Beauty & the Biker (29 page)

Once upon a Wednesday…

Bella’s life had changed significantly over a madcap, emotionally charged week, but one thing remained the same.

She could count on two things.

Escapism via a good book and the ever-wondrous, everlasting support of her best friends. Even though every one of the Inseparables was either preoccupied or engaged with some faction of their own life, they all showed for the weekly dinner at Café Caboose.

Emma was distracted by her impending trip with Nate, texting under the table with the rodeo icon every five minutes, as if nobody noticed, and Georgie was ten-minutes late due to a job interview as a stable hand at the Morgan ranch.
Shoveling horse manure
?
Was she really that desperate
? Angel seemed edgy and Chrissy was subdued.

In spite of whatever was going on in their lives, not one of them had bailed on their dinner. And, because they knew Bella was especially fragile, they purposely avoided any talk of
biker dude
.

For a romanticized blip in time, Bella had assumed Savage was someone she could count on through thick and thin, forever and always. Sadly, he’d proven unreliable, choosing vengeance over love.

Okay. To be totally fair he had ridden to the rescue of a damsel in distress. Except that damsel had been another female in another state and although Bella understood Savage’s need to go, she hadn’t welcomed his insistence to leave her behind.

She’d spent the last two days blocking the man from her mind. She didn’t want to think about where he was or what he might be doing. She didn’t want to worry. And sure as sunshine, she did not want to allow her imagination to run amok. Instead, she’d focused on the library by day and her writing by night. She trusted in Savage’s innate goodness and her Pollyanna instincts.

Everything will be okay. Sasha will recover. Pratt will suffer the consequences of his evil deed—via the law
.

And Savage would come home—unharmed and demon-free.

Still, the more time that passed, the greater her impatience. He’d texted her briefly to check in, but they hadn’t spoken on the phone. He’d distanced himself in more ways than one. He didn’t want to burden her with whatever he was going through. She got that, but silence would be easier if she were at least able to give him a reassuring hug.

“What the… You have got to be kidding me!” Emma wailed while staring daggers at her phone. “Un-freaking believable!”

“Oh, no,” Angel said. “Did Nate cancel?”

“No,” Emma said, flushed with frustration, “but now I’ll have to cancel.”

“Why?” Chrissy asked.

“Because your brother arranged for the Z-Crew Stormchasers to participate in a documentary and guess which week they’re shooting?”

“The week of your tropical getaway with Nate,” Georgie assumed. “So tell Zeke to reschedule.”

“I did. He texted back:
No can do
.” Emma growled. “Un-freaking believable.”

“You said that already.” Calm as you please, Chrissy squirted ketchup on her fries. “Maybe Nate can reschedule.”

“That’s not going to happen either,” Emma said.

“Then blow off the documentary,” Angel said.

“And miss a golden opportunity? It’s a top-notch film crew. A director with credentials. We’re talking
HBO
or
The Travel Channel
and a shot at an Indie nomination for best documentary. We’re talking national recognition. Who knows where it could lead for me professionally?”

“Then blow off the Caribbean,” Georgie said. “Nate will understand.”

“It’s not like you’re serious about the guy,” Chrissy said.

“No, but I seriously need an adventure,” Emma said.

“Your life is full of adventure,” Bella finally put in.

“But within the confines of Nowhere. I want more. I need more.”

“Look on the bright side,” Bella said. “Maybe that documentary will be your ticket out. A golden pass to a grand adventure.”

“You could double your odds by applying for an adventure via Impossible Dream,” Chrissy said. “Shoot for the stars. A world tour. A position with
National Geographic
.”

“Your ribbing lacks its normal sarcasm,” Emma noted with an eye roll.

“I wasn’t being sarcastic,” Chrissy said.

“You’re putting stock in Impossible Dream?” Bella asked her cousin. “That’s so…optimistic.”

“As opposed to my normal pissy attitude? Shocking, I know.”

“New mindset to go with the new haircut?” Georgie asked.

Chrissy shrugged. “Let’s just say, I’m tired of being miserable.”

Bella’s chest flared with hope. “Does this mean you’ll blow the cobwebs off of your violin?”

“No. However I’m determined to escape my rut by expanding my horizons. I think there’s a market beyond Nowhere for some of my more bohemian knitting projects. I researched the means to launch an online store. Also, I’m opening myself up to the possibility of settling down with a nice guy. It’s not fair to deprive Melody of a father simply because I’m bearing a grudge. I’m determined to move beyond you-know-who and, if I’m lucky, reconnecting with my carefree spirit.”

“Viva evolution,” Angel said.

Bella couldn’t help herself. She slid out of the booth and hugged Chrissy who was sitting on the opposite side. Her cousin had been closed off and bitter for way too long. This was a miracle!

“Speaking of nice guys,” Emma said. “Look who strolled in.”

Assuming she was talking about Savage, Bella straightened with a bright smile and racing pulse. Instead she saw Ryan. Disappointment was fleeting. Maybe, just maybe, Ryan had heard from Savage. She knew they were in contact. Savage had asked Ryan to keep her safe. Either he’d followed her into Café Caboose as part of that promise or maybe he’d sought her out to pass on a message.

To Bella’s dismay, instead of approaching the table, Ryan steered clear, opting for a booth at the opposite end of the café.

“Geez,” Emma said. “He totally ignored us. That was weird.”

“He’s not himself,” Georgie said.

Bella’s vibrating phone diverted her attention. Unlike Emma, she wasn’t fond of taking calls or texts during dinner with friends. “Be right back,” she said then drifted toward the mostly deserted counter. She perched on an empty stool and checked her screen. A text from Savage.

Sasha’s attacker caught. Investigation deepening. Tending demons. Date of return unknown. U ok?

Heart pounding, Bella typed:
fine
. Then stopped. How to respond to the rest? The first part was good. But what about details? Who had caught Sasha’s attacker? The CPD? Joe? Was the criminal in jail or in the hospital due to Savage pummeling the stuffing out of him?
Investigation deepening
. Meaning they were trying to tie the incident to Leo-the-Lion? Was he the demon who needed tending?

Desperate for details and wanting to hear Joe’s voice, Bella placed an honest-to-gosh call. Her anxiety intensified with every ring. When it rolled to voice mail, her temper flared. Seriously? He couldn’t manage a five-minute discussion? Unless… Maybe he was in a meeting and unable to answer his phone. That didn’t soothe her disappointment but it was better than thinking he’d rudely blown her off.

Unsettled, Bella returned to her friends. Just as she slid into her seat, her phoned buzzed again. Rude or not, she eyed the text. Savage.

Be in touch later. Take care
.

“What the hey?”

“You all right?” Angel whispered beside her.

Bella nodded, taming her frustration while focusing back on the conversation at hand.

“Ryan was so certain Lacey would come crawling back,” Georgie said. “Instead, she filed for divorce.”

“Finally,” Emma said. “That woman is toxic. Ryan deserves a saint.”

Bella and Chrissy glanced at Angel whose face turned as red as her hair.

“What’s the latest from Savage?” Angel blurted in a clumsy effort to change the subject.

Wide-eyed, Georgie cleared her throat.

“It’s okay,” Bella said. “Actually, I could use some advice.”

* * *

Chrissy wasn’t built the same as Bella. She didn’t put stock in miracles or fairy tale endings, but she had been the first to suggest that her cousin take bold action.

Derring-do
.

The Inseparables word of the month.

They’d listened to Bella’s concerns regarding biker dude and also her worries regarding their future as a couple. Her cousin had skimmed over details regarding the case that had called Savage back to Chicago, but that was Bella. Never one to gossip or belabor ugly situations. She had, however, assured everyone that the criminal in question had been apprehended. The danger element had been eliminated and now Savage was simply negotiating legal aspects and a guilty conscious. Bella was certain he would benefit from her presence—her moral support and cheery disposition. Plus, he had a social commitment on Saturday. The deal Bella had originally made with Savage involved being his date for a wedding of a friend. She felt all kinds of awful for not making good on her promise. Of course she did. That was Bella.

When her cousin had finished venting her spleen, Chrissy had voiced her suggestion and, together, they’d all devised a plan. By the time they got to dessert, talk had turned back to Chrissy’s new outlook on men and her yet-to-be-named online store. She’d been energized, riding a wave of optimism all the way home. Doubts started creeping in as soon as she saw Melody who looked so much like Mason. By the time Chrissy had tucked her sweet daughter into bed for the night, her spirits took a nose dive.

She knew it was because she’d kept most of her thoughts and feelings about Mason to herself. Almost five years of stewing and festering. Talk about needing to vent one’s spleen. She needed to talk to someone. Someone she trusted. Someone who would listen and not preach. Someone out of her physical immediate circle.

She’d texted Sinjun, who’d promised to Skype Chrissy at 10pm. It was now ten-o-five.

Dressed in sweats and a tee, Chrissy fluffed the pillows between her back and her secondhand headboard. She glanced at her bedroom door—still firmly shut—then took a swig from her water bottle.

Her tablet sing-songed with an incoming call and she nearly choked, juggling the bottle while immediately connecting. The long-distance Inseparable appeared on Chrissy’s seven-inch screen. As always when they did these video chats, Sinjun was in the shadows. “Hey, Sin,” she said while tweaking the tablet’s brightness. “Thanks for doing this.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t hook up sooner. Late work day.”

“Not for anything, but you have a lot of those.”

“I don’t mind. Labor of love.”

“They need to pay you more. Labor of love, or not.”

Chrissy didn’t know who they were. Sinjun was secretive about her work. Considering she was whip smart and involved in analysis, Bella had fostered the idea that Sinjun worked as a tech geek for a government agency, gathering sensitive intel that she couldn’t discuss. Chrissy was less fanciful but sometimes her brain did go there.

“Between you and me,” Sinjun said, “I handle special needs cases on my own dime. It’s better that way. So what’s up?”

Chrissy was dying to ask Sinjun what she meant by “special needs” but she knew her friend would dodge the question so instead she selfishly focused on herself. “I recently decided to turn my life around but that involves letting go…” Chrissy breathed deep and blurted her biggest secret. “Letting go of someone I love.”

Sinjun leaned toward the camera. She tucked her long hair behind her ears and crooked a soft smile that hit Chrissy hard. “Talk to me, Christmas.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Once upon a Friday…

Instead of flying into O’Hare, Joe had opted to drive the distance. Rational thought came easier on the open road. He knew the beast would claw through the last of his shaky restraints as soon as he got a glimpse of Sasha’s battered body. Somehow, someway he needed to leash his temper, to control his impulses. He needed to think before acting. He focused on justice not vengeance.

Upon arrival, his first stop had been Val’s. Their reunion had been charged with varied emotions, but she’d provided facts and perspective—everything Joe needed to toe the line. By the end of their discussion, he’d agreed to trust Val and her team to collar Sasha’s attacker. If they traced the beating to Leo-the-Lion, Joe had vowed to keep a wide berth.

“
You have to know he’s taunting you
,” Val had said. “
Stoop to his level and you’ll land your ass in jail. I won’t be happy if that happens and neither will your lady friend in Nowhere
.”

Later that night, Joe had filled Val in on Bella. After he’d visited Sasha. After he’d dulled his misery with two shots of whiskey. In order to hold the beast at bay, he’d embraced thoughts of Princess Rainbow. Liquor and Val’s relentless nudging had loosened his tongue. He’d told her about the small town librarian who wrote big tales about flying horses and enchanted knights. He’d confessed his addiction to Bella’s sweet, fanciful nature and million-dollar hugs. He’d shared an idea that had been simmering in the back of his brain regarding Funland.