Page 35 of Bleed
I’m gonna miss this all.
I look around the place I’ve called mine for years, admiring all the hard work I put into it, and the man who will take it all over for me. Antonio runs the place as smoothly as I do, and I’m proud of him. I know he’ll be the best choice to leave my passion behind to. Who knows, maybe someday I can come back to it, when it’s free and clear of the tyrants that own and run it.
It’s the beginning of the dinner rush, and I stand in the corner watching my friend and colleague put orders out with lightning speed. The staff works around him like a well-oiled machine, just like I taught them, and when he stops to take a swig of his bottle of water, I throw him a subtle thumbs up, to which he nods in agreement.
“Time to go.” I mouth to him, and he nods again, coming over and throwing a terry towel over my shoulder, slapping me on the back.
“You do you, and I’ve gotcha.” He says, leaving the kitchen to get into place.
This needs to be believable, and that means I need to be cooking, and he needs to be running. Valentino will know something’s up if it doesn’t look like any other day on the line.
“All right everybody, daddy’s back.” I call out loudly over the din of the busy kitchen.
The staff gives a quick applause and goes right back to their jobs, cranking out the dishes as fast and as perfectly as possible as I blend right in, taking Antonio’s place at the helm, running the show for what will be the last time.
I flip pans and mix the sautéing veggies, chop garnishes, and baste the meats on the flat top under their domes. It’s amazing, the feeling of it all, even though I’ve done it thousands of times. Besides the bike, cooking really is my passion, and I hate walking away from it, but my life and our love are more important.
The few minutes till five tick by so slowly, like the universe knows I need as much time to say goodbye to my old life as possible, and when the sound of a motorcycle revving its engine breaks through the noise of the commercial kitchen I know it’s all come to its end and it’s time to rock and roll.
“What the?” I say, acting surprised, walking brisky over to the front window, raising the blinds so everyone behind me can see what I’m seeing.
Out front, in the street, sits Dani on her bike, the rear tire spinning, smoke coming from it in a dense cloud as she burns rubber and makes a scene. At the same time I hear Antonio’s voice come from the back hallway.
“Valentino, dude, come look at this hot chick on a bike. Damn, she’s fucking fine.” He says louder than he would need if the kitchen hadn’t have fallen silent with my crew surrounding me to look at the sexy thing putting on a show outside.
In perfect Valentino fashion, and the amount of disgusting hormones running through his body, he shows up faster than I even imagined he would, already rubbing his hands together and salivating over the prospect of bagging another chick to add to his growing harem of sluts.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” He asks, stepping up next to me, joining in watch the vixen on the bike.
I’m sure he doesn’t recognize her yet. If he did held be cursing and yelling at me to go get her. For now, he just leans closer to the glass, puts his hand on it like he’s trying to touch her, and makes the worst and most disgusting grunting noises.
“Gross.” I say, wrinkling my nose at him.
“Nah, gross is what I’m gonna do to that sexy thing when I make her mine.”
“Not if I take her first. Sheisa biker chick. My kind of gal.”
“You already had one, and you fumbled her. This one’s mine.” He says, drooling on himself like a freaking dog.
I swear the saliva stops falling mid drip to hang off his chin when Dani looks our way and raises the mirrored visor of her helmet. She stares right at us, then brings her hand up and blows a kiss to me.
“Damien…that’s…”
“The Recluse.” I say in feigned surprise. Pretending to freeze in shock, when in reality, I’ve planned all this myself.
“Go, go, go. Go get her asshole.” He yells, instantly changing from an animal foaming at the mouth in lust to one craving the kill.
“Shit.” I hiss, tossing my towel on the floor, and taking off out the back, letting the kitchen door slam behind me to add to my rushed appearance.
I jog down the back hall with a quiet sinister laugh and come out to the parking lot where Luna already waits running and ready to go.
Perfect job, my good girl.
My bike takes off as I kick up the shifter and crank the throttle, making as much noise as I can so that Dani out front knows it’s time to get a move on.
The second I pop out from the alley to the main street, she looks back at me, slaps her visor shut, and peels out, leaving a strip of rubber on the ground as she flees, pretending to run from me.
I laugh in my helmet, pushing the button on the Cardo to connect with her so we can communicate through the process.
