“Ready when you are,” Winter said, looking back up at Bishop.
He swung his leg over the bike then jerked his head at her to climb on behind him.
“Do I need to warn you about the pipes?”Bishop turned his head so she knew he was talking to her.
“I’m good.”She slid her boots to the outside of the pegs, just in case.Thankfully she wore the HD boots her dad had bought her for her eighteenth birthday.Not that she didn’t wear them every chance she got, but often around here it was just too hot for boots that came halfway up your calf.“Where we going?”
“For a ride.You look like you could use some highway therapy.”Bishop fired up the engine and turned to look at her.“Ready?”he shouted to her.
Instead of saying anything she leaned forward, pressing her boobs against his back as she wrapped her arms around his waist, releasing him just long enough to pat his thigh twice.He didn’t wait for another answer but revved his engine and nodded to the others.Warlock pulled out first, then Bishop, with Venom and Blade bringing up the rear.She didn’t know if they normally rode in this order or if they were putting her and Bishop in the middle on purpose.Granted, she’d only been around the Fallen Angels but usually the Sgt.at Arms rode in front or in back, depending on what was going on and who was with them.But maybe the Sons did things differently.
It only took a few minutes before they reached I-10.Winter closed her eyes tight and pressed her face against Bishop’s back.
“Something wrong?”he shouted over his shoulder.
Winter kept her face buried in her back and shook her head.She couldn’t speak without seeing the cars around them so close and zooming so fast.She could handle the ride if she didn’t have to see all that.It wasn’t so much the speed, or even the cars, but the combination of them, without anything surrounding her for protection, that freaked her out.
He didn’t say anything more as they continued to ride.She didn’t know how long they’d been on the road when she felt the bike move to the side, then slow down.She didn’t look up until the bike came to a stop.Then she looked around and found they had pulled off the Interstate and were sitting at a light in what looked like a mostly industrial area.Warlock was still in front of them and she didn’t turn to look but assumed the other two were still behind her.Ahead of them, the light changed and Bishop let the bike roll forward a bit before he hit the accelerator.When they got to the intersection, she let her body follow his as he leaned into the turn.
Not being on the Interstate, she could take a deep breath and relax.She looked around, not familiar with this part of town, and wondered where they were headed, as clearly, Bishop had a destination in mind.
The city didn’t fly by, nothing flew at forty-five miles an hour.But she kept her head up and enjoyed the wind in her face and the sense of freedom she’d never been able to find anywhere but on the back of her father’s bike, and now with Bishop.
That probably meant something.She wasn’t in the headspace to explore that.They pulled up to another stoplight and Bishop eased the bike to a stop.He turned and looked at her from the corner of his eye but didn’t say anything.She wondered for a moment how often he had someone on the back of his bike.With the Angels, it varied by the guy.Some would give anyone a ride, others would only let someone special on the back of their bike, meaning old lady, kid, that kind of thing.Her father had been one of the latter.She couldn’t remember him ever having anyone but her on the back of his bike, at least not after they’d lost Momma.Winter hadn’t been allowed to ride then, she’d been too small.After that, she was the only one he let ride with him.At least until the accident that had stolen him from her.
Winter pushed the thoughts away.She imagined them as pieces of paper and let the wind of the ride blow them out of her head, and far away.She didn’t need to waste time wishing for what was gone and she could never have back.
It didn’t take long before it seemed they were leaving town.At least there was more open area, and it looked like some kind of construction was happening, but she didn’t see any signs about what it might be.
Before long there were houses around them.Winter closed her eyes and tipped her head back, enjoying the sunshine on her face.The heat of the sun combined with the refreshing wind from the moving motorcycle helped to calm something in her mind.She wished for a moment that Bishop’s bike had a backrest, or at least a sissy bar so she could lean back and enjoy more of the wind in her face.Not that she wasn’t enjoying riding with Bishop, but it had been so long.
She was still riding with her head tilted back when she felt the bike turn off the road.She took a deep breath, lifted her head, and looked around.They had pulled into the parking lot of a Shell station.Did they need gas?No, he didn’t park in front of one of the pumps, but instead, they backed their bikes into a couple of spaces to one end of the building.She released her hold on Bishop, leaning up and waiting for him to dismount so she could.
“We’re grabbing drinks.What do you want?”Warlock asked as he stepped off the bike.
Winter didn’t say anything assuming he was talking to Bishop.
“Spitfire,” Bishop patted her leg after a moment but not making any move to dismount, “he’s talking to you.What do you want to drink?”
“Oh, sorry.Water’s fine.”She wondered if she should go in and pay for her own water but with Bishop not moving, she wondered why?Was there something going on here she wasn’t aware of?
Warlock nodded, then turned, and he, Blade, and Viper headed around the building and presumably into the store.
“We’re doing a couple of things here.First, we’re watching for that fuckwad to show up.Second, we’re gonna have a little talk.”Bishop didn’t turn to look at her, didn’t demand an answer, still, it made her stomach churn.She hated those words.They never ended well, not for her.She wondered what she’d done wrong this time.
“Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t like the Interstate?”his voice was soft, but not soft enough she didn’t hear him.
“It ...it’s not that I don’t like the Interstate, I just have a hard time with it on a bike.”There.That was the truth.Not all of it, but still not a lie.
“I can live with that.What I can’t live with is you not telling me.If you’d said something I would have gotten off and taken surface streets.”He laid a hand on her thigh close to her knee.“I don’t want to scare you, and I won’t take the bike on the Interstate again while you’re with me, all right?Anything else you have trouble with on a bike?How about mountain roads?”
Winter couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her.
“I’d had a really hard time riding at home if I couldn’t handle mountain roads.That’s all that’s around Craven’s Creek.No.My issue with Interstates on a bike is a trauma response, but I don’t want to go into that now.I’m fine with pretty much anything, other than that.”
“Good.Don’t think I missed the trauma part you slipped in there.Don’t think we won’t talk about that later.Now that I know how you feel about the Interstate, we will be staying off them, I think you’ll feel better.”He squeezed her thigh but didn’t slide his hand up or attempt to make a move on her.She found herself watching his hand and wishing he’d move it.Not to take it away but to slide up, just a little.“Need to use the restroom while we’re here?It will be a bit till we get to the top of the mountain and all that’s up there is pit toilets.”
“I’m good, thanks.”
