Chapter 33 #2
“Well, you’d better get used to them, because you , Arturo Ramos, aren’t so bad after all.” I loved the fact that she believed that. It was refreshing for someone to see what little good I had left in me. “So, can I ask you a question?”
“Go for it,” I rested my elbows on the table as I waited for whatever question she was about to throw at me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell her things but the not knowing set me on edge.
“How come your bike’s so special?” I swallowed the mouthful of food, chasing it with a sip from my lemonade.
“It was my dad’s. Besides me and my mum, it was his pride and joy.
He spent every wakin’ hour fixin’ up that thing, and when I was old enough he let me help.
” I’d never spoken about this before. I’d never really felt the need to.
Whole thing just seemed pointless. “When I moved here I had it shipped. Couldn’t bear to be without it.
It was the only thing I really had left of him, you know? ”
“Shit… Now I feel like a complete bitch for driving it without asking. You must have been so pissed at me that first day you found me sitting on it outside the house.” I instantly saw the regret in her eyes, and I knew she meant every single word.
“ Hermosa , I never want to hear you call yourself a bitch again, you understand me?”
“But—” she started.
“You are anything but a bitch. How were you supposed to know what that bike meant to me? Besides, that day when I found you sitting on it. I didn’t know whether I wanted to spank the shit out of you or kiss you right then and there.
That attitude of yours turned me on in ways you couldn’t have imagined.
” I smiled. She downed the rest of her beer and licked her lips.
I liked teasing her this way, knowing she’d be turned on and frustrated.
“I knew the moment I met you that you were special, that you’d destroy me in the best possible way.
Fuck, I should have taken you somewhere special tonight.
Like a fancy place with wine and candles?—”
“Woah!” she exclaimed. “No, Arturo. This date has been all I could have ever asked for. I don’t need to be wined and dined.
To be honest, places like that bore me, they remind me of family get-togethers.
No, trust me, tonight has been everything and more.
I can’t remember the last time anyone made me laugh so much.
And most of all? You helped me forget everything else.
Thank you for letting me see what lies beneath.
” My heart thundered as she placed her palm against my chest. “No matter how fucked up you think you are, I know what’s in here.
I see the real you. I know you think he’s long gone and easily forgotten.
But guess what? He’s not.” With that she brought my knuckles to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on them.
“You know, when my mum died, I was so sure my heart died right along with her. But now I’m starting to see that maybe it didn’t. Maybe I just got really good at shovin’ it behind a mask.” I pulled her stool closer to mine in one swift movement.
Her eyes softened as her fingers gripped my hand. It was as though we were both holding on for dear life. A flash of concern flickered in her eyes as she gnawed at the inside of her lip. Somewhere deep down, she was likely worrying that I was going to pull the same shit I’d pulled last time.
“Bella, if I could turn back time and stop that mornin’ from happenin’ I would. You can’t begin to imagine how scared I was that someone wanted to hurt you. What made it worse was that I knew it was happenin’ because I’d fucked up somewhere along the line.”
“What’s done is done. There’s no changing it now. I can’t sit here and tell you that your words that morning and the weeks after didn’t hurt, because they did. But we’ve been over this. I just…” I frowned as she looked down at her hands. What was she so afraid of that she didn’t want to tell me?
“ Mi hermosa … what is it?”
“I worry that one day you’ll realise what we’re doing isn’t worth it…” her voice trembled. “That maybe it isn't’ worth whatever my family will do to you when they find out.”
“Bella, I ain’t goin’ to wake up one mornin’ and think we aren’t worth it. And I’m a sorry twat for makin’ you feel like that. You are worth everything and so much more. I’d give my last breath for you if it kept you safe”
I watched tears prick her eyes as she cupped my cheek and leaned her forehead against mine.
“Can we go home?” she asked as she pulled away. “The house will be empty for hours. We can be ourselves without worrying about others.”
I stood, keeping her hand in mine then dropped a wad of notes on the table. It covered the bill two times over but Charlie was a good bloke, one I’d gladly help out.
Bella kept her arms firmly around my waist as we sped along the winding roads back to the house, I could feel her heart thumping against my back as she leaned with me with each turn.
“You okay, hermosa ?” I called back to her, not taking my eyes off the road, I squeezed her thigh as I controlled the bike with one hand.
“Great! The faster the better!” she screamed.
I revved the bike along the straight as it roared beneath us, the vibration sending her body into overdrive. I felt in control as usual until something suddenly felt off. The moment I tried to brake to take the bend nothing was working.
Shit… What the fuck was goin’ on?!
I managed to take the bend but not without difficulty. I managed to remain calm, not wanting to scare or worry Bella, but the bike was picking up speed and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
My heart raced as I realised we were in trouble. There was only one more turn to go before we reached the drive to Bella’s house, but it was too tight. The light on the road was near enough non-existent and I knew there was no way we’d escape that alive.
Sorry Pa. “Bella, when I say jump, you jump, okay?” I called over the engine.
“What?!” I knew she’d heard me, but wasn’t quite registering what I was asking.
“Just listen to me, and jump when I say. I’ve got you,” I reassured her, but even deep down I was shitting bricks. There was no guarantee that we’d come out of this alive and unscathed.
“Okay,” her voice and body trembled as gripped my jacket.
I assessed the situation, taking in my surroundings. I knew it was around here but with the shitty lighting it wasn’t as easy to spot. There! The grass verge suddenly came into view. I steeled myself and counted.
One. Two. Three…
“Now! Jump, Bella,” I yelled. As her body left the seat I somehow managed to wrap my arms around her shielding her body with my own as we hurled toward the ground.
Dread, fear, and nausea filled my gut as we seemed to fall in slow motion. I hadn’t even had time to see where the bike landed, but judging by the crunching and screeching sound it made when it made impact told me it was unfixable.
A sharp judder jolted up my spine and elbow as we landed with a grunt, Bella safe in my arms. Her scream was now embedded into my memory and I never wanted to hear it again.
“Are you okay?” she whispered. Naturally, she wasn’t bothered about herself.
“I’m fine. Grass broke my fall, are you okay?” I pulled her head away from my chest with both hands, yanking off the helmet. “Bella?” I searched her beautiful face as I asked the question again. There was no sign of any visible injuries but her eyes looked frantic.
“I’m fine, shaken up, but fine,” her eyes roamed over my face. “You were the one who landed on your back. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Bella, I’ve been through a lot worse, you don’t need to worry about me.” On a huff, she scrambled to her feet and held out her hand. “What are you?—”
“Arturo Ramos, give me your damn hand or so help me god, I’ll?—”
“Alright, alright!” I took her waiting hand as she tried her best to pull me to my feet. I knew I was no featherweight, so I used my legs to help her pull me up. No sooner was I upright did I wince.
I hid the discomfort as I straightened but Bella was more observant and switched on then I gave her credit for. “You’re hurt, aren’t you?” she gasped, her hands landing on my shoulders.
“Estoy bien, hermosa, te prometo que estoy bien.” I kissed her forehead, as she let out a shaky breath. “Estoy aquí, siempre estaré aquí para protegerte. Eres toda mi puta vida.”
“Let’s get you home, I can check you over properly then,” she tried to drape my arm over her shoulders but I didn’t let her. I inhaled a deep breath then lifted her into my arms. “Arturo, put me down! You’ll make your injuries worse!”
“The injuries are minimal. Now stop squirmin’ and let me carry you home.” I felt her smile against my chest until suddenly it slipped.
“Arturo, your bike… I’m so sorry.” A sob escaped her as I refrained from turning back to look at my pride and joy.
I didn’t understand what had happened. Nothing like that had ever happened before, I was too careful. I checked it regularly, I’d even given it a once over today.
“Bella, my bike was nowhere near as important as your life,” I sighed.
“But it was your father’s bike!” she exclaimed, a tear rolling down her cheek.
“And my father would have told me to do the same thing,” I whispered, pain prickling through my heart as she slid her arms around my neck, breathing me in deep.
“D-Do you know what happened? One minute everything was fine and then the next you were telling me to jump.”
“I don’t know, the brakes must have failed.” I knew they hadn’t failed. They’d been fucking tampered with.
Do you really want to be the one responsible for that beautiful woman’s death?
One of the old text messages repeated itself in my head. They knew. They must have.
My head throbbed as anger filled my veins.
Those wankers must have fucked with it somehow.
“We need to go back and get it!”
“Shh, it’s fine. I’ll come out with Red and Ty tomorrow. I can assess the damage then. Right now all I want to do is get you home, and check you’re alright. The bike can wait.”
“But Arturo, your bike is im?—”
“Fuck the bike.” I whispered. Bella immediately stopped breathing. Sighing, I stopped, to give her my full attention. When I looked down I could tell she was upset. “Bella, please just let me get you home. I can replace the bike, but I can’t replace you, can I?”