What hereallymeant was that the unexpected help had enabled him to run off and leave the work to somebody else.
But who?
I didn't wait to hear more. Instead, I hustled toward the swinging door, wondering what exactly I would find on the other side.
At least I knew one thing for sure.
The surprise helperwouldn'tbe Ryder Vaughn because he was noshe. Andthiswas putting it mildly.
25
Lord of the Shark Bikes
Ryder
What the fuck?
On the crowded sidewalk, I stopped to stare with the others who'd spotted the beast barreling toward us on Main Street.
The woman next to me – an older lady with a pink visor – asked, "Is that…a shark?"
Yes.
Yes, it was.
Andit was a bike. Protruding from the front was a big, toothy shark face, complete with jagged teeth and large, predatory eyes.
To the woman I replied, "Well, it's no dolphin."
She frowned. "Got that right."
Riding the shark was a lanky blond guy with a bad spray tan and the biggest grin I'd ever seen.
I continued to watch, waiting for the bike to pass.It didn't. Instead, it screeched to a stop maybe a foot away, causing the visor lady to hop back with a little squeak.
But me?I stayed put. It would take more than a shark on wheels to scaremeoff. Plus, call me crazy, but I wanted a better look.
Silently, I took it in. The frame was bluish-gray with raised gills. The seat sported twin sharkish fins. And the kickstand was a mini-surfboard with a big bite missing.
Huh.Well, you didn't seethatevery day.
As for the rider, he looked like a surfer dude with money. With a smug grin, he said, "Well, well. Ryder Vaughn in the flesh."
I blinked. "Do I know you?"
He chuckled like I'd just said something funny. "What, you're pretending you don't?"
I had a good memory for faces.But this guy?I'd never seen him before in my life. I fought back a laugh. "I'm pretendingsomething." Mostly, I was pretending that shark bikes were a daily thing. But let's be honest here. This was Bigfoot-in-a-bikini rare.
With a smirk, he replied, "Yeah, you'repretendingyou don't see it."
I glanced around. "See what?"
He patted the side of the bike like it was a prized thoroughbred."This.Shark Attack."
"You mean the bike?" I gave it another once-over. "It'd be kind of hard to miss."
With a shark-like grin, he replied, "Yeah, butyoumissed out, didn't ya?"
