Need a Ride

(Mason)

I held the letter in my hand. I didn’t need to fucking read it, I wrote the words. I folded it in half and tore it at the bend. I ripped the fucking thing in half and dropped it to the dresser. I then pushed away from the dresser and turned around, feeling an emptiness in my heart.

“Fuck,” I said.

I looked at my bed.

That’s why I shouldn’t have done any of it. The neighbor thing. The caring thing. Letting myself slip, even an inch, toward something that could resemble realness.

I spun around and grabbed the letter. I opened it and put it back together. I spent five minutes trashing every drawer in the kitchen until I found a roll of tape. I taped the letter back together and put it back in my drawer. Violet may have found a few of the letters, but she didn’t know about the boxes of them in my closet. A letter a week for years.

It was the only way I knew how to survive in life, waiting to just have it all end. Yeah, it was fucking greedy to wish for something that most people feared. But if I went…

I pushed the drawer shut and had to get out of the apartment.

Outside, I saw that Violet’s car was gone.

I guess it was working today.

I climbed on my motorcycle and took a ride. I wasted two hours with just me, two wheels, and a sense of freedom that felt like prison. I would have kept riding but Hunter called me.

There was a problem at the shop.

When I got to the shop, everyone was standing around like someone had died. Shit, that’s what I thought had happened. I did a headcount and realized all my boys were there.

That’s when Hunter handed me a letter.

“Leo,” he whispered. “He’s coming after you. Wants to sue you for physical harm.”

Sure enough it was a legal document. I crumbled the letter up and dropped it to the ground. I stepped on it and twisted my foot.

“Why does that require all of you out here?” I asked.

“We’re worried about you,” Andy said. “This could get serious.”

“I’ll let my legal team handle it,” Mason said.

“Already called the lawyer,” Hunter said. “And made copies of the letter you just destroyed. That was a copy, actually. Your lawyer has the original.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Now can everyone get back to fucking work? I don’t give a shit who sues me, us, whatever. I own the building. The land. Everything. And our word is in our work. So standing is wasting time, wasting work, and wasting our word. Got it?”

The boys all nodded and the group broke up.

I gave it a few seconds and then looked at Hunter. “How bad?”

“Bad,” Hunter said. “I think you’ll have a little fight ahead.”

“I have witnesses.”

“He wants to come after the business, too. No offense, that worries me more.”

“Then get me on the phone with my lawyer,” I said. “I think I have an idea, Hunter.”

I patted his shoulder and kept walking.

I got through the day as we had four motorcycles picked up. There was nothing like that feeling. Standing there and seeing the look on someone’s face when they got to see their new ride. All that time, effort, everything coming together at once. It was also nice to get the cash or check, too. It was a very busy day when it came to money. It would help to pay the damn legal mess that Leo wanted to cause me.

In my office, I sat on my desk and finally took a breath. I normally didn’t get emotionally involved with my work, but today seemed to be a little different. I blamed Violet for that. Pushing at me, cracking my shell a little. She hated me so much, but maybe I was the one who hated her a little.

Hunter came strolling into my office with his hands in his pockets. “Good day today, Mason.”

“Yeah.”

“I shouldn’t have said what I said before. In front of everyone.”

“What?”

“This thing with Leo. Saying it was bad. It’s not bad.”

“It’s bad,” I said. “I’m not going to risk losing the shop and you guys. I promise. I hit the fucker. I’ll stand up and say it. He wants to hit me personally, I can deal with it. But I’ll make sure that the business is protected.”

“Nothing will happen,” Hunter said. “I wanted the guys to see that if they do dumb shit…”

“Hitting that fat prick wasn’t dumb.”

“True. But I’d rather you take someone out than one of our guys.”

“That I can agree with.”

“Let’s close this thing up soon,” Hunter said.

“Dicky can shut her down,” I said. “I’m going for another ride. My mind is not here today.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“I’ve never seen you fucked up before. Anything you want to talk about?”

“Nothing,” I repeated. I grabbed my keys and left Hunter nothing more than a head nod.

I didn’t need to cut my heart open to everyone with a question, did I?

Fuck that.

I walked through the shop and checked on all my boys. Asked what they were working on. Giving input when needed. Admiring the smallest of details that made my shop the best in the state. And I ran the damn thing tight and with perfection.

Not for me.

For her.

To show her that I could become something. Even if she’d never see it.

Shit, walking around the shop with Kate’s name floating around in my mind was a dangerous thing.

I got my motorcycle and before I could start it, my phone started to ring.

When I saw Violet’s name on the screen, I did a double take.

I thought about ignoring the call. Proving my point to her. Push her away as much as I could.

But it was too late… I had already accepted the damn call.

“Violet,” I said.

“I’m stuck.”

“What?”

“My fucking car, Mason. I need a ride.”

“I bet you do, babe,” I said with a grin.

“Fuck off. You said you’d help…”

“That’s before you went rooting through my shit.”

“I have nobody else to call,” she said. “I’m right outside Devilson. Please.”

“So is that what we are? I’ll fix your car and then I’ll fuck you. Got that? Nothing-”

“I need to go!” she yelled. “I need a ride. Fuck, Mason, don’t be selfish!”

I laughed. “I’ll send someone to find you.”

“My father is in the hospital,” she blurted out.

Time stood still.

“What happened?”

That’s when I heard her sniffle.

Ah, shit, she was crying.

“He got hurt,” she said. “I have to go see him. Right now. And my fucking car won’t start again.”

“Violet, calm down,” I said. “Listen to me. Just stay right there. How serious is it?”

“My mother called and said that he got hurt at work,” Violet said. She was panicking. And she was alone. “She sounded upset. I know she doesn’t like hospitals and stuff. I have to be there.”

“Okay, then I’ll get you there,” I said. “I’m on my way.”

“Mason…”

“Stay right there, babe.”

I killed the call, fired up my two wheeled beast, and hit the road.

I peeled out of the lot, not sure what was happening inside me. Was I just trying to be a nice guy to Violet? Or something else?

It was her father.

I didn’t want her to feel what I felt.

I couldn’t save her father if something was seriously wrong, but I could at least be there.

Shit, I really wanted to be there for her and with her.

* * *

The car was dead. Violet threw her arms around me and cried. I rubbed her back for a few seconds and then told her we had to go. She got on the back of my motorcycle and I darted back to the apartment building to get my truck. I asked her if she wanted to get anything out of her place and she was dazed. Trying to call her mother, but getting no response. That only fueled her worry.

I took her by the hand and dragged her to my truck. I opened the door and got her into the passenger seat. I then touched her face, breaking her empty stare, and forced her to look at me.

“Violet, it’ll be okay,” I said.

“You don’t know that. You don’t know what they mean to me. I left them. To come here. To be… this?”

Shit, she was getting deeper by the second with stuff.

I nodded. “Right. I’m going to go get some clothes for you. Then we’ll go. You just give me the address and then do what you need to do.”

I moved and she grabbed my shirt. “Mason. Kiss me.”

“What?”

“Just kiss me. Remind me that I’m alive.”

It was weird, even for me. But I went in for a kiss. My lips to hers. My tongue sliding into her mouth. Tasting her. Wanting her. Goddamn falling for her, that’s what was happening.

I broke the kiss.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For being there.”

I nodded.

I hurried into the building. I hit my place first. Threw some shit into a bag and locked the place up. Then I went into her place. I never thought I’d be going through her drawers like I was, but life had a fucked up way of making things happen.

I grabbed what I could and got out of there. I paused for a quick second to snag her laptop, charger, and her bag of business stuff.

Then I rushed back to the truck.

Violet was in tears again. I feared the worst as I opened the driver’s door.

She looked at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Surgery,” she whispered. “Mom couldn’t talk though. Said they were rushing him for surgery.”

“Ah, shit,” I said. “Let’s get moving then.”

I climbed into the truck and started to drive.

We were in silence for a little bit. According to the address she put into her phone, we still had a good two hours in the truck. I drove as fast I could without putting her in danger. I wanted to ask about her father, but didn’t want to keep the subject on that.

This was uncharted waters for me.

I never did this for a woman before. And why would I? What the fuck did I care?

With Violet though…

I saw her hand fumbling with the edge of the seat.

I reached for her. I grabbed her hand and squeezed.

She let out a little moaning sound and then nodded.

We looked at each other for a second and something just clicked.

Something hit me hard right in my gut.

I ripped my hand from hers. I gripped the wheel tight.

“The letters,” I whispered.

“Mason…”

“You trust me enough to call me and rely on me when shit hit the fan.”

“You were the first person on my mind.”

“And that bothers me.”

“I would have called Victoria, but she’s in Miami.”

“So I’m the back-up plan,” I said.

“Mason?”

“Yeah?”

“I really do hate you,” she said.

“I know you do, Violet. Now, do you want to hear about the letters?”

I looked at her quickly.

She nodded and said. “Yes.”