The bell jingles as I walk into the dingy lobby. “Hey.” I greet the girl with dreadlocks behind the counter. “Is the store still open?”
“Have at it,” she says, not even lifting her head up from whatever she’s engrossed in behind the counter.
I push the door to the small store open, quickly locating the snacks Harley wants. I add a bottle of tequila and frantically search the limited shelves for cell phones, but I’m shit out of luck. It was always a long shot. Guess it’s time to invoke Plan B.
“I’ll take these,” I say, plonking my items down on the counter at reception.
She calculates the cost on a small calculator while keeping one eye on the movie on her cell phone. “You know any place in town that sells cell phones at this hour?” I ask.
“The mini-mart across from the park is open twenty-four hours, and they sell disposables.”
I silently fist pump the air while she shoves our snacks in a bag. Her fingers curl around the tequila bottle, and she finally lifts her head, eyeing me with big brown eyes. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-one,” I lie, not expecting it to work, because I could pass for nineteen, maybe twenty, at a push, but there’s no way I can pull off twenty-one without a full face of makeup.
“That works.” She smirks at me before totaling everything up, and I hand over the cash.
“One other thing. Do you know who owns that Honda out front?” I inquire.
Her eyes narrow in suspicion. “Why you asking?”
“I was hoping to borrow it to ride to the mini-mart.”
She looks me up and down, and a muscle ticks in her jaw. “It’ll cost you.” She folds her arms, gauging my reaction.
I unbuckle my watch, placing it down on the counter. It’s the only item of value I have on me. I’d happily trade my diamond ring, but my bastard father will string me up if I return home without it. “They can have that. It’s Gucci. Retails at two thousand.”
Her eyes go out on stalks as she examines it. “This the real deal?”
“It is.”
Her gaze flits to the massive diamond on my finger, and that’s all it takes to convince her. She slips the watch on her wrist, removing a set of keys from a drawer. “The ride’s mine. You can take it, but you put a scratch on her, and I’ll gut your pretty body from head to toe.” Her eyes penetrate mine. “We clear?”
“Crystal.” You’d swear it was a vintage Harley the way she’s talking about it, not a cheap Honda. But I keep my mouth shut, taking the keys from her outstretched hand. “I’ll have her back by midnight.”
“Hey, girl,” she calls out after me. “You know how to ride?”
I grin, and images of riding my Kawasaki Ninja 300 float through my mind. “I’m good.”
She smiles. “Sweet.”
I race back to the room, stuffing the keys down the front of my jeans so Harley doesn’t notice.
“I got tequila!” I sing, bursting through the door and waving the bottle at him.
He frowns. “I don’t drink.”
“Oh, come on.” I sit on the edge of the bed beside him, nudging him in the ribs. “Live a little. We’re on a road trip. Tequila is basically an essential.” I press my mouth close to his ear. “And it’s a rite of passage. One you can’t pass up.”
“Rick will freak out.”
What the fuck did these guys do to their brother? They might as well wrap him in cotton wool and be done with it.
“You’re not afraid of your brother, are you?” I quirk a brow, sending him a challenging stare.
He puffs out his chest. “Course not.”
“Good.” I grab two glasses from the bedside table, pouring a generous measure in Harley’s while I heavily dilute mine with water. “You find a movie?”
