Kara

 

Kara spent the rest of the drive to Milwaukee in the grips of a tense feeling that she didn’t quite understand. She knew that the strange events of the last day were over and done with, and now that she’d dropped Ryder back with his motorcycle club, she could return to her normal life. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was still something lingering, something that she couldn’t get away from as simple as that.

 

I mean, she thought, he was really hot; I’d be totally lying to myself if I didn’t get that through my head. And the sex was … amazing. Better be honest about that too. And, I mean, if he did happen to show up again in my life and offer another fun, throw-away night like that, I suppose I wouldn’t turn him down. A girl can’t be lonely all the time, right?

 

The internal debate went back and forth as Kara drove.

 

But God, was he an asshole. And that hair trigger wasn’t exactly the nicest thing to see. Imagine dealing with that on a regular basis. It was so strange, though, how it all made me feel, now that I think about it. He seemed like he couldn’t control himself, especially when he came across his bike, but … I don’t know—I’m just so used to mild-mannered men that it was almost a nice change of pace. I can’t remember Leon ever getting a fraction that upset about anything, even when he should’ve.

 

Kara tossed the issue around in her mind as she made the rest of the drive to Milwaukee. She was relieved to see that the roads were mostly clear. More and more cars joined her on the interstate the further she traveled north, and she surmised that this meant that people were coming out of their evening of being hunkered down and rejoining the rest of the world.

 

As she drove, she found her eyes continually flicking up to her rearview mirror, a single headlight catching her attention. It seemed to have been behind her at about the same distance since she’d left Chicago, but she chalked it up to her imagination.

 

Realizing that she’d been driving in silence, Kara flicked on the radio.

 

“ …

 

Kara was happy to hear that. She’d had a nightmare scenario in mind of being caught out in another blizzard, this time further away from the city and without any shelter to get to. A chill ran up her spine as she considered just how close she’d cut it last night. If she hadn’t been able to find shelter, who knows what would’ve happened to her and Ryder.

 

Probably just would’ve had to rely on one another to keep warm, she thought, a small smile forming on her lips.

 

Her eyes went wide as soon as the words formed and dissipated in her mind. It was as though another voice, one more sexual than she thought herself to be, had invaded her internal monologue.

 

After a couple of uneventful hours of driving, Kara eventually reached her parents’ neighborhood in the suburbs of Milwaukee. Pulling into the driveway, a sense of relief washed over her, like something major had been finally put behind her and she could get to the relaxing she’d wanted to do when she’d set out the previous day.

 

As she killed the engine and stepped out of the car, the front door of her parents’ small ranch home opened up, her mom and dad emerging to greet her.

 

“There she is!” said her father, a tall, bald-headed man with a slim, wrinkled face. “There’s our little girl!”

 

“Oh my God,” said her mother, a squat, stout woman with a coif of white hair. “We’ve been so worried about you; you have no idea how stressed your father and I have been about you driving in this … insanity!”

 

“It’s fine, Mom,” said Kara, giving her parents a hug one after the other. “I had a little trouble last night, but nothing too major.”

 

“We’re happy to see you, of course,” said her father as he reached into the backseat and took out her small suitcase, “but not if it means you’re going to be stuck in a snowdrift freezing to death.”

 

“Oh, Harold,” said Kara’s mother, slapping her father on the shoulder. “Don’t even talk like that; you’re going to make me sick to my stomach.”

 

“She’s here now,” said her father. “Nothing to worry about.”

 

Kara hoped that that was the case. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, that she wasn’t quite out of the woods just yet. Then, a low, grumbling sound filled the air. Kara turned on her heel just in time to watch a motorcycle pass by slowly. She couldn’t quite make it out, but it seemed like the driver, whoever he was, took a good long look at her before passing the house and driving off into the distance.

 

“Ugh,” said Kara’s mother, waving her hands in disgust. “Who in this neighborhood even owns a motorcycle like that? Hate those things—too loud, too dangerous.”

 

“Let’s just get inside,” said her father. “I’m freezing my rear off.”

 

Minutes later, the three of them were in the kitchen, seated around the small breakfast nook and sipping coffee.

 

“So what happened last night, kiddo?” asked Kara’s father. “You get stuck somewhere?”

 

“Yeah,” said Kara, tracing the rim of her coffee cup with the tip of her index finger. “The snow hit hard when I was going up I-94. I thought I could make it at first, but it just started coming down so hard. Once I realized that driving was going to be impossible, I made the first turn-off I could and, luckily, there was a hotel right off the exit. I just got a room for the night. The girl at the front desk even gave it to me at a discount since there was, like, no one there.”

 

She was amazed at the ease with which she’d spun the lie. It all flowed out of her so smoothly that for a moment she tricked herself into thinking she was actually telling the truth. Kara knew she’d normally never lie to her parents this bald-faced, but she didn’t want them to know just how close she’d come to getting in serious trouble last night. Not to mention the whole thing with Ryder.

 

“Well, like I said,” spoke her father. “We’re just glad to have you here. And you know you’re more than welcome to stay as long as you want.”

 

“We know that you’ve still been all out of sorts since … all that happened with Leon,” said her mother, clearly uncomfortable at speaking the words.

 

“Still want to wring that little prick’s neck,” said her father. “Never liked that kid. All smiles and handshakes when he saw you but I always got a bad feeling from him. Then he proved me right by screwing around on my daughter.”

 

“Harold,” said Kara’s mother in a stern tone.

 

“I know, I know. But I just hate to think about the good years he stole from you. Throwing it away, and for what? Some floozie from his office? Sickening.”

 

“It’s fine, Dad,” said Kara. “I’m getting over it, I think. A little at a time.”

 

Maybe if I had a few more nights like last night, she thought, I’d get over it even faster.

 

Her eyes went a little wide at her surprise at having thoughts like that while sitting with her parents.

 

“You find anyone new yet?” asked her mother.

 

“Not really looking,” said Kara.

 

“Ridiculous,” said her mother. “Beautiful girl like you should have men kicking down her door. And I don’t want to put too fine a point on it, but you’re not getting any younger, sweetheart.”

 

“Mom!” exclaimed Kara.

 

“Susan!” said her father.

 

“What?” said her mother, a look of innocence on her face. “Just being realistic. You’re almost 30, baby. You’ll be stunning for a long while, but you’ll be surprised just how quick the male attention starts to dry up once you hit that age. Not to mention the whole thing with the babies and autism and what-have-you.”

 

“Let’s give our daughter at least an hour to relax before you start telling her horror stories about the ravages of age,” said her father. “She’s got plenty of time; she’ll find someone before too long.”

 

Kara’s stomach began to tense. She loved her parents, but did not, even in the slightest, want to have the same talk about how she needed to get hitched before she turned into a spinster.

 

Before she could give the matter too much more thought, however, a knock sounded through the house. Kara’s parents looked at each other quizzically.

 

“Were you expecting someone?” Kara’s mother asked to her father.

 

“Just the girl sitting at the table with us.”

 

Kara’s father hopped up and headed to the front door. Kara heard the murmuring of two low male voices, and she tried to crane her head to catch a better glimpse of just who was at the door.

 

“Kara?” called her father. “There’s a man here to see you. Says it’s important.”

 

Kara furrowed her brow and walked to the front door. It was shut, and her father stood by it.

 

“He looks like a rough customer,” her father said. “You want me to tell him to leave?”

 

“No, it’s fine,” said Kara.

 

She didn’t know who it was, but she had a very, very good idea. Sure enough, when she opened the door it was him. Ryder stood in the snow, his eyes narrowed and a grim expression on his face.

 

“We need to talk. Now.”