Kyle
Linda managed to find a plastic bag amongst all the chaos. She held it open as I carefully placed the gun inside. I was excited that I had finally managed to prove my innocence. “So, what do we do now?” I asked her, holding the gun. It felt strange knowing that this weapon had killed Ross in cold blood.
“We should get back to the warehouse.” She said. It was only then that I noticed just how tired she looked. There were bags under her eyes.
“You’re tired, aren’t you?”
“No.” She shook her head but as soon as she stopped, she yawned. I chuckled, pulling her close.
“Thank you for coming here with me. I hope you believe me now.”
“I do.” She nodded and it sent a shiver through my spine. After all this time, she was finally accepting my side of the story. “Now, all I have to do is prove that you’re innocent. But that means you’ll have to bring me back at some point.”
I frowned, not wanting her to leave. “How do I know you won’t just abandon me?”
She stood up and looked into my eyes for a moment before she got on her tippy-toes and kissed me. The kiss was full of passion and desire, her hands on my cheeks, keeping me trapped against her. Not that I minded. Her lips were one of the sweetest things I had ever tasted. I wrapped my arms around her waist, our passion increasing with every second.
Finally, she pulled away. “Now, let’s get out of here before I get sick.” I nodded, taking her hand and guiding her out of the apartment. Outside, the temperature had plummeted. Down the road, a few of the apartments were illuminated with light. I pulled Linda even closer, hoping no one would spot us. A girl like her just wasn’t safe in such a neighborhood. Quickly, I helped her with her helmet and then we were off.
The gun in my pocket felt like it weighed a ton. I couldn’t believe that I had actually found something that could prove my innocence. I smiled, tightening my grip on the handlebars as we picked up speed. Linda held onto me tightly, forcing me to slow down. I didn’t want her to get motion sick.
After a while, we arrived back at the warehouse. Inside, the usual crowd lingered around the poker table, making bets. At the bar, Olivia was sitting by herself, sipping on her drink. Looking up, she made eye contact with me and nodded. She got up and approached us. “Where have you two been all day?”
“It’s a long story,” I answered, looking toward the door to my loft. All I wanted to do at this point was fall into bed with Linda.
“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow at me, a smirk playing on her lips. “Did something happen between you two lovebirds?” Beside me, Linda started to fidget. When I looked down, her cheeks were already a soft shade of pink. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
I rolled my eyes. “Quit teasing her.”
Olivia laughed. “I’m not teasing.”
“Whatever. If you see Jones, tell him I got around to visiting Danny.”
“Oh?” Olivia’s face perked up at the name of her old boyfriend. “How did you manage that?”
“Well, we didn’t see him face to face.” Olivia furrowed her brows together in confusion. “We just paid a little visit to his apartment.”
“What for?”
“We needed some dirt on him.”
“And did you find anything?”
I pulled the gun out of my pocket, showing it to her. I placed it in her hand and she held it, examining it through the bag. The gun looked polished, suggesting that Danny had taken his time to wipe away any prints, but I was sure that the murder weapon would be my saving grace.
“Wow… you think this is the gun that killed Ross?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Olivia nodded, handing it back. “Well, I hope you manage to clear your name.” She patted my shoulder before walking away. Besides me, Linda was struggling to stay awake. Her eyelids were heavy and occasionally, she would jerk her head, trying to keep her eyes open. I smiled before I picked her up bridal style and carried her into my home. I turned on the heat before I climbed the stairs to the bedroom, gently laying her down.
She curled up almost instantly, looking all cute and innocent. I smiled at her before I took off her shoes, throwing them to the ground. Pulling up the blankets, she covered herself until only a halo of her blonde hair could be seen. “Are you that tired?” I asked as I kicked off my boots and started to undress. When I was in just my boxers, I jumped into the bed, joining her. “It wasn’t so hard, was it?” She looked at me, not saying a word. “Aw, c’mon don’t glare at me like that.”
“We nearly died, twice.”
“Well that’s a bit dramatic, isn’t it?”
“Whatever. What we did was still very dangerous. Those guys at the bar could’ve seriously hurt you.”
“But they didn’t.”
“They came pretty close.” She countered. “I don’t know if I can keep this up for much longer.”
“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to. You can finally get me out of your hair.”
“What do you mean?” She propped herself up slightly, her blue eyes wide. For a split second, I thought I saw something resembling concern in her eyes as if she never wanted to leave.
“Well, once we prove that I’m innocent, there’ll be no point in you sticking around.”
“What, are you getting rid of me already?” She asked, sounding offended.
“If it was up to me, I’d have you stick around forever, but I know you want to go back to your normal life. You’ve been pushing me away from the very start. I’m no idiot. I can tell when I’m not wanted.”
“It’s not like that…” She said, her voice a whisper.
“What is it then?”
She bit her lip, hesitating. She looked like she was on the verge of saying something, but remained silent. For a moment, I thought she would admit that she had feelings for me – that she liked me as much as I liked her – but it seemed like I was mistaken. This woman would never settle to be with a man like me. Thinking that maybe – just maybe – I had a chance with her was nothing more than wishful thinking.
“Look, let’s just get some sleep and we can talk about this in the morning.” She suggested, avoiding the conversation.
“Fine.” I laid my head down on the pillow and tried to sleep, but it was impossible with this beautiful woman beside me. I wanted to move closer and wrap my arms around her, but I wasn’t going to constantly force myself on her. If she really wanted me, she would make the first move.
As I laid there in the darkness, I could hear the soft rhythmic sound of her sleeping. I listened to it and it calmed me down. I didn’t want to say goodbye to this woman, but at the same time, I knew I couldn’t keep her in my life forever. I had probably already overstepped my boundaries. If I was a better man, I wouldn’t have put her in danger like I did today.
I turned my back to her, staring at the wall. I tried to close my eyes, but every time I did, all I could see was her beautiful face and those kissable lips of hers. I never wanted to let her go, but it already felt like I had lost her. I sighed and got up, tip-toeing down the stairs so I wouldn’t wake her.
I grabbed a book from my shelf and sat down on the couch. I settled myself before I started to read, hoping the story would help my restless mind. The hours passed slowly and before I realized it, dawn was breaking. Light filtered in through the windows, illuminating my home. I sighed, feeling fatigued after a sleepless night. I put the book down and leaned my head against the couch.
As I closed my eyes, exhaustion finally hit me and I fell into a deep slumber.
Linda found me in my dreams. She looked even more beautiful than usual, with her hair in tight, bouncy curls that framed her face to perfection. Her face seemed to glow, her skin flawless. She smiled at me, those plump pink lips beckoning me forward.
I stepped toward her, but the distance between us somehow remained the same. Her smile deepened and her blue eyes shimmered. Her lips moved as if she was saying something, but I couldn’t hear her. “Linda?” I called out, but my own voice was silenced.
I held out my hand and she held out hers. Our fingertips nearly touched before she started moving away from me once again, getting further and further away. “Linda!” I screamed, sprinting towards her, but she moved much too fast. The white dress she wore fluttered around her feet, making it seem like she was floating away from me. “Linda!” I screamed again, but she had already turned her back to me.
I tried to run faster, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t catch up. I tried calling after her again and again, but she just kept getting farther and farther.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion made me freeze in place. It sounded like a gunshot. My ears rang with it before I noticed Linda was now sprawled on the ground. As I got closer, the hem of her dress turned red, the color seeping through the fabric, dying the whole thing in a deep crimson. “Linda… get up…” I kneeled down beside her, carefully turning her over.
There was a rose pinned to her chest. Its petals were pure white even as the color-changing dress surrounded it. I carefully took it between my fingers, trying not to damage it. As I did, I exposed a large gaping hole in her chest. Looking down, the rose had turned into a gun and I realized that I was the one who had killed her.
I woke with a start, screaming her name. My eyes shot open and I looked around, breathing hard.
“Damn! What the hell was that?” Linda looked up at me, her eyes wide with fear. She was sitting at the kitchen table, a fork in her hand, as she ate an omelet. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my neck, feeling a little embarrassed after my outburst.
“You sure?” She frowned, looking concerned.
“Yeah,” I repeated, wishing she would drop the conversation. “What are you doing anyway?”
“Eating breakfast. There’s extra if you want some.”
I was still dazed after the horrible nightmare. I ran my fingers through my thick hair and got up, my bones cracking. “What time is it?”
“Quarter to noon.”
“Did you just get up?”
“About two hours ago. I took a shower, I hope you don’t mind. I tried to wake you, but you were fast asleep.”
“Maybe you should’ve tried harder…” I mumbled under my breath. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. I kept my eyes on her if only to make sure that she was still real and not a figment of my cruel imagination.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked. “And if you’re going to have breakfast – it’s getting cold.”
I sat down numbly, the food tasting rotten in my mouth, but I did my best to force it down, if only for her benefit.
“It’s nothing.”
“Don’t give me that crap. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“It’s nothing,” I said firmly. “I just had a bad dream is all.”
She frowned. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” I grabbed the cup of coffee she had made for me and chugged almost all of it, hoping it would settle my nerves.
“I’ve never seen you like this. Must’ve been one hell of a nightmare.” She reached across the table and grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently. “Whatever it was, it was only a dream.” She assured me, but I was no longer so certain. By bringing Linda into the chaotic world of bikers, I was putting her life in jeopardy. If anything happened to her, it would be my fault. My fingers tightened around the cup, nearly shattering it. “It’ll be okay.” She squeezed my hand once more before letting go.
“Do you not like the omelet?” She asked.
“I do. I’m just not very hungry.” I finished my coffee and gently placed the cup down.
“So, when do you think you’ll be able to bring me back to my apartment? I should start getting ready for your case appeal. It’ll be a lot of hard work if I want to prove that you were innocent.”
I ground my teeth together, trying to forget about my dream, but it kept nagging at me. “Today, I guess.” I wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but I knew I couldn’t keep her here forever.
***
We reached her apartment sooner than I had wanted. She let go of my waist and I frowned, killing the engine. She hopped off, walking up to her home with excitement. Looking underneath the welcome mat, she grabbed a spare key and started opening the door. “You know, you really shouldn’t keep a spare in such an obvious place.”
“It’s fine. This part of the town has a very low crime rate. Most of the time, I just leave the doors unlocked.” That didn’t make me feel any better. She opened the door and walked inside, turning on the light. It smelled a little stale since no one had been there for a few days. “Home sweet home.” She smiled, slumping into her couch.
I sat down beside her, my hand resting on hers. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”
“What for? I can just call you when I’m done gathering up all the things we need. Besides, it’s a lot easier to work when I’m by myself. Having you here would just be a distraction.” She winked at me.
“I can be quiet. It’ll be like I wasn’t even here.”
“It doesn’t work like that. I’ll still know you’re here and that alone might be enough to tempt me…” She grinned, moving onto my lap. I rested my hands on her hips, holding her close before our lips smashed together in a mind-numbing kiss. I pressed my hands against the small of her back, forcing our hips to lock. How could I leave this woman alone when I knew she was now a target for my enemies? She was the kink in my armor and I couldn’t just leave her unguarded.
All too quickly, she pushed me away. “You really should leave. I have a lot of work to do.”
“Are you sure?” I asked one last time, hoping she would change her mind. In the pit of my stomach, I felt a deep sense of dread.
“Yes, yes. I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself. I’ve been living alone for years before you showed up.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t worry about you.”
“What are you worried about anyway? What’s going to happen to me?” She asked as she played with my hair. “Those people at the bar barely got a good look at me and besides, I doubt the bartender is going to come after me.”
“It’s not about that. When you’re in a Motorcycle Club, you get your fair share of enemies. As the leader of the Black Birds, I have quite a few under my belt. I’m just worried they might come after you.”
“Stop worrying about me so much. I’ll be okay, I promise.” She gave me a quick peck on the lips before getting up. She grabbed my hand and hoisted me off the couch. “Now scram.”
“How long are you going to take?”
“I’ll give you a call when I’m done, but it might take a while. A few weeks maybe.” I groaned inwardly at her response. Did she really expect me to stay away from her for weeks?
“You really do want to get away from me, don’t you?”
“Hmm?”
“This whole time, you’ve been pushing me away. Even now, when you know I’m innocent, you still keep your distance. You don’t want anything to do with me once this case is over, do you? I was just a good fuck while it lasted, but now, you’re all too eager to get rid of me.”
“Kyle… it’s not like that.”
“Then why don’t you want me to stay?”
“I just need to work on the case and I do that better when I’m by myself. This has nothing to do with you, I swear.” She responded. “I just want to make sure that I do the best I can to help you.”
I shook my head. “And when it’s over you won’t care anymore.”
“What do you expect from me?”
“So you don’t deny it then. I was just some guy you fell into bed with, nothing more?”
She didn’t even bother to answer me. Feeling frustrated and angry, I grabbed my jacket and stormed out of the house. I know I was a fool for thinking I had a chance with a woman as gorgeous as her, but I just couldn’t help the heartache that now tightened my chest. I slammed the door behind me before I got on my bike. I didn’t even bother to put on my helmet before I sped down the street.
I didn’t dare to look back, feeling fed up with this whole thing. To her, this was just a job. I didn’t mean anything to her. All these feelings I felt would never be reciprocated. Then again, they never were. I was always the guy they wanted to fuck, but never the guy they wanted to fall in love with.