Highway Song: A Smokey's Roadhouse Novel (44 page)

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Excerpt from Roll Me Away

Cricket

“
C
ome on, Cricket. It
’
ll be fun! And who knows where you
’
ll be next year, now you
’
ve graduated. One last family vacation, while we
’
re still all together.
”

Dad
’
s wheedling made it sound like the family was breaking up. Nothing was further from the truth. My solid, mid-western family was intact, with Mom and Dad still married after twenty-four years together. My brother, a few years younger than me, and my sister, a few years younger than him, were still in high school, though Egghead would be a senior this school year. Sissy would be a sophomore. I was the one about to fly from the nest. I had no plans to fly very far, though. With a shiny new degree in health care administration, I could get a job anywhere in my home town. Or slightly further away.

Dad was trying to persuade me to take the rest of the summer off, when I
’
d intended to spend August looking for a job within an hour or two of home. Mom and the teens were staring at me like it would break their hearts if I didn
’
t agree. Sighing, I gave in.

Secretly, I thought Dad might have lost his mind. Sturgis? The biggest motorcycle rally in the world? I didn
’
t know whether he was checking off a bucket list item, or attempting to regain his lost youth. I did know that it wasn
’
t an entirely family-friendly affair. Maybe he was just regretting being born too late for Woodstock.

I couldn
’
t object to the plan, though, other than being there with my parents. The thought of half a million bikers, many my own age, gave me goose bumps. Going to college in LaCrosse had given me an appreciation for hot guys in leather with loud, fast motorcycles between their legs. Not to mention whatever else they had there. How could I take advantage of that smorgasbord of man-flesh in Sturgis, when I
’
d be sleeping in an RV with my parents and siblings?

I
’
d just have to figure it out. Maybe it was time to assert my independence. I loved my parents, and even my bratty brother and baby sister. I wouldn
’
t want to hurt them, but it was time they learned I was an adult. Just, maybe not how much of an adult.

The end of July was a flurry of planning, and that
’
s when I learned just how crazy my dad really was. His plan was to drive us to Murdo, South Dakota, a couple of hours from Sturgis, and rent a Harley to ride on into town, with us following in the RV. He
’
d been taking lessons, of all things, and even got a motorcycle license from the DMV. All I could hope for was to be somewhere else when he inevitably embarrassed himself among all those seasoned bikers.

The icing on the cake was the last thing he revealed. He was actually a member of a motorcycle gang!

“
Motorcycle club,
”
he corrected me, when I said that.
“
The Jackpine Gypsies. They have lots of out-of-state members. This is the seventy-fifth anniversary of Sturgis,
”
he explained.
“
It
’
s my time.
”

He was poring over a book called
‘
The Sturgis Rally Guidebook
’
as he spoke, and didn
’
t see when Mom and I caught each other
’
s eye and shook our heads. Later, I made my position clear to her.

“
Mom, I
’
ll go on this crazy vacation with you. I
’
ll stick around with the family for races and stuff. But I
’
m going to music concerts by myself. I intend to have some fun, and that means no parents, and no tag-alongs.
”

“
I understand, honey. But you
’
ll be careful, won
’
t you? Most of the people there will be just like us
—
tourists who are interested in the history of the event, and motorcycle enthusiasts like your dad. But there will be outlaw bikers, there, too. They
’
re dangerous, and I want you to stay away from them.
”

Actually, those are the ones that interest me.
“
Yes, Mom, I
’
ll be careful. Of course. You don
’
t need to worry about me.
”
Yes, you do, but I
’
ll be damned if I
’
ll tell you that. What you don
’
t know won
’
t hurt you.

We set out on the first of August, intending to take the scenic route to Sturgis and get there on the opening day of the rally. It was a scene straight out of those stupid Vacation movies, with Dad enthusing over the family being together, Mom trying to get us all to sing road songs, and the brats pouting about leaving their friends behind for two weeks. I couldn
’
t wait to get there and meet some hot bikers.

Zach

I
watched the little drama unfold, noting Jake
’
s technique. I couldn
’
t hear what he and the girl were saying to each other, but the intent was clear. One minute, she, Jake and Pug were looking off toward the sidewalk and she was yelling at a kid who kept calling her Bug. And the next minute, Pug was out of the picture, a little put out, and the girl was acting like she and Jake were alone in some kind of bubble.

Whatever he was saying to her was having the effect he wanted. She looked ready to strip for him right there. My dick twitched at the look of her. Sex goddess, was what she was. I could practically feel the heat coming off her, several yards away. She was looking at Jake like he was a god, too. Fuck me, but I could enjoy some of that.

I pulled myself together long enough to close my mouth and looked around for Pug, who was supposed to be my babysitter.  He
’
d disappeared, so I went into the bar to see if I could spot him. He was waiting by the server station, looking irritated.

I had a choice to make. Go over and see what the hell had gone down, and maybe piss him off. Or assume Jake had taken the girl from him and sympathize, and probably piss him off. One way or another, I needed Pug to notice me and do his job. I took a deep breath and walked up to him.

“
That was freaky, man.
”

He gave me a withering stare.
“
Yeah. What of it?
”

“
I thought that kid was hollering at you.
”

“
You and me both. Turns out, he was the girl
’
s brother. Called her Bug.
”
He shrugged.
“
Hard to hear the difference in this commotion.
”

“
Yeah. So, Jake
…”
This was the moment of danger. He
’
d either tell me what happened, or throw a punch. I tensed.

“
Fucking crazy, man. She knew him.
”

“
No shit? Where
’
s she from? I
’
ve never seen her before.
”
I assumed if she knew him, it had to be from home, but maybe she
’
d met him last year or something.

“
No, man, she knew his work. His vid
…
Never mind. Mind your own business.
”
He glared at me as he took a swig from the bottle the barmaid had just handed him.

“
Here, let me get that.
”
I pulled a wad of cash out of my jeans. Luckily, I had my last pay from my job with Carl on me. I handed a five to the barmaid.
“
Keep it.
”

If I
’
d expected thanks, I
’
d have been disappointed. But Pug did relax and stop looking so hostile. He lifted the bottle in my direction, the only acknowledgment I was likely to get. I signaled the barmaid to bring me one.

“
So, what
’
s next? We just hang out here until some gash throws herself at us, and then take her back to the motel and fuck her?
”

That got a laugh.
“
Yeah, dude. See if that works for you.
”

I grinned at him.
“
Wouldn
’
t be the first time.
”

“
No? Then you
’
ll fit right in. Look, kid, we ain
’
t friends. But you
’
re okay, long as you stay out of my way. So I
’
ll let you in on it. Tonight, broads. Tomorrow, we
’
re looking for marks. Civilians that get a little careless with their bikes, you know what I mean? You see a chance, you grab one and go. Don
’
t wait for us. Ride it straight back to your old man
’
s shop, and then hitch your way back here.
”

“
You mean
…”

“
Yeah, numbnuts. You steal it. We
’
re here to do the same. Most years, we get five. This year, six or more. It
’
s part of your initiation, bro. You got the balls for it?
”