, but they were getting closer all the time. Theo pulled out his gun, so I grabbed the Glock from the back of my waistband. We couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t move back to see who was up there, could only keep ourselves flat against the cliff face, ready to shoot anybody who stuck their head over the edge.
“Well,” I froze as I heard Vinnie’s gruff voice, “I guess that’s that. Bye-bye, beautiful,” he said. I could see Theo trying to figure out how to get a clear shot at Vinnie without leaving himself completely vulnerable, but there was just no way. We heard Vinnie limp away and, soon enough, the sound of a high revving, high-powered engine screamed past above us and disappeared into the distance, the way we’d come.
“Frost!” yelled Theo, and I screamed with him.
Please let him be okay, I said to myself. Apart from anything, if we were alone out here now we’d be stuck on this ledge until we died of thirst.
“Shut your yapping, I hear you!” came his laconic voice. His weathered face appeared upside down over the side and I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my life. “Shit!” he exclaimed when he saw us. “What are you, in a cartoon?”
“Just get us out of here, you old fuck,” smiled Theo.
Frost dangled down an arm. Theo made me take it and, between his pushing my ass and Frost pulling, I made it up to the roadway. I gave Frost a big kiss on the lips, so happy to see he was okay. He grinned back at me and, together, we were able to haul Theo up.
“Give me a cigarette,” ordered Frost, still lying on his front, looking down into the ravine. Theo found some and lit two, after I refused one. He passed the spare to Frost. “Stroke of luck for you two love birds.”
“How you figure?” inquired Theo.
“Asshole thinks you’re dead now. You can just disappear.”
My heart leaped up in my chest. He was right. This could be our chance. We could just leave LA; Vinnie would never know.”
“What about the crew? The war?” Theo asked.
“I don’t think we’ve done enough damage,” groaned Frost. “I got him in the leg, but I think he’ll let it go.”
“So, how do three of us ride out of here on one bike?” I said, half-jokingly, before I saw the concerned look on Theo’s face. He slid his hand under Frost and gently turned the older man over.
“I don’t think you’re gonna need to worry about that, Piper honey,” he smiled weakly. Dark blood oozed from a half dozen holes down his left side, and his jeans were soaked with it. He was a total mess and I couldn’t believe he was still breathing, let alone able to crawl fifty yards and lift us out of a canyon.
“Stay still, brother,” said Theo. He tried to keep his voice strong but I heard it falter. He fumbled with his cell phone. “We’ll get you an ambulance, you’ll be fine.” I took hold of Frost’s bloody hand and put my other arm around Theo. I could see the tears forming in his eyes and felt them in mine.
“Sure, kid, sure,” Frost replied, coughing up a little more blood, “have them bring me a beer when they come, will you?”
“Anything you want.” A tear rolled down Theo’s cheek.
“Do me a favor, Piper honey,” Frost turned to me. “Look after this kid, will you? He’s too stupid to be left alone.”
I nodded to him and put Theo’s hand his, holding mine over them both, as we saw the life leave Frost’s eyes and heard his last breath fade away.
***
I held Theo, Theo held Frost’s hand, for the longest time. Theo didn’t sob, didn’t weep. He just sat, silently staring out into the ravine, whereas the tears flowed freely down my face while I held him. Here was another person, an individual, that had suffered because of me and my situation. He’d suffered and died.
“It’s not your fault,” whispered Theo, reading my mind again. “It’s not your fault. It’s Vinnie’s. And who the fuck knows how many more lives have been ruined or ended by that asshole. He needs to be stopped. He needs to die.”
I didn’t say anything because I couldn’t. I should have argued, should have told him there’s no point wasting any more life on Vinnie, but I couldn’t. Because I agreed with him. Vinnie was a plague, a disease of this world and he needed to be wiped out.
“Should we bury him?” I changed the subject with a small sniff. Theo thought some more.
“Frost always spoke about going out in style, riding his hog into a big rig or off some mountain. He’d be pissed to be thrown in the ground and covered up with dirt. He never hunted worms, he’d want to be food for bears, cougars, and coyotes, not insects.” Theo looked out into the ravine again.
“Are you sure? It seems disrespectful,” I said.
“To who?” he turned on me, a determined tone in his voice. “Let him be buried at the bottom of this canyon, with what’s left of my bike. It’s what he would want. At least he’ll have a ride in the afterlife.” Theo smiled up into the sky. “But he’ll need a piece, too.”
I found the big revolver on the ground and passed it to Theo. He slipped it into its holster as I helped him haul Frost’s body right to the edge, where there was no outcrop to catch him, as it had done us.
“I’ll never forget you,” I whispered as we held him.
“Take it easy, brother,” muttered Theo, before letting his old buddy go. He fell gracefully through the green treetops, out of sight. We didn’t hear or see anything further.
Leaving the edge of the road, we went over to Frost’s bike. I wrapped my arm around Theo’s waist, trying to support him any way I could. When we reached it, we saw the back tire was flat. Theo tried the motor, but it wouldn’t start. It looked like we were stuck for a while.
Taking out his cell phone, Theo made a call. I only heard half of the conversation and it didn’t sound like good news. Whatever was bothering Link on the other end of the line, it was serious.
“Okay, brother,” Theo shouted at his phone, “have everyone report in, I’ll try and get there as soon as I can.”
“You didn’t tell him about Frost,” I said after he’d hung up.
“He doesn’t need more bad news right now,” replied Theo through clenched teeth, “and that sort of news needs to be delivered in person.” He turned back to the bike and began examining the engine.
“So, what now?”
“Well, it’s war,” he let out a long breath. “So the mob’s all over us. At least two clubs that we provide security for have been hit. Vinnie’s boys are offering their own protection and taking out our guys to show they need it. And there’s been three just random attacks. They’re targeting anyone in one of our vests, in broad daylight. They’re serious.”
I looked down at Frost’s vest that I was still wearing. If I took it off I’d be left in only my bra but, if I kept it on, I could get shot in the back. Theo saw my indecision and smiled a little.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Keep it, we need to present it to Tina. No mobster will be coming along this road, anyway. We’re dead remember?” I smiled back at him. “Bad news is, if those assholes are tailing vests, Link can’t risk coming out to get us and leading them here. We’re on our own.”
He got out a pocket knife and started poking at the chrome cylinders of the motor. I could see the tension moving up through his shoulders, the frustration beginning to show.
“Anything I can do to help?” I offered.
“Not unless you got a spare rear tire in your purse.”
“Dammit, I do, but I left my purse at home!”
He gave me a strained smile, then turned back to the bike. “Fuck!” he spat, stabbing the knife into the tarmac, hard enough to snap the blade. “Even if I get it started, we can’t go anywhere on a goddamn flat tire!”
“It’s okay,” I soothed him, pulling him away from the bike. I made him sit down on the other edge of the road, where the hill continued upwards again. We both pulled the uncomfortable weapons from our waistbands and set them on the ground. He leaned his back against the dirt while I straddled his legs, brushing the hair out of his face.
“It’s not okay,” he sighed. “Frost is gone, we’ve got brothers dying out there and I’m stuck… we’re stuck here in the middle of nowhere.”
“Hey,” I shook his head to look at me, “we’ll make it. You haven’t let me down yet and I’m sure it’s the same for your crew. I know you’re not about to start now. Take a breath.”
I smiled mischievously to myself and unzipped the vest I was wearing. My boobs popped out, barely contained by their black bra, and gave him something else to think about.
“What are you doing?” he smiled as I took his hand and held his open palm against my full breast. I pushed the strap down my shoulder a little so I could lift it out of its cup and feel his rough hand against my hardening nipple.
“Helping you relax a little,” I closed my eyes and let out a soft moan as he squeezed me. “Is it working?”
“Kinda,” he replied. I reached down to his crotch and found a certain part of him very tense indeed. I opened his fly and set his cock free. It stuck straight up, pointing right at my sex. “Right here? Really?” he raised an eyebrow.
I seductively bit my lip and nodded at him, standing so I could pull one leg out of my jeans and panties. His eyes lit up as my naked pussy appeared before him. I licked my fingers.
“This,” I told him, indicating my pussy and sliding my wet fingers over it, “in my expert opinion as a former practicing professional sex therapist, is exactly what’s requires to help you both grieve properly and find us a way out of here.”
He scrambled to pull his pants down too, getting them just past his knees, then growled softly and grabbed my buttocks, pulling me against his mouth. His soft lips and tongue slipped all over me, rubbing and flicking my clit, licking up inside my hole, sending shivers right up my body, heat to my already hard nipples, and quiet moans from my mouth. My breathing very quickly grew ragged and I knew I needed to have him inside me.
I gripped his hair and pulled his mouth 0ff my, holding him just over a tongue's length from me, teasing us both with him so close, but pulling my moist pussy away from him every time he made a little lunge at me, until I lowered myself straight down onto his hard cock. He slipped straight up me, his powerful rod sliding its way right to my very core. We groaned in loud unison as I pushed him as far inside him as I could.
I held him there, enclosing him, flexing my soft pussy walls around him, enjoying the feel of him, firm and hot, inside me. I still had my feet flat on the ground. I looked down and could clearly see him disappearing into my sexy wet slit. Hypnotized by that enticing sight, I worked my knees and started bobbing myself up and down on him, fucking my pussy harder and harder onto his big dick, my gentle cries growing louder and louder with every penetration.
His hands mashed my tits. He smacked his head on the hillside behind him. He grabbed my butt and held it still while he jackhammered me from below. I pushed his hands back to the rocks and ground down on him. It was wild, pure, primal fucking, totally abandoned, like it could be the last time we were together.
I held still and let him thrust up into me again, while I touched myself. I frigged my clit in time with this pounding until, finally, I felt my pussy exploded in a ball of white hot ecstasy and I screamed as he shot his wad deep inside me.
Our breathing slowed, in time with the cries of rapture we were polluting our surroundings with, as felt the pulsing of his cock inside me die away. I swear it was so easy to cum with him; like his cock was made just for me. Then again, it could just have been five years of unwelcome sex with no payoff. Maybe I’d just built up a healthy supply of orgasms I had to get through? Whichever it was, I just wanted to fuck him all the time, and I was happy about it.
“So,” I gasped, trying to pull up my bra strap and cover up my exposed breast, “did you think of a way to get us out of here?”
“Maybe,” he looked out into the distance for a second, and I realized he was listening. “Hide your ass, quick!” he snapped with a smile, throwing me off him.
“What the fuck…?” I yelled as he stood up, pulling his pants back up. Then I heard it too. An engine. I heard it just in time to see an old pickup come around the bend a few hundred yards back. “Oh, shit!” I giggled, hopping away to try and hide behind Theo so I could get my jeans back on. “I told you I would help you find a way out of this.”
“So, the reason this truck has appeared right now is because of you and your vagina?” he smirked and put his arms up to flag it down.
“Of course,” I told him, doing up Frost’s vest at last. “Why? Was there ever any doubt?”