Esmerelda (RAZORBACK MC NOVELLA #2)

3

Travis:

I was working at the rehab place as security, I told them my story, one of the older women recognized me, apparently I had brought girls in bad shape here before and she remembered me. I basically had the job from just that alone because I knew how to help those who might not know how to seek it.

I had mostly night shift, my first day off I spent sleeping because the next work day, a Sunday, was going to be helping with some kind of day for past patients to come back and share their stories. Basically they wanted more people there to see what it is were doing so we don't get tired and quit.

 I got it, I wasn't going to quit. People here needed this. They needed the help that these people were giving and I was glad to help in some sort of way.

 Now it was Saturday, I was going on a date, or at least I was watching a girl have her first date.

I had the time, the -go word- as this girls Uncle Avery, who was also a brother told me. He was ex military and it was almost funny how he planned out and made sure everyone knew the plan.

I was going to be close by, making sure he didn't kiss her, touch her inappropriately, or say anything bad. While we watched the movie, which turned out to be before lunch, I sat behind them. they kept stealing glances at each other and it was some cute s**t that you see in movies. 

I sure as s**t didn't do anything but feel a girl up and make out with her in the dark movie theater, that was just me... but this kid was whispering what the movie was talking about since Cami hadn't seen the first one. He was a geek, but she was kind of eating it up as if he were complimenting her.

She was either very into him, or the movie... because she kept whispering to him about things and it was going to make me feel sorry for the kid... until I messaged her father with an update.

Lucien told me that she had seen the movie just last night, that she rewatched it in preparation, and she loved it as much as the boy seemed to. So she was flirting with him as to pretend he was smarter or some s**t.

I kind of followed them, I told her dad that she was the one that took his hand and started to pull him along. I was giving him a couple updates as she leaned into the boy, and the boy seemed basically oblivious except for the few times he squeezed her hand back and almost leaned in but it was just his way of talking. I had a soda first, then a sandwich, and I made sure that I seemed to be scrolling my phone when they finished and just chilled out. 

Lucien told me he would pick her up at 3:30 at the restaurant, and he told me that he would be early. And he was... half an hour early. The date lasted 4 hours, and it was a cute sort of date. The kid seriously nodded and called him Mr. D before asking when they can hang out again.

Lucien was in full Biker Dad mode where he told the little s**t that he better ask like a real man who wants to date his daughter. The kid looked confused, he then laughed, which made me laugh, and I looked around.

Once she was off in his jeep I headed to my bike. It wasn't long until I was at the store looking for something more my taste for my showering needs, when I heard something drop.

I looked up and around, seeing that it was two bottles from some woman with black curly hair. She was bending down, grabbing them and she looked up and I noticed it was the same girl from the diner. She had spilled something the first time she saw me too... she did look familiar.

It killed me, but it wasn't popping up... there wasn't a face to the name other than Ezzy and I had only known that from when Marcus called her out. I guess I could have seen that on her name tag, but... her face was not something I knew right away.

Seeing her now she was fair in her skin tone, but I could tell from her cheek bones and her hair that she was not white, if not completely white. She was beautiful, but her habit of dropping things when she saw me only kept confirming that she knew me some how.

"Hi." I called out and she tossed me a fake smile before she basically took off down the aisle and I was walking to the end where she had been to see where she planned on going.

She had actually run into a basket, some other woman was pushing, she put her hair stuff in there and then went right to the handle and she moved to push the girl with her. She was definitely younger, maybe more than a couple years, but the difference was a lot... they weren't family. Unless she had a daughter very young and passed none of her genes on.

I went to step closer when she started to go faster... was she running away from me?

I looked around, looked down at what I was wearing... I wasn't even wearing a cut because I didn't want Cami to see it and assume... she would have been right to assume her dad sent me, but I was 'undercover' as Avery told me so I didn't even look like the typical 'scary biker' so I didn't know why she panicked.

I pulled out my phone, hitting a couple messages away, and I headed right for Marcus' name. He didn't answer until I was sure it was going to go to voicemail. But thankfully he answered.

"Hey, Trav, you get done with the spying?" He asked and I gave him the quick version. "That's good, no kissing, what's up?"

"You know that Ezzy girl... the one from the diner?"

"Yeah? Esmerelda." He told me and I nodded slowly.

"Did I scare her or something?" I asked him wondering if she said something or he noticed something.

"You better come over here." He said it slow, like it was going to be a serious conversation.

"I am at the store, I saw her and she dropped more s**t again and then took off when I said Hi." I told him and he took a breath.

"Just get here... bring your stuff we can have lunch."

"You going to tell me what it's about?"

"Travis... get here." He hung up right before I got to the end of the aisle  … I grabbed the one body wash I had been smelling, it wasn't too powerful so it wouldn't be annoying. I went to check out, put that s**t in a bag, and headed to his place.

Tara wasn't there but he was already making some kind of pasta. In my short time dating his sister, I was quick to realize their relationship dynamic. He cooked and took care of her like a father should... she would clean and keep her head down and do what he said.

"Come in here." He slapped the counter he was cooking at, so I did as he asked. I sat down, he put some on a plate and pushed it to me, he did the same and we chowed down as I waited for him to start talking. "So... Esmerelda."

"Yeah. Why did I have to come here?"

"She was a girl... one that our... ex prez brought back. I was there when he gave her a drink. She looked familiar for days before I realized it was from Vegas." I worked my jaw, knowing where this was going. "He drugged her, I left when I realized he was showing her off, I didn't know what was going to happen... but there were about 15 men when I left. She was naked... on the middle pool table, passed out."

"f*****g bastards."

"I went up to find clothes for her, I came back down and she was gone. They told me if I wanted a turn they were going to keep her at some f*****g garage."

"You hate them as much as I hate them. I want to be clear on that." I had to tell him now... those first 8 I got out were in that garage.

"You know that." He told me and I nodded.

"When I found out where they were keeping the girls, I waited until I knew I could get them out, safe, and no one else would know. I wasn't sure until now that Esmerelda was one of those girl. If I saw her... even back then you know they doped them up, she was probably worse for wear."

"You got them out?" He asked me and I nodded.

"Each time I knew they had them. Every time. I took them here, California and told you guys I was just going to see my brothers." I told him and he smiled, nodded and he looked up at the wall.

"I flipped on the Prez... that's why I really didn't go to prison. I was probably the reason you went to prison as well." He told me and he worked his jaw before we were facing each other and it was like he was prepared for me to do something.

"Do you regret working with the Feds?"

"No." He said it straight, and I nodded slowly. "You regret getting those girls out to safety?"

"f**k no."

"Then we are, what we were." He stated and I nodded. I didn't see him any different. I had a little more respect for him. "You did it because they reminded you of Hope." He stated as he turned and looked down at his food.

"You know I did." I turned back down to the food as well and we ate quietly.

We were quiet for a long time, then he asked if I wanted to see what he was working on when I called and that was when he showed me this room he was re doing, apparently he was trying for a kid.

I left that night with some leftovers he and his woman made together while I drank a beer. She was learning, and he made fun of her a little bit, but she didn't stomp off like some chicks, she teased back and rolled with it. I could tell she grew up in the club life... some women were made for club life, some weren't... and some should have never been touched  by it.

EZZY:

I saw him, he said Hi... and I ran. I wanted to bang my head against the steering wheel. I had been with Sofia and we had Chrissy's car. We were only coming to get girl stuff, I was out of conditioner, we were all out of tampons, and we needed some new bathroom spray... I did not want him to see our cart.

I corralled Sofia into the line and we ran away. She didn't know until we got home and I was in our parking spot. Then she was going on and on about how she would have liked to see him and thank him and blah blah blah, until Chrissy came home and she started all over again.

I laid in bed knowing tomorrow we were going to a seminar... at the rehab he took us to, at the rehab I heard her got a job that... at the rehab I technically recommended for him to try.

I really wish I could pick up an extra shift, but this was going to be us 3, and 2 more from our group, it was like a reunion. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought how good it would be to thank him for saving us.

If I was a Betty Crocker type I would make him cookies or a cake and hand them over like it's a 'thanks for helping me move into my apartment' type of thing.

I woke up the next morning, showering, doing my hair in my tight ponytail so I didn't fuss with my curls, and then I got on my nicest jeans, a black ribbed shirt with like 5 buttons in the front I could do and undo... and my black booties so I wasn't going to be the shortest on stage when we shared our stories.

We met up out front of the rehab, I had my small puse over my shoulder, and the other girls were hugging and messing with each other and I felt... at peace.

I saw his bike, but I hadn't seen him.

Travis.

Chrissy told the others that came about him, telling them that I met him at work, that I got him a job at the rehabilitation center, and that he was here today. They were all on the same page, they wanted to hunt him down and thank him.

So... we did.

I was looking around, slightly embarrassed that I ran away yesterday, not to mention I always seem to drop something around him.

I had nothing in my hands this time so it wasn't a big hazard. We didn't see him until we were all seated, we could tell that some people in here were in the stages of hating it here. I hated it here for months. I hated being clean, I hated being sober because while I was clean in the drug sense, all I felt was dirty. It took me a long time to get through what happened to me. It took me a long time to love myself despite what had happened... but it did pass, and I am better for it.

When I gave my story... I looked at the people who needed to hear that while it's bad, and it could get worse, and then shitty, there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you work for it. I made jokes about how metaphors like that could help one day, and that they might seem cheesy and stupid and what a soccer mom might have as a bumper sticker, but they're true.

Sofia was the youngest so when we did these things, she always went last, which was just after me. What I didn't expect her to do was call Travis up on stage with us.

"I want to explain who this man is." She said as he made his way to us and I made room, tripping over my own feet, making Chrissy catch me and I just blushed and tried not to make eye contact with him. "We were taken in by bikers... we were used and hurt and they kept us high. And this man right here... he got us out and got us all here. We owe him our lives, we owe him our kids lives, we owe him everything because without Travis, we would either be dead... or still being kept against our will." She went a little more into detail, and he looked slightly uncomfortable and the girls all started to hug him, and he stood beside me again as Chrissy and Sofia decided we were going to say the Serenity Prayer.

We held hands, he grabbed mine, and Sofia's and I breathed through the few seconds before the chanting filled the room.

Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change the things that I can

And the wisdom to know the difference.