Sophie
Sophie glanced at her watch just as Stephan’s pickup rolled to a stop on the street outside her apartment. She opened the door and bounced up and into the passenger seat.
Stephan looked her up and down with a frown. “Is that what you’re wearing to go for a beer?”
She looked down at the denim shirt dress and ankle boots. “Yes. What’s wrong with it?”
Stephan shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just… I’ve never seen you in a dress. Ever.” He leaned closer and sniffed “And is that perfume I smell?”
“Jeez,” she said, crossing her arms. “I don’t live in greasy coveralls, you know. I am allowed to wear girls’ clothing sometimes!”
He fixed her with a suspicious look for a while before nodding in agreement and then driving off.
They pulled up at the biker’s club and waited in the parking lot until they saw Zeke ride in on his bike. Sophie sat up straight and patted her hair, tucking it behind one ear, then changing her mind and untucking it. She looked over at Stephan in time to see him laugh and shake his head.
“You look fabulous,” he said in a mocking tone.
She shot him a scowl, and they both hopped out and went over to their meeting point at the club door.
Zeke’s eyes were fixed on her. “Hey. Good to see you.”
She smiled and looked at the ground. “Yeah, you too.”
Stephan cleared his throat, and Zeke turned towards him. “Oh, good to see you too,” he added.
Stephan nodded and laughed. “Let’s get that beer. It’s been a long day.”
As the three of them – Zeke, Stephan, and Sophie – walked through the bar area of the FA clubhouse, she was amazed to see people pat Zeke’s back and high-five him as he walked. He strode through the crowd like a king, with people parting ways to allow him, and his two guests through. She’d never seen anything like it.
The building had the feel of a log cabin with leather stools around little wooden tables, a large pool table in the center, a huge flat screen TV showing sports, and several noisy clusters of bikers playing cards at one end of the room.
At the bar, the barkeep placed three beers on the counter.
They found a cozy table in the corner, away from prying eyes and the groans and cries of the latest poker losers, and Stephan proceeded to take out prints of photographs on paper.
Zeke squinted his eyes to read the inscription that had been magnified on a metal filament from the inside of the bomb. He read aloud with a look of disbelief on his face: “4LBX.... my former combat unit.”
He placed the papers down on the table and stroked his hand down his jaw in thought. “It was our logo. In Afghanistan.” He sat upright. Sophie could tell there was more. There was something he was struggling to say.
“Do you still know anyone from that unit?” she asked, leaning forward.
He took a slow sip from his beer, swallowed hard and let out a long slow breath. “I’m the only survivor.”
“Oh.” She shifted in her seat.
“An IED exploded and killed my whole unit. I was inside checking for commands from base camp at the time, so I didn’t get the full impact. But I was thrown against the wall by the blast and ended up in a coma. When I woke, months later, back on US soil, they told me the news. Worst day of my life. If I could have swapped with some of those boys, I would have. They were my responsibility.”
There was a pause while the three of them looked down at their beer bottles. Eventually, Sophie spoke.
“That’s awful. I can’t imagine what it must be like for you to remember that.”
He took a deep breath. “I’ve learned how to process it,” he said, offering a smile to diffuse the tragic air. “There isn’t a day when I don’t think about those guys – my friends and colleagues – but I carry on working to try and do them proud.”
“I’m sure they would be,” she said, longing to reach out and place her hand on his, but not wanting to cross the boundary, especially with Stephan by her side.
“If everyone but you was killed,” Stephan said,” then how do we explain the fact this bomb is new? The serial numbers on the cables are from this year. Whoever made this inscribed that unit logo on the bomb.”
Zeke’s face grew pale. He shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ll start making a list of everyone involved in the unit. Maybe there was confusion over the death toll. I’ll have to contact all the families involved.”
He downed the last of his beer with a grimace and Sophie saw him shudder.
“Hey, if you want help contacting them, I’m here.” She turned to Stephan. “I have a few days off don’t I? You can’t do this alone.”
Zeke looked at her, and his hard frown softened as he nodded. “Thanks. That’d be good.”
She caught his eye for a second too long, and a rush of nerves forced her to glance back at her beer bottle. She looked up again, just in time to see him sweep some hair back off his brow. He looked tired, which Sophie thought was kind of cute. Zeke, the club leader, the guy who guarded people’s lives, looking weary was like a knight with a chink in his armor. She grinned.
“What?” Zeke asked her, with a weak smile. “Did I miss something funny?”
Her cheeks burned hot; she knew she must be cherry red. “Um, nothing,” she stammered, laughing. “Just something I remembered. Girls stuff. You two wouldn’t find it funny.”
Relief washed over her. She’d learned early on working in the garage that whenever she to conceal something she simply had to utter the words “girls stuff” and the guys instantly backed off.
Zeke downed the last sip of beer from his bottle and looked over just in time to catch her watching his neck tip upwards, baring the dark shadow of stubble. God, she was awful at hiding her feelings. She vowed to pull herself together. The self-assured look he gave her sent a shiver through her chest. She glanced over at Stephan who raised an eyebrow at her. Damn.
“Another?” Zeke asked, holding up his empty bottle.
“Go on then,” Stephan said with a wry smile. “I can walk home from here.”
“OK,” Sophie agreed, glancing at her watch. She had nothing to go home for, so why not?
Zeke headed for the bar but was intercepted by a brunette in tight jeans and a cropped ACDC T-shirt. Sophie couldn’t tear her eyes from the scene as the women rubbed Zeke’s arm affectionately, throwing her head back in laughter at something he said. They were clearly closer than just casual acquaintances. Either they had a history, or this brunette was determined to create history with him.
“So, the kids are off to camp this summer,” Stephan said as he sat back and placed his hands behind his head with a sigh.
“Oh yeah?” Sophie asked, unable to tear her gaze from the encounter. Zeke had walked over to the bar by now, but the brunette followed. She was talking enthusiastically and stroking her long hair, which was now pulled across to one side as she tilted her head at an angle, baring her tanned neck. Zeke ordered the drinks and occasionally nodded at something she said. Was it just polite nodding, Sophie wondered, or was he loving the attention. Her “player” alarm was ringing, but she hit snooze until further notice. She’d give him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed interested in Sophie; she was sure of it. And they’d definitely been flirting with one another, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t flirt with other women. She had no claim to him. Her heart sunk as she attempted to tune into the monologue Stephan was delivering to her right.
“... so Ruth thinks they’re old enough to be away for three weeks, but I’m not so sure. I’m worried Alana will be open to bullying. She’s so sensitive. It’s so hard being a parent. Give me a rusty old engine any day. At least I know how that works.”
Sophie smiled at him. “I can’t imagine what it must be like. I’d be a terrible mom.”
“No, you wouldn’t. It’d just come naturally. You’re a sweet girl. One day, you’ll be awesome.”
She shrugged. “We’ll see.”
She looked back at Zeke who was now heading back to the table, his hands clasped together to hold the three beers. He shot her a smile, which sent a ripple of excitement through her. The brunette was still at the bar, watching Zeke walk away, a scowl on her face. She caught Sophie’s eye with a sneer, tossed her hair and walked off. Brunette 0 – Sophie 1.
“You could have asked your... friend... to join us,” Sophie said, testing for a reaction.
Zeke choked on a sip of beer. “Her? God no. She’s a stalker. I might get you to have a word with her,” he replied with a wink.
She blushed, remembering how he’d helped with Greg.
“Have I missed something?” Stephan asked, sitting forward.
“No,” they both said defiantly at the same time, before laughing.
“Cheers,” Zeke said, and put his bottle up, and the other two followed suit, clinking bottles with his. “Here’s to making new friends after your attempted murder,” he said with a wry smile.
“Nice sentiment,” Sophie said sarcastically.
Stephan laughed. “You make friends in the strangest of circumstances... and this has to be the strangest one I’ve been in.”