Chapter 14
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Abyss
When I overheard Shelly speaking with one of her clients about another one who missed her appointment, my mind immediately went to what was discussed in church.
I don’t know if it’s related, but my gut says that we need to find out.
Thankfully, Shelly doesn’t ask any questions so without saying a word, I head into my office, closing the door behind me.
When Nerd picks up, I say, “I know we’re waiting on Doc’s list, but I might have stumbled onto something.”
“What’s that?” he asks. I can hear his rock music playing then suddenly, it’s muted. “Okay, tell me what you’ve got.”
“Woman’s name is Gretchen Billings. Unsure of an address, but she was coming in for a sobriety tattoo, so she could be staying in a transition house or living on her own.
Anyhow, she confirmed her appointment yesterday then was a no-show today.
Shelly’s been unable to make contact with her, phone goes straight to voicemail, and her texts haven’t been read. ”
“Fuck,” Nerd murmurs. I can hear his fingers flying over his keyboard then he says, “I’ll do a dive on her and see what I can come up with, Abyss.”
“Appreciate it.”
After I hang up, I hear Mack hollering, “Lunch is here!” Standing, I head into the kitchen where Shelly is pulling containers out of the bags so we can eat.
Sitting there eating, I ask, “You got anyone on the books this afternoon?”
Shelly shakes her head, but Mack says, “I’ve got two, so I’ll probably be here late.”
“Do you mind if Shelly and I take off? Promised her a ride today.”
“Not at all,” he replies. “Do you have your jacket?” he questions Shelly, looking at what she’s wearing.
“You know I do, Uncle Mack,” she teases. “Dress for the slide, not the ride.” Then she looks at me and states, “There better be no sliding, Abyss.”
I smirk then say, “Yes, ma’am, whatever you say.”
Mack looks at me and after swallowing his mouthful of food, states, “She’s an experienced rider, but it’s been a while, Abyss, so for the sake of my mental health, be careful.”
“Always am,” I tell him. “I’ll treat her like the precious cargo she is,” I promise.
“Good, good,” Mack mumbles as he continues eating. “Shelly, I know you already did the grocery shopping, but tomorrow, do you think you can run by and snag me some chips? We’re out.”
She starts giggling then asks, “Uncle Mack, did you check the pantry? I promise, I bought everything on the list you gave me.”
“Huh, it’s probably behind something.”
“Most likely,” she agrees. “Okay, I’m finished so I’ll go up and make sure the computer’s ready for Uncle Mack to screw up.”
He glares at her while she just grins. “I don’t screw it up.”
“Let’s just say it’s a good thing I do regular back-ups,” she retorts. “But it should be good to go since the point-of-sale system is the same one we used to use, and you know how to handle it.”
“Y’all get out of here, I’ve got this,” Mack mutters.
I’ve got multiple bikes garaged, but with Shelly riding with me today, I chose to ride my Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide Limited. It’s already got a passenger backrest, so even though she won’t be glued to my back, she’ll still be close enough to touch me while also being comfortable.
Slipping the passenger pegs down, I get on and hold the bike steady for her to climb on.
The spot where her hand touches my shoulder sends a warmth through me and I close my eyes as I burn it into my memory.
Having never had this type of reaction to a woman before, I don’t know how to process it, so I push it aside and concentrate on how it feels to have her sidled up behind me.
I’m one of those bikers who only allows family or an old lady to ride behind him, so the fact that I bought this bike is an indicator of how badly I want what Rio and BamBam have with Issy and Livy.
So, in a sense, this will be my girl’s maiden voyage.
I’ve ridden her, of course, but they’ve been solo rides.
Something settles inside when her arms go around my waist. They may not be as tight as I’d like, but I can always take her out on one of my other bikes. Since I plan for us to ride for quite some time, I wanted her to be comfortable, so it was my Street Glide.
“Can you hear me?” I ask. I did go and buy her her own helmet with Bluetooth capabilities so we can talk. Hopefully, I didn’t fuck it up when I synced them.
“Yeah, this is pretty cool,” she says, giving my waist a little squeeze. “I like that we get the benefits of wind therapy while also being able to talk if we want.”
“Helps me and my brothers out as well when we’re out on the road,” I reply.
Granted, I don’t tell her those runs are usually dealing with something we’ve got going on that’s less than legal. She’s not an old lady, but even if she was, I wouldn’t share that with her. Plausible deniability and all that jazz.
“Are we going to just sit here and talk or are we gonna ride?” she asks.
As an answer, I hit the ignition and the bike fires right up, the rumble coursing through from stem to stern, settling something inside of me. We haven’t even pulled out yet and I’m already far calmer than I was after hearing her phone call.
That’s the power of wind therapy, at least for me.
As we ride, I occasionally point out places she might be interested in checking out further, since she’s so new to the area. Hopefully, I’ll be beside her exploring those places. Because that’s what I want; her by my side.
“Abyss, I need to use a restroom please.” Her voice comes through my helmet, and I reach back and squeeze her thigh.
I stop at Buc-ee’s, knowing that she’s going to want to explore. Doesn’t matter that there was probably one up by her, it’s almost a guarantee that when you go into one, you’ll spend about thirty minutes wandering around, buying shit you want but definitely don’t need.
“Oh, my God, I love Buc-ee’s!” she exclaims. “Can you get my purse out please?”
“No need, I’ve got it,” I reply. At her look, I give her one back and say, “Sunshine, I’ve got it.”
Sunshine. Yeah, I like that, because despite the pain I can see in her eyes, she’s brought color back into my life.
Taking her hand in mine, I lace our fingers and we walk into the store and over to the restrooms, her going left and me going right.
One thing I will give them props for is the cleanliness of their bathrooms. Hell, I think they even hire people as restroom attendants, which is wild to me.
I’ve heard they pay well, too, which means this community probably got a serious boost to their economy.
I’m waiting outside the restrooms when she comes out, a pink tinge to her cheeks as she spots me. “Sorry it took so long, there was a line when I got in there,” she says.
“No worries, we’re riding wild and free today, Shelly,” I reply. “Wanna look around?”
She smiles up at me while nodding. “I love their saltwater taffy, but I’m also a bit of a throw whore.”
I start laughing as I guide her to the wall that’s lined with saltwater taffy, those gummy things that so many like, beef jerky in various flavors, and chocolate covered nuts.
She grabs a peppermint and a cinnamon, and seeing the look on her face, I go ahead and pull off several more, tossing them into the basket I picked up.
“Need some jerky before we go see if there’s something you want with that fucking beaver’s face on it,” I say, causing her to giggle.
Seeing her so relaxed, so open has me grinning down at her. If we weren’t in the middle of a bustling store, I’d kiss her, something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time now.
All I’ll say is I’m glad I’ve got the hard case on the back because right now, it’s full to the brim with not only Shelly’s finds, but my own. “Okay, mount up,” I instruct.
We’re once again riding, free and easy, when she says, “Thank you for that. This has been one of my best days in a long time.”
“I’m glad, Shelly. It’s been one of mine as well,” I admit. “In case you’re wondering, we’re going to a little hole in the wall place with the best birria tacos I’ve ever had. The salsa is just right, and the chips are plentiful.”
“Sweet,” she whispers, although it comes through loud and clear thanks to the Bluetooth.
Thirty minutes later, I pull into the parking lot of Rosita’s and park. Shelly climbs off and after I secure our helmets, I take her hand as we walk to the entrance. “Senor Abyss!” Rosita yells. “Come, come, I have the perfect seat for you and your woman.”
We follow her and I have to admit the table is perfect. I’m able to sit with my back to the wall so I can see anything coming our way, and before we’re properly settled, a waitress approaches with chips and two bowls of salsa. She sets them down and asks, “What do you want to drink?”
Normally, I’d have a beer or two, but we’re a long way from home and as Mack said earlier, I’ve got precious cargo on the back of my bike. So, I order a Coke and Shelly gets a sweet tea. “Can I get lemon on the side?” she asks the waitress.
“Yes. Are you ready to order?” she asks us.
“Give us a few minutes,” I request. She nods and hurries away to get our drinks. By the time she’s back, we’re ready to order.
“I hope our food doesn’t take too long,” Shelly says as she dips a chip in the salsa. “Otherwise, we’re going to need more chips, and I’ll be too full to eat my tacos.”
I chuckle. “Babe, gonna say it again, we’re not on a timeline for anyone, so if we sit here two hours to eat, that’s perfectly fine.”
“That may be true, but I’m enjoying the ride and the company,” she replies, smiling at me. “It bears repeating that this has been one of the best days I’ve had in a very long time.”