Page 71 of Played

***

Mal found the bar a quaint place that she could see them hanging out in from time to time. Probably a good thing they lived hours away or they could become barflies. Dan grabbed drinks from the bar while leaving Mal and River to grab a table. The place was hopping for the middle of the week. A few guys at the bar eyed them up, including Dan. What could River say, she surrounded herself with great people. “You know, you could have given Riot a heads-up.”

“He’ll call later, when he has time.”If he had time.“It’s not going to hit the news until tomorrow.”

“Wrong,” Dan said as he set the glasses down in front of them. “Check the news on your phones.”

There it was in black and white:Vicky Brown, otherwise known as Laurel Canyon, and Keith Brown along with Roger Miller arrested on fraud charges.

“Damn that was fast.”

Before anyone could reply, someone cleared their throat behind Dan. Moving to the side, River saw a younger guy looking a bit shy. “Hello.”

“I’m sorry to bother you…”

“You’re not bothering us. What’s up?”

“Can I get your autograph?”

“Why don’t you have a seat and take a picture with me.”

Mal stared at River like she lost her mind. All the guy had to do was sell it to a tabloid and River would be dating a new guy by the ten o’clock news. Watching as River shrugged, Mal tossed back a shot, letting her do what she wanted. Apparently today was a different sort of day.

When the guy walked off, River smiled, telling them if the guy wanted to sell it, so be it. As the waitress came around for their order, her phone rang. River eased away from the table, letting Mal order for her as she answered the call. “Hey.”

“How are you?”

Should she tell him or assume he already knew? Not wanting to fight, she left it alone. Sometimes you had to know when to just not stir the pot. “I’m good.”Liar!her little inner voice yelled. “About to have dinner with Mal and Dan.”

“Where are you?”

Lie. Lie. Lie. “In Fontana.”

“Why are you there?’

He saw the news already. “Having a meeting with an old friend. How’s your day?”

Riot deserved her refusal to tell him the truth. “I went down to the police station and turned in the folder that Archer gave me to the detectives. The ones handling the fraud case, you know the one. It’s the one involving Laurel and Keith.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Was it possible for two people that loved one another to be so far off the mark with each other that they couldn’t get back to point A? She wondered about that a lot recently. Late at night, when most people were sleeping, she counted the swirls in her ceilings texture thinking about how far from point A had they gotten. Some nights she thought about his issues and missed him desperately. Sometimes she got so mad she cried herself to sleep only to wake up pissed off at him for causing her to have a stuffy nose and puffy eyes. The silence between them seemed like the Grand Canyon.Bridge the gap,that inner voice told her. “I miss you.”

“Me too.”

“Riot…” “

Let me call you back later. Michael and Jason just walked in.”

River didn’t get another word in as the phone went silent.Bridge the fucking gap, my ass. What kind of advice was that?Mumbling all the way back to her table she sat down, her mood ruined by Riot fucking Meniere.

***

Turned out teaching Riot she did not have to put up with his shit was more fun than she realized it would be. In the coming weeks while they worked with the new team and bikes, she had recanted her offer for Riot to move in with her. When he hollered and argued about issues on and off the track, she kept her mouth shut, letting the other team members argue with him. River would go to the nearest gym or drive back to Carmel Valley and hit shit. Sometimes she rode her dirt bikes until it was too dark to see the track any longer. Sometimes she swam until she could barely get out of the pool and crawl inside.

Not once did she ask him to come to her or the ranch. Not once did she step out of line. When he asked her what was going on, she explained they worked well together, and for now that had to be enough. She had tried everything else, now she was trying something new. She was trying to be patient.

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