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“He was always nice when he came in.”
I give her a soft smile, my lips tipping up slightly. But I keep my eyes soft too so that it seems genuine.
When I head outside toward my bike, I think for a moment. Maybe I’m the one holding on to the past and not everyone else.
“You whore,” a voice I knew I’d never forget yells.
Guess I was wrong. There are still people in this small fucking town who hate me. She storms toward me in her high heels and tailored outfit. She’s way too overdressed to be in Fairbanks. Her outfit is better fit for Los Angeles or New York City, not here.
“Well, hello, Cheryl.” I step off the curb and walk toward where I parked my bike.
“What did you say to my son? He came to my house and yelled at me last night.”
I scoff at her and grab my brain bucket helmet. She doesn’t deserve anything from me.
“Didn’t say shit.” I get on my bike and start it up. The pipes make it loud, drowning out anything else she says. I pull out of the parking spot and take off, leaving her fuming behind me.
* * *
“Let’s call this meeting to order,” Jinx says from her seat to my left. The seat to my right is currently empty and will be where my sergeant at arms will sit when she gets here. I look up from the large wooden table with green and black epoxy flowing through the cracks and against the knots of the wood. It’s like a river of emerald and onyx. I can’t believe my father had this made in the colors of the Devil’s Handmaidens for us.
“Before we get to business about tonight, let’s talk members. Rivet is on her way and will be taking the sergeant position. I emailed Scarlett to see if she wanted to come hang out for a bit. She’d be perfect as a road captain. Thoughts?”
“I place a motion that we accept Rivet as sergeant at arms,” Jinx offers.
As president I can’t make motions or vote on them, but I can at least let my thoughts be known. I can only vote if it’s to break a tie. Jinx and I are usually of one mind, so I don’t have to worry about that.
Everyone agrees to the motion. I never doubted it.
“It’s been brought to my attention that both Stormy and a friend of hers, Avery, would like to prospect to the Handmaidens,” Jinx says, and I look around wondering if anyone is going to object. But they don’t and it’s decided that they will be prospects. They even come up with a road name for Stormy and I like it. As for Avery, I meet with her tomorrow. She works six days a week. She works part-time at a tattoo parlor and the other time as a night auditor for one of the local hotels.
“I received a call right before this meeting,” Jinx says. I remember her getting the call, but I was focused on the email I got from Rivet saying she might be early. She was leaving Washington earlier than she thought. “The coalition would like me to ride for them next weekend at the races. Their rider was hurt yesterday and can’t make the run for them. It’s the debut of this bike and they want it shown with a rider. I’m not gaining points for them because they can’t switch drivers mid-season, but I can ride the bike to demonstrate it.”
I look around the table. I have my own reservations, but I wait. As I expected, Keys speaks up first.
“Why you? What’s in it for us and the club? Besides, you haven’t ridden in a while. Are you ready to do that? And, last but not least, can I run the system and double-check it? I’m not going to have you demonstrating a motorcycle that could be a bomb between your legs.”
“I agree,” Ginger says, and I nod.
Jinx looks at me. “Do you agree?”
If I said I didn’t want her to do it, she wouldn’t. But I know she likes the thrill of drag bike racing. She stopped last fall and hasn’t done it since. No test in tune. No practice. No talking about it. I know why, but it’s not my place to tell her story.
“I do. With everything but mostly the last two points. I want you to be sure you’re ready.”
“I’ll call back and find out if you can do that, Keys. As for what we’d get, having a favor with them is important. They chose me because they heard I raced back in Kentucky at the wake. It gets my name out there so that we can do our own bike and start racing again,” she says to everyone else. When she turns back to look at me, I see it in her eyes. “I’m ready to move on.”
Her racing bike is one of the things we left back in Kentucky. I had that fine-tuned to perfection. But because we didn’t own it, we couldn’t bring it. I’ve already been thinking about getting one together for us here. It was a passion I loved to do down there. It was something she loved too.
There isn’t a regular local track here, but they do allow us to race on the base runway for special occasions. In Palmer there is a track that is circle and drag. We just need the drag one, and it’s only a six-hour drive for us.
“As president, I have to say I agree with the thought of always having a favor in the back pocket with them.”
“Me too,” both Keys and Ginger say.
“What do you say, Vixen and Frenchie?” Jinx looks at them.
“I’m worried and think only if Keys gets to run the system through her laptop. We don’t want to lose you,” my aunt offers.
