Page 22 of The Sins Of The Biker

Starting the engine, the vibrations echo around me. I can hear Serena’s cry for me, her voice calling out my name, but I don’t dare give her my attention. Instead, I put the car into gear and speed off, holding myself back from glancing at her through my side mirror.

My mom places her hand on mine, and I glance at her.

“You did the right thing, son. You don’t want that beautiful girl in all this mess. The last thing you want is for Serena to get hurt. I know you love her, but things will work out. Don’t worry.”

I nod, give her a warm smile, then look back at the road, ready to focus on nothing else but revenge.

Chapter Nine

SERENA

“Okay… okay, I’m coming.”

Standing in front of Rachel’s house, I wait impatiently for her to answer. She finally opens the door, and her smile changes as soon as she sees me. Concern reaches her expression, and she asks, “Hey, are you okay?” She opens the door wider, and I step inside. Thankfully, Rachel lives alone and moved to Houston about a year ago. She wanted to have a life of her own and not be under the watchful eye of her dad and Javier Clemente.

“Come into the kitchen. I’ll make you tea.”

Following her into the house, photographs of her with her mom and dad are displayed on the entry table. It devastated her mom when she said she was moving, and I don’t know how she got her father to agree. He’s an incredibly strict father, but she’s nineteen now and an adult, so she no longer needs permission to live alone.

Sitting at the table, I wait patiently while she makes me a cup of tea, glancing at me now and then.

“Okay, what’s going on, Serena? You look as if you’ve been hit by a bus.”

Bringing the tea to my lips, I take a sip and place it back on the table.

“That’s because I have.”

“What the?”

“Well, not metaphorically speaking, but I feel like that inside.”

She places her hand on mine. “Serena, what’s going on?”

Tears stream down my cheeks. She gets up, grabs her tissue box from the bench, hands it to me, and sits at the table again.

Lifting a tissue from the box, I use it to wipe my tears, then keep it in my left hand and take another sip of the tea.

“What’s going on, honey?”

“It’s Harley. He broke up with me,” I say in a burst, then cry hard.

“What? You’ve got to be kidding. There’s no way Harley would break up with you. He loves you.”

“I know, right? I thought the same thing, but I guess I was wrong, and he never really loved me.”

“Come off it, Serena… now I know you’re making up things. The man adores you. Wherever you are, he’s not that far away. And the way he looks at you, I can feel the heat emanating between you. No, there’s gotta be an explanation. Maybe it is his father’s death. That’s right, how did it go today?”

“Terrible.” I wipe my nose and continue to talk, “He was so distant. I mean, I get it. He had to look out for his mom, who was a real mess. The poor woman loved Jim so much, and it would be incredibly painful to watch him being buried. Of course, I expected Harley to be there for his mom, but he ignored me, and I felt so out of place.”

“That doesn’t sound like him. Maybe he has a lot on his mind. He just needs some space, hon.”

“Yeah, well… that’s basically what he said. He told me he had a lot to work out and couldn’t have me in his life right now. Something about his dad’s death, and he didn’t want me to be in any danger.”

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry. What can I do?”

“Nothing, just you listening is enough. Thank you for letting me spill my heartache.”

“Of course, anytime.” She stops talking for a moment, then continues, “You know, though, Serena, I think you should give him his time. I mean, he’s just lost his father, and maybe somehow he plans to find out who the killer is, and you know what these biker clubs are like. He wants you to stay safe. I say give him time and see where it goes. You love him, right?”

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