Page 18 of Rider

“Let’s eat breakfast. I’ve got work today and want to spend time with you guys before I have to get ready.” I reached down and took Colton’s other hand and led him over to the table, helping him get into his chair and his plate ready. Rider takes his time behind me and when I look around to him he’s deep in thought and rubbing his face with one of his hands. I know that look, I’ve seen it plenty of times on others when they want to tell you something and it’s not good news. “What’s wrong, Rider?”

“Nothing’s wrong baby but I do want to talk to you about work.”

“Ok… what about it?”

“How far do all of your appointments go out?”

I stopped what I was doing and gave him my full attention. “Well I’ve got my regulars that come in and then I take appointments sometimes up to months in advance but I can always rearrange those with notice. Why?”

Rider took a deep breath and came over to the table and took my hands in his. “I talked to Hammer this morning and we want you to go work for him in his office. You can handle the books and you’ll be able to finish school. It’ll be more money for you and you’ll be protected better by the club.”

I shook my head. “I can’t do that Rider. For one thing, I have obligations to clients for several weeks already booked. I’ve never run the accounting for an office so I don’t even know where I would start. I don’t want to disappoint you or make a mess for anyone else in the club.”

Rider got down on one knee in front of me and kept my hands inside his. “Ladybug you won’t disappoint me or Hammer. We both want you there and you’ll do a great job. I have faith in you and you’ll see that too.”

I roll my bottom lip into my mouth and bite down, thinking about how I could swing it and make it work. Would I love to be off my feet and doing something I really liked doing? Yes.

“Do you think he’d be flexible because of Colton?”

His eyes softened. “I’m sure you could even take him with you some days if you needed to.”

Slowly, I nodded my head. “Ok yeah. I can do that. I’ll just need time to give notice this week and fix my clients up with Carmen and some other stylists at the shop. I don’t want to leave them in a lurch.”

Rider smiled brightly. “That’s perfect, baby. Now let’s find out where that repairman is for the dryer.”

I was finishing up my last week of cutting and styling hair and I couldn’t believe it was already coming to an end. These last two weeks since Rider and Hammer worked to get me into one of the club businesses had flown by. I didn’t want to burn any bridges so I made sure to give two weeks and personally called all my clients and set them up with Carmen or someone else who fit their needs. Yesterday, Rider took me over to the construction company’s lot to see Hammer and fill out some paperwork. I also got to see where I’d be working, get a head start decorating my desk with the things I would need, and met some of the other club members that worked there, too. It seemed like a good place to work and with Hammer and the other guys around I knew that I’d be safe there. Hammer had even taken the time to show me a small area in the office where Colton could sit and play if I had to bring him with me in a pinch.

I still hadn’t heard anything else from Grayson since Rider told me he would take care of it. I blocked the number he texted me from, so even if he had tried to reach out to me I wouldn’t know. I was trusting that it was all going to work out. Since moving to Mammoth, I had stayed under the radar and apart from Mrs. Lopez and meeting Rider, I steered clear of going out and interacting with people outside of work. I had moved far away for several reasons, but the main one was getting away from Grayson, so the thought of him invading my calm, safe place was unsettling. It put my stomach into knots.

I just had one more haircut to do-Rider. He had wanted to be my last haircut and I thought that would be poetic. He had dropped me off this morning and he would be here soon. We were only a little over two weeks away from Christmas so getting all my appointments in this week would pad my account until I got paid from the construction company. Rider had insisted on buying us a real Christmas tree, he had been spending most of his nights at my house and he always had a real tree growing up so he was adamant that we get a real tree to have in the house. I was enjoying the pine smell all around the house and Colton had loved going to help pick it out. We started to decorate it but tonight we were going to finish. I noticed presents were popping up underneath and I’d need to figure out what to get Rider.

I had just turned around to get my station ready for my last customer when I heard the bells above the shop door alerting me to someone coming in. I turned around and my body froze. I stood there unable to move while my mind went into overdrive. Standing just inside the doorway with only a small counter separating us was my worst nightmare come to fruition. It was Grayson. His black beady eyes raked down my body and the leering look he gave me before meeting my eyes made cold chills spread over my skin. I had to suppress a shiver.

Grayson knew it too. It was like he could read my mind. He smiled coldly and sauntered up to the counter like we had just seen each other yesterday. He was dangerous. He ignited all of my flight or fight reflexes, and as he got closer to me, I retreated. I tried to put more things between us, I moved behind my styling chair and reached into my back pocket for my phone. I panicked when it wasn’t there, I looked over and it was on my station, laying there face down where I left it. His mirthful chuckle made me turn back to him sharply. He was leaning up against the counter just watching me, enjoying my panic. He could probably hear my heart pounding.

“Long time, no see Abigail.”

I almost vomited at his use of my middle name. I had to choke back the bile that was rapidly rising in the back of my throat. He always called me that and I hadn’t heard it spoken since he’d walked out. I tried to calm my breathing. Rider would be here any minute and it would be ok. He’d talk to Grayson and make him leave. Thinking that to myself, I stood up straighter, trying to convey that I wasn’t some weak woman he could push around anymore. I was a strong, independent woman and I wasn’t going to cower to him. “What are you doing here?” My voice shook near the end, a clear giveaway.

He leaned his leather-clad forearms onto the countertop and peered at me. “Come on babe, if you had answered my texts and calls then I wouldn’t have had to track you down.” He laughed. “Scratch that. I was always going to track you down.”

The malice in his voice slapped me in the face. He was angry and I was about to be his punching bag. Verbal or physical, I didn’t know, but I was scared. I needed him to keep talking and to stay on that side of the counter. I looked past his shoulders to the windows but with the bright lights of the shop on and it being dark outside, all I could see was our reflections. His voice snapped my eyes back to him. “I can find you anywhere, don’t forget that. Now, where’s my kid.”

He had to use the word kid because he didn’t know his own son’s name. There was no way my parents would have told him and I highly doubt he would have reached out to them since he never met them. He certainly wasn’t around for the end of the pregnancy or birth. I hadn’t even listed him on the birth certificate so he couldn’t have looked it up that way. He was pathetic. He wanted to see him for his own reasons and if I knew him like I thought I did, it was only because he thought he had something to gain out of it. He was only into monetary gain so I could only assume he was now around for money.

I clenched my jaw and stared back at him. When it became clear I wasn’t going to say anything he slammed his fist against the counter and screamed, “Bitch you better fucking answer me.”

Rider

Rayleighn’s last day as a hairdresser was today and I was going to be her last haircut. That made me smile. It was already dark by the time I pulled my truck up to the curb and shut the engine off. Tomorrow, I’d have to ride my motorcycle for club business but tonight I drove the truck to pick her up. I had packed some more of my clothes and had them in the backseat. I was spending a lot of time at her house and after the holidays I was going to try to get her and Colton over to my house more. I wanted them to feel comfortable there and eventually move in.

I thought of the train set that I bought Colton online earlier and smiled at the thought of him opening it. I put my arms through my leather vest and took the few steps from the truck to the front door of the shop. Before I pulled it open I noticed a dark blue Harley I’d never seen around town before. Being part of the club and owning a mechanical shop in town afforded me the knowledge of almost everyone’s modes of transportation but I couldn’t place this one. I gave it one more once over and pulled the door open to the shop. Before I could turn my head, I heard a man shouting, which caused me to whip my head around.

Standing at the counter was a man dressed in full black. Leather jacket with no patch, dirty jeans, and scuffed-up black boots. This was the owner of the motorcycle outside and if I had to bet—the infamous Grayson. He instantly made my blood boil. If I wasn’t already ready to beat this piece of shit to the ground, the look on Rayleighn’s face would have pushed me over the edge. She was hiding behind her chair at her station, holding onto the seat with white knuckles, on the verge of tears. I could see her bottom lip quivering, and this asshole was the cause of her pain.

Griz, Hammer, Ink, the prospect, and I had been working in all of our free time to try and locate him but here he stood before me. I wasn’t a violent man and hadn’t been to jail since I was a teenager but tonight that could all very well change. I reached in my back pocket and slid my brass knuckles onto my left hand. At first, Grayson just looked over his shoulder at who had entered but my large frame and commanding presence caused him to fully turn around. He had a scowl on his face as he took in my appearance. I had a good three inches on him and I could see his eyes come up to meet mine. I saw his eyes roam over my patches, he then met my gaze, his face now blank.

“Well if it isn’t one of the famous vipers of the Mystic Venom.” If he hadn’t shown the name some reverence I would have punched him right then.

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