The Curse Of Spring (Book Two of The Seasons Trilogy)

Chapter 3

Harley

"How bad is bad?" I asked Jay, a frown creasing my forehead.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at me, and I could tell by the way he scratched through his scraggly beard that he was contemplating whether to tell me or not. There were some things in life that Jay felt was just too bad to talk to "his angel" about, and the fact that this appeared to be one of them made a lump form in my throat.

"Angel, I never told you much about the gang I rode with before I got arrested - and that was for a good reason, I'm telling you. Jason's got himself mixed up with them apparently. I don't know how it happened, but it isn't good."

I let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding, took Jay's rough hand in mine and gave it a squeeze of reassurance.

"It will be okay, we'll ask one of the guys to check out the gang surreptitiously and then try get Jason out. Surely he doesn't know that you were with them when you were jailed."

He smiled weakly and nodded, but I could tell by the worry which etched his face that my words didn't comfort him one little bit. I chewed at my fingernails nervously, suddenly not hungry anymore. Jacky had brought over our usual order without us even saying a word, knowing that we rarely strayed from our predictable path.

Both Jay and I picked at our food until we eventually gave up trying to force the food down our throats and ended up asking Jacky to box up whatever was left so that we could take it home.

"I added two pieces of pecan pie in there," the older woman smiled warmly at me as I accepted the food. "Tell Jay it's on the house."

I thanked her, knowing Jacky had a soft spot for Jay. Personally, I think they would have made a cute couple but Jay had been against relationships for as long as I had known him. He seemed to think they weren't worth the risk.

Jay was already on his chopper when I emerged from the bar-come-restaurant, the matt black machine having been built by his own hands. He was extremely proud of it, as he should be. The thing was a beast! My Yamaha, on the other hand, was sleek and smooth and silver. I had threatened to paint it pink in one of my girlie phases, but Jay had pitched such a fit that I quickly abandoned the idea.

I put the food into the leather pannier attached to the back of my bike as Jay brought the chopper roaring to life, not bothering to put on a helmet, his sunglasses the only thing he used to protect his eyes from the wind. When it came to me, on the other hand, I always had to follow the whole helmet, gloves and boots rule. Apparently he didn't care if he got killed but I wasn't allowed to push the safety envelope an inch!

Driving home in tandem, we both spotted the bike parked outside the workshop which hadn't been there before I had left for Jacky's. There wasn't a rider in sight though, even as we pulled up.

"Wonder who left this here," I commented as I pulled off my helmet and gloves, placing them on the seat as I took out our food.

“The rider couldn’t be far, probably walked into town when he saw we weren’t home,” Jay replied as he pushed his chopper into its customary parking spot.

As if Jay’s words summoned him, a man emerged as if from nowhere and walked toward Jay. He wasn’t a local but I felt as if I had seen him before, his figure oddly familiar. I watched from the kitchen window as he headed toward Jay, his hand extended for a handshake. Jay gripped the proffered hand with a smile on his face, obviously at ease with the young man so he clearly wasn’t a threat. The two men then headed to the black Suzuki and began looking it over together, a steady stream of conversation passing between them.

I shook my head with a slight smile on my face in wonder as I put the kettle on, craving a cup of tea to try and settle the knotted feeling in my stomach.

I heard the front door open and heard two sets of footsteps entered into the hallway – clearly Jay had taken to the young customer and invited him in. “The phone is right through there, in the kitchen,” I heard Jay say before the footsteps headed my way.

You know those models they have for underwear adverts; all dark and mysterious with eyes that promise sensual delights. Well, this guy looked like that, all six-foot something of him. He had black, collar length hair that had been messily styled, probably more by the helmet he had in his hands rather than actually styling it with care. His pale blue eyes were rimmed with a dark blue, his eyelashes so long and thick that I was instantly jealous. His eyes flickered over me for a second before he waved a hand in greeting and moved toward the phone on the counter.

Jay was against cellphones, saying the government could track you and listen to your private conversations through them. I had one, but had only really used it in high school and it was definitely lying dead somewhere in my room, having completely forgotten about the device. Clearly this guy also didn’t hold much love for cellular devices.

“Hey Em,” I heard him say into the phone receiver as he turned his back to me. “I’m not going to make it, my bike has broken down. Yeah, I’m at a mechanic’s place at the moment.” There was a pause before he continued. “I’m fine, still searching. Tell Alana and Rhett that I’ll see them soon, when you hear from them that is.”

He drew in a long and shaky breath and I could tell there was an emotional connection to whoever was on the other side of the phone. “Love you, Em. I can’t wait for this to all be over. Stay safe.”

With that, he put the phone down and ran a hand through his tousled hair.

“Thanks for letting me use your phone,” he said to me, his eyes not meeting mine.

“You’re welcome, no sweat,” I replied, turning back to my tea.

Jay trod heavily through the door, wiping grease on his once-clean jeans and I silently swore at his carelessness. Just another good pair of pants utterly ruined by grease stains.

“Sorry kid, but your bike needs to be thoroughly cleaned. It looks like it’s got dirt in its pistons so you’ll not be going anywhere for a while.”

The guy’s face fell and I heard him say “dammit” under his breath.

“You got a place to stay tonight? It’s getting dark and I don’t think we’ll be able to get much work on it tonight.”

The guy shook his head before he responded, “I’ve got my tent so I’m okay to rough it.”

“You’re mad! It gets cold out there at night, and unless you have some superpower that prevents you from feeling the cold, you’ll freeze!” I heard myself say, a subtle twitch tugging at his lips at my words. “You can crash on the couch tonight and we’ll find you a place to stay for a couple of days in the morning.”