Carey
“Tell me again why we’re taking the bus?” Carey asked, her eyes looking out the window onto the lonely, dark road that led to Holyoke.
“Because not all of us have a fancy car that our parents bought for us,” said Lily, flipping aimlessly through her phone.
“Lot of good that does me now,” said Carey. “Not like they’re letting me bring it here for the summer.”
“I still can’t get over that,” said Lily. “Making you leave your car at home? You’d think we were driving into Afghanistan or something. Not some place two hours out of Boston.”
“They’re insane like that,” said Carey. “They think that any place that’s not a gated community or an upscale shopping mall is a warzone. I’m just glad they agreed to let me come.”
“Oh, how’d they take it, by the way?”
“Not well,” said Carey. “I mean, once I told them that it was because of a school thing they warmed up to it, but they’re pretty peeved I’m not hanging out at home getting doted on by Prince Brady.”
“Has he said anything to you?”
“We texted a little bit,” said Carey. “He sent me a frowny-face emoji when I told him.”
“Ew!” said Lily, letting out a quick ringing laugh. “Not a good look.”
“No kidding.”
Carey looked off into the distance ahead of the bus and saw a sign that indicated they were only a few minutes away from the bus station, the bright lights of the outskirts of the city cutting through the dark of the night.
“Are we getting picked up?” asked Carey.
“Nope,” said Lily. “Mom’s pulling a nightshift at her restaurant, so she told us just to call a cab.”
Carey knew that Lily’s father had abandoned them long ago, so she knew better than to ask about that.
“And what about Liam?” asked Carey, referring to Lily’s brother, a man who’d she only heard about in passing.
“The less said about that asshole, the better.”
Carey took that as a clear sign to drop that line of conversation.
After another ten minutes or so of driving, the bus pulled into the depot and the passengers began milling out, grabbing their belongings as they did.
“Shit,” said Lily. “We gotta hurry if we want to catch a cab; they never have enough waiting out by the depot.”
The two girls scrambled off of the bus, and Carey scanned the area eagerly for a cab. But, just as Lily had warned, the passengers who had gotten off before them had taken them all.
“Dammit,” said Lily. “Gotta wait here until more come, then.”
The girls plopped down on the curb. As they did, Carey took in her surroundings. To say that Holyoke was a little rundown would be an understatement. The place struck her as one of those halfway forgotten towns that had been in steady decline since the middle of the twentieth century, possibly a former bustling manufacturing city that was now a shadow of its former self.
Whatever the reason for the state of the city, Carey couldn’t help but feel nervous. Despite feeling that way, however, she didn’t want to share her concerns with Lily. The last thing she wanted was to sound like a complaining, rich brat who was scared to be out of her comfort zone for even one moment.
They continued sitting for a time, the depot growing more and more desolate by the minute. Finally, a voice called out to them.
“Yo, ladies! We’re closin’! Find someplace else to be!”
“Fine, fine,” Lily called back over her shoulder.
Then, the main lights of the depot shut off, the area darkening significantly.
“What?” asked Carey. “They’re just kicking us out?”
“It’s no problem,” said Lily, standing up and stretching her legs. “We can just start heading towards the downtown area; we’ll find a cab on the way.”
With that, Lily started off, not seeming to be bothered in the slightest. Carey, not wanting to be left alone despite also not wanting to wander further into town, grabbed her bag off of the pavement and hurried along after Lily.
“How long of a walk is it to downtown?” asked Carey, her eyes on the desolate urban area around her.
“Um, around a forty-five-minute walk. But we won’t have to go that far. Like I said, we’ll be able to flag down a taxi cab before then.”
Lily then turned her gaze to Carey, apparently sensing her anxiety.
“Chill out, girl!” said Lily, giving Carey a friendly pat on the back.
“I’m not nervous,” said Carey, blurting the words out. “I’m just, um, ready to get to your place and get some rest.”
“You’re as bad of a liar as you’re good as an artist,” said Lily. “You look like a scared little Chihuahua trying to sneak through the lion pen at the zoo or something.”
“No, I don’t,” said Carey.
She stopped before she let out another bad lie.
They continued on for a time, the sidewalks as desolate as the bus depot. After a time, however, Carey heard the sound of some kind of commotion around the next block. As the girls continued on, the sounds grew louder, and Carey could tell that it was a group of rowdy men drawing closer and closer by the second. Her stomach began to tighten, and she frantically scanned the length of the road for any sign of an approaching cab. But there was no car to be found.
After another few moments, the commotion growing louder all the while, the group of men finally turned the corner. Once they spotted Lily and Carey they stopped for a moment, sizing up the girls.
“Oh, great,” said Lily. “Bunch of obnoxious drunk guys. Just don’t make eye contact and keep walking. If they say anything, just give them the finger and that’s it.”
Lily sounded confident, as though she’d dealt with situations like this in the past. But Carey could only feel her fear grow by the second. The men turned towards the girls, their commotion now more restrained as they approached the pair. Carey flicked a short glance at the men, long enough to see that they were all sloppy, middle-aged men in working clothes and boots—there were around six or so in total.
“Mmm,” said one, a tall, lower-class-looking man with a shaved head. “Don’t see pussy like this around here very often.”
Carey did as Lily said, keeping her head down and hurrying along the sidewalk. As she drew closer to the men, she could smell the telltale stench of cigarettes, whiskey, and cheap beer.
“No kiddin’,” said another. “What I wouldn’t do to get at that ass of yours, blondie.”
One of the men whistled, and the other laughed.
“Nah, me,” said another of the men, “I like that mousey one there. Girls like her who look like they spend all fuckin’ day at the library always know just how to work a dick.”
Carey felt her skin crawl. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Lily raised her hand and flicked a middle finger towards the men, who made impressed noises in response.
“I was thinkin’ the brunette, but I like a girl with some spunk,” said one of the men.
“Fuck, I’ll take ’em both.”
Carey and Lily picked up the pace of their steps, but the men followed hot on their heels. The skin on the back of Carey’s neck began to tingle, and a horrible mixture of panic and fear gripped her. Far from leaving them alone, the men soon caught up with the girls and formed a circle around them. Carey looked up in horror as she realized that they were surrounded.
“Leave us the fuck alone!” said Lily, her voice edged with anger.
“Now, I like a girl with some attitude, but you’re gonna need to shut the fuck up right now,” said one of the men.
“So,” said another of the men, “how’s about you girls come with the boys and I for a little nightcap? I promise that we won’t bite.”
“Until later in the night,” said another.
The men chuckled. Carey looked around frantically, hoping to spot some way to escape. But she and Lily were stuck in the center of the circle of men; they weren’t getting free unless the men allowed them—and it didn’t look like that’s what they wanted in the slightest. She’d never been more terrified in her entire life.
The circle of men began to close around the two girls, the lecherous smiles of the men like those of ghouls.
But before the men could close the distance entirely, a booming sound cut through the still evening air. Carey’s attention snapped in the direction of the noise, and before she could think about what the cause might be, more booms sounded out.
“What the fuck is that?” said one of the men.
“Sounds like bombs or something,” said another.
Then the booms turned to growls, and Carey soon recognized what they were: they were engines. At the far end of the road, a group of bright lights turned the corner and began tearing down the road in the direction of the girls and their male pursuers. The roar of the bikes grew to a deafening volume as the bikes approached, and as they passed, Carey caught a glimpse of them. They were musclebound men covered in tattoos and clad in leather and denim. Some had wild hair and even wilder beards, and one, the man in the front of the pack, had a head that was shaved completely.
The men blew past the girls, but Carey saw them turn their heads to check out the scene. Sure enough, before they reached the next block the men brought their bikes to screeching halts before turning around and driving up to the side of the disturbance.
At first, Carey was relieved. But as she got a closer look at the fearsome men, all seeming as rough and dangerous as they came, she wondered if she’d just gone from the frying pan and into the fire.
“What the fuck’s going on here?” called out one of the men as he popped out the kickstand of his bike and stepped off.
Carey’s eyes went right to the biker, who—judging by his bearing—was the leader of the group.
Holy shit, she thought to herself as the man approached. He’s gorgeous.
The man was tall—that was the first thing that Carey noticed. He towered over the men gathered around them, striking Carey as a grown up getting ready to scold a gang of unruly children. His head was shaved down to a rough buzzcut, and his muscular, powerful frame looked to be on the verge of bursting out of his tight white T-shirt and dark blue jeans. His face was dusted with stubble, the five-o’clock-shadow only mildly obscuring his stunning features of sensual lips, a strong, wide jaw, and piercing, sky-blue eyes sat under a furrowed brow. The man was so impressive-looking that Carey forgot for a brief moment about how dangerous her situation was.
The group of rowdy, drunken men turned their attention from Carey and Lily and to the bikers. The two sides squared up in front of one another, and it looked to Carey as though a fight could break out at any moment.
“Who the fuck do you think you assholes are?” asked one of the men as he stepped closer to the bikers.
The blue-eyed man regarded the drunks carefully, his face impassive as he sized up the scene. Breaking from his crew, he stepped closer to the men and began pacing slowly back and forth in front of them. He appeared to Carey to have not the slightest trace of fear in him.
“Wait a fucking minute,” said one of the bikers who’d just finished stepped off his ride. “Lily? What the fuck?”
Carey and Lily’s glance shot to the biker. He pulled off his helmet, revealing a long mane of blond hair that fell onto his shoulders. He wore the same denim and leather as the rest of the crew, and on his neck was a winding tattoo of a snake. As Carey looked over the man’s features, she realized that he struck her as very, very familiar.
“Liam?” asked Lily.
Holy shit, thought Carey, noting just how similar her friend looked to the biker. Is that …
“What the hell are you doing in this part of town?” asked Liam, his voice frustrated, as if this was a situation he’d dealt with before. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”
“School’s out,” said Lily. “You’d know that if you actually talked to me every now and then.”
The blue-eyed man held up his hand, his gaze on Lily.
“This your sister?” he asked, his voice low and cool.
“Yeah, my braindead kid sister who doesn’t understand how fuckin’ dangerous this neighborhood is.”
“Nice fucking family reunion,” said one of the drunk men, his body language making it seem he was eager for a fight. “But you assholes can get the fuck back on your little bicycles and get the hell out of here now.”
The blue-eyed man turned his attention back to the drunks.
“The only assholes getting the fuck out of here are you,” he said, his gaze hard.
Carey’s heart continued to pound in her chest. Part of her knew she should try to make a break for it, but her body felt frozen beneath her.
“The fuck you just say to me?” said the drunk man. “Who the hell do you think you are, prick?”
Carey’s heart skipped a beat. She’d only just known the blue-eyed man existed, but even from her brief exposure to him she could tell that he wasn’t the kind of man to talk to like that.
The blue-eyed man turned his eyes to the mouthy drunk, his gaze steely.
“I’m feeling charitable today,” he said, his tone still firm and uncompromising. “So, I’m gonna give you assholes one chance to turn around and get the fuck out of here.”
“Yeah? Or else what?” said one of the men.
“Try something and you’ll find out,” said the blue-eyed man. “Now, are you gonna do the smart thing, or the stupid thing? Your call, boys.”
The men exchanged bleary, intoxicated looks at one another. Then, before anyone had a chance to react, the mouthiest of the drunks turned to the blue-eyed man, squared his shoulders, and took a swing. His fist made a sloppy arc through the air, and the blue-eyed man reacted to it instantly. Stepping back slightly, he let the fist pass harmlessly through the air in front of his face before reaching out with lightning-quick speed and grabbing it and the drunk’s forearm. With a fluid, effortless motion, he pulled the man towards him and tossed him onto the ground, the man’s body hitting the sidewalk with a dull thud.
Carey watched the unfolding with disbelief. She couldn’t believe how effortless the man’s movements were, and how calm and in control he was during the entire process. Once the drunk was out of the picture, the blue-eyed man turned his attention back to the rest of the group, the man he’d tossed writhing on the ground in pain.
Without any control on her part, Carey let out a shriek and ran to Lily’s side. She’d never seen violence up close like this before, and she wasn’t prepared for it in the least. She felt herself shiver, and as she huddled in fear, she felt the blue-eyed man’s gaze flick to her for a brief moment.
“Last chance,” he said. “Or else you join your dumbass friend on the ground.”
The drunks exchanged one last frantic look before exploding into runs, all of them rushing off into different directions and leaving the thrown man on the ground.
“What you want to do about this one, boss?” asked one of the crew.
“Leave him there,” he said. “Give him something to think about during the hangover tomorrow.”
Liam hurried through the men and ran up to his sister.
“Jesus, Lily,” he said, looking her over with frantic eyes. “What the fuck are you doing out here? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” said Lily, stubbornness in her voice. “And I don’t need you to baby me; I would’ve been okay.”
“Are you kidding me?” he asked. “You had a half-dozen drunk assholes about to do whatever the fuck they wanted with you and your friend here, and you want to tell me that you would’ve been fine? You’re outta your goddamn mind.”
“Leave me alone, asshole,” said Lily. “And that goes for you and your fucking crook friends.”
Carey watched the scene with wide eyes, unsure of what to say or to do.
“For fuck’s sake,” said Liam, his blue eyes struck with an emotion that seemed to be a perfect blend of anger and concern. “I know you hate what I’m doing with my life, but at least let me help you when you’re in the middle of doing something fucking stupid.”
“Screw you,” said Lily, turning to leave.
Carey, not knowing what else to do, followed after her friend. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the blue-eyed man was watching everything with that same careful, cool expression.
“Come back here, Lily!” shouted Liam, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Fuck!”
Lily continued to storm off, and Carey did her best to keep up.
“That’s your brother?” asked Carey. “That’s Liam?”
“The one and goddamn only,” she said. “Stupid criminal lowlife asshole.”
Carey knew that she didn’t need the skills of a psychologist to know that there was major tension between the two siblings.
“Shouldn’t we at least let them take us home?” asked Carey. “I don’t really want to get jumped again.”
“No fucking way,” said Lily. “I’m not going to accept a single bit of help from him or his stupid thug friends. We’re almost down to the center of town; we can get a cab there.”
Carey looked further down the road, noting that it seemed just as dangerous-looking as the area that they’d just come from. She realized instantly that she’d much rather be with the bikers that they’d left behind. Not to mention that the blue-eyed man’s face was still fresh in her mind.
Just at that moment, the revving of an engine sounded out.
“Just keep walking,” said Lily. “He’ll get the hint.”
Carey looked over her shoulder and watched as the blue-eyed man appeared to be talking down Liam as the former gunned the engine of his bike and prepared to take off. Moments later, the blue-eyed man was riding down the road, approaching Carey and Lily.
“Just keep walking.”
Soon, the blue-eyed man was at their side, his steely gaze on the two girls. Carey turned to face him, and he gave a single, slow nod of his head before turning his eyes back onto the road.
“We don’t need your help, dude!” Lily called out as they continued on.
Though Carey didn’t want to admit it to Lily, with the man at her side she already felt much, much better.
The blue-eyed man continued along at their side, and soon the rest of the crew followed behind him, all of them driving slowly to keep pace with the girls. As they did, Carey felt the fear that had taken hold of her dissipate. She felt tense, but safe.
“Stupid assholes,” said Lily. “Acting like a bunch of dads or something, thinking they need to watch out for poor little ladies like us.”
“They did save us, though,” said Carey, trying hard not to stare at the blue-eyed man, who drove only about ten feet from her.
“We would’ve been fine,” said Lily, spitting out the words. “Those drunk dumbasses were all talk. Plus, I had mace if they tried any bullshit.”
Carey didn’t even want to think about how tiny Lily versus a half-dozen horny drunk men would’ve gone, mace or no mace.
The bikers kept pace with the girls up until they reached the city center. There, sure enough, were a handful of cabs parked here and there. The area also had a handful of open business, along with enough pedestrians to keep them safe. The bikers were, of course, the center of attention.
Once the girls reached their destination, Lily turned to the bikers.
“Okay, knights on shining motorcycles, we’re fine. You can leave us the fuck alone now.”
The blue-eyed man came to a halt, propping up his bike with his leg. He gave the girls one last look over, his gaze lingering on Carey for a long moment. Then, he revved his bike, turned around, and headed back the way that they came. The rest of the gang followed suit, with Liam giving his sister one last scolding as he took off.
“I’m getting this cab,” said Lily. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Sure,” said Carey, her voice faraway as she watched the bikers leave, the memory of the gorgeous man in charge and his piercing, beautiful blue eyes still fresh in her mind.